A review by ahsimlibrarian
Undercity by Catherine Asaro

4.0

I am on the hunt for strong female characters written by female authors and this definitely delivered. As the first in a new series in the Skolian Empire world, this is a great place to start. Bhaajan is a former military P. I. who is called back to her home planet where she once roamed with the "dust rats," the often orphaned kids in the aqueducts under the grand City of Cries. In this world, women rule and fight wars while princes in royal families are kept under lock and key and have little power over their lives in marriage. I enjoyed the chatacter development, the romance and the collective/community aspects that Bhaajan starts to build in the old stomping grounds she thought she had left behind. A great set-up at the end for more to come. I will definitely be reading more Asaro.