Den of Liars by. Jessica S. Olson | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️

Title: Den of Liars

Author: Jessica S. Olson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 7/1/25

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Heist, Fantasy, Casino, Magic

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A young thief attempting a daring casino heist during a high-stakes tournament is torn between two warring brothers in Den of Liars, a thrilling YA fantasy romance by acclaimed author Jessica S. Olson.

Lola St. James is the world’s best kept secret. When her father’s loss in the Liar’s Dice Tournament–a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets–made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. But the Thief’s kindness came with a Lola’s heart. In the years that followed, she and the Thief formed a bond like no other, able to feel each other’s emotions because of their shared heart.

Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar’s Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off any heist, but the Thief’s mysterious brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers’ shared history, and the lies she tells herself.

Content Warning: violence

+ This story starts with a heist and ends with secrets coming unraveled and I had a great time with it! This is set in a casino which I found fun and dark. This is a world revolving around magic and secrets. The magic system is unique and there is a competition taking place to win an Unbreakable Lie. A game always makes things interesting!

+ Lola was saved by the Thief (Enzo), but now they have a mission to infiltrate the world of the Liar (Nic), so they can find the moonshard to break Enzo’s curse. Lola is a pretty good thief but even she isn’t strong enough to withstand some of the Liar’s magic or how much she comes to learn about him and desire him later on. I liked Lola, she was strong and wanted to prove her worth, but she’s also gone through some trauma. When she’s caught in the web of lies around her she has to make a choice on whether she wants to know the full truth. And that’s a hard choice to make. There is lots of growth for her from beginning to end.

+ Enzo and Nic are brothers but something major came between them and they hate each other. I loved getting to know these two different guys and getting a glimpse of their back story also. Enzo being the edgier of the two and addicted to thieving, and Nic who can weave a spell and make people love him with his lies. This is not a love triangle – I feel like it’s pretty obvious Enzo and Lola treat each other like siblings. Whereas Nic and Lola want each other but can’t be with one another because of mistrust, lies and Enzo.

+ It’s enemies to lovers and forced proximity but I really enjoyed how the story explored trust, lies and questioning who was manipulating who. It’s not spicy but there are some scene filled with heat and tension that was really good. Obviously, neither Lola or Nic, trust each other enough to take a chance on each other which is sad but I’m looking forward to see if that changes in book two (and I am assuming there will be one or else I’ll be crushed).

~ I would have liked more information about the magic and moonshard. We get a little bit of a backstory, very little. There is a lot more in this world to explore, like trying to find Laurel, Nic’s ex and someone important to the brothers finding this moonshard. Also, I’d like to know if Lola and her dad ever reunite and we can learn more about Lola’s past. Basically all of these things would give more information about the moonshard and magic so I hope we get that in book two.

Final Thoughts:

I read this one in two days. I got sucked into this magical, dark, casino world and the feud between two brothers, and Lola, a girl with a secret identity at the middle of the web of lies. I loved the tension in the romance between Lola and Nic and I hope there is a sequel so I can find out what happens next!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

BLOG TOUR} A Forgery of Roses by. Jessica S. Olson | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Drowned Woods by. Emily Lloyd-Jones | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Drowned Woods

Author: Emily Lloyd-Jones

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 346

Publication Date: 8/15/22

Publisher: Little, Brown Books For Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Welsh Mythology, Heist, Magic

Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict, and eighteen-year-old Mererid “Mer” is well-acquainted with both. She is the last living water diviner and has spent years running from the prince who bound her into his service. Under the prince’s orders, she located the wells of his enemies, and he poisoned them without her knowledge, causing hundreds of deaths. After discovering what he had done, Mer went to great lengths to disappear from his reach. Then Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her powers to bring down the very prince that abused them both.

The best way to do that is to destroy the magical well that keeps the prince’s lands safe. With a motley crew of allies, including a fae-cursed young man, the lady of thieves, and a corgi that may or may not be a spy, Mer may finally be able to steal precious freedom and peace for herself. After all, a person with a knife is one thing… but a person with a cause can topple kingdoms.

