Magnificent political fantasy that builds wonderfully on City of Lies, expanding both the world and the characters, and offering a truly enthralling story of loyalties and intrigue. It's a chunky book, but never feels like it, because the prose is so smooth and chatty and the characters feel so realistic. I can't wait to see what Sam Hawke does next!

I confess, at the beginning I was a little unsure about Hollow Empire. I loved City of Lies and when I didn't like the direction it seemed a certain character's arc was going in, I was a little concerned - but I needn't have worried. The rest of the book made up for that little blip and more, it blew my high expectations from the ending of the first book out of the water, becoming an easy 5 stars. Sam Hawke has a real talent for plot twists that genuinely take my breath away, and the world she has created is one I could easily spend a lot more time in.

This is a tough review to write. Partially because I read and really enjoyed book one, City of Lies, back when it came out, so I was definitely interested to see what was going to happen in the next book. Partially, also, because this book is so well-written and just grabs you and draws you in. However (you knew it was coming), I had to DNF it at around 20% of the way through. And it was because that amazing writing, that immersive writing, made it too hard for me to get through the events of chapter five.

I'm not going to go into detail, but I just have to say that I think this book is probably brilliant, and I know that it has a little bit of a following of people that adore this series already (one of my dearest friends being part of that following), but I just couldn't handle the things that were happening. So, even though I love the representation of mental and physical illnesses, and I do care about this characters (perhaps too much maybe?), I'm going to put this one down. I do hope that more people find this series and adore it, though.

Got a little behind last year and ended up pushing this one back a few months and I'm glad I was able to do so and come back with fresh eyes because it was So. Good. Like City of Lies, this one hooked me from the start, though familiarity from the previous book with Jovan, Kalina, Tain, and Hadrea helps things get moving faster.

One of the things I loved about City of Lies, and I continue to love in this installment, is the pacing. It starts slow, with small, seemingly unconnected events. But nothing is truly small or unconnected, which Kalina and Jovan slowly realize as the web weaves tighter and tighter around them. The pacing speeds up until I was racing through the chapters, desperate to find out how it all fit together and how it would end. And it was genius of Hawke to use Kalina and Jovan this way - splitting them up so they each discovered vital pieces of the puzzle but couldn't understand the significance without the pieces the other had discovered. That definitely ratcheted up the tension, as they were frequently physically separated. The ending was truly breakneck speed and left me breathless at its abrupt ending. Because it doesn't feel like an ending, not really. It feels like more is coming just beyond the horizon. I certainly hope more is coming, because an ending to a series this was not.

Dija was a wonderful addition, especially as she brought out a side of Jovan we didn't really get to see in City of Lies. She's smart and clever and determined to help, even though she's still young. I loved seeing Jovan struggle with his duty to both protect Dija as her Tashi but also to repeatedly poison her in the course of her training. Not, I think, an easy thing to do.

Another of my favorite things about this book (and City of Lies, but it's even more prominent here): Jovan and Kalina are strong and brave and courageous characters even with their personal struggles. Jovan battles severe anxiety and compulsive behaviors; Kalina's body never recovered from the poisonings when she was being trained by their Uncle Etan and she frequently is forced to rest because her body threatens to give out. Despite this, they are never treated as heroes despite their disabilities but their disabilities are just... secondary things about them that they don't let hinder their mystery solving. Yes, other characters sometimes look down on them or distrust them partly because of those disabilities, but most do not.

I cannot wait to continue this story and read more of these characters - especially after that ending.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK / Bantam Press for providing an e-arc for review.

Hollow Empire is the second book in Sam Hawke's Poison Wars series, and one I had been waiting to read for a while. I had enjoyed Sam's first book, and was curious to see where she would take her story, and for the most part I was not let down. Hollow Empire combines elements of a mystery, regional politics, feuding families and strained relationships with just a whiff of the magical, and it works well.

Starting off a few years after the events of Lies, we reunite with Kalina and Jov (and a little bit of Tain), and get to see how they and the city have faired. While there are still issues, they seem to be doing well; Kalina is well regard by the populace for her role in freeing the city, and Jov has taken an apprentice. However mysterious deaths are starting to occur, and with foreign nationals on the way to the city, something must be done.

The Characters of the story have always been the stars in my mind. The humanness behind J and K remains at the forefront; from dealing with their chronic illness, to how they try to fit into society, the siblings shine. Their maybe opponents could be anyone, and we are given enough to work with on most that it's plausible that any could be behind the murders.

The biggest downside for me was the ending. To be honest it felt rushed and rather out of place. This was only furthered when I learnt that the second book was the end of the trilogy, adding too much neatness for my tastes. An escalation of power, a confrontation that whilst it had been hinting towards didn't feel quite right, and an...event at the last moment made me a little less in love with the story.

For the story, ending aside, I did love. I was never quite sure which direction the book would take, never quite sure whom to trust. The introduction of rival nations in the sporting events further clouded which way things would fall, and there were several times I was on the edge, wondering what would become of our protags. It felt like there was a deadline on events, so when J started delving deeper into the murders it seemed like we would get to a conclusion - but again, the book speaks to their humanness, and as such it shows how they fail as much as their succeed. Also, can we just admire the epigraphs that are littered throughout the book? Documented poisonings shouldn't make one giggle, but well, here we are.

Overall, I'd not hesitate to recommend reading Hollow Empire, especially if you enjoyed City of Lies. What was good in Lies has been made even better in it's followup.

The TL:DR version of this book is that I’m pretty sure it’s pretty good, but also pretty sure it’s not for me for pretty small reasons, and as such I’m only pretty sure about either of the above statements and I’m sorry for overuse of pretty. Thank you, you may go now.

Ye gods, you really don’t want to write this review, do you? Pretty lame way to try and wriggle out of it.

