Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Thief's Cunning (Assassin's Heart #2)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Thief's Cunning

(Assassin's Heart #2)

Sarah Ahiers (Goodreads Author)

3.66 · Rating details · 676 ratings · 96 reviews

With her past stolen, she’s taking the future into her own hands.

All her life, Allegra’s had to live in secret. She is the niece of the infamous assassin Lea Saldana—but since the Saldanas have gone from the strongest clipper Family to the most hunted, Allegra and her clan must keep their identities hidden. Now they’re constantly watching their backs for an attack from the ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 409 pages

Published June 13th 2017 by HarperTeen

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Thief's Cunning, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Blindspots Between Us by Gleb Tsipursky

Never Go With Your Gut by Gleb Tsipursky

Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer

Best book covers EVER

131 books — 17 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.66 ·

Rating details

· 676 ratings · 96 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Thief's Cunning (Assassin's Heart #2)

Dec 11, 2016 Sharon rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-endings, ya, slooooowww, family, character-developments, romance, get-your-shit-together, 3-stars, beautiful-covers, mythology

Pros
• Ahiers always manages to write such epic endings.
• Ahiers is also always on point with the character developments again. I love the themes of family, identity, and freedom here. I liked how things were resolved in these areas.
• The mythology and the different gods we learn about in this book are so interesting. These gods are frightening, powerful, and amazing. I honestly would love more books just to meet more gods and learn more about them.
• Seeing Lea and Les again. They are the sweete ...more

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

Nov 01, 2016 nicklein marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I'm so excited to see Lea in her thirties! ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Nov 20, 2017 Greyson | Use Your Words rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2018, genre-fantasy-magical-realism, rep-2-poc

Assassin's Heart Series Ratings:
Assassin's Heart: Actual rating 3.5 ★'s but I am feeling generous.
Thief's Cunning: Actual rating 3.5 ★'s
—

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

But I knew what it must be like for the travelers. To feel bound and trapped and then want to live wildly while you had freedom, even if it was just for a moment, really. A small breath in a lifetime of feeling unable to breathe.

Allegra has always had to look ove ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

May 29, 2018 Colleen Houck added it · review of another edition

Shelves: ghosts, survival, death, animals, fantasy, prison-prisoner, outdoors-camping, assassin, curse

I loved learning even more about this world. The ghosts were fascinating as was the way the community kept them at bay. My favorite scene was the confrontation between the two mothers when Lea stormed the castle as it were.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 05, 2017 Jasmine rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017, beautiful-covers, paranormal-or-supernatural, disappointing

What a let-down.

I might have liked this better if Allegra wasn't such a little brat. It's hard to feel bad for her when she's running around like a snotty teenage girl who kisses random boys to prove that she's rebellious and can do whatever she wants.

I think I'm supposed to feel bad for Allegra because Lea "stole her" from the Da Vias family...but I actually feel sorry for Lea because she has to put up with her.

I feel like Allegra never had to apologize for anything terrible that she does in t What a let-down.

I might have liked this better if Allegra wasn't such a little brat. It's hard to feel bad for her when she's running around like a snotty teenage girl who kisses random boys to prove that she's rebellious and can do whatever she wants.

I think I'm supposed to feel bad for Allegra because Lea "stole her" from the Da Vias family...but I actually feel sorry for Lea because she has to put up with her.

I feel like Allegra never had to apologize for anything terrible that she does in this book. She acted like a brat, got into trouble, but still got what she wanted by the end even if it meant other people got hurt. She may have felt sorry about it, but no one ever got an apology out of her.

As if Allegra wasn't already self-centered enough, this entire story was about people and even GODS fighting over her. "She's mine!...no she's mine...I've come for what's mine...no ones taking you away from me again." Guys guys guys...she's not even that great. No one owns her and honestly no one should want to because she's the worst.

Also, POOR LES. He deserved better than what he got in this book! He's probably thinking "what the heck did I marry into?"

While it doesn't bother me that these books are obviously religious and deal with feuding beliefs and jealous gods, I was really unimpressed with their disciples a.k.a. most of the humans in this book. They claim they do everything in the name of the gods they worship, but there's no true substance or spirituality to their actions. It doesn't feel like faith when they talk about it - just empty sacrifices and words.

