Honor Among Thieves (Honors Series #1)

by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre

Overview

Meet your new favorite kickass heroine in this daring YA series by New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre, a thrilling yet romantic futuristic adventure perfect for fans of Claudia Gray’s A Thousand Pieces of You.

Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062570994
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/13/2018
Series:	Honors (Zara Cole) Series , #1
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	641,962
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.80(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Rachel Caine is the coauthor of the Honors series and has written more than fifty novels in multiple genres, including young adult, thriller, science fiction/fantasy, horror, and paranormal romance. She is best known for the #1 internationally bestselling fifteen-book Morganville Vampires series and her Weather Warden series in urban fantasy. She lives and works in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband, artist, actor, and comic historian R. Cat Conrad. www.rachelcaine.com

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English literature. Before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens. www.annaguirre.com

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/04/2017
In 2042, sentient spaceships called the Leviathan saved Earth from ruin by sharing their technology. In return, humans agreed to provide crew to assist with research and maintenance while imparting their knowledge and culture. A century later, it has become customary for the Leviathan to tap 100 skilled individuals, known as Honors, every 12 months for yearlong deployments. Homeless teenager Zara Cole isn’t good at anything but fighting and stealing, so she’s shocked when she’s selected to tour the stars with a Leviathan named Nadim. The experience proves transformative: the previously hard-bitten Zara befriends Beatriz Teixeira, the other human on board, and forms an ineffable bond with Nadim. Still, Zara can’t shake the feeling that the Leviathan are hiding something. This series opener from Caine (the Great Library series) and Aguirre (the Immortal Game trilogy) is both a thrilling SF novel and a deeply philosophical examination of the nature of love. Keenly wrought characters, imaginative worldbuilding, and an inventive plot engage and gratify while urging readers to stay curious, question authority, and fight injustice. Ages 13–up. Agent: (for Caine) Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency; (for Aguirre) Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Caine and Aguirre’s immersive world and unforgettable characters will absolutely enthrall readers.

Zoraida Córdova

Dark, riveting, heart-in-the-throat storytelling, with characters who caught me up and hold me even now. A don’t-miss read!

New York Times Bestselling Author Tamora Pierce

Enclave is dark and thrilling, fast-paced and intense. A very engaging read.

RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

Praise for INK AND BONE: “Rachel Caine transports the reader to an imaginary future world where a Great Library controls all knowledge and the private ownership of printed books is a radical, dangerous practice.

Deborah Harkness

A thrill-a-minute adventure…This first entry into the Great Library series has pieces that mirror the excitement and bitterness of the Hunger Games series and contains some of the psychological elements of the Harry Potter books.

Booklist (starred review)

Aguirre’s young adult debut is a gripping survival story set in an apocalyptic future.

Booklist

Caine has always given readers entertaining and interesting books…Fans will fall in love with Jess and want the next book out immediately.

USA Today

Caine’s world where books and libraries dominate is not for the faint of heart...What’s not to love? Imagine Harry Potter where the real magic is found within the pages of ancient texts. This book proves the adage that knowledge is power.

RT Book Reviews (4½ stars

Electrifying and unputdownable. There is no other book like this in the universe. It’s an honor (even among thieves) to share Zara’s spaceship with her.

Beth Revis

Ann Aguirre and Rachel Caine are the definition of a double threat. Honor Among Thieves is proof — pitch-perfect pacing and unexpected twists make it a heart-stopping thrill ride. I loved every minute of it!

Kami Garcia

This story about unconventional connections and conflicts both interpersonal and intergalactic is a satisfying first outing in a planned series that should appeal to fans of Yancey’s 5th Wave trilogy.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Caine and Aguirre create a fresh and fascinating story of interspecies bonding, the power of music, and the effects of trauma on good creatures.

ALA Booklist

12/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—In the year 2042, Earth was on the brink of a global crisis when the sentient spaceships known as the Leviathan appeared. In exchange for their help, 100 human Honors are chosen each year to travel with the Leviathan, with the option to continue on to the mysterious lifelong mission known as the Journey. One hundred years later, and to her surprise, loner Zara Cole is chosen to be one of these elite humans, pairing with one of the Leviathan, Nadim, along with her human crewmate, Beatriz. Together they discover that what they thought they knew about the universe is dangerously wrong. Science fiction fans will find comfort in the many familiar story beats here—hints of popular predecessors, such as The 5th Wave and Farscape abound. What could be construed as clichéd by making protagonist Zara a streetwise thief is thankfully saved by adding relatable layers to her character. As she opens up about her past, readers learn about her fear of confinement, resourcefulness, and bravery, among other traits. Her relationship with Nadim could be interpreted as a deep bond or read into as a possible alien romance. The diverse cast of supporting characters help to add depth. Beatriz is Portuguese, others come from all over the world, and it's hinted at that Zara is biracial. A revelatory ending will entice teens for the sequel. VERDICT While the story doesn't feel particularly distinctive, it's sure to find a broad fan base among sci-fi readers.—Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Akron-Summit County Public Library

School Library Journal

2017-10-16
Zara Cole is on the run. A distant-future mobster named Torian Deluca is out to find her after she accidentally/on purpose robbed his daughter. A master thief who has lived for years in the Lower Eight of New Detroit, Zara realizes that if Deluca catches up to her, he might kill her. Faking a violent fit, Zara gets herself checked into a youth-detention facility to stay out of his reach. While she's incarcerated, the story takes a very wide turn when Zara is mysteriously selected to join the Honors space program, a scientific and cultural exchange program between the extraterrestrial Leviathan and humans. Now aboard a Leviathan living ship named Nadim, Zara finds herself communicating with it. She also begins to suspect that there is something sinister about the entire Honors program. Zara's snarky first-person account of her troubled childhood and overnight transition to astronaut keeps the story interesting at times. However, the story is undermined by the perpetuation of common racial and ethnic stereotypes in this futuristic world. Zara, the young, black female protagonist from New Detroit, is a criminal. Deluca is a stereotypical Italian bad guy, and a Chinese Honor participant is described as having "a degree in something complicated." The sentient ships that display emotion fall short in execution and don't give the plot the range it needs.An ambitious premise that is amiable but not believable. (Science fiction. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

This story about unconventional connections and conflicts both interpersonal and intergalactic is a satisfying first outing in a planned series that should appeal to fans of Yancey’s 5th Wave trilogy.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Caine and Aguirre’s immersive world and unforgettable characters will absolutely enthrall readers.

Zoraida Cordova

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