You know things are bad when I let my shadow voice be part of the review.

Okay. Let’s be upfront about the stupid things that bugged me about the story. The expression Honour-Down sounds like a pillow brand and the characters used Yeah. These are really petty things and I used to boggle at fans who complained of such things, but here I am. It dragged me out of the prose every time. Something else that didn’t help me is that I hadn’t in fact read City of Lies and several aspects of the story didn’t come through loud and clear without that grounding. Maybe the play at the start would have helped but I found it dragged and therefore skim read a little (I know others would definitely welcome it).

This is really fussy stuff, isn’t it?

You said it, chief. Also, since you’re probably not the only person who hasn’t read the first book, maybe a little summary?

Hollow Empire follows a brother and sister, Jovan and Kalina, members of an ancient noble family in the city-state of Silasta. They’re heroes of a siege that was the first book, and the closest allies to the Chancellor of Silasta, Tain. Hollow Empire follows a conspiracy to undermine the city.

Up to speed. Now, let the nice people know the rest of how ridiculously fussy you are.

There’s two other things in the book that personally rarely work for me, particularly at this moment.

The first is a start where the main characters, particularly Jovan, basically can’t do anything right and end up in a dire position through relatively little fault of their own. He makes one reckless mistake, but that’s on the back of everything thinking him paranoid and not really helping. I can give you many reasons why I don’t like these starts but I’m not sure which one’s right; I guess I just rarely like them. Oddly enough, the likely dangers of his position never really caught up with him, and I dunno if that’s good or bad either, but in any case the start had me overthinking things with this book.

The second is I’m increasingly looking for fantasy that wants to step back from the modern world as we/I know it and in many ways, it felt like Hawke wanted to make this book feel very contemporary. It’s not just the speech patterns, it’s the many departments of experts and the linguistic excellence and the shape of the conspiracy (terror attacks) and so on. I feel like this book could have bade made a modern thriller with fairly little retooling. I like modern thrillers but I don’t always like the mix.

The message here folks is that if you’re a weirdo like this reviewer, you mightn’t enjoy it, but if you’re thinking ‘what’s his major malfunction’, you might well like it.

Also, you’re not alone.

Yup. Time to talk about what this does well. I’ve already mentioned the thriller-esque vibe, and most of the book is taken up with scenes of diplomacy and ferreting out secrets. Action scenes occur semi-frequently, but are definitely secondary. Hawke does a great job of showing a government of many factions, surrounded by many factions, giving different motives and personalities to everybody. The main characters and their closest allies are well-drawn, distinctive, and sympathetic. I would love to see what she could do with a book with many, many PoVs.

Somewhere else that gift for making a great many things believable is in the way Silasta is shown as a multi-cultural place, surrounded by other cultures. If I wanted to nitpick I’d say these cultures should be more inter-connected but I only thought of that now. Besides, maybe they are and I missed it. So why do so? I enjoyed reading about them, and can really see the possibilities of expanding this world for Hawke. I’d also add that she did a good job of showing how the magic wielding Dafiri have a culture built around such arts.

Once I got into the book, the plot was well able to carry a twisty conspiracy. The ending felt a little too pat but getting there was fun, and the action scenes are timed well in terms of mixing it up.

So basically you think Sam Hawke did everything right in terms of writing a good book except for catering to your absurd preferences.

Not quite, but close. You see why I didn’t want to write this? Although it’s been easier than I thought. Besides, my preferences *are* objective measures of quality.

Talking to yourself and being like a megalomaniac. I see someone’s bored of getting clicks.

Okay, being serious, the extent to which this is a political thriller and the whole being being thought paranoid/being framed thing are going to run counter to plenty of people’s tastes (judging from reviews, it’s also quite counter to the first book in some ways). Those ones aren’t absurd at least. And I don’t think I’d have loved the ending, come what may. Hawke has a huge cast and bringing it altogether has a few “who, huh” moments. I feel like mysteries should give readers a chance to solve them and I didn’t get that.

But I am fairly sure this is a good book. Just not for me. Which sucks, but that’s life. And who knows? Maybe next time I’m in the mood for some fantasy that cleaves closer to the world just outside my window, I’ll try this again and really like it.

So generally recommended, mainly for people who liked The Traitor Baru Cormorant but wanted something less depressing, or something a bit more conventionally fantasy than The Craft Sequence, or who just like The Divine Cities.

A copy of this book was provided by Netgalley in return for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them and Tor Books for the opportunity. Hollow Empire is out now from the usual outlets.

I have been anticipating Hollow Empire ever since I finished City of Lies and it was worth every second of waiting. Two years after the siege that almost destroyed Silasta the scars, both physical and mental, continue to ache for the survivors. The city has done it's best to move forward into a new future for all citizens but the peace, it seems, is only surface deep. Old enemies and new make moves in the shadows, intent on tearing down the city in its moment of glory.

Hollow Empire is a fantastic follow-up to City of Lies. Whilst City of Lies can be read as a standalone, it's absolutely magical to be able to re-enter Silasta and get to follow my favourite pair of siblings again. Hollow Empire ups the stakes, the tension and the intrigue. Though I loved City of Lies, I do think Hollow Empire managed to surpass it. It was just so good and every page kept me guessing. Every time you think you had something figured out Sam pulls the rug out from under you. New magic, old enemies and old vengeances make for an explosive story.

The worldbuilding is one of the things I love most about the Poison Wars novels. Silasta is a matrilineal society with no concept of marriage or a patriarchal, nuclear family set up. It's really refreshing and as Sam and I talked about in my interview with her, despite the fact that fantasy means that the worlds you can create are limited only by your imagination, all too often we are still stuck with a pseudo-European, patriarchal society - even as dragons fly overhead. Sam does away with this with absolute ease.

