The first novel in the Poison Wars fantasy series.
CITY OF LIES is an interesting and intriguing start to a new series. It does a very good job of introducing us to the world and its society, and also the characters. Hawke's prose is good, and the plot moves along at a good clip. I enjoyed the mystery elements in the story, too - I pretty much prefer any SFF that has a mystery/crime component to it.

While flawed in certain ways, CITY OF LIES is intriguing enough to have my interested in reading the next novel, which I hope to do soon.

Twice I've started this story, and twice I've put it down. I'm not sure what it is about it, as it seems like it would be right up my alley, but it falied to rope me in. DNF around 15% -- I didn't hate it, and Hawke can clearly write very well; I just don't think this book is for me.

I guess I liked well enough but a few elements let down the whole enough to go from 3.75ish stars to 3. The beginning is tough - confusing, occasionally boring. The characters have potential but need more depth. The world is what hooked me.

I can't believe this took me such a long time to read it because it was actually a very very good read. I didn't expect this, I don't even know why since the synopsis sounds amazing.

It's well-written and the story is good. It may not be the most original one but it kept me reading 😍

Loved this!! Such an amazing debut. The writing was fabulous and the characters drew me in straight away.

Quick & Dirty: I kept expecting more from this fantasy story featuring poisons and living gods.

The Review:
City of Lies by Sam Hawke is a fantasy novel that combines poisons, living gods of nature and a city under siege. I was really intrigued by the premise of this novel. I knew this novel would have a murder mystery with a heavy emphasis on poisons. I was really looking forward to the living nature gods aspect of this novel and how they would play into the story. I found this aspect of the story quite disappointing because I was hoping for more. I really enjoyed the main characters, especially Kalina but I found I really struggled through City of Lies. I think it’s because it was pretty long and it felt like it had several endings before it did finally end.

The story starts off not long after Jovan, a master of poisons and proofer in trainig, and Tain, the heir to the Chancellor (and Jovan’s best friend) arrive in Silasta after months of travelling. In a quick succession of events, Jovan’s uncle and the Chancellor die from a mysterious poison and Silasta is attacked from an unknown army. Jovan, with the help of his sister Kalina, investigates the source of the mysterious poison, the poisoner behind the deaths of his uncle and Chancellor and who is behind the attack on the city.

Kalina is my favorite character in this book. She is strong-willed and badass in her own way. Her health problems kept her from becoming the next proofer in her family going to her healthier younger brother instead. Kalina decides that her health problems are not going to rule her so she decides to do something about it. She gradually exercises to build up her strength and dexterity. She’s hoping to surprise her brother but instead uses it to her advantage to find out who is behind the siege of Silasta.

I have more of a love hate relationship with Jovan. I felt like he was more naive about the world even though he has seen more of it than Kalina. Jovan knows his poisons so when he is shocked by the murders he spends a lot of time trying to figure out what the poison was and how he can detect it in the future. When Jovan meets An-Hadrea he is forced to face the injustice and prejudice that started the siege. He doesn’t want to believe it. He throws a couple fits as the story progresses and it kind of made me not like him for a bit. Jovan is naturally suspicious of everyone.

As the new Chancellor, Tain knows he is in over his head. He never really took his training seriously and he always thought it would be many more years before he would rule over Silasta. He implicitly trusts Jovan and Kalina and knows they are the only ones who can help him in this trying time. Tain doesn’t want his best friend Jovan to be a proofer for him anymore because he doesn’t want his best friend to die for him but Jovan wants to uphold his family’s duty and he also doesn’t want to see his best friend die.

The story is told through the alternating third person point of views between Jovan and Kalina. The chapter is labeled clearly so it is easy to distinguish between them. In between the chapters, various poisons are described with their symptoms and how to watch out for them.

City of Lies is a murder mystery set in a fantasy world. The city being under siege is also a major plot point and it does seem like the story tries to go back and forth over the mystery at play. One of the big things that come up in this book is how there are “nature” gods and the people of the city have forgotten about them and no longer pay them any tribute. I kept expecting something to happen and when it did it was a bit underwhelming because I was really hoping they would play a bigger part of the story. The murder mystery and Kalina were what kept me glued to the page when I did pick up the book.