The Drowned Woods—set in the same world as The Bone Houses but with a whole new, unforgettable cast of characters—is part heist novel, part dark fairy tale.

Content Warning: violence

The Drowned Woods is a story inspired by Welsh mythology and I thought this was a fascinating story because of it. Here is what I liked and didn’t like:

+ Welsh mythology is so very interesting especially because it ties into the Fae. I could definitely feel the magic in the setting of the story. We have the last water diviner, Mer, and we know the land that was once so infused with magic – it’s still there, but not many have magic anymore. There are a few mythical creatures that show up in this story which was nice to see and learn about it.

+ This is a heist story and that was unexpected to me. Mer is propositioned to help someone steal the kingdom’s jewels and take down the Prince’s power. And she does to help take down the Prince after what he made her do as his water diviner in the past. The story introduces people into the group along the way but my favorites were Mer, Ifanna and Fane. Oh and Trefor the dog, of course!

+ The ending is great and I’d say it’s my favorite part of the book because the pace picks up and it’s a great conclusion.

~ The story starts off well but it started to lose me a bit in the middle. I can’t quite put my finger on why. I liked meeting Mer and Fane and eventually Ifanna but the rest of the group didn’t do much for me. Maybe it was the time putting the team together that was too slow for me? I wanted more action but we definitely get it at the end.

~ I think I also wanted a bit emotion in the story, maybe between the characters? I felt like it was lacking a connection between the characters and it turn I wasn’t connecting to them either. Especially for a heist story.

Tropes: heist, mythology

Spice Level:

Why you should read it:

Welsh mythology
it’s a heist story – and the ending is very good
Mer and Fane have powers and it was cool to see them use it

Why you might not want to read it:

kind of loses steam in the middle

My Thoughts:

I think I went into this one with higher expectations since I like this author’s work. I did enjoy it for the most part, but the middle of the story is what made me lose interest. I liked Mer, Fane, Ifanna and Trefor and the ending is great. The Welsh mythology is always fascinating and I like that this author writes stories inspired by it. I would have liked to connect to the characters more but other than that I still look forward to reading more books from this author.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Bones Houses by. Emily Lloyd-Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hearts We Sold by. Emily Lloyd-Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Only a Monster by. Vanessa Len | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Only a Monster

Author: Vanessa Len

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 2/22/22

Publisher: Harperteen

Categories: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Time Travel

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.

Content Warning: Death, Murder, Violence

So of course I wanted to read this because it was getting hype and rave reviews – I didn’t think I would get it so early. I love the cover, the synopsis sounded amazing and word on the street is that it’s good!

Let me say that you cannot think the word Monster in the title is anything literal. There are no grotesque, scary monsters in this story. This a story about humans vs. monsters, but the monsters are basically human (look like them) but have special powers – think…X-Men. They are monsters because they are different from humans and one aspect of their powers (aside from the powers they get from their family line) is to time jump. Time jumping requires taking time from human lives.

Joan is half monster on her mom’s side, half human on her dad’s side and spends a lot of time with her mom’s side every summer. She knew some things about being a monster, but she didn’t know about taking hours/time from a human life until she does herself by accident. But that’s the least of her problems.

I enjoyed meeting all the characters in this story especially when Joan, Aaron and Ruth team up together to save their families. From there we go on a fast-paced chase through London to find out information about saving their families, undoing an event and changing the timeline. But what they learn at the core of their research is that someone has a reason to kill and exterminate monsters but they don’t really know who the mastermind is at end of the book. Joan as the main character is 16, she’s found that her family has been keeping secrets and the boy she’s falling for too. Sometimes she’s so rash in her decision making – I mean she barely knows the ins and outs of the monster world but she was coming up with plans!

As for the romance, I’m unsure if it’s a love triangle. There is a soulmate connection between Joan and Nick (human) but I didn’t feel it. As for Joan and Aaron they are enemies, two families that hate one another – honestly that could be the same for Joan/Nick as well, monster and human hating one another…she’s enemies with both and becomes friends with both. But I felt like we got to know Aaron better and I felt like I’d want her with Aaron instead of Nick. But we shall see what happens there in the sequel. The sweetest love story in this one has to be between Tom and Jamie!

