Miriam Forster's City of a Thousand Dolls
I like when an author is ambitious enough to try and write a mystery set in a fantasy world, and Forster manages ably. Her world is clearly drawing on Indian/Chinese influences (a two-child system, with unwanted daughters cast out [to be trained at the titular city for various womanly things], and there's also a complicated caste system). Our protagonist was left at the city as a young child for MYSTERIOUS REASONS, and serves as the Matron's assistant/errand girl/spy. She also TALKS TO CATS. THERE ARE TALKING CATS!!!1!!! It's GREAT. I loved all of the cats. Anyway, now she's 16 and her future may be in jeopardy, and also some girls have been getting murdered, and her only shot at freedom is to solve the case. Now, there aren't really enough suspects for this to be a super solid mystery, but Forster doles out information at a good pace, and everything comes together. And I kind of LOVED the ending. Also, as a plus, only like one character is specifically white. Yay diversity! I can't wait to read the sequel. A/A-.
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