Review of Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Lila Merriweather lives in a world were there are monsters, fairies, and humans with Talents. She is a 17yr old orphan with two rare Talents that lies, and steals for a living. She works for a man that runs a pawn shop named Moe and the initial view of their relationship reminds you of the Artful Dodger and Fagin. The town that she works for is controlled by several Families, two in particular, that rule like the Mob but have a feud worse than the Hatfields and McCoys. Lila avoids both families at all costs, but one day she can't help save a boy, Devon, that happens to be the son of one of the rival Families. Because of her actions, she's forced into being his bodyguard as someone seems to really want him dead.
At the beginning of this book, when we meet Lila, she's very much alone, angry, and above all, a survivalist. She's very street smart and yet holds some beliefs that are reminiscent of her long-gone innocence. Over the course of the book, the biggest change she makes is her ability to let go of some over her anger from the past. She's also able to admit her feelings about some people and accept the idea of having a few friends.
I'm fairly new to this author. This being only the second book of hers I've read, but I really loved it. I can't wait to read the next chapter in Lila's life.