City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster, 359 pages

Nisha was left at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls at the age of six. The City has been founded as a result of the Kingdom's 2-children limit, as a place for the girl babies that families don't want. The girls are raised by the different Houses to become musicians, courtesans, healers, soldiers, and such. Nisha serves as the eyes and ears of the city's Matron. When suspicious deaths start striking among the young women, Nisha must try to find the killer if she wants any chance of escaping slavery and having a chance of a life of freedom.
This was a different read, kind of Chinese like, but with talking cats, magic, and intrigue. It was interesting and kept me engaged through the very end.