Heart of Thieves by Jessica S. Olson – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: deception, devotion and dazzling schemes.
YA book title: Heart of Thieves.
YA author: Jessica S. Olson.
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Young Adult.
Published by: Hot Key Books.
ISBN: 9781471417436.
Recommended for children aged: 14+.
First published: September 2026.
This YA novel is ideal for: Teen and young adult readers who enjoyed the first book in the series, Den of Liars, fans of the romance and fantasy genre. If you liked Lauren Roberts Powerless series, or Alex Aster’s Lightlark this is for you.
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Our review:
Heart of Thieves is the gripping conclusion to Jessica S. Olson’s Den of Liars duology. It’s set four months after the Liar’s Dice Tournament, and Lola St. James is still reeling from the brothers who deceived her. She has become a fully fledged member of Enzo’s gang, while Nic’s once-glittering casino now lies abandoned. Bound to both brothers by a curse, and torn between hating and loving them, Lola is done being a pawn in someone else’s game. She is determined to uncover the truth about her past, her magic and the curse that has claimed her heart.
Using her Unbreakable Lie, Lola reinvents herself as the enigmatic Nocturne and devises an elaborate game of her own, designed to lure the Liar and the Thief into her grasp. She is convinced it is the only way to free all three of them. As the stakes rise, she delves deeper into the brothers’ tangled history, discovering secrets that reshape everything she thought she knew, and is forced to face hard truths about who she really is.
But Lola isn’t the only player with plans for Enzo and Nic. When a formidable figure from their past re-emerges, old wounds are torn open and new dangers close in. With alliances shifting and deception at every turn, can Lola’s love hold them together? Or will the lies they’ve built their lives on finally destroy them all?
Our verdict:
Heart of Thieves is a worthy successor to the first book in this duology, Den of Liars, tying up many of the mysteries the first book left dangling. Returning to a well-known cast and setting lets the narrative gather speed almost immediately, and the momentum barely falters. It may not break new ground, but it makes clever use of tried-and-tested elements. Lola shines brightest. Masquerading as Nocturne, she displays shrewd cunning in the city’s criminal circles alongside a striking fragility, as she is made to face uncomfortable realities and uncover the full extent of her abilities. Enzo and Nic are given considerably more depth in this second novel. Nic’s youth, overshadowed by a destiny within the clergy, sits in sharp opposition to Enzo’s career as a pickpocket, and that gulf fuels their bitter rivalry. The setting broadens too, revealing more about the moon shard and one of the city’s faiths. It evokes a city loosely resembling the early 1900s, with the flavour of a vintage gangster saga. The rules governing its sorcery are sometimes difficult to pin down, though never so murky that its place in the story is lost.
The love story may divide readers, yet the richer characterisation lets it unfold more convincingly than before, and a flirtatious scene of aerial acrobatics, drawn from the author’s own pastime, is a charming standout. Moving between three narrators, each hiding motives of their own, brings richness. Ultimately, this is a tale about the families we choose. Beneath the scheming, robberies and sorcery-fuelled mayhem run threads of devotion, absolution and standing by one another. The trio feel wonderfully real: they stumble, answer for their errors and yet are never reduced to them, each driven by love even when their decisions are morally grey. The rewarding conclusion makes every twist worthwhile, and the novel leaves readers pondering how far we must answer not only for our own actions but for those of others.
Many thanks to Hot Key Books for the review copy.
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