Honor down, this is a stifling, resonating, difficult read in this country's current political and cultural climate. People are being forgotten, and regardless of one's side of the aisle, I think one can find agreement with some of the emotions drummed up here. I had to take breaks in my reading to read something else that didn't reach down inside me and strangle my heart. The split narration is mostly effective, and I enjoyed having two narrators with different difficulties, both physical and mental, to take us down the story's path. I changed my opinion multiple times about what was really happening and who was involved. This is an excellent full-length debut, and I'm excited to see where the story goes next.

I felt so accomplished when I finished this book. This isn't a bad book but the pacing was so weird. Things kept happening but I would not care and put down the book. The main characters so reactionary for so long. Most of the book (and this is a long book) is them finding something out and then trying to get ahead of the antagonists, only to be thwarted. It got exhausting.

I had a hard time telling the side characters, who are our suspects, apart so when it was revealed who was the traitor I wasn't shocked because I couldn't remember them.

I hated the romance between Jovan and rebel girl who hates Jovan and his people. I understood her hatred but I didn't understand why they fell in love.

The first line of this novel completely sets the tone for what will follow! It tells the story of Jovan, trained from childhood as a proofer who exists to prevent the poisoning of his best friend, Tain - the heir to the city of Silasta. Throw in a provincial religion that is the source of some discontent in the city and the devious machinations of council members, all of whom have their own agenda, and you have a pretty heady brew. This is a pretty long book and there were parts where I felt the pacing lagged a little, but there were some truly thrilling scenes and the world building is deep and thorough, lending credence to the behaviours and interactions of the characters. There were some wonderful character traits included in the narrative that felt authentic and the shifting point of view allowed for explorations of different aspects of the world. All in all, this was a very intriguing first instalment that has definitely piqued my interest to discover what will happen next.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I thought that the most transparent review would simply be to treat this arc the same as any book, regardless of its status as an ARC I received in exchange for review.
I DNF'd this book - not because I disliked it immensely, but because it simply didn't compel me. While I tried to push through it, I decided that the more honest review would be to just explain why I DNF'd the book and couldn't get into it.
While this book was slow, it had OCD rep !!! which is very near and dear to my heart
I felt like I lacked some of the atmosphere and character realness that I wanted but there was nothing actually Wrong with what I had read, it just wasn't capturing my interest.
The concept was interesting enough that I would suggest anyone who would love to read some OCD rep in a fantasy setting should check it out. It clearly had a rich culture and world building background, it just simply wasn't for me.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC for review, and for making fantasy books available with mental health rep!

I was really excited to read this book. Just that first line of the synopsis, “I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me.” WHAT?! Must. Know. More.

And as I started to read I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the lore of this fantasy world with a twist, the practices of Jovan as he attempts to detect and thwart poisoning attempts.

All the new information, and world building combined with the events early in the book set an incredible pace and I was IN. Then everything ground to a halt. If you’re in the mood for a slow burn, this is where the book gets even better.

For me, I found it too slow. Especially with the pace being so fast before that. My favourite character (who isn’t introduced until halfway through the book) actually comes out and says what everyone is thinking. “All you you two do is talk, talk, talk.” AND SHE’S RIGHT!

Action is discussed often and I would always think, "Okay, here we go. Now it’s going to pick up." Then it would go back to talking. Again, it probably works extremely well for fans of the slow burn.

As I mentioned before, it’s a fresh new angle for the Fantasy genre with a role I’ve never read before. The world, the lore, and the characters are all very well done. Despite some luke-warm feelings toward this first book, I’d definitely be interested in checking out sequels or even other stories written within this world.

Seguramente será un problema de mi percepción, pero bastantes libros de fantasía que estoy leyendo últimamente me acaban decepcionando, bien por utilizar caminos ya más que conocidos sin aportar nada nuevo o porque los personajes no me llaman la atención.

Cuando empecé City of Lies me atrajo inmediatamente el mundo de los venenos y las intrigas palaciegas en los que transcurren las páginas de la novela, tanto que incluso creé este gráfico para representarlos.


