For six months, the lands of the massacred Scythe tribe have lain empty and desolate; then, one crisp winter's morning, the red sky crackles and forty thousand survivors of the Lostwell Catastrophe appear, along with a dozen dragons, and one Holdfast...
While King Daniel struggles to reform the City, Queen Emily dreams of recapturing the lost town of Jezra on the Western Bank. When the Lostwell Exiles arrive, she realises that she may have found the only force capable of transforming her dreams into a reality.
Lurking in the dark shadows of his palace in Dalrig, Montieth, the powerful God-Prince, conspires against the mortal government, as he plots to seize control of the City's last remaining reserves of salve, whatever the cost.
For news and special offers you can join my mailing list through my website where you will receive a FREE copy of From the Ashes, a Magelands prequel novella.
About Me
I love deserts, which is too bad as I live in Scotland, but the mountains, glens and lochs more than make up for it. My other love is Greek Tragedy, especially Euripides, and I also read history, science, fantasy, and pretty much anything about the Beatles…
Contact Info
I would love to hear from you by email or through any of the social media options below:
City of Salve is Book 7 in Christopher Mitchell's Maagelands Eternal Series, this series is one you have to read from the start. There is way too much connection, character overlap, and basic story groundwork already in place to just jump in here. This story takes place in The City, there's no jumping around to other characters and places we know, only the handful (along with some new ones) who got transported there with other refuges of Lostwell. The City should be familiar to readers as it's not the first time we've been there.
We still have a couple of separate (for now) storylines with characters who do not interact with one another even though you know eventually they will have to. To avoid spoiling anything I'm not going to delve into too many specifics. There are a few revelations that are really worth discovering for yourselves.
Whenever I grab one of these books I know I'm in for an exciting journey, this was no exception. The character depth and development as well as the author's attention to detail is fantastic. You can really feel the individuality of each character come through. I have some ideas of where the story will go next and I can't wait to find out what I'm right about and what twists I'll be blindsided by next.
I received an advanced copy of this story from the author and am leaving a voluntary honest review.
Reading this book felt like coming home. We're back in the city, under the beneficient rule of King Daniel and Queen Emily. Although this isn't exactly an easy place to live, it's familiar and, dare I say fun, to come back to the setting that started this story off. This gave lots of room for the worldbuilding to develop. I felt like it was here that I really began to understnad what salve is, how it works, how it impacts this world (or I should say, this universe's) magic, and its role in characters' relations with one another. This definitely upped the stakes. And, we got to see my favorite character shine! Okay, I know earlier I said Maddie was my favorite character, but honestly she and Emily are tied. It's not just that Emily is a primary character in this book, but also that she's coming into her own as a leader. Her style of heroism is very different than the action-packed, combat-heavy scenes of the previous three volumes, and for me it made a refreshing change, especially because she's such an interesting character, so ably balancing cleverness, cunning, and a truly good heart.
There are a lot of characters in this series so I have to admit that I had a bit of memory lapse when I first picked up this volume, having read quite a few other books in between. Even so, it didn’t take me long to immerse myself in the story as I recalled people, places and situations.
Look up the word abrasive in a dictionary and Kelsey will appear. I admire her ability to cut right to the chase but man, could she use a lesson on how to soften her approach. I’m pretty disgusted with how she treats Van. The poor guy hasn’t done anything wrong to deserve her contempt. She seems to get along with Frostback (I hope Maddie and Blackrose return in the future, perhaps with other dragons in tow)
Maybe it’s just me but I get the impression that Emily is the dominant persona in the royalty department. Perhaps it is because her area of expertise is more action packed whereas Danny is stuck with administrative duties.
Had Kagan appeared before this book? I don’t recall but he became integral to the plot here.
There are many exciting events that occur, some can be cheered and others will sadden you. As always, a great read from this author.
This book takes you back to the city.the last book was about the world lostwell it ended with Belinda sending everyone on that world to the city.so this book goes back there with Emily and Daniel they have been king and queen for 6 months and 12 dragons and a load of people show up (Belinda sent all human life demi gods and gods) I had a feeling who Sophie is and feel sorry for the guy who is falling for her.I did get a little bored of the story but my favourite character is also and she is not in this thought they would pop in or maggie I wanted them all to get together again.
I've just finished reading city of salve. I usually don't enjoy books that come in a series as i get bored with the plot but this series seems to hold me. We're back in the city. Lostwell has gone and the refugees need to learn to live in this world. The storyline is building up and the end of this book leaves you on a crest that you must hold on to as you've taken this journey along with the characters... exactly what will happen next.... so many pieces to still fall into place. Deep breath and wait for the next book!
Another outstanding book in the series! When Belinda sends the survivors of the destruction of Lostwell to the City, the City must find a way to assimilate them and provide for them along with the 12 dragons that appeared with them. As if that weren’t crisis enough Prince Montieth picks the most in opportune moment to leave his castle in Dalrig to steal all the salve in the City for his experiments. Can Yendra, Kelsey, and Van save the day even with the help of the dragons? Read the book to find out!
City of Salve (Magelands Eternal Siege, #7), my eighth read from prolific author Christopher Mitchell. When I want to read epic fantasy I first look for author Christopher Mitchell. With 21 books written over 3 series, I need to get going & read more Christopher Mitchell books. I look forward to reading more from this author. “I received a free Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
What can I say other than another outstanding book in this engrossing series. You should read the others in the series first otherwise you won’t appreciate the complex characters and their developing personalities fully. Artfully created worlds and places that draw you in to become immersed in the characters lives, which are skilfully intertwined. Chris has a very easy to read style making his series ideal for readers of all ages.
Absolutely brilliant book or should I say books because I have read them all upto the City of salve. Love alk the characters from the slightly vulnerable Kelsey Holdfast to the devious and selfish Naxos the demigod. U feel sadness, happy and u will find u can't wait to turn the next page. Well done Christopher for a epic journey through worlds with Dragons, gods and mortals who wield extraordinary powers to equal the gods thanks
I was happy this book went back to The City world with Emily and Daniel. The character development of Van and Jade made me happy of what they were able to accomplish. More of dragons' story also made this a great book. As always the new characters initially turned me off but end up making a big impact on that World. Kelsey's loss and mourning made med cry. Without a spoiler alert I was so sad at the end and wished a different fate of a character 😢.
This book was outstanding. It was a breath a fresh air to follow developing characters that I could not predict their behavior. I miss the usual characters but this author does a really great job of tying up loose ends and I am sure we will hear more about them later in the series. So much to look forward to and I for one will have a hard time waiting for the next book.
Let's be clear from the onset this book cannot be read in isolation. It is part of a very good series of books and should be read in order to understand the characters, the places and even the worlds. Weaving the various characters, events and places in a complex story telling has been masterfully achieved. Well done Christopher, and cannot wait for the next instalment.
I've been finding this series very enjoyable. The plot is exciting and the writing improves with each book. My only issues with the last couple of books is the way characters' personalities have change from who the were. The brave acting weak, the quirky acting bitchy, and the smart acting stupid. It just didn't feel like character growth, more like the opposite.
This is a great series when I first read book one I.didn't realize it was a.series. I don't usually read them but I can't stop the.story is so captivating and flows from one book to the next. Well done
What the hell. Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action. Dragons, gods and mortals. Why can't they get along? I look forward to the next one.
A bit slow at the beginning but got better , looking forward to the next one . Didn't realise that a lot of info is at the back and it would have helped me . I missed Maddie Corthie .