First half of the book was alright. Second half was a mess. The writing was fine except the author would sometimes write pointless things. For example, when Allegra notices Claudia is missing from their meeting spot, she says "She's not here. She's somewhere else." *slow clap* EXCELLENT DEDUCTIVE SKILLS, ALLEGRA. Or when one of the characters says to Allegra "Snakes like the warmth and the dark [...] They aren't like you and me. They are snakes." YEAH WOW OK, I GET IT. SNAKES AND HUMANS ARE NOT EQUAL. LETS MOVE ON, SHALL WE? ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2017 Shelley rated it liked it

Shelves: borrowed-library, 2017-release, young-adult-fantasy

*Source* Library
*Genre* Young Adult / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
*Rating* 3.0

*Thoughts*

Thief's Cunning is the second installment in Sarah Ahiers' Assassin Heart series. Some publications are calling this a companion novel. Assassin’s Heart was set in the Kingdom of Lovero, where paid assassination is legal if you belong to one of the nine chosen Families. Thief’s Cunning, which takes place nearly twenty years after Assassin's Heart, introduces a completely new part of this world—Mornia—an expansive, ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2017 Kristen rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, romance, ghosts, fantasy, assassins, coverlust

A routine was just another trap, one you forced yourself into. I refused to trap myself. I was already caged enough.

It's been eighteen years since Lea Saldana exacted her revenge on the Da Vias. She's now the head of the Family, living in Yvain and secretly continuing to carry out their duty as clippers. It also means reigning in her niece, Allegra, who is rash and reckless. Allegra is bothered by the secrets surrounding her birth, and when she finds out she should've been raised as a Da Via, she finds solace with a traveler boy named Nev. But he's not being completely honest with her either, and when she is kidnapped by his group and taken away, she learns that not only their pasts are entwined, but their futures as well.

Thief's Cunning is a book I was wary about. Actually, I'm wary about almost all companion novels that take place full years after their predecessors. In the end, it seemed like my worries were realized, because I just didn't really like this book that much - 2 stars.

It mostly comes down the fact that I found Allegra to be whiny and spoiled, so I struggled to bring myself to care about what was bothering her. I realize that it's terrible to find out that the people you love have been lying to you your entire life, but the way she went about it was childish and did not reflect the mindset of an eighteen year old.

The entire first half of the novel consisted of Allegra complaining that Lea had lied to her and wanted to "cage" her by keeping her in the dark. She says that she needs to fix it by promptly leaving the Family that loved, fed, clothed, and taught her for her entire life and join the Family she knows next to nothing about. Essentially, she acts like a petty child, and instead of feeling sorry for her, I felt like Lea and Les should've punished her for her transgressions.

The second half of the book wasn't much better. After being kidnapped, Allegra continues to complain that the travelers have now caged her. She claims that Lea will come for her (but she still plans to return to the Da Vias.) She gets caught up in an instalove with Nev, the traveler boy.

Nev had been the single bright spot in my life since I'd reached Lovero. It had only been a few hours, but my life had been completely overturned in that time, and Nev had been warm and simple and sweet and I suspected I would want more of that in the next few days.

The ending of the book left much to be desired for me. Allegra never apologized for all of the troubles she caused and she still got a version of what she wanted in the end, so I didn't really feel like she'd grown as a character at all. Additionally, the entire thing felt really anticlimactic, to the point where I started to skim just to finish the book.

The second star came from the mythology aspect. Even so, it wasn't as good as it was in the first book. I felt that in Assassin's Heart, Lea was a character whose every movement was in dedication to her faith. In this book, the differing faiths of this fictional world are still a main point, but they didn't feel as fleshed out.

Thief's Cunning just wasn't the companion book I was hoping for. I think I might like to pretend that the entire thing just ended with Assassin's Heart, if that's okay with you. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 23, 2017 Francais Parker rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017

World-building: A+
Mythology: A++
Plot-Twists: A+
Suspense: A
Girl Power: A+
Guy Hero: A
Villains: A
Love Interests: A
Feels: A+++

The first few chapters were fatiguing for me to read because it felt like the first book was being retold a generation later. However, Ahiers quickly took that misconception of mine behind the tool shed (so to speak).

