If you are a fan of Arya Stark, this is the book for you! Set about 10 years after the events in Kushner’s first “Riverside” novel (Swordspoint), but you don’t need to have read the first one to enjoy this swashbuckling coming-of-age story (although you should, because it’s terrific!). The central issues of whether women in a Victorian-ish society have their own honor, unconnected to that of their male relatives, and of a girl first pushed past societal limits and then finding she prefers life without those limits, were handled very well – not at all preachy or heavy-handed. A pleasure to read throughout!