About This Book
Reach for this book when your teenager feels like an outsider within their own family or is struggling with the heavy weight of past mistakes. It is an ideal choice for the student who feels overlooked in a household of high achievers or who is beginning to question the ethics and motivations of the adults they are supposed to trust. The story follows Cassel Sharpe, a teen born into a family of powerful magic-using con artists, who believes he is the only one without a magical gift and carries the dark secret of a childhood tragedy. As he uncovers layers of deception regarding his own identity and his family's criminal enterprise, the book explores profound themes of shame, the fluid nature of memory, and the courage required to define one's own moral compass. Parents will appreciate the sophisticated handling of complex family dynamics and the realistic, if gritty, portrayal of a young man seeking redemption in a world where everyone has an angle. It is a sharp, atmospheric mystery that normalizes the struggle of finding one's place when the people closest to you are the ones keeping you in the dark.