"Thief's Cunning" is an excellent finding-your-place story filled with magic, mystery, and powerful messages of nature, balance, justice, and love (romantic and ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 12, 2017 Renee Brown rated it it was ok

A big letdown. I found Allegra insufferable; all she did was whine and act spoiled. A disappointing protagonist.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 22, 2019 Annie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Although it’s been about a year since I read the first book, Assassin’s Heart, I found I was able to really get into this book and follow on with the story without any difficulty. The previous story and characters really came to life. This story however is quite different to the first one but I liked both books for different reasons. The first I loved for the action, mystery, intrigue and magic. This one, yes I loved the action and magic however the journey to learn the truth of Allegra’s true i ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2017 Jeninne rated it did not like it · review of another edition

You know, I distinctly remember being so utterly in love with the first book in the series. Lea was my stubborn little spitfire of a hero. I loved everything about the first book, and when I heard there was going to be a sequel, I was so exited.

And also scared.

Because I said to myself, what if they fuck it up. What if they take an amazing series and trash it by trying to push a story that doesn't need to be told. The first book was amazing as a standalone, and frankly should have been. I worried You know, I distinctly remember being so utterly in love with the first book in the series. Lea was my stubborn little spitfire of a hero. I loved everything about the first book, and when I heard there was going to be a sequel, I was so exited.

And also scared.

Because I said to myself, what if they fuck it up. What if they take an amazing series and trash it by trying to push a story that doesn't need to be told. The first book was amazing as a standalone, and frankly should have been. I worried, what if they fuck it up.

I knew they were going to fuck it up.

You know when I knew? About a half dozen pages in, I knew. Because that was around the time I figured out that the main character of this book, Allegra, was the most ungrateful, spoiled, immature, selfish, irritating little brat I had come across in a long time. This little bitch, instead of being appreciative and humble, and kind, kind of just flails around and complains, OH, LIFE SUCKS SO MUCH, OH, PAY ATTENTION TO ME, OH, WOE IS MY PITIFUL AND MYSERIOUS HISTORY. Forever. Seriously. For pages and pages and pages she flounces about complaining about how no one trusts her, and how she DESERVES BETTER, and how her life is just so damn horrible, you know, despite being safe, warm and protected, fed and clothes, and given every advantage possible.

This is why I don't have children. Because you can't beat them anymore when they're like this.

And I really started to downright hate this book when Allegra, who apparently was still on her I'M THE MOST MISTREATED PERSON EVER BECAUSE MY AUNT WHO RAISED ME AND LOVED ME AND PROTECTED ME DIDN'T TELL ME A SECRET THAT WOULD RUIN ME, decides she's going to go find herself some fuckboy and fall insta in love with him.

Seriously. Fucking seriously.

This girl is supposed to be 18. She doesn't even act 8. And while yes, I do actually approve of how sexually liberated all these characters seem to be, and how there's pretty much zero slut shaming, that doesn't make up for the fact that there's so much instalove in this book it's unbearable, and it's all compounded by Allegra using this instalove as a coping mechanism because she feels betrayed.

I just can't.

I wish I'd never read this book. I wish I never knew it was out there. This was so downright terrible I can't even properly describe it. The only shining parts of this book were the sections that featured Lea being a BAMF, and Les being an outstanding leading man.

Don't read this book. Don't read about this ungrateful little bastard of a child complain about how she's entitled to things. Don't waste your money. It's not worth it. Trash is trash. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2017 ♠ TABI⁷ ♠ marked it as to-read

All right, I'll bite. It helps that this is set 18 years after the other book . . . ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 14, 2017 Derrick Hodge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Maybe closer to 4.5 than 4. No sophomore slump on this one. I wish there were more planned, but you have to tell the stories that need to be told, not the ones that need to be read, right?

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2020 Melliott rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

