City of Stairs

"Hat tip to the author because I am not sure I have read an adventure novel where pretty much all the women are 40+. I feel like "strong female lead" seems to always be reserved for girls and young women even when it's not YA. There is a lot of competence **** in this novel and I'm here for it. The antagonists are threatening because they're not bumbling and even when the grey hat protagonist makes me ethically uncomfortable, her sheer aptitude for spycraft still keeps me a little on her side. There are shades of grey and the world building is rich and engaging. I went on to read the sequel and I am enjoying it immensely."

"Years ago, the city of Bulikov wielded the powers of the Gods to conquer the world. But after its divine protectors were mysteriously killed, the city's proud history has been erased and censored, progress has left it behind, and it is just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power. Into this musty, backward city steps Shara Divani. Officially, she’s just another lowly diplomat; unofficially, Shara is one of her country's most accomplished spymasters — dispatched to investigate the brutal murder of a seemingly harmless historian. As Shara pursues the mystery through the ever-shifting physical and political geography of the city, she begins to suspect that the beings who once protected Bulikov may not be as dead as they seem. <br/><br/>I kept getting vibes of China Mieville’s City and the City while I was reading this for some reason -- probably the parallel worlds coexisting in one place. I have to admit, about 3/4s of the way through I started laughing out loud at some of the things being spouted -- it seemed like an indictment against those musty Old Testament rules that make no sense at all anymore, and I just couldn’t stop myself. 10/10, would read again, loved it."