Assassin's Heart By Sarah Ahier

A story of revenge, Assassin’s Heart, by Sarah Ahiers, revolves around a seventeen-year old girl named Lea after she loses her entire family to the Da Vias. In the kingdom of Lovero, there are nine powerful Families, two of which are the Saldanas and the Da Vias. Lea Saldana, unaware of the Da Vias plotting against her and her Family, wakes up one night to flames enclosing her home. While she manages to escape, the rest of her family is lost to the fire set by the Da Vias. Having been trained as an assassin like the rest of the Families, Lea sets out all alone to find her banished uncle to help her on a mission of revenge against the Da Vias. Before the book even begins, the title gives insight into the theme and plot. Everything Lea decision Lea makes in the novel is ruled by her heart, not her brain or common sense. When she decides to get revenge even though she has
Lea begins her journey focused solely on killing all of the Da Vias, even at the cost of her own life. She begins as a immature, hateful character who struggles to find a purpose to life beyond vengeance. However, when she finds her uncle, she also finds Les, a boy he was training to become an assassin just like Lea. It is Les, with his determination and naivety, who allows Lea to find a better purpose in life. Watching Lea learn to think on her own and make her own choices without her Family’s guidance is very satisfying. Lea is relatable to the teenagers, who have to become independent and make their own choices, just like Lea. This coming of age leads to the most prominent theme of the book, which stresses the importance of learning to think for oneself. Not only does Lea have to find out who she is, she has to do so without relying on her family or looking to them for guidance. While this is not the only theme of the novel, it is by far the most relatable for the