Assassin's Heart

With shades of Game of Thrones and Romeo and Juliet, this richly imagined fantasy from debut author Sarah Ahiers is a tale of love, lies, and vengeance. Fans of Kristin Cashore and Rae Carson will devour the flawlessly crafted action and inventive world building. Seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana is a trained assassin. She was born into one of the nine clipper Families in the kingdom of Lovero who lawfully take lives for a price. As a member of the highest-ranking clan, loyalty to Family is valued above all, but that doesn't stop Lea from getting into a secret relationship with Val Da Via, a boy from a rival clan. Despite her better judgment, Lea has fallen in love with him; but she's confident she can anticipate any threat a mile away. Then she awakens one night to a house full of smoke. Although she narrowly escapes, she isn't able to save her Family as their home is consumed by flames. With horror, she realizes that Val and his Family are the only ones who could be responsible. Devastated over his betrayal and the loss of her clan, there's just one thing on her mind: making the Da Vias pay. The heart of this assassin craves revenge.

The companion novel to Assassin's Heart-an action-packed fantasy-Thief's Cunning picks up eighteen years later and follows Allegra Saldana as she uncovers the secrets about the line of killers she descends from. Allegra has always had to look over her shoulder. As the niece of the infamous assassin Lea Saldana, Allegra is used to hiding from people who want her dead. Once the strongest clipper family in the Kingdom of Lovero, the Saldanas-or what's left of them-are now the most hunted. Their number one enemy is the Da Vias, whose thirst for retaliation is almost two decades in the making. But lately Allegra's getting fed up with everything being kept from her-including her parents' identity. When she finally learns the truth about her family, though-that she's a Da Via-her world crumbles. Feeling betrayed by the people she trusted the most, Allegra turns to Nev, a Traveler boy whose presence makes her feel alive in ways she's only dreamed of. But getting caught up in Nev's world has consequences Allegra never saw coming. In this dark and enthralling fantasy that fans of Sarah Maas and Leigh Bardugo will devour, one girl must decide if she's destined to pay for the wrongs of her family's past-whether Saldana or Da Via-or if the future is hers for the taking.