CITY OF TEARS - Cyndi Friberg
Ontarian Chronicles, Book 3
Cerridwen Press
ISBN: 978-1-41991-308-2
April 2008
Science Fiction Romance

City of Tears - Day Moon of Ontariese - Ontarian Cycle 100

One Ontarian cycle ago, eighteen months in standard earth years, Trey dar Aune and a group from Ontariese destroyed The Center on Earth and killed Doctor Hydra, the evil scientist who ran the center. When the Ontariese destroyed the center, they rescued many Ontarian women who had been held captive and used in experiments conducted by Hydra. One of the women rescued was D-159, or Saebin.

Saebin is pulled from stasis by a voice she recognizes but cannot quite remember. When she awakens, she is in a strange place with no memory of how she got there or where she is. Her body armor, an integral part of the implants and enhancements made to her while under Dr. Hydra's control, enhances her mystic powers, and also makes her a weapon of destruction. D-159 is immediately on alert to the danger that could surround her, but Saebin, the woman beneath the mechanical and genetic enhancements is terrified.

Lyrik, a warlord and the son of the Overlord of the City of Tears, is called in to help subdue D-159 because he has some immunity to mystic powers. From the moment Lyrik enters the room where Saebin is held, he wants only to help her. Saebin is slowly remembering who she is, and somehow she must overcome her brutal training if she is ever to be herself and not simply D-159. The attraction between Lyrik and Saebin is immediate, but neither is willing to act on that attraction until Saebin is fully in control once again. When Lyrik learns that his father means to destroy Saebin, he helps her escape and elude capture. Danger, treachery, and passion become landmines as the two try to stay one step ahead of the Overlord and find a way to free Saebin from D-159.

CITY OF TEARS is the third installment in Cyndi Friberg's captivating Ontarian Chronicles. While the first two books took place partially on Earth, CITY OF TEARS take place completely in the Ontarian universe. Saebin is a woman who has lived her entire life in captivity and has been tormented and tortured until the real Saebin has almost been completely obliterated. As with the other captives at The Center, Saebin had no idea that she was Ontarian or that entire worlds exist outside of the Earth's galaxy. While Saebin and her biomechanical alter ego D-159 are aware of the power of her body armor, neither realizes that the power only enhances the mystic abilities she was born with. Lyrik is one of many Ontarians without mystic abilities, but he is a powerful warlord and an honorable man. He fights to keep peace on Ontariese and keep the radical NRS (New Reformation Sect) from starting another war with the Mystics. When Lyrik decides to help Saebin, he knows that his father will do everything he can to destroy him, but he doesn't hesitate to put his career as well as his life on the line. His attraction and desire for Saebin are only strengthened by his anger and sorrow over her treatment at the hands of his father and Dr. Hydra. The interaction between Saebin and Lyrik is passionate and heartbreaking as Lyrik tries to find the woman beneath D-159. Saebin's struggle to overcome years of torment is equally as heart rending. As the two fight their enemies and uncover the treachery that is afoot, they become closer, and the initial attraction they felt turns to passion and love.

CITY OF TEARS is an entertaining read, but unlike its predecessors, TAKEN BY THE STORM and OPERATION HYDRA, does not stand well alone, and may seem to be confusing with its tangled threads that never quite connect if you have not read the first two books. Many characters from both TAKEN BY THE STORM and OPERATION HYDRA make appearances in CITY OF TEARS, and having their stories fresh in your mind will make reading CITY OF TEARS a pleasure rather than a frustration. For fans of science fiction and romance, I can recommend the Ontarian Chronicles for an exciting and romantic reading experience.

Terrie Figueroa