League of Liars

In this fantasy thriller, four teens charged with murder and the illegal use of magic band together to devise the ultimate jailbreak. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows and How to Get Away with Murder.

Ever since his mother was killed, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal to see illegal users of magic brought to justice. People who carelessly use extradimensional magic for their own self-interest, without a care to the damage it does to society or those around them, deserve the worst kind of punishment as far as Cayder is concerned. Because magic always has a price. So when Cayder lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apprentice under a premier public defender, he takes it. If he can learn all the tricks of public defense, the better he ll be able to dismantle defense arguments when he s a prosecutor. Then he ll finally be able to punish the guilty without mercy.

But when he meets the three criminals he s supposed to defend, it no longer seems so black and white. They re teenagers, like him, and their stories are . . . complicated, like his. Vardean, the prison where Cayder s new clients are incarcerated, also happens to be at the very heart of the horrible tear in the veil between their world and another dimension where all magic comes from.

League of Liars is a dark and twisty mystery set in a richly-drawn world where nothing is as it seems, rife with magic, villains and danger.

*Praise for League of Liars*:
An Amazon Best Book of the Month – February 2022**

“The plot is twisty in satisfying ways . . . [and with] romances, one steamy and one cozy, a fabulous setting, and complex, nuanced characters—what else could one want for a winter night’s reading?” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Expansive and original worldbuilding. . . A smart, suspenseful adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Scholte’s third novel is a mash-up fantasy/legal drama/heist story. . . The worldbuilding [is] interesting . . . [and will] keep readers wondering what will happen next and find out who—or what—is behind these murders.” —School Library Journal

“Scholte's latest tells a story filled with adventure, magic, and mystery, transporting readers to a whole new world filled with a magic system that incorporates the concept of shadows being dangerous and magical. The twists and turns will keep readers engaged.” —Booklist

“Blends legal thriller and action novel in an exploration of morality’s gray areas . . . a mix of first- and third-person perspectives lend depth to the cast.” —Publisher’s Weekly

“Bursting with originality and mile-a-minute action, the twists, turns and thrills kept coming!” —Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising

“League of Liars has everything you want in your next favorite thriller, from razor-sharp pacing to unforgettable characters and of course, the fresh and immersive world building you’ve come to know and love from Astrid Scholte. Don’t miss this twisty, heart-pounding fantasy!” —Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series
 
“Full of dark intrigue and a thrilling mystery that will ensnare you until the end, League of Liars is everything I love in a story. From its phenomenal crew of misfits you can’t help but root for, to its immersive and enchanting world building, Scholte’s latest will have you savoring every page.” —Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars and Teeth

Praise for The Vanishing Deep:
A 2022 Isinglass Teen Readers' Choice Award Long List Pick
A 2021 Texas Tayshas Reading List Pick
A Spring 2020 Apple Most Anticipated Book

“This riveting YA thriller . . . is among the most exciting stuff being put out in the genre right now.” —Entertainment Weekly

“An immersive, fast-paced story about survival, grief, guilt, and second chances.” —School Library Journal

“Tensions [are kept] high as the characters explore a detailed, inventive, lovingly crafted world . . . the narrative’s sea legs come through deep, resonant characterizations and the characters’ intense emotional inner lives. A seaworthy stand-alone.” —Kirkus Reviews

**Praise for Four Dead Queens:
An Indie Bestseller
An Amazon Best Book — March 2019
A Blue Spruce Book Award Nominee – 2020
A Texas Tayshas Reading List Pick – 2020**

“A good, devious mix of some of the best fantasy and murder mystery that YA has had to offer recently.” —*Entertainment Weekly*

“Astrid Scholte's propulsive debut YA novel checks all the boxes for an addictive read.” —*Refinery29*

“Four Dead Queens is a darkly delicious tale that keeps you in constant suspense. A thrilling, genre-blending book perfect for fans of both fantasy and murder mysteries. I just might be the fifth dead queen because this story—with its labyrinthine twists and turns—slayed me in every possible way.” —Kerri Maniscalco, #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series

Autorentext

Astrid Scholte

Leseprobe

Leta

Leta’s pale skin glowed in the moonlight as she crept through the high stalks of the torlu fields. She pocketed the bolt cutters she’d used to sever the electricity to the farm’s flood lamps and enjoyed the cool shadows that washed over her skin like a gentle caress. She’d chosen a farm on the outskirts of Ferrington, far from the main street, where the entire town had gathered for the evening. It was a sweltering summer night, and the flood lamps had made her shirt and pants stick to her skin. Not anymore.

Unlike most people, Leta longed for shadows. Ever since she was a child, she’d had an affinity for the darkness. She liked that anything could be out there, a whole world full of possibilities hidden from sight. And one of those possibilities was why she was in Ferrington.

Ferrington was a small rural region around three hundred miles from Downtown Kardelle, near the easternmost point of the nation. Not long after edem had first been detected, a group of farmers emigrated from the agricultural nation of Delften to plant crops and rear livestock. Ferrington was known for its mineral-rich soils, a positive side effect of edem. Crops flourished, the torlu berry in particular. Used in jams, jellies, fermented tonics and even vitamin supplements, torlu berries had become Telene’s principal agricultural export. But in the last few years, other nations had retracted their trade deals and refused all immigration requests until the Regency stopped the spread of edem.

In the hundred years since the veil had been discovered, many people had fled Telene, searching for safer shores. The monarchs had provided monetary incentive for people to stay. In turn, they’d nearly bankrupted the government.

Some people, veil worshippers, believed the only solution was to master the use of edem for industry and the economy. But the monarchs refused to put society at risk and allow the veil to grow.

Leta believed edem could be better understood. Ever since her mother had died, she’d taken it upon herself to know everything about the time-altering substance. And while the Regency worried itself only over what edem could do and its consequences, Leta wanted to know more about where it came from.

At school, Leta had been taught that the v…