Review: Liar in the Hollow Court - Bethany Atazadeh

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Published: June 1, 2026
Publisher: Grace House Press
Pages: 326

Source: Netgalley
Synopsis:
A standalone enemies-to-lovers fae fantasy—except she’s the only one who thinks they’re enemies. With the high-stakes intrigue of The Cruel Prince, the cozy found-family banter of FRIENDS, and the no-spice romantic tension of Pride and Prejudice.

Brynn never believed in fairytales—until one stole her mother.

Everyone says she ran off, but Brynn saw the truth. Her mother was taken by something not quite human.

When her father and sisters vanish next, dragged into the winter woods by the same strange creatures, Brynn follows and falls head over heels into the Hollow Court: an underground fae kingdom rife with dangerous bargains.

In a realm where fae can’t lie, Brynn’s human ability to do just that becomes her greatest weapon. It gives her leverage when dealing with Soren—a handsome, unreadable fae who offers help in exchange for the power of her words. But there’s always a cost. The more she bargains, the more tangled everything becomes.

When a mysterious fae prince provides Brynn with a shortcut to the truth, she must decide who to trust as the veil between worlds begins to close.

Perfect for fantasy readers who love:
- no-spice romantic tension
- fae bargains
- found family
- a cursed prince
- cozy fantasy worlds but with faster pacing and higher stakes
- a grumpy Mr. Darcy who lost his wings
- a shy Elizabeth Bennett whose family was taken by the fae

My Rating:
★★★★★

Review:

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review, all reviews and opinions are my own. 

 Firstly I didn't get stand alone right off the bat. That is my bad for going into it thinking it would continue. I just knew there would be a second book, so the ending didn't end where I thought it would. I am kind of happy for that but it did feel a bit rushed at the end. There are still questions left unanswered that I hope we see answered or maybe revisited in the next book or next books. I'm not sure how many will be in this world. As I continue my review I will try to avoid spoilers. 

 I will say Sorens friends I am highly intrigued to find out more about them and why they banded all together. I know they all had their reasons. Especially the red capped one. I really want to know more about her. Brynn and Soren I of course loved. Brynn at times was very human and you could tell by her thoughts and feelings of things. I loved how the author brought her to life and made her realistic that way. Especially when she thought she couldn't get her family out and lost all hope. 

Caius, I hope we see a bit more of only because I want to know his past a bit more. There were hints of it but I want to know more. I totally knew what he was when we met him. I called it out right from the get go. We also need to know more about the mother. I feel we just started to touch on it at the end. It was a good first book and I hope that there will be more to learn even if we are going in a different direction. I hope we still see Soren and the gang. Which I think we will.