Joythief

They stole what she loved most about herself. Now she'll do anything to get it back.
-- From epic fantasy author Brenda J. Pierson comes a new adventure of magic and intrigue --

Mariq is a trophy--the princess of Kuriza, valued only for her worth as a pawn in her father's court. Or so everyone thinks. Mariq has cultivated worth of her own in the Star-Blades, a guild of thieves and assassins. Trained by the best, Mariq can get into anywhere and steal anything.

But then she's blackmailed into murder and poisoned with Joythief--a magical poison that kills the part of a person they love the most. With her thieving skills dwindling and her own guild to blame, Mariq joins her would-be target to take down the Star-Blades.

Aided by a no-name slave and a woman who refers to her magic as a monster, Mariq must travel halfway across the Scorched Lands, into deserts mad with magic, and pray her soon-to-be-gone skills are enough to succeed. If not, she'll have to find some other way--some other worth within herself--to win the day.