I'm giving this a low 3. First of all, it's called Thief's Cunning, which is why I picked it up—who doesn't love a good thief story? But the protagonist isn't a thief! She's part of a family of assassins and in fact the point is made early in the story that if they were to stoop to thievery in the course of their duties as assassins, their reputations would be destroyed. So what the heck? The only "thief" association I could discover was that Allegra, in the course of her life, has been stolen s I'm giving this a low 3. First of all, it's called Thief's Cunning, which is why I picked it up—who doesn't love a good thief story? But the protagonist isn't a thief! She's part of a family of assassins and in fact the point is made early in the story that if they were to stoop to thievery in the course of their duties as assassins, their reputations would be destroyed. So what the heck? The only "thief" association I could discover was that Allegra, in the course of her life, has been stolen several times, and not told from whom, so she doesn't have a clear sense of who she is. But boy can she whine about it! The entire book is seething teenage rebellion against nothing in particular. Oh, these people took you in and made you part of their family and loved you, fed and clothed you, trained you, but you can't stand being with them for one more minute because they're not "your" family? Oh, you have discovered your real family and long to go to them but you aren't sure you'll fit there either? Oh, you have fallen in with a lovely boy and some pretty interesting people, but you still feel caged by their wants and needs and have to be on your own? Well, aren't you special. Honestly, apart from the lifestyle depicted for the Travelers, which was interesting and in line with Travelers from our culture, I was so wearied by this book. It reminded me of the worst of the teen fantasy novels (I'm looking at you, Throne of Glass), in all of which the heroine can't decide who she is and rather than take positive steps to find out, she just lashes out and gets herself in more and more trouble because she can't control her temper or her impulsiveness or whatever we're calling it in that book.

I also didn't know this was a sequel when I bought it, and was initially going to stop reading it, but I realized that the events of the previous novel had taken place 18 years earlier, and plenty of context was given in this one so that I didn't feel like I missed anything crucial. It's possible I might have liked this better had I read that first...but I don't think so. That one sounds like a fairly kickass story about a woman who goes all out for her goddess and is rewarded with resurrection for her and her companion, which was interesting. This one was not. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2017 Carolyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

First thoughts: Very enjoyable story...

Review: Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would say about 3.25-3.5 stars. This a companion novel to Assassin's Heart. It takes 18 years after the events of the first book and we get to see an adult Lea. We also find that Les and Lea are still madly in love with each other - Yay!

This is the story of Allegra. Lea's niece, taken from the Das Via home as it was being overrun by ghosts. Lea and Les take Allegra and Emile as they leave Lovero and start a new life t ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2019 Jamie Coudeville rated it really liked it

Shelves: pov-female-lead, genre-ya, number-02nd-book-in-series, other-own-a-physical-copy, date-june-2017, done-assassin-s-heart, rating-3-5-stars, genre-high-fantasy, element-assassins, edition-hardcover

I did not enjoy this book as much as I did the first. The story and main character was just not really to my liking. It was a quick read, though. And I liked that. But I just couldn't connect. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 25, 2017 Milly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, supernatural, teen-romance, young-adult, series, paranormal, sequel, action-packed, kick-ass-heroine, magic

Definitely liked Lea and Les' story. Allegra was too impulsive, too stubborn, and too reckless for my liking. I almost feel bad for Nev because she is a lot too handle. Interesting story though! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 16, 2017 Damali rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Not enough assassinations.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2017 Nara rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed, netgalley, for-review, high-fantasy, owned-ebook

I was slightly wary going into Thief's Cunning, as I knew the story would be about a character that I felt was not treated ethically in Assassin's Heart. I won't go into specifics in case you haven't read the book, but basically there was a big decision at the end that the main character Lea made that I completely disagreed with. The character that was impacted most by that decision is Allegra, the main character of Thief's Cunning.

Taking a step back from this particular plot point, I thought th ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2017 Josie Shinkfield rated it really liked it · review of another edition

*I RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST REVIEW*

Allegra is an assassin who kills in the name of her god. She's also an orphan, who has been raised by her aunt Lea.
Though Allegra has never felt like she fits with her family, and Lea is keeping secrets from Allegra.
When Allegra finds out that her mother wasn't dead like she had been told her whole life, she starts to question everything she has known, and turns to a traveler boy, Nev, for comfort and distraction.
Th ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2017 Haniya Qamar rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Original Post: http://booknauthors.blogspot.com/2017...

