City of Lies

City of Lies

Summary

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

Jovan wears two faces. Outwardly, he is the lifelong friend of the Chancellor’s charming, irresponsible heir. He’s quiet. Forgettable even. But in truth he is a master of poisons and chemicals, trained to protect the Chancellor’s family. Then there is his sister, Kalina. She hides her frustrations behind a mask of serenity. 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.

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. 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 . . .

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.

Reviews

  • If the first line doesn’t make you buy this book, you should turn in your fantasy-lover’s badge. City of Lies got me through sitting seven hours in an airport, and proves that a tale about the one who risks his life to thwart assassins can be as compelling as any assassin’s tale.
    ROBIN HOBB

About the author

Sam Hawke

A lawyer by training and a black belt in ju-jitsu, Sam Hawke lives in Canberra. Her first novel, City of Lies, received international acclaim and won the Ditmar Award for Best Novel, jointly won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Norma K Hemming Award, as well as earning Sam a nomination for the Astounding Award for Best New SFF Writer for the 2020 Hugos. Hollow Empire continues her Poison War series.
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