The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker

 Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-food pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed. Worse, Sicarius, the empire's most notorious assassin, is in town. He's tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills... or someone wants her dead.There are a few things I look for in books that I recommend. Obviously, the plot needs to be solid. I hate gaping holes in the story line. For a fantasy novel, I want the world to be realistic, but I don't need pages and pages of world-building. What I'm really looking for is a group of characters I can fall in love with, and who I miss when I'm finished reading. And if an author can make that happen without my even realizing it, all the better.The Emperor's Edge hits all of those points for me, and Lindsay Buroker throws some humor in there as an added bonus. If I could write like anyone, it would be like Buroker. She feels familiar, like a friend. The relationships between the characters develop so organically that you feel like you're right there with them.Amaranthe is a such a strong female character. She's intelligent and breaks barriers for women in her world by becoming an enforcer. She has a strong moral compass, and will do what is right even if it isn't easy. When she's confronted with a threat to her country, she builds a diverse and dynamic team to help her stop the threat. She sees the good in people and encourages them to utilize their strengths. The dialogue between her team is often humorous and I caught myself unexpectedly smiling and laughing out loud.I was so sad when this book ended, and so happy to read more books in the series. I return to it again and again when I need to read something familiar. I read Harry Potter for the world, and The Emperor's Edge series for the characters. Highly highly recommend this book and this series.-Hawk-