This is a really enjoyable book!

The world building behind this title really immersed yourself into Brigant, albeit slowly, and you felt for each and every character you met a long the way. The multiple POV didn't confuse too much, it actually helped explain a lot when seeing the same event through different eyes.

It has the camaraderie of Six of Crows and the world building of A Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Started well then got bored after about 30%, the story just did not move on fast enough, might give it another try one day.

I loved Sally Green's previous books, so I was really excited about this one. Sally is amazing at crafting vivid worlds and characters that you care about. It took me a while to get into the multiple perspectives but then I raced through the book. The Smoke Thieves is a really intriguing start to a series and I can't wait for the next book!

THE CHARACTERS….

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, especially Princess Catherine, Tash and Ambrose. March and Edyon's storylines and relationships were quite predictable so I was not that excited for their perspective, especially since I had a feeling from the beginning that what March has been told may not have been entirely true. Their personalities really come through and shine, including those of the side characters that are around them. I felt that I got a good enough understanding of them and felt emotionally invested in their story. 

I really LOVED how Princess Catherine was written, her storyline was incredible and she kept me going through. She has grown so much from the beginning of this novel and her transformation is incredible! Also... that ending!

THE PLOT…

The plot was interesting and the politics of this world were construed and reminded me quite a bit of Game of Thrones in the sense in which power was a key element, especially in Brigant were Princess Catherine resides, to begin with. I thought that it was all well pulled together towards the end and it all made sense. To be honest, the way this was crafted it's what blew me away so much, even more than the writing or the characters.

THE WRITING…

The writing was really good, the characters and the plot were well pulled together, although slightly predictable at times. I wanted to know a bit more about the demons, where they were coming from and how all of that worked, but I believe that this might be, hopefully, picked up on the sequel. Sometimes I did feel a little bored and struggled to continue, but fortunately, the chapters were quite short so that helped with the momentum. I did like the fact that it did not shy from violence. 

THE ENJOYMENT…

I did enjoy this book, I do recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of multiple POV's and intersecting storylines.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. All of the characters voices were strong and clear and none of them got on my nerves which can sometimes happen. Though I admit there were one or two which I loved a little more than others. The writing style was great and the storyline compelling and engaging. That cliffhanger ending was a killer thought and I cannot wait for more.
I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

It took me a long time to get in to this book, could not work out the links in the beginning between all the different characters. Once I worked it out, I enjoyed the book. and the characters, well thought out.
Had the feeling at the end that there could be a sequel, I hope so.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It tells the intertwining stories of Tash, a demon hunter, Edyion, a thief, Katherine, a princess, Ambrose, a soldier and March, a young man hoping to avenge the deaths of his people. The world building is good - there is nothing too challenging here in terms of place, character or plot, but I think that sometimes, it is a real pleasure to read something uncomplicated. Again, many of the characters are somewhat stereotypical for a fantasy novel, but it does feel more of an homage than derivative and I didn't feel like the narrative suffered as a result. There are some interesting ideas at play here too - I like the demons and the way they interact with the environment and I enjoyed the way the narrative switched between different characters. There were times when I became a little frustrated with the pacing of the revelations and I did feel that we were given information from one character too soon for the plot to retain a lot of suspense. Overall, though, I thought it was an enjoyable book and I will continue to read the series to find out what happens next.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I thought I would love this one but struggled with five points of view, it felt like two too many.
Loved the concept, and the world building, and liked the overall writing style but didn’t find anything unique in this YA fantasy and I guess I had high hopes.

I thought this was great - there are three seemingly very separate plots that cleverly draw closer to each other and intertwine. I didn't find it remotely predictable and yet as I got to the end, everything came together very neatly. The characters are defined and well drawn, and I'm really interested to read more from this interesting, rich world.

It continually surprises me, actually, how much of a little fantasy fan I’ve become. I can remember when I was growing up and my Dad used to read all these sci-fi and fantasy novels and I was all WHY WOULD I WANT TO READ BOOKS ABOUT DRAGONS AND MAGIC AND PLACES THAT AREN’T REAL AND THINGS THAT COULD NEVER EXIST and now I am all grabby hands for all of those things.

Anyhow. In that vein, let us talk today about the first in Sally Green’s new series The Smoke Thieves.
Sidenote: you may have heard of Sally from her Half Bad trilogy, and if you haven’t, well, you should get on that. S’good.

So The Smoke Thieves is new, and it’s about a princess preparing for a political marriage, the guard she’s in love with, a servant hungry for revenge, a boy who isn’t sure what he wants to do with his life and steals things just because he can, and a thirteen year old girl who spends her life being bait for a demon hunter.

