Dragon Thief by Blake & Raven Penn

SPFBO10

Best Book of the Year 2023 - Indies Today Outlawed magic. Thrilling heists. Dragons like you've never seen before. "If I got executed again, my dad was going to kill me." Asher of Steel Rim might be a halfway-decent thief, but he's not exactly the realm’s most popular guy. As an outcast among outcasts, some hate him for his scale-tipped, pointed ears. Others wish him dead because he’s a magi in a land where those born with etherarchy are outlawed. In the wild, desert wastelands of Drakfell, Asher finally finds the opportunity he’s been waiting for: A chance to avenge his mother’s death by taking down the legendary leader of the Mage Hunters herself. The Black Valkyrie. To get his shot, Asher joins a crew of Knights determined to steal a true dragon egg. But Asher’s journey of personal vengeance lands him right in the middle of a war that goes far beyond anything he could’ve imagined.