Shadow's Bastion

Aurelia is the only child of the head of the noble House Marszalek, and has spent most of her eighteen years locked in her bedroom from sundown to sunup, hiding a beastly secret to protect her father's reputation. Kasper dutifully leads the band of thieves known as Shadow's Bastionalleged to be the most vicious criminals in the city of Skala, thanks to a collection of rumors and half-truths spread by the Shadows themselves to keep people looking in the wrong direction.A jewel heist gone awry puts Kasper and his team at the mercy of the young head of House Zuraw, Tytus, who coerces him into participating in a staged kidnapping scheme to help him win Aurelia's hand in marriage. Auri, however, sees this as a perfect opportunity to escape her father's clutches and live life on her own terms, leaving Kasper stuck striking ill-advised bargains with a lonely dragon, a mob boss's son, and Aurelia herself to fulfill his end of the deal with Tytus and get the rest of his crew back unharmed.In a realm haunted by incomprehensible gods and monsters, with Auri's previously well-kept secret complicating matters, the thief and the noble have to learn to trust each otherand fastif either of them are going to get what they want.The hard part is figuring out exactly what that is.The first book in the Shadow's Bastion series, this upper YA fantasy is approximately 360 pages and best suited for ages 15 and older.

All Aurelia ever wanted was freedom, and she finally has it. Having escaped Skala and her murderous father alongside the thieves of Shadow's Bastion, she finds herself in a new city with new opportunities…and navigating a new relationship. Auri is set on joining the royal dragon riders of Król Rzeka, but her unprecedented bond with the wild dragon, Vavel, could prove more of an obstacle than an asset–especially once royal dragons begin to vanish. Meanwhile, Kasper is still fighting to keep his team out of harm's way. Armed with a bag of Zuraw gold, he's determined to convince the Shadows to give up their life of crime and prove he can play by the rules, even if it deepens the growing rift between them.But the capital city has its own dangers. Half-devoured corpses keep turning up, and no-nonsense royal guard Natalia Starek is bent on finding the culprit. But Shadow's Bastion–and the beastly, shapeshifting Aurelia–keep finding themselves in her warpath. And if there's one thing Nat hates more than a savage monster, it's a thief.With an unseen killer on the loose, dragons disappearing, and the arrival of enemies old and new, Kasper and Auri's efforts to find a peaceful, fulfilled existence in their new home are continually hindered. The only thing they have to get through it all is each other.