Disclaimer: Jalan and Snorri have a permanent spot in my brain now, thanks to Prince of Fools. The Liar's Key only made it worse. Better? ...More permanent. Between these two books, I read Prince of Thorns, which turned out to be a good idea because now I have a better sense of how these two trilogies fit together. It was also a good idea because it gave me a sense of the range Mark Lawrence is capable of. I trust him to tell me good stories that only he could tell, and you should walk directly into anything he writes with the same trust. Just, be ready for crying out in disgust, whimpering, laughing until you can't see for the tears, and yelping. ( )

Stórskemmtileg fantasía með félögunum kostulegu, Jalan prinsi og hugleysingja og Snorra hetju sem ætlar sér að finna konu sína í ríki hinna dauðu. ( )

So much fun! Jal's dual nature is very interesting and I feel there will be more revealed in the fullness of time. The ending was great, I totally believed that Jal was going to pack up his profits and go back to the city. And crap! I've come to the end of the published books.

I almost gave it a 4 then decided that the genre gears grinding away and the level of violence were bringing it down to a 3. But I did love the ending and am happily/grumpily awaiting the next installment. ( )

Jalan and Snorri have Loki's key and are headed south, Jal to Vermillion where wine, women, and wagering await while Snorri wants to open the gates to Hel to find his dead family.
I can't say enough about how much I love this story and Mark Lawrence's writing. In my opinion, most second books of a fantasy trilogy are padded with repetition and fluff while the characters wander around. There's seldom a real need in the story that couldn't be put into two books. And when I saw that The Liar's Key was over 600 pages, I was actually dreading the read despite loving the other books by Mr. Lawrence that I've read so far.
I was so wrong. He has the knack for keeping the storyline moving along without bloat or aimless roaming around. Although Snorri and Jalan pick up (and lose) companions along the way, this is still a buddy story, a really good story about friendship. The only section I found a bit slow was when the two separated for a while, but it wasn't for long.
I like how the backstory is integrated through flashbacks due to Kara's spell. It's a good way to find out about the Red Queen and her siblings and the greater world politics, just as Jalan does. And that ending - well, no spoilers but I laughed, convinced that Jalan was totally headed in the opposite direction. Wonderful fantasy with terrific worldbuilding and characters, I can't wait to read the next book in the series. ( )

A great follow up to The Prince of Thorns. ( )