Fantasy.
Young Adult Fiction.
Young Adult Literature.
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Twin thieves attempt to pull off a daring heist in Stolen City, the sophomore fantasy novel from Dauntless author Elisa A. Bonnin.
The city of Leithon is under Imperial occupation and Arian Athensor has made it her playground.
In stealing magical artifacts for the Resistance, bounding over rooftops to evade Imperial soldiers, and establishing herself as the darling thief of the underground, Arian lives a life wrapped in danger and trained towards survival. She'll steal anything for the right price, and if she runs fast enough, she can almost escape the fact that her mother is dead, her father is missing, and her brother, Liam, is tamping down a wealth of power in a city that has outlawed magic.
But then the mysterious Cavar comes to town with a job for the twins: to steal an artifact capable of ripping the souls from the livingâ??the same artifact that used to hang around the neck of Arian's mother. Suddenly, her past is no longer buried under adrenaline but intimately tied to the mission at hand, and Arian must face her guilt and pain head-on in order to pull off the heist.
As Arian and Cavar infiltrate the strongest fortress in Leithon and Liam joins the Resistance as their resident mage, the twins find themselves embroiled in court politics and family secrets, and the mission becomes more than just another artifact theft. The target is now the Imperial rule, and Arian will go to any length necessary to steal her city back.
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Arian and Liam are twins and one of the most talented pair of thieves in the resistance. By stealing magical artifacts, they hope to someday end Imperial rule, but they also are more than happy to take up jobs, when a little money is involved. When they are approached by Cavar, a once royal guard gone traitor, to steal a certain artifact, things shift into high-gear.
This is a fun read with quite a few surprises and exciting moments. The world building is very well done as Leithon becomes a rich city, which pops from the page. Even the political background, culture, and life is described enough to make the surroundings understandable and vibrant. This created a wonderful backdrop for the magic, fight scenes, and chases, which kept the plot moving and the read entertaining. Plus, a heist with all of its difficulties and tension is always a treat.
The four main characters each share their own points of view as the chapters switch between each one. The name is presented at the beginning to help keep confusion at a minimum, but it still took a bit to get into the flow of all four of them. Arian and Cavar both held quite a bit of personality, making them easy to connect with right away, while the other two, although also fun to root for, just never hooked me quite as much. Each of them had their own problems to overcome, though, and added richness to the tale. It will be fun to see where the next book in the series goes from here. (