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. --------- 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.