One of the main elements that makes Hollow Empire so good are, of course, Jovan, Kalina and Tain. These characters are everything. They worm their way into your heart. Sam is brilliant at characterisation. They come straight off the page and everything they feel, you do as well. I love that we get a fantasy with a sibling relationship front and centre with OCD rep and chronic illness rep. Both Kalina and Jovan show that, even as others would dismiss them they are not to be underestimated.

There were a couple of little threads dropped right at the end that could be explored in a third book and honestly I am praying that we get one because it would be too cruel otherwise. There's so much potential there! And I desperately need my ship to sail. I need it like I need air. Also I would like to say this was a win for the sapphics!! Get it Kalina.

"And what am I supposed to do without you?" he muttered, so softly I barely heard.

I highly recommend Hollow Empire, and if you haven't read it starting with City of Lies. This was an incredible sequel, worth every second of waiting. It showcases one of the best (and local!) voices in fantasy. If you want a diverse, character driven story with exquisite worldbuilding and characters you would lay down your life for, do yourself a favour and pick up these books.

*I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

In City of Lies I really enjoyed the basic premise of the plot: a mystery that had to be solved not by two amateurs who just stumbled into everything but by two people who had been trained to deal with problems…they just had never expected to deal with such a huge problem (or to deal with it that early in their lives). I also loved that, despite it being a historically inspired fantasy setting, there was no “historically accurate sexism”. Women and men are equal. Same-sex relationships exist. Full stop. But I also found that the characters lacked distinct voices. The book switches between two narrators and I frequently forgot who was the narrator in the chapter I was reading. And, more generally, I also had issues telling the other characters in the story apart because they all remained a bit colourless. I picked up the sequel because I hoped that these things would get better.

Now, in Hollow Empire… I still had trouble telling the narrators apart but the supporting characters seemed more developed and I no longer thought “This scene would probably feel more dramatic if I remembered who this person was”. Unfortunately, the plot no longer was what could be considered a very grand scale murder mystery but leaned heavier towards a conspiracy thriller. Not a genre I am very fond of. Besides, one of the main characters got framed for a crime he didn’t commit which is very much my least favourite trope and then the characters have to do quite a lot of dealings with a foreign country that has historically accurate sexism of the worst “women are just there to marry them off to form alliances” kind.

So, while technically some things got better, overall it got much worse for me because there was more and more stuff I simply didn’t like.

Apologies error with download and now archived, me fault so can’t review fully, but will be buying my own copy

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy

This has easily been my most anticipated book of 2020. And yes, that’s with more Murderbot and Empire of Gold and other also excellent titles. And while Murderbot has my heart, the Poison Wars series has my soul because all of the characters are just so vital to me. I’m a mix of what Kalina and Jov struggle with most – health and compulsions – and seeing them out there managing to save the lives of themselves and others, do what’s best for their kingdom, and still care for those important to them gives me hope for myself.

Anyway. Enough waxing lyrical for a bit, onto the book.

We join our heroes two years after the events of the first book. Jov and Tain now have heirs who they need to train in their succession, and enough time has passed now that the theatre guild has put together a dramatic retelling of the siege, and part of it aren’t overly kind to the Oromani family. From here, as with the first book, life-changing events start taking place immediately and it soon becomes clear that someone is targeting very specific people to ensure it looks like the Oromani family are benefitting at every turn, so that perhaps it looks like the Chancellor’s shadowy friend Tain – who whispers are spreading out about his real role on the Council – may be getting a bit carried away…

So as if it wasn’t enough to be dealing with their usual duties as Credola and Credo, it’s also time for the biggest celebration Silastra has hosted. Karode, which involves games to display the best sporting ability each nation has to offer, lavish parades, and nights were celebrations take on a significantly more adult turn. It’s during this where the ever-careful Jov falls into something far more dangerous, and as if the book wasn’t hard enough to put down as it already was, be prepared to block out the rest of your day from that point on.

In short, I loved it. I loved the new characters – Dija, who is Jov’s apprentice – and Sjease, the new house manager and secretary to Jov and Kalina, who fits in perfectly to their secretive household and is of huge benefit to everyone, (beyond fixing Jov’s lack of taste in clothing.) I could certainly do with a whole series and/or side story involving either or both of these characters. Dija is so quickly intelligent, yet sensitive and fiercely proud of what their family does for the empire.

The plot itself was intricate and subtle mentions of things past crop up and become incredibly important – something so hard to pull off without it seeming forced, yet Hawke manages it with finesse. SO much happens within this book – and although it may be longer than some at 550 or so pages it keeps a consistent pace yet feels utterly realistic throughout.

The worldbuilding and passing of time was excellent, with the mentions of how particular clothing has changed rapidly as fashions come and go, how the city has changed since the siege’s destruction and the rebuilding that has taken place since. Especially how they’ve managed to put on such a show for their neighbouring royals and leaders in order to show off the best Silastra has to offer.

And the character development, I just – I have no words. At the start of the first book you may wonder how three young adults are going to cope when both Tashis are taken from them too early, leaving such a burden on their shoulders… and yet, here we are – two years on, and all three of them are pretty damn impressive with what they notice, what they figure out when a dozen other adults around them fail to, and now with the added responsibility of raising their heirs, well.

The background characters are also incredibly interesting, from a princess and an ambassador, to our favourite Lord Ectar who reappears, and a whole cast of villains from the first book as well as new who are targeting fair Silastra.

One of my favourite elements was the expansion from what we saw in the first book – where we see why things spiralled out of control – the Darfri situation – and how they were so integral to how Silastra was saved – we see now in the second book that just as in real life it hasn’t magically fixed everything. There’s still racism and childish taunts and accusations, and there are many heartfelt moments that are key in our world today akin to the Black Lives Matter movement – why is it always the Darfri who have to ‘try to understand’, ‘be tolerant and polite’ all to ‘not make you uncomfortable’. It’s impactful, and it has depth and meaning, and Hawke manages it all very well indeed.

