Disclaimer: I flat-out loved this book. This is the second book in a loosely-linked duology called The Orphan’s Tales. The orphan is a nameless little girl who, because of the strange markings around her eyes, has been abandoned by her parents to live in the garden of the sultan’s palace living off the land, until, one day, a little boy finds her. He learns that the strange black circles around her eyes are stories, and she must tell all of them to be free.

So it begins.

The second volume is structurally like the first - the boy and girl meet in the garden and she tells the stories, which wind around and around like a nautilus shell. The stories, however, move from the forest and wilderness to the cities referred to in the title, with djinns and a phoenix - a more Arabic feel than the first volume. Valente is a poet, and it shows. The prose is lush and dense and beautiful, without being overwritten or purple, much like the sultan’s garden itself: the stories themselves worthy of the original 1001 Nights – if, that is, the Arabian Nights had a better attitude to women. It was, in general, a pleasure to read on all levels. The book itself, with illustrations by Michael William Kaluta, is lovely to look at. A caveat: I do think, in order to really enjoy it you do need to read the first one. While it is mostly stand-alone, I think you get a better flavor for the relationship of the boy and the girl and their world that way. This book is going to be on a lot of Hugo ballots. The first one was a World Fantasy Award nominee, and this one is a strong contender for the ballot also. No, there is not a linear plot, and no one is collecting plot coupons, but if you are looking for a beautifully written fantasy that is something different, this book is for you. Fans of McKillip, Kushner, and modern fairy tales in general will love this. Highly recommended. - Nadine Armstrong