Two stories that wouldn't survive without the other. Jillianne Hamilton does a great job of spinning out the parallel yarns without every tangling the threads.

Cora Pringle - lively and a bit naive - wanders through Victorian era London not quite understanding her privilege until it's stripped away from her one gown, one trunk, one hope at a time. The woman left standing at the end bears only a passing resemblance to the woman who began the story.

Likewise, Amelia Baxter - surrounded by misogyny and hungry for journalistic recognition - not quite so blind to her own privilege but frustrated by her peers' unwillingness to confront it soon finds herself at odds with her editor and struggling.

I liked the by play between these two story lines. Everett Rigby and Simon Baxtor as their two partners provide just the right foils to keep the characters and their stories sharp.

No fantasy or paranormal here. No steampunky googles or gears. Just some really good historical fiction.

Highly Recommended.