City Of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

General Turyin Mulaghesh was retired and living by the sea.  She was renowned by some as the hero of the battle of Bulikov and as a war criminal by others.  Her last battles had left her without one of her hands and although she has adjusted to her prosthetic, it's time to give up war.  But the government has other plans.  They send her to the city of Voortyashtan, known as the City of Blades.  Her cover story is that she is there to find out what happened to a government agent who disappeared but the real mission is to find out what those living there are mining and why its being kept a secret.

The city, also known as The City of Blades, was the location of the Divine of war and death.  Turyin arrives to find an old friend is the leader of the city.  Another old friend, Sigrud, has a daughter who lives there and is overseeing the opening of the harbor, which has been closed since the battle that killed the Divine.  She arrives to find that there is a brewing war between the tribes of the coast and those of the mountains, and that everyone seems to be keeping a secret.  As she starts to investigate the mines, news of ritual murders emerge.  Sigrud arrives and Turyin, he and his daughter, join forces to discover all the secrets and save the city and the world from the trouble that is brewing.

This is the second novel in the Divine Cities trilogy.  Bennett is known for his fantasy works and this trilogy is the first that brought him to the notice of fantasy readers.  Readers will remember Turyin and Sigrud and their determination to do whatever it takes to save the world around them even when it antagonizes friends and family.  At the end of this book, Sigrud sails away in disgrace and Turyin vows to return to her retirement.  This book is recommended for fantasy fans.