This book has so much going on that I had to read it twice. I devoured it far too quickly and felt almost drunk on how amazing it all was… so I instantly started it again (not like I’d be able to read anything else for a few weeks anyway) so I could try to take it slowly and appreciate specific bits and characters. And, I won’t lie, cry all over again at a certain part.

tl;dr is I loved it, and I want more, and I can’t see what Hawke does next.

When I decided to revive the Earl Grey Editing blog, I’d originally intended to resume at the beginning of 2021: a new year, a new start. Then I heard that Hollow Empire was being released in December and I knew I couldn’t wait. City of Lies was such a stunning debut that I needed to get my hands on the sequel ASAP.
Two years have passed since the siege of Silasta. On the surface, the city has healed. Tensions still exist between the Darfri and the Silastans, but work is being done to bridge the rift. This has brought changes to the city: the population has increased, bringing correspondingly higher rates of crime.

Nevertheless, the Oromani siblings have prospered, lauded for their role in saving the city. However, the popular view of them is quite different. While Kalini is held up as the beloved saviour of Silasta, the secretive nature of Jovan’s role and its association with poison means he is commonly viewed as a sinister and shadowy figure in the background. This view of Jovan becomes a particular problem when it becomes apparent that an enemy is waging a subtle war to smear his reputation.

The characters remain one of the strongest aspects of this series. Although only two years have passed, Kalini and Jovan feel like they have matured, having had time to settle into adulthood without their Tashi. Nor have the other characters remained static. Tain has less of a presence in this book than the previous, but it’s clear that being poisoned has had an ongoing impact on his health. Hadrea remains as prickly as ever, in part due to her dissatisfaction with her training as a Speaker. Her irascibility serves to make the cracks in her relationship with Jovan all the more plain.

However, Hollow Empire isn’t a book solely about bringing the old gang back; it features new characters, too. With his Tashi gone and now that he’s not reeling from one disaster to the next (well, at least in the beginning), Jovan must ensure a proofer is ready to step up in case something happens to him. Enter Dija. Although she’s only 13 years old, she’s smart and wise beyond her years, level-headed in a crisis… of which there are plenty to test her mettle. She’s also good with people and quick to play the wide-eyed innocent, making her an excellent spy — and bringing together the strengths of both Oromani siblings. I rather hope we might see her as a point-of-view character in the future. Seeing her awkward, yet affectionate relationship with Jovan was a highlight of the book.

This relationship also affords a chance for the reader to experience along with Jovan the flip side of the relationship between proofer and apprentice. As an apprentice, Jovan trusted his uncle implicitly, bearing through the poisonings that were part of his training and working hard to develop the knowledge necessary for the role. As the teacher, Jovan is faced with the necessity of repeatedly poisoning a child, a fact with which he struggles, even as he knows the necessity. Compounding this is the disapproval from some of those closest to him, playing into his self-consciousness over his somewhat sinister reputation in the city.

The book also introduces the first gender nonbinary character of the series. Al-Sjease serves as the Oromani family’s household manager, a sweet person who respects their employer’s privacy and offers wisdom when it is most needed. The cast was already reasonably diverse in relation to race, so it’s nice to see Hollow Empire follow that lead along the axis of gender. It also expands its representation of disability. Although Jovan’s compulsiveness and Kalini’s chronic health issues are less prominent than in the previous book, Silastra’s new Warrior-Guilder sports a prosthetic leg. This is nicely underplayed, shown as a part of who she is and not a big deal.

As with the previous book, Hollow Empire deals with lots of weighty subjects. A key plot development centres around Kalina’s forthcoming appointment as Ambassador to the Talafan, a country which offers a patriarchal contrast to the more equitable Silasta. This allows some of the feminist concerns present in the series to be explored in more detail. Issues regarding consent, sexual harassment, and the disenfranchisement of women are all touched on. As Tain and the city seek to learn from past mistakes, issues of reparation are also brought up. There were some very relatable parts around the short memories of institutions and their reluctance to change.

In fact, if there’s one criticism I have of the book, it’s that there was too much going on. There wasn’t the time to dig into all of these themes in a satisfying way. I also felt that some of the sense of place that characterised the first book was missing from this one, sacrificed to the twisty plot. I particularly felt this in the parts that took place outside the city, and therefore couldn’t rely on the weight of the previous book to carry it through.

However, Hollow Empire remains an excellent intrigue. There were red herrings and more than enough twists to hook me in and keep me there from beginning to end. It was absolutely worth an early return to reviewing just for a chance to read it. I have my fingers crossed for another book in the series.

Hallow Empire has been a sequel I’ve been looking forward to for years now and I’m so excited to say I loved this! This book has everything I loved about it’s predecessor, City of Lies: suspenseful buildup, loveable complex characters, excellent worldbuilding, and just improved it all! City of Lies also holds a special place in my heart for being one of the first ARCs I received after starting this blog, which makes me all happier about Hallow Empire.

Oh where even to begin. Let’s start with the pacing. Like City of Lies, Hallow Empire starts with fairly slow, suspenseful pace as Hawke sets the scene and establishes the various characters. Also like City of Lies, however, this pacing gradually picks up until you’re knee-deep into political intrigue and absolutely unwilling to put the book down because you have to know more. With every new mystery solved comes two new questions to take its place and the reins simply never let up. There’s a fine balance between over-detailing events and giving the reader just enough information to keep them by the seat of their pants and Hawke successfully rides that line the entire way through.

