Riven is the first book in a new Young Adult series by Mindee Arnett and if you don't have this on your TBR yet, definitely go add it now.

Mars is one of the main characters and having grown up an orphan and under the thumb of Una, the crime boss who pulled him off the streets as a child and trained him as an assassin, he's ready to do whatever he needs to in order to get away and build a new life for himself. Oh - he's also been keeping a pretty big secret - he has magic that if found out, would make him a slave.

Unfortunately for Mars, Una has other plans and if Mars wants out, he needs to complete one final job - protecting Fura Torvald, the heiress of the Torvald kith and the daughter of the last man Mars was sent to kill. Not only does he have to protect her, he also needs to steal the Primer while protecting her but when he finally meets her, he realizes this may not be as simple as he originally thought it would be.

Fura has no interest in Mars being around - not only can she protect herself but she doesn't trust him at all. She's got plenty of secrets herself and she ,can't accomplish what she wants to with someone following her around. Unfortunately for her, the only way her mother will allow her to go to the next Assembly is with Mars at her side.

As these characters get to know each other and figure out who can be trusted...and not, they find themselves in a bigger game than originally expected.

If you're looking for a story with great world building, well-developed characters, and plenty of action, consider picking this one up. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.