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A review by orlaithma
City of Lies by Sam Hawke
4.0
I adore reading the work of debut authors and it's a real treat when I find a book as wonderful as City of Lies by Sam Hawke. How could I not love it when the opening line is "I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me."
Despite being 557 pages of relatively small script, it didn't once feel too long. The story progressed at a steady pace, always with an air of mystery that spurred me on chapter after chapter with the worldbuilding, the characters and the plot all remarkably well developed.
Each chapter began with a description of a different herb, with a list of its distinguishing symptoms and cues on how to recognise it, before swapping back and forth between brother and sister Jovan and Kalina. This switch in narrative helped to give vastly differing insights into what was happening in the plot without feeling in any way disruptive.
I'm so happy after finding out just today that a sequel is in the works for next year - I'm already excited to read it!
Thank you to Penguin for this beautiful ARC.
Despite being 557 pages of relatively small script, it didn't once feel too long. The story progressed at a steady pace, always with an air of mystery that spurred me on chapter after chapter with the worldbuilding, the characters and the plot all remarkably well developed.
Each chapter began with a description of a different herb, with a list of its distinguishing symptoms and cues on how to recognise it, before swapping back and forth between brother and sister Jovan and Kalina. This switch in narrative helped to give vastly differing insights into what was happening in the plot without feeling in any way disruptive.
I'm so happy after finding out just today that a sequel is in the works for next year - I'm already excited to read it!
Thank you to Penguin for this beautiful ARC.