Love the characters and the plot. Struggle slightly with occasional dialog that seems out of place and some of the physical descriptions (the dresses and the mantle clock, in particular). This is the first book in a series, so while I found the end satisfactory, many loose ends remain. I would like to point out how much I appreciate that this author knows how to use the phrase "much less," as in "The apartment assigned Amira was ten times more luxurious than anything she had ever seen before, much less lived in." I have been seeing it used in the reverse lately and it drives me crazy! 4.5☆