Rating: 4.5 STARS! Genre: YA/Fantasy Standalone/Series: The Smoke Thieves #1 How I got this book: ARC from Penguin Random House UK Children’s via NetGalley A princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief. Four teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Four nations destined for conflict. In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a loveless political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father. In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people. In Pitoria, feckless Edyon steals cheap baubles for cheaper thrills as he drifts from town to town. And in the barren northern territories, thirteen-year-old Tash is running for her life as she plays bait for the gruff demon hunter Gravell. As alliances shift and shatter, and old certainties are overturned, our four heroes find their past lives transformed and their futures inextricably linked by the unpredictable tides of magic and war. Who will rise and who will fall? And who will claim the ultimate prize? I absolutely LOVED this book.
You might have seen my earlier post when I first received the ARC from NetGalley along with a letter from the author, Sally Green, about her promise to provide an intelligent heroine. Suffice it to say, I was excited to get started. The book starts with 1 of our 5 main characters, Tash and her companion Gravell, setting a trap for a demon. I loved this opening chapter, it really gives a lot of insight quite quickly into who Tash is and what she does, as well as doing a great job of building the world that we're entering into. Each of the characters' opening scenes works really well and what I love most about this book is how each characters' journey progresses until they all intertwine. I did draw some comparisons with Six of Crows in terms of the 5 main characters, I'll list these lower down for those who'd rather not know. It also has a certain element of danger, mystery and magic to it that was also reminiscent of our beloved Grishaverse. This book is very immersive, I didn't want to put it down once I'd started reading. Each character faces unique challenges and struggles on their respective journeys and I couldn't get enough. I love that the characters are diverse, I think the villain(s) are really strong, hate-able characters which drive the story really well and there's plenty of intrigue with a potential love triangle and 'forbidden' love brewing that I'm really looking forward to seeing more of. My only complaint, and it's a very minor one, is that the book ends on a slightly sketchy cliffhanger. It didn't really feel like a neat place to wrap up this book and now I'm brewing with questions over what happens next but also feeling like there should have been a little more clarification on what the hell just happened?!? Side note: This is probably just because all of the great books I've read lately end in cliffhangers and I hate waiting!! I loved this book. The author fulfilled her promise of a strong, intelligent heroine and also delivered more in the way of the other characters who I really can't get enough of, alongside the fantastic, magical plot. I do also have to mention Gravell, who I loved, and who almost made me cry. Highly recommended for fans of Six of Crows, Children of Blood and Bone, Harry Potter etc 4.5 stars for this brilliant YA fantasy. Six of Crows Character Comparisons:
In no way are the characters replicas, they're each interesting and unique, I just personally had a 'feel' about them that made me think of the Six of Crows gang. Although, no Kaz. If you have/do read The Smoke Thieves, let me know what you think! 21/5/2018 21:36:30
I liked the smoked thieves a lot! I agree with your 6 of crows comparison, I had the same feeling despite divergent plot and world. 22/5/2018 15:28:57
I'm so glad you liked it! Haha, yeah, it was just the characters that had certain similarities for me. Thanks for reading! Comments are closed.
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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