This story takes place eighteen years after the first book. Matthew's daughter, Allegra is all grown up now. She wants freedom and wants to know more about her mother. She knows there's a dark secret but she just can't figure it out. When she finally meets her mother, she ends up more confused and seeks help from Nev. Her world totally turns upside down and she might have to end the problem with her life. Can she being peace without any sacr ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 03, 2017 Tally rated it really liked it

Shelves: series

Ahiers always makes me care about her characters. I was invested in Lea's story from Assassin's Heart and curious about Allegra's in this second installment. I felt her world is built nicely and most things were properly shown/explained. My one issue is there wasn't enough exploration of Claudia and Matteo. Matteo was barely mentioned and Allegra never asked Lea more. If you read the last book then you know what really happened, but Allegra doesn't. Even though she takes her own freedom, I think ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2017 Racheal rated it liked it · review of another edition

A great follow up book to Assassin's Heart. Thief's Cunning expands on what has happened since the end of that book. Eighteen years later Lea and Les are back as clippers or assassins. Working together alongside them is their niece Allegra, who has never seemed to fit in with the Saldana family. When on a trip to Lovero, Allegra learns the truth of her parentage and the secrets that have been kept from her she turns to Nev, a traveler whose life of freedom she admires. But the freedom she admire ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2017 Dark Faerie Tales rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-by-kristie

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Creative fantasy setting but ultimately, I couldn’t stand the main character.

Opening Sentence: I didn’t fit.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

Thief’s Cunning is the second book in the Assassin’s Heart series. It is a companion novel set eighteen years after the events of the first novel, Assassin’s Heart. I would recommend that you read the first novel because the entire situation with Allegra revolves around the ending. Also, aspects of the world are set ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 03, 2018 Chloe Richards rated it it was ok · review of another edition

*Spoiler Warning Y'all*

Also note that I haven't read the first book. What I've gathered though is that it merely adds on to the characters of Les and Lea, which I don't particularly care about.

Okay, this book was an interesting read. I want to start off with the good things first.

What I liked:
- The ideas presented within the novel
- The Gods

What I didn't like:
- The writing style
- The infodumping
- The characters

You: That's basically the entire book you didn't like.
Me: I have my reasons.

My Reasoni ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 30, 2017 David Maldonado rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thief's Cunning transports us 18 years after the events of book one, Assassin's Heart, and we see Lea and Les have grown up, as well as the children they took from the Da Vias. The story follows the baby that Lea took, Allegra, who Lea is raising as her niece. Despite the relational ties being almost non-existent, Allegra seems to have picked up many qualities from Lea herself, specifically her feisty nature and stubborness. Allegra fights with the many social and political ties that bind her, a Thief's Cunning transports us 18 years after the events of book one, Assassin's Heart, and we see Lea and Les have grown up, as well as the children they took from the Da Vias. The story follows the baby that Lea took, Allegra, who Lea is raising as her niece. Despite the relational ties being almost non-existent, Allegra seems to have picked up many qualities from Lea herself, specifically her feisty nature and stubborness. Allegra fights with the many social and political ties that bind her, always describe her ties to the world as a "cage", one she so desperately wants to break out from.

Sarah Ahiers employs the dramatic irony plot device in placing Allegra as the protagonists, who describes her problems with "fitting in". As readers who've read the first book, we understand the reasons why, because she's undoubtably not a Saldana, but a Da Via, those she's been influenced to hate as her enemies. This story is about a character struggling to find herself in a world she feels like she doesn't fit into. Those feelings are amplified when she meets a traveler boy from a menagerie by the name of Nev. He's a wonderful distraction from her life, and she begins to question her place as a Saldana even more. What sends her really over the edge is her meeting her birth mother, Claudia Da Via, longed to be dead, and she finds out she's a Da Via and not a Saldana. During the height of this climactic plot twists, Allegra is forced to deal with consequences that are made from decisions that were not wholly her own.

This story is a lot slower than it's predecessor, and while not outright boring, there were times I wish the plot would speed up just a bit. However, I believe we can attribute it's pace to the different journey's our main characters were trying to embark on. In book one, Lea was dead set on revenge. A revenge plot should be faster paced, full of epic fight scenes, filled with plot twists. This story is more about growth and a road to find freedom within one's life.

The problem I had with this book was the romance between Allegra and Nev. I understand Lea kept Allegra sheltered, she had to due to the secret of her birth she was trying to protect. Even with living the dangerous Clipper life, Allegra was away from Lovero, the origin of Clippers. She spent her life in Yvain, a place where the Clipper lifestlye is frowned upon and illegal, so Allegra had to do it in secret. I understand that being sheltered could lead someone to latch on someone like Nev, a person who travels the world. He's something new, something she's never experienced before. Allegra is young, and their romance represents that quick love. It's probably because I'm closer to 30 now than I am 20, that I've grown tired of this quick, random loves. The ones that happen in no time at all, and almost seem groundless. I appreciate an author that masters the slow-burning relationships, the ones that take time and feel organic. For Allegra, this relationship makes sense and was the right direction for Ahiers, however it's not my cup of tea anymore. This is just a difference of aesthetics.

