Starcrossed

Sixteen-year-old Digger thrives as a spy and sneak-thief among the feuding religious factions of Llyvraneth, dodging the Greenmen who have banned all magic from the city. But when a routine job goes horribly wrong and her partner and lover Tegen is killed, she has to get out of the land, fast, and hides herself in a merry group of nobles to do so. Accepted as a ladyÂ’s maid to shy young Merista Nemair, Digger finds new peace and friendship at the Nemair stronghold--as well as plenty of jewels for the taking. But after the devious Remy Daul catches her in the act of thievery, he blackmails her into becoming his personal spy in the castle, and Digger soon realizes her noble hosts arenÂ’t as apolitical as she thought--that indeed, she may be at the heart of a magical rebellion.Brilliantly combining the richness of fantasy with the twists and turns of the best spy stories, StarCrossed proves Elizabeth C. Bunce is a writer whoÂ’s here to stay.

Elizabeth C. Bunce's first novel, A CURSE DARK AS GOLD, won the ALA's William C. Morris Award for a YA debut. Elizabeth cuts, sews, and embroiders both cloth and stories at her home near Kansas City, Missouri. Please visit her website at www.elizabethcbunce.com.