Thief's Cunning

The companion novel to Assassin’s Heart—an action-packed fantasy that Printz Award winner Laura Ruby said “will keep you turning the pages all night long”—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.

• Hidden Identity: She was raised a Saldana, the most hunted assassin family in the kingdom. But when Allegra discovers she’s secretly a Da Via—the very people who want her dead—her entire world comes crashing down.
• Assassin Romance: On the run from everyone she thought she knew, Allegra finds a dangerous connection with Nev, a mysterious Traveler boy who offers a glimpse of a different life. But he has secrets of his own.
• Enemies to Lovers Trope: A girl caught between two warring families, forced to question everything about her past, her allegiances, and who she’s destined to love.
• Found Family: Torn between the assassins who raised her and the family she never knew, Allegra must decide where her loyalties truly lie and if she can forge a future of her own making.