Thief's Cunning despite the few gripes that I had, it's a well-realized fantasy that builds on the lavishly created world Ahiers created in Assassin's Heart. Fans of Robin LaFevers' His Fair Assassins series will eat this book up. It's balance of romance, political intrigue, and it's dark adventures make this a worthy companion novel to Ahiers' first book. Ahiers has solidified her place in YA, and she's definitely an author to watch going forward. ...more

flag Like · see review

May 12, 2017 Jessica (a GREAT read) rated it really liked it

I received this ARC from the author in a contest that I won for pure enjoyment purposes. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Sarah Ahiers returns to the world of Assassin’s Heart in Thief’s Cunning. It’s been eighteen years since those events, so Lea and Les are grown up and as are the children they had rescued from the Da Vias. One of them being Allegra, her niece, who seems to have gained some of Lea’s own feistiness. Allegra longs to break free from the rules and constraints that she ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 20, 2019 Rachel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Overall 3.5 stars

After reading a ton of ya books feature strong kick-ass girls I find that I like the assassin most of all. One of those assassins was Oleander "Lea" Saldana. I read about her last year in Assassin's Hart and she struck a chord with me. Lea was devoted to her religion (A Death God), she put her family above all others and she was a girl who was good at what she did (murder). The story was unique to me at the time and Lea is special. The story was amazing and I was sad to see Lea Overall 3.5 stars

After reading a ton of ya books feature strong kick-ass girls I find that I like the assassin most of all. One of those assassins was Oleander "Lea" Saldana. I read about her last year in Assassin's Hart and she struck a chord with me. Lea was devoted to her religion (A Death God), she put her family above all others and she was a girl who was good at what she did (murder). The story was unique to me at the time and Lea is special. The story was amazing and I was sad to see Lea go, then I found that the story continued with Thief's Cunning and that Lea was back but as an adult and I was so ready for it.

Thief's Cunning went differently than I thought, I knew that Lea wasn't the main character, that her niece Allegra was but I still expected something very closely resembling to Assassin's Heart. Don't get me wrong it was still filled with murder, ghosts, politics and family (both little f and big F) drama, but it didn't center on those things or the jobs that were done. Instead it focuses on Allegra as she finally discovers herself and where she may belong.

There were a few problems I had with this book. For one I did not like Allegra. I don't know it was just me but she seemed whinny, selfish, lost, rash, and naive just to name a few. I understand that she is feeling restless and that she is upset about the lies she has been told but she takes it a little to far and she refuses to see the picture around her. I don't hate Allegra but I don't like her either but it did impacted the story just the tiniest bit for me.

Another thing that bothered me was how Aheirs dealt with the Da Vias in this book. They are the bad guys who didn't really seem to change their ways for any good reason other than they were punished before. They don't seem very welcoming to Allegra but that doesn't stop her from seeing them in a golden light. Also their whole actions are just weird and don't really make any sense.

The overall story was pretty good though I really enjoyed the story, the writing was nice and there was a decent pace going on until the ending that is and then shit just got crazy. The ending was everything, it had all the action, a good chunk of drama and wrapped the story up pretty nicely. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 18, 2017 Vanessa Yeazel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, high-fantasy

This book was more of a 3.5 read for me. I enjoyed it more than the previous book, though some of the issues I had with the first book continued in this one. In both, the main character is dead set on something (revenge, being free, etc). For the majority of the book, the character never changes their opinions on that topic, and are stubborn about it. Near the end of the book, they have a big revelation that changes everything, and makes them a better person. Finally, they talk about that topic ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 06, 2017 Tiffany rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I received an ARC copy in exchange for a fair review.

3.5 stars/5 stars

WARNING: There are MANY references to what Lea and Les Saldana did in the first book. If you wish to remain unspoiled about Assassin's Heart, you probably shouldn't read this one first.

Thief's Cunning introduces us to Allegra Saldana, the niece of Lea Saldana (MC of Assassin's Heart). Allegra has just turned eighteen and wishes for more freedom in her life. She is given this opportunity when the Saldanas travel to Lovero. Th ...more

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 next »