ALA Booklist (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Lea Saldana, famed clipper legal assassin Assassin's Heart (2016), now takes a backseat in this stunning sequel. Lea's niece, Allegra, has led a life of secrets solely because she was born into a family of wanted assassins. Hunted and in the dark because of their feud with the Da Via family, the remaining Saldanas have spent most of Allegra's life in hiding. A holiday in Lovero, the original home of the Saldanas, gives Allegra the chance she's longed for escape her stifling life t a kidnapping changes her outlook significantly. When she falls for a member of a traveler clan and is stolen away, she must rely on her clipper instincts to save her life. Can she have freedom, love, and the answers she needs d will they be worth the cost? The similarities between Lea and Allegra will draw fans of Assassin's Heart to this companion. The characters are richly developed and appealing to readers. Ahiers is certainly one to watch.

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Allegra, niece of hunted assassin Lea Saldana (Assassin's Heart), has constantly felt out of place in her family. An unexpected romance blooms with traveler boy Nev after Allegra learns the truth about her identity, which leads to her kidnapping and more revelations. Set eighteen years after its companion novel, Ahiers's latest YA fantasy contains strong world-building, plenty of plot twists, and a sympathetic heroine.

Kirkus Reviews

Allegra Saldana, from Assassin's Heart (2016), is full-grown and plunged into new dangers.An invitation comes from the king of Lovero, summoning the Saldana presence out of exile, to swear fealty as one of the nine clipper Families to his daughter now that the princess has come of age. Allegra's especially excited at the chance to finally learn more about her parents, whose fates were covered in the first book and whom Allegra's aunt Lea refuses to speak of. When Allegra learns the truth, however, she's devastated, and her whole sense of identity is undermined. The repetitive prose from the first book is more effective here when read through the lens of a conflicted character who's replaying what she knows to try to make up her mind. She also throws herself into the arms of a handsome traveler boy, Nev, for comfort in steamy hook-ups that feel like a deep connection—until Nev spots Allegra's pendant, a gift from her half-traveler uncle, Les: it's sacrilege when the singura's worn by a nontraveler. Thematically, love and freedom are set in compelling opposition. The climactic battles thrill. Allegra's a blonde, white woman, and, borrowing further from Romani tropes, Nev's olive-skinned, a traveler characteristic; otherwise both racial and sexual diversity are common and unremarkable in this fantasy. A well-realized fantasy with strong action and romance. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

School Library Journal (Mon May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Gr 9 Up-et 18 years after Assassin's Heart, this work features Allegra Saldana, the niece of Lea Saldana, the protagonist of the first book, as she becomes involved in a more mature relationship with Nev, the Traveler boy who is free from the chains of Allegra's world, where she is a hunted assassin. While the Saldanas were once the most feared assassins, now they are the most sought after. This companion novel reveals the answers to Allegra's questions about being part of one of the most infamous families of assassins. As the truth about her family is exposed, readers, along with Allegra, will be surprised at the outcome. The Da Vias are still the number one enemy of the Saldanas and are seeking revenge, but this time their vengeance comes with a price as Allegra is kidnapped and taken to a land where secrets about her family are uncovered. Just as the first title was full of fantasy and adventure, this companion does not disappoint. While the previous volume may have been appropriate for a middle school audience, this one will appeal to older teens. VERDICT Older fans of the previous installment will tune in as it becomes clear how Allegra and her family became such legendary assassins. Purchase where the author's debut is popular.Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI

Voice of Youth Advocates (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

There are nine aristocratic Families of Lovero, and Allegra knows only her tightly knit Saldana Family, assassins who serve a deathly deity and perform murder wearing terror-provoking bone masks. On her eighteenth birthday, she hopes for freedom and adventure but receives a stone necklace from her uncle Les. Les, along with aunt Lea and cousin Emile, are her only living relatives. Emile is an adopted orphan like Allegra. Allegra’s parents were killed by a rival Family. A voyage to their birthplace, where Allegra throws herself into exploration, falling into the arms of gypsy Nev, uncovers secrets that shatter Allegra’s faith in familial loyalty. Feeling betrayed, Allegra escapes the cage of overprotection for the isolation of a renegade’s life. With Nev, she flees sandstorms and marauding ghosts and realizes the protective magic of the stone necklace from her uncle.      In this companion to Assassin’s Heart (HarperTeen, 2016), Ahiers explores the games played to achieve goals and increase power; social ranking is highly valued in this world. She pits freedom and love against each other. Allegra must choose between one cruel, privileged Family and another or give up social standing and join Nev’s nomadic clan. The heroine wastes no time in developing a sexual relationship with Nev and describes potions used to prevent pregnancy. Although reliant on explication, forced pacing, and convenient plot twists, the blend of action, an exotic setting, and a strong heroine creates a suspenseful and compelling fantasy like Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy and Kristin Cashore’s Graceling.—Rebecca Jung. Across genres of adventure, murder, and romance, Thief’s Cunning misses the mark. While the title evokes thrilling action, the book does not deliver; stories of romance and freedom are protracte, and characters are underdeveloped. The theme of conflict between family and freedom is well addressed, but does not carry enough weight to be the focus of the entire book. Readers may enjoy the stories of love and freedom, but this thriller ultimately falls flat. 2Q, 2P.—Jules Wagner, Teen Reviewer.