Colonel Aaric Blackhall is the head of the White Dragon army sent to do his empress’ bidding and locate a vital artifact in Ebonmark. He not only has to contend with the general populace’s animosity but also has to factor in the rivalrly between the Phage and Guild, two rival crime cartels seeking to establish their total supremacy in Ebonmark. Lastly there’s Kruge, a Vossian prince who is hated by all humans for who he is and is held as a slave by a particularly odious crime boss. There are many more characters and angles to main plot but that’s for the reader to RAFO. This story is basically about multiple events happening as various factions and individuals plot and act to further their own plans. The readers will have to keep track of the character list so they can remember who’s who and related to whom. 

What I loved about this story was how the author showcased a gritty world, which is still reeling after a war that has ravaged the continent. Imagine Europe after World War II and how all the empires and countries were shaken up. A similar situation is present here and the various cities that were previously under the yoke of the two dominant empires have now become their own rulers via the form of city-states. The theater of action for this opening volume is Ebonmark, the titular city and it is one that is ruled by crime cartels and ganglords who are all jockeying for power and further weakening the city. The world-building is truly massive as the author immerses the reader in an alien world with different types of races and magic however tying it to human sensibilities conveniently so as to make it seem inviting. With this volume, the author barely scratches the magic system and history of the world and so for worldbuilding geeks, this series should definitely be on your shelves for its ingenuity. There’s also the wide character cast, which is interesting to follow as each of them have their own lives and plans to destroy others. There’s a very strong LOTR vibe going on in this book as characters are introduced and we get an idea about the journey they might be taking in the sequel volumes. 

Then there’s the characterization and as readers of Steven Montano books will know that he can be trusted to write compelling characters. A similar case presides over here and with the change of genre; he particularly excels in providing several terrific ones and with the caveat of all of them being grey. That’s the juicy part of the story as all of the POV characters are mostly grey or black with degrees of good nestled within. All of them are tortured souls due to their own actions or those of the world. I think the author drives home the point that war affects everyone and I mean *everyone*! Lastly there’s the plot itself, which is twisted and completely unpredictable. I was left bewildered as most of my  plot predictions went awry and kudos to the author for making the plot complex and multi-layered.  It was heartening to see the author paint this grey crumbling world in complex shades wherein any action could have several interpretations depending on whose perspective you look from. There are no heroes only survivors and as the blurb states only the cunning & cruel can survive in the end.

This book while being quite good has some drawbacks to it. Firstly in certain sections the book’s pace drops down to a slightly languid level and that can be a turnoff. Also this book while a big, complex one also feels like a lengthy prologue to the events that are to come. There are also a lot of events and characters that are referred to but no further clarification is given. As a reader I felt intrigued by this book’s twists and turns but also a bit irritated by all that is hinted at and never revealed entirely. 

CONCLUSION: City Of Scars is the beginning of the Skullborn trilogy and is also an epic start to what promises to be a dark, fantastic story. I happen to be a fan of Steven Montano and yet was blown away with his dark, epic fantasy genre debut. Don’t take my word for it though, grab a copy and start reading to see why Steven is considered as a gem of an author who will go to further heights and brighter accolades.