There’s a lot to like about this book, and I only have a few minor issues. And now there’s a rebellion uprising that’s threatening the city. However, when his uncle is murdered by an unknown poison, Jovan and Kalina are determined to figure out what happened. Jovan is a tester in training, learning from his uncle who protects the chancellor from poison. Our two main protagonists, Jovan and Kalina, are siblings who work for the heir to the chancellorship of the country.

In fact, instead of following the assassins, we follow the man who stops the assassinations (and his sister). The book is fairly different from a lot of fantasy, as we don’t follow characters who are super powered or have the typical assassin type skills. Oh, and there’s also a huge threat looming right out the front door. This book is essentially a low-fantasy murder mystery book set within a city. Ever since I saw the cover reveal for the sequel, and then saw the cover for this one, I knew I had to read them. When the Chancellor succumbs to an unknown poison and an army lays siege to the city, Jovan and his sister Kalina must protect the Heir and save their city-state.īut treachery lurks in every corner, and the ancient spirits of the land are rising…and angry.Ĭity of Lies, Sam Hawke’s debut, has been on my TBR for quite a while. In secret, he’s a master of poisons and chemicals, trained to protect the Chancellor’s family from treachery. Outwardly, Jovan is the lifelong friend of the Chancellor’s charming, irresponsible Heir. I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me… The Poison Wars begin now, with City of Lies, a fabulous epic fantasy debut by Sam Hawke

This fabulous epic fantasy debut that will appeal to readers of Joe Abercrombie and Terry Brooks, Robin Hobb and Mark Lawrence and all points in between.Poison. Trapped and desperate, they soon discover that the society into which they were born and grew up also possesses two faces - for behind the sophistication and the beauty lies an ugly truth - this is a world built on oppression and treachery. It's when the Chancellor succumbs to an unknown poison and an army lays siege to the city that the siblings' world begins to truly unravel. While other women of the city holds positions of power and responsibility, her path is full of secrets and lies - some hidden even from her own brother. She hides her frustrations behind a mask of serenity. But in truth he is a master of poisons and chemicals, trained to protect the Chancellor's family. Outwardly, he is the lifelong friend of the Chancellor's charming, irresponsible heir.

I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me.

City of Lies by Sam Hawke