Sin embargo, el libro no ha cumplido mis expectativas. No solo porque los venenos tienen una importancia tangencial en la trama, si no porque las triquiñuelas palaciegas son de una transparencia absoluta. Cada vez que se centra la atención en un personaje, sabemos que va a parecer sospechoso pero luego por alguna carambola va a resultar inocente. Y esto a través de páginas y páginas y más páginas de relleno.

La relación entre los dos hermanos que nos dan los puntos de vista si es algo más interesante. Que el hermano menor haya tenido que tomar en sus hombros la responsabilidad de ser el "probador" del canciller por la frágil constitución de la hermana mayor, a pesar de tener también sus propios problemas, da lugar a una dinámica de hiperprotección y en cierto modo falta de valoración que es fundamental para el desarrollo de la novela.

Por desgracia, estas dos voces que llevan el libro reclaman demasiado protagonismo. Es que prácticamente todo les pasa a ellos. En una ciudad asediada, solo ellos se encuentran las catacumbas que entrarán en juego después, los intentos por esquivar el asedio, los ataques de los asaltantes... Vale que es su punto de vista el que tenemos, pero es que absolutamente TODO les pasa a ellos. No es creíble. Como tampoco es creíble la absoluta ingenuidad de los protagonistas, que se supone que llevan años preparándose para sus puestos, pero que desconocen las dinámicas de poder tanto en el consejo como fuera de él. ¿Qué estaban haciendo mientras? También la ceguera absoluta ante las injusticias fuera de la ciudad, realmente parece que vivan en los mundos de Yupi.

La lectura en ocasiones se vuelve tortuosa, por esta cadencia excesivamente pausada en el desarrollo de los acontecimientos. Hay que reconocer que al final del libro el ritmo mejora, pero no consigue compensar la excesiva lentitud anterior. Entiendo que son aspectos mejorables y que se trata de una primera novela, por lo que quizá no debería ser tan exigente con este tema, pero es que ha habido veces que no me apetecía seguir leyendo y eso es lo peor que le puede pasar a un libro.

No puedo recomendar City of Lies por estos inconvenientes, pero es posible que con otro bagaje distinto al mío se pueda disfrutar. Necesito encontrar una fantasía diferente para poder volver a entretenerme.

City of Lies is an excellent debut and start to the Poison Wars series. The story follows a brother and sister, Jovan and Kalina, as their world turns upside down by the assassinations of the uncle and the Chancellor, who he was trained to protect. Throw in a rebellion, traitors, and a siege, and the pages of this book really start flying by as you can’t help but try to read faster to find out who’s side everyone is on, how they fair, and what Jovan, Kalina, and the new Chancellor, Tain, will be able to pull off to save the city.

I immediately connected with Jovan, and was taken by his story of being raised to know poisons as he being trained to take over the role of “proofer” for his Uncle, whose job it was to protect the Chancellor. They are trained to thwart assassination by poison by recognizing it by taste, smell, texture, or any other method available to them. Of course, to train Jovan of this, his uncle started poisoning him at the age of 7. Fun training, right?? A life of being poisoned by your uncle so you can learn first hand about poisons.

I found his sister’s storyline and perspective intriguing. It may not have had that same immediate impact as Jovan’s, which pulls the reader in immediately, but still has it’s own appeal. She was supposed to be the heir, to be trained to replace their uncle in the role of proofer to the Chancellor, but because of health issues, she was set aside and Jovan became favored ahead of her. While Jovan and his sister get along great, this does add some stress in their relationship for her, even if she may not want it to. Sibling relationships are never easy 100% of the time, and add the loss of what you expected to do with your life to a sibling due to something uncontrollable will undoubtedly have repercussions.

The worldbuilding was interesting. I particularly found the expectations of how families are organized intriguing. Its a culture the puts more emphasis in the family you are born to than who you chose to have a child with. That means a man’s son will never be his heir as that child will be raised as part of his mother’s family. Biological fathers are essentially just sperm donors. Women don’t leave to start a new family with someone else, or to join a man’s family to raise their children there. A family’s next generation is provided by the daughters, sisters and nieces. This is why Jovan and Kalina were trained to take over for their uncle (they are his sister’s children). It’s an interesting concept, one that flies in the face of a traditional male inheritance patriarchy, but one that can be kind of scary if you don’t happen to get along with your family! It means you are always stuck with them!