With Hallow Empire, the world of Silasta has expanded to welcome in diplomats from her nearby, and much larger, sovereign neighbors. As I read, I was in awe at the richness and cultural details of both Silasta and her neighbors. We learn about the linguistics, the food, gender stereotypes and norms, and so much more. These countries, and Silasta especially, really feel like they’ve been brought to life in my mind. A common complaint I have with epic fantasy novels is that the worlds feel “empty” or their cities devoid of people aside from those useful to the main characters. Here, Silasta bustles with life and wonder and all the issues plaguing a major city.

Returning to the minds of Kalina and Jovan, was, too, a delight to read. I’m generally more of a ‘grey, morally-questionable character fan’, but Kalina and Jovan are just so damn likable, so well written that I can’t help but to love them. I loved seeing Kalina’s newfound determination and activeness, loved seeing her take action despite being put in situations where being female put her at a disadvantage because sexist assholes. I loved reading Jovan’s self-doubts, his battle between serving his country and his panics because ‘oh god he’s putting a child in harm’s way’. My Jovan/Tain ship has not sailed yet but that’s okay, I can wait.

Overall, I rate this book a 5/5. I adored City of Lies, and I was delighted with Hallow Empire. Hawke has really outdone herself with this amazing book packed full of political intrigue and delightfully complex characters.

Australian author Sam Hawke’s debut City of Lies was one of the best fantasy books of 2018. A fact confirmed by its haul of nominations and awards. That book told a complete story of a civil war in the city of Sjona and the role of siblings Jovan and Kalina in not only ending that war but exposing the exploitation that was partly its cause. But there was more to the war that mere civil unrest. Hanging over the resolution of City of Lies was a feeling that Jovan and Kalina had only peeled back one layer of the onion. Readers were left satisfied that matters had been resolved but left hanging by all of the questions that were left unanswered. Given that City of Lies was subtitled as “A Poison War” novel, it could only be assumed that this was not actually the end.

The sequel, Hollow Empire, opens two years and four months after the end of City of Lies. For those who may be a little hazy on the events of City of Lies, Hawke delivers a recap in an enjoyable and non-exposition way, having her main cast attend a play based on those events (a similar technique used to great effect in the Avatar, the Last Airbender episode “The Ember Island Players”).
Jovan, himself trained and secretly employed as poison taster to the Chancellor, has started training his heir and younger cousin Didja, who is thirteen when the narrative rejoins the action. His sister, Kalina, trained in more of the craft of espionage, is slated to be the next ambassador to the neighbouring misogynistic and worryingly expansionist Talafan Empire.

The bulk of the action of this book takes place during and just after the karodee festival. Karodee is a week long celebration involving sport, art and masquerade to which Chancellor Tain has invited representatives of all of Silasta’s trading partners. (While maps are overused in fantasy novels, now that the story has referenced so many places beyond Silasta, a map of the world in the next volume might be useful). The chaos and free-wheeling nature of the festival makes it more difficult for Jovan and Kalina to protect Tain from a suspected assassin and there is an emerging feeling that wheels are turning to bring them down especially when an attempt is made to frame Jovan for a drug-fuelled murder.

As with the previous book, Hawke does not spare her characters from pain or tough decisions as they struggle to understand the threat facing them and their city. What initially felt a little YA in City of Lies, given the main characters ages and experience, moves into decidedly more adult territory here with drug use, blackmail, gruesome deaths and as the book goes on, some big scenes of destruction and devastation. But there is also plenty of diplomatic manoeuvring and tentative alliance building both within the city council, full of people who still have reason to hate the pair, and with the foreign dignitaries also caught up in the mayhem. This is fantasy more along the lines of the scheming and negotiation of Game of Thrones rather than epic Lord of the Rings-style models – while it is set in a fantasy world and there is a smattering of magic and the calling of spirit forces, Hawke’s primary focus is on people and how they interact with each other personally and politically.

Hollow Empire is a great entry in this series. It tops City of Lies for its complexity and its capacity to payoff long running plot threads. Hawke has supreme understanding of her world and how it works, including the various different types of magic and magic users. She also once again delivers what feels like a complete story in which all of the short-term, internal mysteries are solved and some long running secrets are revealed but leaves the danger hanging in the distance and the feeling that there is much more to be learnt as the series progresses.

Wow. I loved this book even more than the first one.

Hollow Empire, the second entry to the Poison Wars series, is a compulsively readable sequel that truly masters keeping the reader at the edge of their seat. The book as a whole is cleverly crafted as the author balances political intrigue, careful worldbuilding, and suspenseful mysteries in deft measures.

We return to our protagonists and the city of Silasta more than two years after the end of the siege in City of Lies. Necessary steps were taken to repair the damage from the uprising. Most importantly, the inequalities faced by the Dafri whose grievances were instrumental to many of the conflicts of the first book have since started to be addressed. While the reforms and reparations implemented are not perfect by any means – accusations and grumbling between the old Credol families and the Dafri certainly still occur – it’s nonetheless restored the city to a relative peace.

Chancellor Tain is determined to mark how far Silasta has come since those dark times with the multiday festivities of karodee. Karodee is a grand, city-wide celebration that’s like a cross between a festival and the Olympics. Hundreds of visitors from throughout their native Sjona and abroad have entered the city for the occasion, including many important representatives from foreign nations. It is during this event that the story largely takes place.

It’s clear from the outset that our two main characters have their own concerns during karodee. Jovan – as always – plans to protect Tain from threats he’s grimly aware have never truly disappeared. He, Kalina and Tain have relentlessly pursued the identity of the shadowy figures that planned the uprising two years prior, and it angers Jovan that the city’s other leaders no longer seem interested in doing the same.

