a dangerous, deceptively fragile heroine!

The Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin

A stolen shipment of gold and jade. A dancer, Wen Li Feng, who happens to carry a piece of jade depicting a phoenix, one of a set. A Thief-catcher, Zeng Hao Han  who targets his criminals with unerring judgement. Acting on instinct Han feels that Fi Leng is the key to solving the theft.He is sure that she is involved with the stolen shipment in some way.  After all there is that jade piece! So begins a dance extraordinaire between thief and catcher.   

The mystery deepens and emotions engage in what forThief-catcher Han should have been a straightforward case. For Li Feng it is the very point of survival and solving the mystery of who she is. Here is a story of families and of  reconciliation. Questions flow beneath the surface, recalling the hierarchy of tradition, place and response within the world that Wen Li Feng and Zeng Hao Han inhabit. Questions such as how does a victim become such? who is the victim? what is duty? what is justice? 

Essentially a lively and poignant historical romance, enjoyable in the reading.

A NetGalley ARC