The Gilded Wolves meets A Magic Steeped in Poison in the first of a new pulse-pounding YA fantasy duology about two thieves who go after the same mythical treasure, from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.
Once upon a time, there was a shining kingdom floating on the sea . . .
The kingdom of Ophir was one of the most powerful and beautiful places in the world. But after an invasion by the land of Lacon, it was lost to the waves. Now, the Ophir live as second-class citizens beneath Lacon’s golden palaces.
When two bands of Ophir thieves―one led by Eban Sadreal and the other by Gineth Strong―go after the same treasure, a priceless relic, their worlds and hearts suddenly collide. For the relic releases an ancient magic that could restore the legacy of Ophir―a magic that could change the course of Eban and Gin’s lives forever.
With impossibly high stakes and charming will-they-won’t-they romance, this heist fantasy is perfect for fans of Six of Crows and A Tempest of Tea.
The series
The sea remembers what kingdoms try to forget. In Kingdom of Waves, that memory rises with salt and steel, haunting a people who once ruled the waters and now live under foreign chains. Ophir, once a floating empire shimmering with opulence and myth, has been broken by Lacon’s conquest. Its survivors cling to scraps of their past, forced to serve in a world that stripped them of power but not of pride.
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Amid this fractured legacy move two young thieves. Eban Sadreal steals with calculation, his every risk sharpened by grief. Ginreth Strong steals with fire, her loyalty tempered by secrets she cannot fully share. Each leads a crew willing to gamble everything on whispers of a relic said to contain Ophir’s lost magic. But relics rarely grant salvation without demanding blood, and when rival paths collide, betrayal and desire entwine as tightly as the ropes on a sinking ship.
What sets this duology apart is its blend of heist-driven tension with the sweep of romance and rebellion. The atmosphere is both lush and perilous, a world where golden palaces loom over drowned histories, and every act of theft becomes a defiance against oppression. Themes of identity, survival, and the cost of reclaiming power give the story a weight that lingers long after the adventure pauses for breath.
For readers who crave fantasy infused with political intrigue, forbidden yearning, and the thrill of chasing legends across treacherous waters, Kingdom of Waves offers a tale that feels at once dangerous and deeply human. It is less about restoring what was lost than about deciding what kind of future can be built when the tide finally turns.
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