The Boy with the Porcelain Blade

This was a reaonably enjoyable fantasy outing with an unusual Italian-influenced setting.

Lucien is an Orfani, a mutant, given special protection by the king, and raised among the noble families of the Demesne to be the best and brightest. The Orfani are both privileged and outcast, respected and resented, and there are plots and machinations afoot to change the status quo. Lucien gets caught up in them as the various players try to use him for their own ends, and in the end he has to try to take matters into his own hands.

I felt there were some flaws in it structurally; it kind of descended into a series of inevitable confrontations towards the end, but it was pretty good fun. I've given it a solid 3.5/5, and look forward to the sequel, which seems to focus on a character who appears to be smarter than Lucien.