City of Lies

City of Lies has an intriguing premise - we are following the story of a poison taster, loyal to the rulers of the city state that the story is set in. Our main character is thrust into his role when his father and mentor is successfully poisoned along with the then ruler. In a somewhat nepotistic way the roles of ruler and food taster both pass on to the respective sons.

In the background of this there is growing unrest in the provinces around the main city - the city's elites are using their position to repress and abuse the population in the areas surrounding the city, largely peopled by a different ethnicity.

The political maneuverings and twists form the backbone of this narrative. They are worked well with interesting twists following right to the end. There are some distinctly dodgy story elements (how a rebel army is maneuvered and armed with no one having any clue about it pushes at the boundary of believability). The lack of thought towards the poorer parts of the society is well done though.

My main gripe really is with the writing style. I found it slightly distant and hard to engage with. For me this is a competent fantasy debut - I am intrigued enough to want to see where this is going. Is it perfect? no. Is it interesting? yes.