Fans of award-winning Toronto fantasy writer Michelle West will be delighted with this return to the vivid and detailed universe of the Sacred Hunt and the Sun Sword series.

Hidden City begins a new series called The House Wars. When Rath, a recluse who makes his living finding and selling artefacts, finds 10-year-old orphan Jewel Markess living on the street, he does the unthinkable and opens his home to her. Jewel, also known as Jay, has visions of events before they happen, and saves his life in turn. A unique bond forms between the innocent girl and the embittered man, and soon his home is overflowing with other street children Jay has saved. Then it becomes clear that there is something dark stalking the streets of the Averlaan, and that Jay and her den have become its targets. 

In a richly woven world, and with a cast of characters that range from traumatized street kids to the wealthy heads of highest houses in Averalaan, West pulls no punches as she hooks readers in with her bold and descriptive narrative. While returning readers will enjoy familiar names and places, Hidden City stands as an independent introduction to West’s universe as well. It is the first in a series, and as such, is clearly part of a much bigger story, with many seeds planted for subsequent books. While the ending of this one is not quite a cliffhanger, it will leave readers anxiously awaiting the release of the next volume.