Liar's Test: The Silverleaf Chronicles by Ambelin Kwaymullina

A gripping YA fantasy novel featuring a deadly contest for the crown, a heroine determined to right the wrongs done to her people, and a smouldering love story that could change everything.

Seven will come. Two will die. Two will sleep. Two will serve. One will rule.

I didn't want to rule the Risen. Wreak a little havoc upon them, though? That was something else entirely.

Bell Silverleaf is a liar.

It's how she's survived. It's how all Treesingers have survived since they were invaded by the Risen and their fickle gods. But now Bell is in the Queen's Test-she's one of seven girls competing in deadly challenges to determine who will rule for the next twenty-five years. If Bell wins, she'll have the power to help her people and take revenge on the Risen. But first she has to make it through the challenges alive.

She doesn't know how much she's been lied to, or where she fits in a bigger story, a mystery stretching back generations. And she's facing much bigger dangers than the Queen's Test. She's up against the gods themselves.

Liar's Test is a fast-paced, intricately woven fantasy novel with an unforgettable heroine inspired by the strength and power of Aboriginal women.

'A genre-bending, non-stop adventure foregrounding First Nations lifeways, the power of resistance and the multi-generational harms wrought by colonialism and empire. Bell Silverleaf is the kick-arse First Nations heroine we have longed for.' Rebecca Lim

'A fresh and far-reaching tale brimming with adventure, bravery and resistance-this is must-read Australian YA fantasy!' Kate Murray

'Intriguing and layered worldbuilding that draws on the author's Australian Indigenous culture steals the show in this serpentine fantasy adventure.' Publishers Weekly

'Tucked into a twisty, fast-paced narrative that explores legacies of colonialism are subtle messages about the ever-changing, symbiotic web of life. Intriguing and imaginative.' Kirkus Reviews