There are a few twists and turns in the story that I really enjoyed. It’s what made it such a fun read. I found the story refreshing and creative. I also like how the story touches upon the question of who is a monster? The monsters taking time from humans, or the humans killing the monsters? It’s something Joan has to wrestle with even more because she’s half of each.

Some issues I had with the story – time jumping is not my favorite to read because I can get lost quick and did I get lost sometimes? YES – not when they were jumping time, but more so about the rules of time jumping or the rules of their powers. As long as I didn’t ponder too long on the details of the rules and trying to fit it together, I was fine. Also…there were some typos and this was not an ARC copy…so I had to pause in a few places and reread the previous sentence – even read it out loud to make sure I wasn’t just speed reading lol. Hopefully that can be cleaned up in the next book?

By the way, since I was a teen in the 1990’s, I thought the time jumping to that time period to be so much fun. I giggled a few times and had good memories of that time period!

The ending was interesting and makes me wonder what direction the sequel will take! I’d love to learn more about the other families and their powers – there are twelve. In this first book we only really get to know four of them. There is so much to uncover in this world.

Why you should read it:

world building: there is time jumping, and 12 families with different powers
lots of action, a heist, betrayal, some romance
it’s fun and fast-paced

Why you might not want to read it:

time travel is not your thing
the monsters aren’t monster in physical appearance – they have abilities but do not physically look different than humans

My Thoughts:

This story was not what I was expecting but I’m glad I went in without reading many reviews on it yet. I found it creative and fresh with the time travel and learning about the “monster” abilities of each monster family in London. I connected to the the themes of family and forbidden love, and the questions of who is really a monster. There is still so much to uncover and secrets to unveil, like finding out who is the mastermind of the events taking place in this story. I hope the author expands on the world building and lets us get to know the other families in the sequel. I enjoyed this one and look forward to book two and hope they catch the typos.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

The Rachel haircut is a time marker…”
― Vanessa Len, Only a Monster

Whatever monsters do, the timeline keeps its basic shape. Important events stay the same.”
― Vanessa Len, Only a Monster

Olivers see. Hunts hide. Nowaks live. Patels bind. Portellis open. Hathaways leash. Nightingales take. Mtawalis keep. Argents sway. Alis seal. Griffiths reveal. But only the Lius remember.”
― Vanessa Len, Only a Monster

As for me . . . a Liu doesn’t need goodbyes. I can see you perfectly even now. I remember every moment that we were together. Every touch. Every conversation we ever had. For me, you’re always here.”
― Vanessa Len, Only a Monster

We believe that if people belonged together in the true timeline, then our timeline tries to repair itself by bringing them together. Over and over and over. Until the rift is healed.”
― Vanessa Len, Only a Monster

Blood Scion by. Deborah Falaye | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Blood Scion

Author: Deborah Falaye

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 3/8/22

Publisher: Harperteen

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopian, Military, Yoruba-Nigerian Mythology, Fantasy

This is what they deserve. They wanted me to be a monster. I will be the worst monster they ever created.

Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.

Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.

Sloane rises through the ranks and gains strength but, in doing so, risks something greater: losing herself entirely, and becoming the very monster that she ahbors.

Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, this deeply felt and emotionally charged debut from Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and Daughter of Smoke and Bone that will utterly thrill and capture readers.

Content Warning: Death, Murder, Violence, Mentions of Rape, Genocide, Sexual Assault, Racism, Colonialism, Self-Harm

I was so excited to be able to borrow this book on Overdrive right away that I pushed all other books aside to read it. I was not disappointed.

First, the cover is what made me want it in the first place. I may need to buy the hardcover one day (add that to my list of all hardcovers I want to buy 😅). And the synopsis was definitely intriguing!

