No Heart for a Thief by James Lloyd Dulin

SPFBO9

We are the stories we tell ourselves...even the lies. The Thief, a great spirit, and her descendants have abused their ability to steal magic for centuries. When Kaylo starts to hear the song of other people’s magic, he must learn to hide from his people as well as the invaders. A gift or a curse, Kaylo may be able to save his people from the Gousht Empire that claimed their land with this stolen magic.

 Eighteen years later, Kaylo still prays to the spirits, but not out of loyalty or love. He knows better than to rely on those selfish bastards for anything. While hiding in the forest from his foolish acts of rebellion, he encounters a girl, Tayen, being pursued by two soldiers of the empire. Against his better judgment, he risks facing the consequences of his past to intervene.

 When Tayen attempts to run off seeking vengeance for her family, he offers to train her to wield her magic and a blade. If he can’t convince her to relinquish her need for vengeance and stave off the demons of his past, he’s going to get them both killed.

Adult • Fantasy/Dark • Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery • Fantasy/Epic and High • Fantasy

Content Warning: As a note of caution, this story contains depictions of graphic violence, violence towards children, derogatory behavior towards marginalized characters based on skin color and gender identity, colonialism, death of family members, drug addiction, slavery, survivor's guilt, and religious manipulation.

SKaeth author

Absolutely gorgeous prose lifts this dual-timeline, dual-PoV story with its rich, detailed worldbuilding into something truly memorable.

TinyElfArcanist book blogger

The prose is beautiful and succinct. I loved the exchanges between Kaylo and Tayen as they come to realize they’ve only got each other. Their voices were distinct and believable, and you can’t help but root for them.

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CJDaley author

I loved the cover, so I signed right up for the ARC team and I was happy to be approved. Liked it so much I purchased a copy too! Let me start with saying, WOW, that is how you write an ending! The climax is just so incredibly epic and beautiful and dark at the same time.

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