Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner (Riverside Book 1)

On the treacherous streets of Riverside, a man lives and dies by the sword. Even the nobles on the Hill turn to duels to settle their disputes. Within this elite, dangerous world, Richard St. Vier is the undisputed master, as skilled as he is ruthless--until a death by the sword is met with outrage instead of awe, and the city discovers that the line between hero and villain can be altered in the blink of an eye.

*Blurb source* RandomHouse

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| Author: Ellen Kushner
| Genre: Fantasy of Manners
| Content: Dueling, M/M Romance
| ISBN-10: 0553585495
| ISBN-13: 9780553585490
| Publisher: Spectra (February 4, 2003)
| Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
| Cover Artist: Thomas Canty
| Source: Personal copy
| Read an Excerpt
| Rating: 4/5 Stars

♥ Mini Review ♥

This was my first experience with a Fantasy of Manners. Honestly I thought it was a review description, not an entire genre. I picked this book up solely because (A) it was listed as fantasy and (B) I love secondary worlds with swords. Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was not a trace of anything magical, mythical, or mystical to be found in its pages.

And by the time I realized this, I could have cared less. It was the story itself that was magical.

The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner (Riverside Book 2)

Welcome to Riverside, where the aristocratic and the ambitious battle for power in the city's ballroom, brothels and boudoirs. Into this alluring world walks Katherine, a well-bred country girl versed in the rules of conventional society. Her mistake is thinking that they apply. For Katherine's host and uncle, Alec Campion, aka the Mad Duke Tremontaine, is in charge here—and to him, rules are made to be broken. When Alec decides it would be more amusing for his niece to learn swordplay than to follow the usual path to marriage, her world changes forever. Blade in hand, it's up to Katherine to navigate a maze of secrets and scoundrels and to gain the self-discovery that comes to those who master: the privilege of the sword.

*Blurb source* RandomHouse

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| Genre: Fantasy of Manners
| Content: Dueling, Coming-of-age
| ISBN-10: 0553586963
| ISBN-13: 9780553586961
| Author: Ellen Kushner
| Publisher: Spectra (June 26, 2007)
| Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
| Cover Artist: Marc Peltzer and Stephen Youll
| Source: Personal copy
| Read an Excerpt
| Rating: 5/5 Stars

♥ Mini Review ♥

This is hands down my favorite of the three books. Not surprising since I love strong female protagonists. Especially ones who thumb their noses at conventional society. This story takes place about 15 years after Swordspoint and is mainly about Katherine, Alec's country born niece. Alec, also one who loves going against the precepts of polite society, decides that he needs a new bodyguard. And who better than a young girl everyone will underestimate. Holding her family's fortune as ransom, Alec forces her to choose between a life of poverty for her entire family or a life as a swordswoman in training. An offer she can't refuse.