As far as the Silastan Council is concerned, the conspirators were largely caught and the siege a thing of the past, so Jovan’s worries are politely dismissed as paranoia. But Jovan knows his suspicions about the rising crime rings in the city are valid, as are his repeated sightings of the man stalking Tain. When pointed attacks are made at Jovan’s reputation, he uneasily wonders at the sinister reasons that would make diminishing his credibility a priority.

Kalina, on the other hand, is ready to display her prowess as a spy during karodee while making diplomatic overtures to improve Silasta’s ties with other nations. It’s through her chapters that we get to see much more of the machinations of Sjona’s neighbours as she comes into contact with the Talafan, Doranite, and Perest-Avana delegations. When strange events start happening within the Talafan party in particular, Kalina shrewdly begins to take matters into her own hands. Kalina’s investigation grows only more important as becomes apparent that emerging threats in the city may have foreign backers.

The tension build-up throughout this book was so well executed. I really can’t praise it enough. I don’t think any other book I’ve read this year had made me feel as anxious as this book did. I was fully immersed in the escalating dangerous atmosphere within Silasta and felt the same sense of dread that the characters did.

Just like Kalina and Jovan, I was suspicious of almost every side character and never knew who to trust. There were some shocks that I suspected were coming, but other twists took me completely by surprise in the best kind of way. They never came out of nowhere, neither. Just the right amount of puzzle pieces were laid out beforehand that came together to form the whole picture at just the right time. I loved how this made the plot progress efficiently as a whole.

Another thing I loved was seeing Jovan in the role of the mentor to his cousin and adopted niece Dija. In so many books I’ve read it seems to be a staple to see through the perspective of the student and their coming-of-age journey. We see them grow frustrated with the impenetrable and sometimes mysterious manner of their teachers, but never see too deeply into their mentor’s thoughts. But in Hollow Empire, we very much get to see how Jovan struggles with being an efficient teacher. His task, after all, is to teach Dija their family’s deadly craft of proofing. Proofing for poisons mean that Dija must be trained to recognize the noxious substances and to build up an immunity – which means that Jovan has no choice but to poison her repeatedly with and without her knowledge.

Guilt tears at him as he attempts to balance these necessary but brutal learning experiences while still allowing Dija to retain some of her childhood. Jovan is aware how guarded and distant he must seem with his charge, but believes he must not coddle her while she grasps her future responsibilities. Watching him genuinely care for her and try not to push her too far could be heart-wrenching – especially since clever Dija, desperate to earn his approval, is always trying to impress and assist him.

Jovan and Dija aside, all the character storylines and relationships were compelling. I’d feel remiss not to point out how I admired Kalina’s bravery, cleverness, and her absolute determination to do what’s necessary no matter her physical limitations. Sjease was another favourite due to their competence and budding loyalties to the Oromanis. I’m also still wondering at Hadrea and the hidden, internal strife that plagues her throughout in this book. Hadrea remains a little bit of a mystery in some ways, but I’ve an inkling that she’s got a huge storyline coming in the future.

Lastly, I’d like to point out that you should definitely look forward to the epigraphs at the start of the chapters. Each epigraph details an investigation into a past poisoning – but if you pay enough attention you might note that the names of the victims greatly resemble some SFF authors you may have read.

A splendid read. Many thanks to Random House UK Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press and Netgalley for providing the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read City of Lies around this time last year, and while I liked it, I didn’t love it. However, I remember thinking that Sam Hawke was a debut author with a lot of talent, and someone to watch out for as they released more work.

And I was (thankfully) right. Hollow Empire picks up two years after City of Lies finished, with Jovan and Kalina still muddling their way through the consequences of the siege of Silasta and figuring out how to put the broken pieces of their country back together, while also preventing new fissures from emerging. The pacing – my biggest issue with City of Lies – is watertight from the start, Jovan and Kalina’s POVs feel much more equal, and the key conflicts of this book flow naturally from the previous, and are new and fresh while still being deeply connected to what has come before.

“You never get used to poisoning a child.”

Firstly, Sam Hawke is the master of opening lines, and Hollow Empire follows through. There are so many twists and turns in this book, and this pervasive sense of suspicion and fear that permeates the entire story: it’s impossible to tell who Jovan and Kalina can and can’t trust. It’s hard to say too much about the premise of the book without spoilers, but there is a combination of internal and external politics that are hard to pick apart: the city and the Guilders on the Council are still adjusting to the changes in governance that occurred following the revelations about the Darfri in book one, but there are also several foreign ambassadors in town for a festival, some of whom have political ambitions of their own.

I have to admit that I didn’t pick up a lot of the reveals, but they made sense in hindsight since the breadcrumb trail is so well-scattered. This book is also a lot darker than City of Lies in some ways: the ratio of murders to pages is probably about the same, but the attacks are more personalised, and more sinister in nature.

Both Jovan and Kalina remain the strong, stoic and kind-hearted individuals of the previous book, which I adored. The side characters are also fascinating, though it’s hard to necessarily like any of them (except perhaps Jovan and Kalina’s niece Dija), because you never know if one of them is going to metaphorically or actually stab one of the siblings in the back. (And, if I had one complaint about Hollow Empire, it’s that I would have loved to see more of a role for Tain, the Chancellor and my favourite character). But, if you like reading about good people who try their best to do the right thing and follow their own moral compass (even when it directs them slightly off-course), then I highly recommend this series.

There is also great disability rep: Jovan suffers from anxiety, while Kalina has an illness somewhat like chronic fatigue – and while the characters may be forced to slow down and take a deep breath sometimes, they are never inhibited in pursuing their goals one way or another. There is also an f/f relationship between Kalina and another character, and while it wasn’t my favourite part of the story since it didn’t get a lot of screen-time to fully develop, I know many readers will be thrilled. (Also Tain continues to be less subtle about his crush on Jovan than he’d like).