Overall, I think this is a great debut, and really solid start to an epic series. Jovan’s perspective is perhaps a bit more exciting in a traditional way, but Kalina’s more “quiet” conflicts with her position in the family, her relationship with her brother and her role as a female in the family, as well as juggling all of this with her health issues was compelling. I wanted to see her succeed, to find a way to contribute despite her physical limitations. And I have to say, she shows tremendous drive and strength of character. Her biggest obstacles are her health, but also the limitations others try to enforce on her because of it. Her finding ways to assert herself, realize she has the right to be an individual and contribute how and when she can makes her role exciting, just a different way. Definitely recommend.

Librarian: This has the potential to be a popular one. It has the blend of mystery and fantasy that really appeal to many teen readers. Really the only issue I can see is the fact that there's not enough romance for the younger girls. They'll love the story, but a lack of dreamy young males will definitely turn some of them off. It might however make this one a good book to recommend to their young male counterparts. They'll probably appreciate the fact that this isn't to mushy.
Reader: I didn't really enjoy this one. Not because it wasn't a good story or an intriguing world. The world was especially interesting, well written and fully realized. My problem was the lack of focus. Neither of the narrators felt particularly distinct from each other. There were times when I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter and check who was narrating. There needed to be more separation in their voices.

I liked this book, the overall concept seemed fresh. I liked the world building and the characters were VERY Strong. Things seemed to wrap up a bit too neatly for me overall. I would recommend this to older teen fantasy readers who need something more adult. Very impressive for a debut.

Sorry this is late but wow! What a refreshing and action packed book!
City of Lies is Sam Hawke’s debut novel and the first book in the Poison Wars series. I was particularly intrigued by this book because of its mention of poison and treachery, I am a sucker for possible assassin work and political machinations.
This book stands apart from other books in its genre most because of how contained it is and its minimal use of magic. The first thing that popped in my head when everything in this started coming to a boiling point was the siege of Constantinople in Now I Rise by Kiersten White. The claustrophobia of being contained in a besieged city adds immensely to the anxiety you feel for the characters and most of the time I was yelling at them to hurry up because they were running out of time. This was also refreshing for a fantasy book because so often fantasy stories focus on large quests spanning the world created by the author.
I am baffled also that this book is the perfect mix of action and political drama. I know that some people can get bored if the major plot points are all subtlety and lies, but I mean this is a war so there is plenty of battle scenes for people who need that. I loved all the characters in this book so I didn't mind the time between fighting when our characters were focused on figuring out the mystery of how this war started.
Sam Hawke did a beautiful job crafting the story of this city and all the lies it was built upon. Everything about its history is detailed. From the different people, to the religions, to the form of government everything is so interesting a layered. I bow to Hawke's skill and the time it must of taken to figure all this out.
What I look forward to in the next book, and what kind of lacked for me this book was the magic. The only hint of magic that we get in this book is from a select number of people and that is maybe used 5 times throughout the book's 560 pages. Now the book didn't suffer from this but I know that sometimes for me it did feel almost more like a Conqueror's Saga-esque historical fiction instead of Fantasy. The other thing that I desperately need in the next book is the revelation of the real mastermind behind this giant plot, because the answers given in this book were a little anticlimactic for me.
In conclusion this book is a twisted and fast paced book that never lags despite its length. With beautifully developed characters and a vibrantly created setting, City of Lies is a unique and unpredictable fantasy that will leave you breathless.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the beginning of the new series Poison Wars. City of Lies is Hawke's debut novel and what a terrific start. Jovan is the quiet and forgettable friend of Tain, the Chancellor’s charming yet irresponsible Heir. He's also a master of poisons and chemicals. He has been trained to protect the Chancellor’s family from unknown dangers. This is a 4.5 out of 5 stars!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
DNF @ 35%

This is such a hard review to write. At the time I'm writing this I haven't even decided what rating I'm going to give it. This book is written really well and there is some good stuff-- I even have people I might recommend it to, but it just isn't working for me.

For me, the book seemed to drag. I suppose I like more action in my books? But it felt like they were talking in circles and complaining about the same things - this isn't truly fair to say, since they have real concerns that aren't going away. But, it felt like nothing was getting done. That feeling of things being stagnant and slow progress towards finding the bad people had me skimming pages :/
When things picked up or something happened, I was more into it, but when a poisoning happened and I realized I was still only half-interested, I knew it was time to put the book down.

