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Book Summary and Reviews of The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning

The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning

The Lies We Conjure

by Sarah Henning

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2024, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Knives Out meets The Inheritance Games with magic in this standalone supernatural thriller by Sarah Henning: thirteen witches, a locked-room murder, and two non-magical sisters trapped in a deadly whodunit.

Ruby and her sister, Wren, are normal, middle-class Colorado high school students working a summer job at the local Renaissance Fest to supplement their meager college savings.

So when an eccentric old lady asks them to impersonate her long-absent grandchildren at a fancy dinner party at the jaw-dropping rate of two grand―each―for a single night… Wren insists it's a no-brainer. Make some cash, have some fun, do a good deed.

But less than an hour into the evening at the mysterious Hegemony Manor, Ruby is sure she must have lost her mind to have agreed to this.

The hostess is dead, the gates are locked, and a magical curse ensures no one can leave until they solve both her murder and the riddles she left behind―in just three days. Because everyone else at this party is a powerful witch. And if the witches realize Ruby and Wren are imposters? The sisters won't make it out of Hegemony Manor alive.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[A] propulsive drama, giving tantalizing insight into contrasting pieces of the puzzle and the complicated web of relationships between the devious and compellingly wrought cast." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Offers a compelling take on the classic locked-room mystery. The plot unfolds at a measured pace, and well-developed clues and red herrings keep readers guessing until the very end...A well-crafted, fantastical thriller." ―Kirkus Reviews

"Despite some moments of heavy exposition, this blend of magical elements, family drama, and murder mystery wraps up neatly, providing a satisfying standalone read." —School Library Journal

This information about The Lies We Conjure was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Sarah Henning

Sarah Henning is the author of several books for young adults, including The Lies We Conjure; the Indies Introduce selection, Indie Next List pick, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Sea Witch, and its sequel, Sea Witch Rising, The Princess Will Save You, The Queen Will Betray You, and The King Will Kill You, as well as Throw Like A Girl and its companion book, It's All in How You Fall. She is also the author of the middle grade fantasy Monster Camp, and appears in the girls-in-sports anthology, Out of Our League. When not writing, she runs far too much with her friends, chases her two kids, and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Henning lives in Lawrence, Kansas, hometown of Langston Hughes, William S. Burroughs, and a really good basketball

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