The Poison Wars is marketed as a duology, but it’s clear these characters aren’t done making Silasta a better place, and I am in desperate need of another sequel.

Finally, I have to give a shout-out to the chapter epigraphs. Where City of Lies started each chapter with a description of a various poison, Hollow Empire gives us entries from the diaries of previous Oromani family proofers, regarding the investigation of various poisoning incidents. I often skim epigraphs – but these are hilarious, and full of shout of outs to other authors in the fantasy community. (some of whom are the victims of insidious poison-related murder). It’s worth reading them just to see how many you can spot.

Hollow Empire is the second book in Sam Hawke’s series of books ‘The Poison Wars’. Hollow Empire takes place two years after the events of the first book.

When City of Lies ended I found myself with more questions than the book answered, with Jovan & Kalina as perplexed as I was as to the reasons why the events of the first book took place. I knew there was more to the story and Sam Hawke skillfully left me hanging with a cliffhanger, and in this, the second book, Hawke answers this question and the reasons why. And it may not be what you thought.

I have to admit. When I first started City of Lies, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. For one, it took me a little while to get used to the two person narrative and the mystery element of the plot (me and mysteries don’t tend to get along). However, as I read more I did get used to it and City of Lies was a bit of a sleeper hit with me, so when I got a chance to read an advanced reader copy of Hollow Empire, I jumped at the chance. And I have to say, wow! I wasn’t expecting that .

As I said earlier, the book starts two years after City of Lies, and opens up with an opening line that is similar to the first book. Jovan has taken on an heir called Dija, the youngest daughter of his second cousin. And surprisingly, he has dosed her with some noxious substance as part of her training. As anybody who is familiar with the first book, Jovan is a proofer. A kind of poison taster for the Chancellor, Jovan’s best friend Tain, and this is the family business.

Now this is going to be a bit difficult, because if I reveal something here, it kind of spoils the first book, and whilst I suspect that there might be some people who have read this and know the end of City of Lies, there might be those people that are just coming to Hollow Empire without knowing there was a first book. So if you are in the former camp it doesn’t matter, but if you are in the second camp, turn back now - HERE BE DRAGONS.

So, all the gang is back together, Jovan, Tain, Kalina and Hadrea (although she doesn’t make an appearance until later in the book) and again the city of Silasta is in danger. However, this time instead of an all out revolution, this time the city is being subverted by a myriad of covert and seemingly unconnected occurrences.

Jovan is convinced that there is a plot afoot, but he has difficulty in proving it until things come to a head and inexplicable events take place that indicate Jovan’s suspicions have more value than any of them suspected.

Now, the strength of Hollow Empire is in its plotting, pacing and characters, and with these, Hawke really develops in both. I found this second book to be taken up a notch in all things really, The plot development is excellent. When I got to the final act and certain events revealed certain truths to the characters, I was like - I knew it. Yep, you didn’t fool me with that one Sam Hawke. And that is one of the strengths of the Hawkes writing. Yep, she gives you that one where you can feel all superior because you guessed that aspect of the plot, and then she totally blind sides you with something else and you are thinking Whoa! Did not expect that!
In terms of character development, nearly all the characters develop in some way. Jovan develops a relationship with his heir, the newly introduced DIja, and Dija is a fantastic new character. Kalina develops in her own way and also develops a relationship outside the family. However, Tain and Hadrea are a bit on the sideline in this one for some of the book, but when they do come into it, Hawke gives them the appropriate attention for them to develop and in a pretty satisfying way, I must say.

As I said, the other things that have been taken up a notch, is the plot and the pace. Hawke has really upped the game in Hollow Empire and there is all sorts happening. Shadowy plots, assassinations, magic and witchcraft and ultimately war. In this second book, you can really see the development. The plot is as twisty and turny as anything that you would find in any non fantasy thriller book and the pace, once it gets going, is so high octane that it kept me firmly gripped to the edge of my seat.

One of the things that I almost forgot to mention is the world building. In Hollow Empire, the story is not so compact as the last book, which was mainly situated in one location. In this book, we get to see a more fully realised world that is populated with a multitude of cultures, languages, religions and races. That is not to say that it wasn’t there in the last book, it’s just that the plot of the story mainly revolved around the city more in the first book and in this book we step outside the city and see what the estates look like. .

The other thing that I like about Hawke’s books, is that whilst they are fantasy books, there are some very real world topics in there again, which I think is a particular strength of her writing, it impressed me in her last book and impressed me again. You can very much equate some of the topics that she covers to what is happening in the world now.

In the Hollow Empire, I have simply fallen hook line and sinker for this story. The plot is intricately woven and everything is so tight. The character development of the book is just glorious and the pace had my pulse racing and my head pounding with all the blind alleys that Sam Hawke leads us up. And just let me mention the end! That was one pretty magnificent ending that had me thinking yep, I enjoyed that.

A strong follow on from the first book. Easily worth the wait and guaranteed to scratch the itch for intelligent, well-developed fantasy.

Hollow Empire picks up a couple of years after City of Lies but things are no less dangerous than they were in the first book. There’s still a whole load of infighting between the various nobles who seem completely oblivious to the fact that there’s someone out there who is trying to kill them.

Much like the first book, the country’s ignorance of its own history comes back to bite it in the backside which leads Jovan and Kalina into a veritable spider’s web of political intrigue, murder and an oncoming war while everyone else remains seemingly wilfully ignorant and even wanting to blame Jovan for the troubles that have befallen them.

Hollow Empire weaves its story excellently. At times it reads almost like a political thriller as Jovan and Kalina race against the clock to stop whatever bad thing is going to happen. There’s fighting, explosions, lots of death and political intrigue for days. There’s barely a dull moment in the story and I was frequently on the edge of my seat as I wanted to know what happened next and who exactly was behind the plot.