This story is BRUTAL. It gave me The Poppy War and Hunger Games vibes. Sloane wants answers about her mother who went missing a few years ago but the only place she could find it was in the enemy camp. The enemy is the Lucis, who came to their lands, colonized and brutalized her people, committing genocide on anyone who had magic in them, anyone who were Scions like her. Sloane has suppressed and ignored her fire powers all her life, to stay safe, except for times she couldn’t control it which led to deadly consequences. But now she has been drafted to become a Lucis soldier and has a way to find the Book of Records that could give her answers about her mom’s disappearance.

This story gives you no chance to look away from violence. There are kids killing kids, soldiers assaulting girls, soldiers killing people, training that is abusive, punishment that is gruesome and Sloane’s anger and pain resonates in her every action.

I love learning more about the Yoruba-Nigerian mythology and becoming more familiar with their god! I loved learning some of the rituals and chants and the different powers each gods extended to a Scion.

As for the characters – Sloane is 15, but I felt like she was older than that. She acts older and even has a moment with a soldier older than her…so I kind of wish she was 19 instead of 15. But I guess she had to be younger because the point of young people being recruited to be killers. She’s not someone who has experience with knowing her power but she meets other recruits like Izara who helps her. I loved her found family/friendship with Izara, Jericho and Nazanin. But some of Sloane’s decisions were questionable, which made me frustrated – she’s a morally grey character because war has made her that way.

There is action, there is betrayal and the information Sloane learns about her mother really makes me want to read the sequel ASAP. The ending was quite a reveal and I need her to get revenge. Sloane is a like a phoenix rising from ashes! It was quite a powerful ending.

One warning if you read this book: don’t get too attached to the characters. This author has no qualms about killing them off. 😭 Also the heavy topics of genocide and colonialism are throughout the story – the fact that they make teens train to be soldiers to kill their own people is horrendous. But I like how it shows how war is sick and how when you think you’ve gotten rid of the person who started the war…there is someone else waiting in the wings for their turn and their war. When does it end really?

Why you should read it:

it’s got Yoruba/Nigerian mythology
it’s got a heist, action, betrayal – it’s a fast paced story
writing flowed so well, easy to read and I read it in 2 days

Why you might not want to read it:

you are assaulted with brutality throughout the book – see content warnings above

My Thoughts:

I sped through this one because I wanted to see Sloane grow and see if she could be the one to help take down the royals. It’s a fast paced story and I found that refreshing because I’ve been reading a bunch of books that felt a little too long. I love the mythology and the found family Sloane makes. It’s an absolutely brutal read that starts and ends with violence. But taking down rulers is not that easy and Sloane learns a hard lesson about trust and betrayal. There is a lot more story to tell in the next book and I’m looking forward to reading it!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

My world is only half of what it should be, and I am only half of what I really am. I cannot afford to be whole.
― Deborah Falaye, Blood Scion

We are not helpless; we are not broken. Despite what scars they leave behind, our bodies are our own. Everything we feel, everything we are, belongs to us and us alone. Yes, we are girls, but we are not prey.
― Deborah Falaye, Blood Scion

This life, this world, it changes you.”
― Deborah Falaye, Blood Scion

“Children of war are born from war, Sloane. And we are, both of us, a legacy of this ruined world.”
– Deborah Falaye, Blood Scion

Little Thieves by. Margaret Owen | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Little Thieves

Author: Margaret Owen

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 512

Publication Date: 10/19/21

Categories: Dark Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Young adult, Romance

Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl…

Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother’s love–and she’s on the hook for one hell of a debt. Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele’s dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja’s otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back… by stealing Gisele’s life for herself.

The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.

Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele’s sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja’s tail, she’ll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life.

First off, the book cover is beautiful and I was intrigued by the premise but I still wasn’t sure what to expect. I am glad I went in pretty much blind because this has just joined my list of top reads for 2021.

The world-building is wonderful and the story is told like a fairy tale. A dark one. The synopsis states it’s a loose retelling of the Goose Girl and honestly, I still don’t know the real Goose Girl story and I’m going to have to fix that since so many authors want to retell it lately. The story takes place in a kingdom with German influences from the language they speak and the food they eat. I love the fantasy aspect with the presence of the gods, and grimlings lurking around. I enjoyed the magic system a lot with the Prefects being able to perform some magic to fight off the grimlings.

