If you aren't already aware, Dawn Cook is the pen name of Kim Harrison, author of the Hollows series. It was because of this that I picked this book up in the first place. After all, I love the Hollows books & even though this isn't exactly my cup of tea, I figured that I'd enjoy this series. 
 First Truth follows the character of Alissa, a young woman who is forced to set out in search of a place she's only heard about in stories- the magical Hold of the Masters. She doesn't know where to go- just that her mother insists that she must travel to this place. Along the way she runs into flute player Strell, who was originally heading back home before hearing tragic news. When Alissa discovers that not only does he carry one of her father's maps, but one that gives the location of her destination, the two of them set out to reach the Hold before winter sets in. Unfortunately for them, there's only one sole human occupying the Hold. And he's far from benevolent... 
 I won't lie- I've been a little burnt out on what I call "hard core fantasy" for the last few years. (To me, hard core is any fantasy that's set on an alternate world ala DragonLance, although some might argue that First Truth isn't all that hard core.) However, once I got past the slow start I found that I really did enjoy this book. There's a fun chemistry between Strell & Alissa, so I enjoyed their bantering back & forth. I even loved the insane Bailic, who has easily turned into my favorite character of the series. 
 It's just that the story took a long time to get where it was going. The story didn't really pick up until our duo reached the Hold, which was about halfway in the book. It was a necessary evil, as events that took place during this time do come up later in the book. 
 If you are picking this up in the hopes that it'll be another Hollows-esque book, then I have to warn you that it isn't really similar at all. These series are two entirely different beasts (apart from the obvious) & you'll probably find yourself disappointed. I'd recommend this as a nice leisurely read for a good rainy (or snowy) day. Despite the slow beginning, the rest of the book was fun to read & I'm curious to get the next book in the series. My advice? Keep with the book. It gets better. 
 I still struggled through this book, so I can't really give this book more than three stars. Hopefully the future books will improve upon that & I have faith that they will.