The characters are just as good as City of Lies. Yes, most of the nobles are insufferable morons but Jovan and Kalina make excellent protagonists and they work well with the other characters. I adore their relationship with Tain and this book introduces Jovan’s new apprentice, Dija, who manages to avoid the trap of being an obnoxious teenage girl character and is actually a good character. She’s competent and she’s likeable.

Hollow Empire was a very fun read. It’s well paced for the most part. Although I would have liked the reveal of the main bad guy to have been earlier just to have a little bit more of that part of the story. The mystery was intriguing but the story was wrapped up a little bit quickly after the full picture was revealed. Other than that, it was great. I loved reading the characters and there was a part near the end that nearly made me cry, which is impressive since I rarely feel like crying at books. Like City of Lies, the story works well as a standalone but is also open ended enough to continue in that world and I really hope there will be more with these characters because I enjoy reading them a lot.

Kicking off the review by saying that I actually reread City of Lies before picking this up – which I 10000% recommend especially if, like me, you’re a little bit foggy on what happened in book one. That being said, the book does open with a creative way of recapping the events of City of Lies so those who might be a little bit time poor or have too much on their list will probably be ok. I know that’s always a concern I have when picking up a sequel so thought it worth mentioning.

Hollow Empire takes place two years after City of Lies and while much has changed in Silasta there are still things bubbling away under the surface. As before, Joran and Kalina need to use their various skills to try and pick apart the various conspiracies and events happening in their city to discover where roots have gone rotten. This book does a really good job of creating a huge web of events which could mean any number of things. It’s sort of like a fantasy mystery novel, one thing could be a red herring or it could be the key that unlocks the entire conspiracy – but you can bet that when the reveal happens it’ll both be a huge surprise and the most obvious solution. It’s my absolute favourite kind of plot to read and trust me when I say it is just as good as City of Lies.

At the start of the story I was a bit worried that the plot would feel less consequential than in City of Lies purely because everything felt a bit smaller, but I actually think that the…intimacy of the start of the book works really well – and things definitely ramp up later on. Joran and Kalina have to work hard in this book and at times it does feel like the two of them never get a break to recover from the last thing, but again I think that adds to the strange claustrophobia of this city setting. Without the pressure of the siege in book one, the two of them are very much stuck where they are, Silasta is the centre of the web.

I continue to adore Kalina and Joran has grown on me to the point where I might even like him just as much. I think the addition of a new character or two in relation to Joran helps to develop some aspects of his personality that didn’t come across as well in book one.

I didn’t think a sequel could possibly live up to how much I adored City of Lies and yet this book did. I think the fact that it starts off as a much less obvious threat really helps to change things up and trust me things are just as dramatic as they were in the first book. There are moments that truly made me want to cry and others that had me at the edge of my seat – it’s so good.

Like City of Lies this book has very long chapters, alternating between Joran and Kalina. My recommendation is that you give this book some focus, some dedicated time. I don’t personally feel it’s the kind of story that you can just dip in and out of, reading a couple of pages at a time. Not in the least because you might need to make a mental ‘detective’ board to keep track of all the various goings on.

Would I recommend this? 100000% – make sure you read City of Lies first but this is firmly one of my favourite series of all time.

My rating: 5/5 stars

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Hollow Empire is out November 26th!

Hollow Empire is a book I have been anticipating since December last year, and a book I was doubly anticipating ever since I found out that it’s sapphic. And it was so so good that all I want to do is go back and reread both books.

I will try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but Hollow Empire picks up two years after City of Lies ended. Silasta seems to be at peace: the Darfri and the Silastans are working together within the city and there have been no more suspicious murders. Only, Jovan has started feeling as though Tain is being followed by a shadowy figure, a figure only he seems to be able to spot.

When I read City of Lies, I was majorly not in the right mood for a slowburning political fantasy. I loved the characters and I could tell it was a book that, when I came back to it, I would love it. And, lo and behold, exactly that happened with Hollow Empire. In a way, there’s sometimes books you need to know what you’re getting into before you start them, so you can enjoy them to their fullest. So once I got that part out of the way, I was always going to love this book.

Much like the first book, this one is a slowburning political fantasy, but, in this case, the enemy is invisible. Where in the first there was an army outside the gates, and a siege being played out, here, no one knows who is working against them. And no one besides the main characters really believes anyone is working against them. So the struggle is on two fronts: internally, within the city, and externally, with this invisible enemy.

What’s great about this book, then, is that it expands the world we have come to know and love. It takes us out of Silasta, though not always physically, and introduces us to other countries and empires. Which is one of my favourite things about the book — any fantasy book or series, really — because it also raises the stakes. Who can the Silastans trust, if anyone?

And then there are the characters. I loved them in book one and I adored them again here (no lie, I teared up reading the first chapter because I saw them again… yeah, I know). It’s great to see how they have developed from the first book — not always in positive ways, to admit, but in ways that made you love them all the more. Which brings me to a brief side point: I love that this book shows the psychological toll that fantasy events can have on characters. There are so many books where characters go through something incredibly traumatising (you’d think) and yet show no effect of that. So it was great to see that here.

Really, with the characters, the only thing I’d say is that sometimes I found it hard to sympathise with Hadrea. Now, in book one, she’s clearly angry for the way the Darfri have been treated, and continue to be treated. And that makes sense. In book two, it’s as if she has stubbornly maintained that anger, but we don’t get her POV to see that. So instead, that anger was frustrating to read. But in a sense, it feels like that anger is what leads to her downfall, so by the end, I was very interested to see where that was going.

All I have left to say, then, is that, if you haven’t already had this series on your radar, please please put it there. Request your libraries or bookshops get the book in, do whatever, because honestly, I don’t know how I’ll cope if we don’t get a third book.