Liar's Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina (review)

Reviewed by: Liar's Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina Fiona Hartley-Kroeger Kwaymullina, Ambelin Liar's Test. Knopf, 2024 272p Trade ed. ISBN 9780593571781 19. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593571804 10. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 6-9 Generations ago, Treesingers were dragged from their homeland by the army of the sun-god Tomas and moon-goddess Allora to join the ranks of the Risen, devout believers in the two gods. Now, Treesingers and their magical groves exist at the bottom of the social hierarchy, where keeping secrets and lying to the Risen are part and parcel of life. When fifteen-year-old Bell Silverleaf is selected to represent the Treesingers in the high-stakes Queen's Test, held every twenty-five years to elect a new ruler, Bell sees winning as an opportunity to wreak havoc on the Risen's tidy, stratified society. Kwaymullina (The Things She's Seen, BCCB 4/19) spins a fabulous, otherworldly mythology around the dominant gods (and their shadowy, less colonialist siblings), the world they invaded, and Treesinger culture. Bell is a sarcastic, personable narrator, a smart-mouthed Chosen One who discovers friends in unexpected places and learns to acknowledge the pain beneath her own tough-girl exterior. While the book's start is heavy on the exposition, Bell's memory-walker ability is then used to more organically flesh out the setting as she gradually gains a deeper understanding of the divine siblings, how they have affected her world, and how they can be eliminated. The challenges of the Queen's Test provide some action, though their role is mostly to further the plot by bringing characters into proximity with one another or enabling Bell to figure out helpful things. The novel's blunt critiques of colonialism and lip-service allyship will be appealing to social justice-minded readers as well as accessible to those encountering these concepts for the first time. Teens who enjoyed Akata Witch (BCCB 4/11) but who aren't quite ready for Ifueko's Raybearer (BCCB 4/20) will find this a pleasing middle ground. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois