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 Bastion-alleged 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 other-and fast-if either of them are going to get what they want.
The hard part is figuring out exactly what that is.
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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.