I really liked that before each part of the story we get a “Once upon a time” moment. It set the tone and stage for what was to come in each part and I loved how the writing lured into this tale. The story of Vanja being an unwanted child from birth was already sad but as we learn everything about her, we get to understand her fears and motivations. Unwanted from birth, then becoming a maid to a Princess and abused, and then her godmothers give her an ultimatum to choose between them. She chooses to be a thief to steal her freedom. This story has heists, action, a curse, grimlings, mystery, friendship, romance and a nerdy boy of a Prefect who was the perfect catalyst for Vanja to open her heart to. We see the consequences of Vanja’s choices and we get to watch her struggle to face herself in the mirror and fix everything she had done.

The characters are fantastic. Vanja is a villain – or is she? Vanja has done some bad things and she’s got a lot to learn. Vanja is a great character. Vanja’s a thief but she didn’t only steal jewels, she stole a life, so what is a good punishment for that? What about a curse? A curse to know how it feels to be wanted like she wants for everything. Her character arc was a beautiful journey. She was whittled down to her vulnerabilities. The side characters are a great ensemble. Giselle, the real princess, learning she didn’t really lose much but maybe gained something in the process. Ragne, the bad ass shape-shifter, love her for being there for Vanja and accepting her, flaws and all. And of course there is Junior Prefect Emeric, too smart for his own good, determined, awkward, always taking notes lol…love him.

Speaking of love – Vanja only wanted to be loved and wanted and by the end of this story I wanted to protect her. Emeric and Vanja clash from the get go, she -a thief trying to hide her tracks and flee, he – a junior prefect trying to solve this case to get promoted. The two of them are funny, always trying to outwit the other, until they both come to the conclusion they are fighting the same enemy. They are both awkward and cautious about the feelings growing between them. There is tension, there is fear and so much miscommunication and misunderstanding because of the fears it broke my heart when Vanja finally falls apart. She has been traumatized throughout her life and opening up to someone…the possibility of finally being loved or having someone to love is absolutely frightening. I did want Emeric to grovel just a bit more though for misjudging her at one point…but then again, she did have him dumped in a river so…all’s fair in love and war? lol

Content Warnings: abuse, parental neglect

I was speeding through this book but it’s definitely one I could sit down and savor. It’s a borrowed library copy but I will be buying my own soon because there were so many sentences I loved.

My only issue about the book (because it was near perfection for me) was the ending. It felt rushed when Vanja tells the story about taking down Adalbrecht because she has to rewind to tell us the plan. In a way it seemed fitting to a heist though, if that makes sense? Like I can see it in a movie-reel type of way. It’s part of Vanja’s ever present sleight of hand trick she’s been using to steal this freedom she wants so badly and now we get to see how she pulls off the trick. But it’s a quick rewind. Other than that – I was still so happy by the end of this story.

Why you should read it:

a dark fairy tale with morally gray characters
the romance is enemies to lovers, so tense, awkward, vulnerable and at times sweet
the story is emotional, engrossing, funny, and heartbreakingly poetic
it’s got action, humor, friendship, romance, shapeshifting, a hearth spirit, a Gods Court and so much more

Why you might not want to read it:

not into fairy tale retellings

My thoughts:

To think I had my best of 2021 list all ready and then I decided to read this book. I’m glad I did – I love it and will get a copy of my own because it’s so good. I was enchanted by the fairy tale story telling, then surprised at Vanja’s thief skills, her stubbornness, survival skills, vulnerability and bravery to face the consequences of her decisions. She and the characters of this book definitely stole my heart.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

“Nothing stolen is ever mine. But there’s another truth on the other side of that coin. What is mine can always be stolen.”
Little Theives by. Margaret Owen

“I am his puzzle and he is my lock, and it’s an arms race to solve the other first. But somewhere in all the knots and twists and trapdoors, he turned to an arsonist, leaving his embers in my veins, smoke on my tongue, a fire burning softly in my heart.”
Little Thieves by. Margaret Owen

“If you want me to chase you, I will chase you. If you want me to find you, I will find you. If you’ll have me, I will choose you every time.”
Little Thieves by. Margaret Owen

She Who Rides the Storm by. Caitlin Sangster | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: She Who Rides the Storm

Author: Caitlin Sangster

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 9/21/21

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Thieves/Heist

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this atmospheric YA fantasy that is Wicked Saints meets There Will Come a Darkness, four teens are drawn into a high-stakes heist in the perilous tomb of an ancient shapeshifter king.