I will say I was also worried about where the ending was going to go... why the people were doing what they were doing. It is also hard to root for people who may in fact be the enemies of the people, even if they didn't realize it.

I think I'm going with 2.5 stars because if I had nothing else to read I totally would push myself through this. I am interested in what happens, just not enough.

I'd recommend this to someone who is interested in slight fantasy political intrigue with unavoidable seemingly unwinnable war thrust upon people. I know people will like this. I'd love for them to tell me why and give me a summary of the book!

I'm having trouble reading, lately. I love a book and yet I'm constantly distracted from it. This has been quite a month, too, with my dog being attacked by two others and almost losing a leg - a project at work finally finishing but making me such a zombie all I can do is play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine on repeat. And I had a holiday to Tasmania and then Canberra, and though I always think I'll read on the plane trips (six, this time), it never happens.

Regardless, City of Lies was a source of great comfort to me throughout the above. It's not exactly a nice tale - it doesn't comfort you through fluffy scenes and cozy scenes - it comforts you through being so damn well written and engaging that it warms your soul and revitalises you. If you're a fan of V. E. Schwab or Robin Hobb's work go get this book right this second. 

I'm always a sucker for character-driven books, and that's what we have right here. The characters are all varied and interesting, but the plot, too, drives you from scene to scene, and it's pretty much a murder mystery set in a fantasy world, with the characters trying desperately to find out why their uncles died, and why everyone is trying to kill them. Specially who and why. 

The world building is exquisite. There is a sense of history and the turning of religion to science and the heartache this can bring to people. A city is literally torn apart and you get such a sense of the life the city once had. And really, what drives this narrative is the women. The ones who were brave enough to risk their lives to come to the Chancellor and explain. The ignored sister who leaves the safety to take a dangerous trek that has already claimed many lives. And my favourite - the scornful, intelligent, spiritual young woman who loves her mother and brother, and really isn't afraid to talk bluntly to the chancellor and his advisors. 

The other main characters are Tain (the chancellor) and his proofer, Jovan, who has been raised to know all poisons by taste, touch, smell. It's the job his uncle had before him, and it's what has taken both the previous chancellor and Jovan's uncle right at the start of the book, and their murders that they're hurrying to solve. Jovan's job should have actually been that of his older sister - Kalina - however thanks to her chronic condition she simply wasn't strong enough for the job. She makes herself useful in other ways, but the fact Jovan spends every waking moment trying to keep Tain alive, and having it distracted for thinking he also has to be the carer of his sister - who is stronger than he realises - is another driving factor of the book. And as someone with chronic illnesses I couldn't adore Kalina more, and what she achieves.

I'm writing this review at 75% because I hear that the ending is going to ruin me and want to grab Hawke's leg, and refuse to let go, allowing myself to be dragged around as I wail and beg to know what happens next. I figured I should write this now while I can still feign coherently. 

This book is excellent in its representation of other cultures, same sex relationships, living with chronic disease, living with compulsions, and throughout we see the characters learning from their mistakes and prejudices, accepting same sex couples as literally nothing to remark upon, and supporting and working with people with chronic illnesses or compulsions as if they're something to work alongside of. One has the compulsion to do everything evenly, and when they're in a state their closest friends simply ensure they rub both shoulders evenly, as to help calm them rather than set them off even more. It's really, really lovely to see. 

City of Lies is the debut start to what promises to be an excellent series, by Australian Sam Hawke. I also met her briefly at Worldcon Helsinki and she seems incredibly lovely. Go buy this book! I'm going to go and read the final 25% and cry.

The main thing I enjoyed is how the author portrayed one of the main characters with anxiety disorders, specifically OCD. It's refreshing to see authors breaking the stigma around mental health by introducing these issues into their writing.

The overall story was quite good and fast-paced. There are some loose ends at the end of the book, so I am hoping that there will be another one to read in the future.

The only reason this book is 4 stars and not 5 is due to the first-person narrative switching between characters. Even with the names of the character at the start of the chapter, I did struggle to remember who's viewpoint I was seeing at times.