For with an army sitting upon the doorstep of their nearly defenseless town, they must rise to the challenge to defend their way of life and that of the citizens of Salista.

I am sure, though, with this being the first in a series that these characters will eventually rise to new heights. Though too often it seemed as if their voices, even their personas, blended a bit too closely. Each person is uniquely flawed, be it through physical frailness or stressful anxiety. I was quite pleased with the protagonists and the depth of kinship and love that they display. Multiple families support the city with each vying for its own power, seeking their own needs rather than the good of the people. The politics of the region and the aloofness of the city itself are world building at its finest. Now, before anyone reacts to my comments about the book being what I would call low fantasy (based on the quantity of magics therein and on not the text itself), allow me to say this book was superbly written - intrigue and suspense reign supreme. But it is something the ruling council of Salista will come to know quite well. There are whisperings of spirits from the nearby lake, what part they will play is a mystery unto itself. Anyone who knows me will attest that I am particularly fond of high fantasy concepts, new worlds with amazing creatures, and spectacular magical aspects. For in this particular fantasy novel there are surprisingly few fantasy-style elements. I had trouble getting into this story, in spite of the killer premise (pun intended). For even his closest confidantes keep secrets from him. But as he falls deeper and deeper into plots of intrigue and betrayal, he finds himself at his limits on who and what to trust. This is a lesson Jovan, and his sister Kalina, learns quickly as the companion and bodyguard to the heir apparent. But, as always, what you do not know can really hurt you. The skills they possess enable them to detect or dispense these deadly chemical compounds with relative ease. Their job, for they are known as proofers, is to protect the ruling families from harm.

The premise is fairly simple: there is a family who has perfected the art of poison. This one, however, was leaps and bounds above the norm. And I will be honest, I am not always a fan of debut novels, as I find that they often lack refinement.

The attention to detail is amazing, be it the landscape or the characters.

I will give you this, the first line of this book is a wicked great start to City of Lies.

Sam hawke city of lies