Long ago, shapeshifting monsters ruled the Commonwealth using blasphemous magic that fed on the souls of their subjects. Now, hundreds of years later, a new tomb has been uncovered, and despite the legends that disturbing a shapeshifter’s final resting place will wake them once again, the Warlord is determined to dig it up.

But it isn’t just the Warlord who means to brave the traps and pitfalls guarding the crypt.

A healer obsessed with tracking down the man who murdered her twin brother.

A runaway member of the Warlord’s Devoted order, haunted by his sister’s ghost.

A snotty archaeologist bent on finding the cure to his magical wasting disease.

A girl desperate to escape the cloistered life she didn’t choose.

All four are out to steal the same cursed sword rumored to be at the very bottom of the tomb. But of course, some treasures should never see the light of day, and some secrets are best left buried…

I definitely requested this book because of the cover. After reading this though, is the person on the cover, Calsta?

We follow four main characters in this story: Anwei, Knox, Mateo and Lia but to me the one that stood out the most was Anwei. I connected with her being a healer and helping Knox and many others – but I also love that she had the double identity, healer by day, thief at night. She was the most interesting character to me.

The other characters Knox, Lia and Mateo were interesting as well. Knox and Lia are part of the Devoted, an order that follows Calsta’s ways, what I got from the story was they were not shy to use violence and were trained to fight. Mateo was different – he’s an archaeologist who just wants to find a way to cure his disease. He can’t fight like Knox and Lia but Mateo has his own type of strength.

As far as the story goes – everyone is looking for this cursed sword that is in a tomb. What they uncover in the tomb is more than the sword but the true story about the Devoted, and the Basists. I think the second half was much faster paced than the first half and we get more into the heist of the story. Also the twist was interesting and makes me wonder what will happen in book two.

There is some feelings taking place between Anwei and Knox but it’s full of angst, longing and not sure what will come of it. Lia and Mateo are in an interesting situation themselves, I found myself more invested in their relationship only because Knox is adamant about being devoted to Calsta. Lia and Mateo might have a good chance at love.

Content Warnings: assault, violence

Lia is a Spiriter, a Devoted all covered and she has an obsessed stalker, another Devoted named Ewan. The story does address being attacked and not blaming oneself for freezing up in a moment like that. And I loved that Anwei was the one to tell Lia this.

It took me awhile to get into this story – I liked the second half more than the first half because there is more action. The beginning was slow and I didn’t even think I’d want to finish the book. I think world building wise, it was intriguing enough to keep me reading but at times I felt it was so vague, unless those were just the times I felt unmotivated reading the story (the slow beginning).

I was frustrated with Knox and his devotion to Calsta who speaks in his head and Willow-his sister who is trapped in the sword and talks to him in his head, as well. Poor guy, it’s crowded up there! All he wanted was to be himself with Anwei but nope…he is bound to Calsta.

Why you should read it:

you like heist stories
interesting cast of characters, mostly Anwei and Mateo for me
a good twist at the end

Why you might not want to read it:

not into heists/thieves
slow beginning

My Thoughts:

I almost gave up on this book because I wasn’t connecting to the story but Anwei was what made me keep reading on. I love her as a character – a healer who is a thief trying to avenge her brother’s death. I think you would like this book if you enjoy heist stories. There’s a nice plot twist at the end that makes me curious to read book two but I’m still on the fence if I would pick it up. Overall, it was good, not quite for me though but definitely for anyone who enjoys these types of stories.

📚 ~ Yolanda