I KNOW, RIGHT? ALL THE GOOD THINGS.


I could not get enough of this book. I loved it.

I mean sure, there’s a lot going on here and there are so many protagonists so I’ll admit I was a little bit scared it was going to be too much but actually it totally worked, and I loved them, precious little flowers that they are.

Princess Catherine for example is EXCELLENT. She’s headstrong and loyal and opinionated and in this pretty rubbish male-dominated world she lives in, she’s not afraid to ask questions.

Tash is so precious although she’d kick you in the shins for saying it; she’s old before her time that kid and you ache for her. She’s also hilarious.

As for March and Edyon. ALL THE FEELS.

I am ambivalent towards Ambrose, which might be terrible of me but he was my least fave and I wished Catherine would stop going on so much about how much she loved him. I WANT DEMON HUNTING AND CUTE BOYS KISSING DAMMIT. This cliched romance between princess and guard, whilst vital, fell a bit flat. And actually now I am thinking about it, that is my issue – I like Ambrose and he has the worst luck so he does not deserve this from me, I just don’t think I like him with Catherine and so much of his story was their pining and he did not have the same amount of excellence as she did and so did not keep me engaged.

The story switches between each of the five and whilst it starts off as separate threads you realise pretty quickly that these stories are going to overlap and I am so here for that you don’t even know. It’s so clever and well thought out and the world-building here is spot on and we all know how I live for that. The character voices are all really distinct too so I never felt like anybody was interchangeable which can defo be thing when you have so many people telling a story. I was one hundred percent engaged pretty much the whole time and I ended it wanting to have a small tantrum because I want book two right now.

Overall, then, I loved this book, I loved it and I’m super looking forward to book two for sure and with the exception of Ambrose (sorry dude) and the fact there was a lot of unnecessary F-bombing - which doesn’t bother me, I have no problem with swearing but I noticed here which makes me think there must be a lot and I kind of wondered why – this is a pretty solid start to a series and a great break away from the supernatural Half Bad. It isn’t perfect and it’s by no means the best writing ever: it’s flawed and now I’ve sat down to talk about it, I’m remembering the things that made me sort of grimace a little bit, like the swearing and the sometimes clunky writing and the fact that some narratives were more fully fleshed out than others, but wow I was so engaged and I couldn’t put it down and I just…all faults aside I really really liked it. I LIKED IT.

And the copy I have is SO PRETTY. The cover is all pastely and it has coloured edges and I swoon.

The Smoke Thieves is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series, featuring an ensemble cast of (you guessed it) young adults from different countries and walks of life, whose paths and fates converge in unexpected ways. You’ve got a princess, a thief, a demon hunter, a servant, and a soldier who all play important parts in events as kingdoms come to a clash in a new war. Their choices will affect not just their own lives (and hearts) but the course of nations.

This was an enjoyable read. This is definitely a fantasy series with more of a human motivation/political intrigue angle than and wizards-and-fireballs angle. The human side of the world is interesting in its own right, and then how the author worked demons and magic into it adds a twist I hadn’t really seen before. The characters you’re supposed to like are all likable/relatable enough. The villain(s) are clear from the get-go. Maybe a little too clear; I do like my villains to operate more in a gray area than just being outright vile, but it works for this book. The story has a good pace. It’s a nice mix of action, romance, intrigue, and introspection. As the author jumps around to different characters with each chapter, you get to see events converge from several angles, which I appreciate when done well (and this is).

It does have a few problems. Some of the “main” characters tended toward being a bit one-dimensional, while one of the secondary characters is actually (so far, to me) the most interesting character in the story. It’s got the dreaded YA love triangle. And I have some questions about the big reveal regarding the magical stuff; namely, how this is only now becoming known/an issue when its been around for centuries. (This vagueness is me attempting to avoid spoilers).

But overall, if you like fantasy intrigue and you’re looking for a somewhat unique and lighter YA read, give this a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once I got into this book, I did genuinely enjoy it. To start with, I got a bit confused with so many perspectives that had nothing to do with each other but definitely got used to all the different characters and the ways that they finally interlinked with one another.

The perspectives, to me, had very defined and individual voices that meant the reader could really be immersed in each individual's thoughts and actions. Tash was definitely my favourite perspective to read from- she was fearless and motivated- things I can definitely appreciate from such a young character.

As with the perspectives, it also took me a little bit to get used to the world- understanding which lands were rivalled or allied with others and where everyone was from was pretty overwhelming to begin with. As the novel progresses, however, we get used to the world and everything that happens within it. (didn’t find the index of all the people and where they were from until the end of the book!)

I found Catherine to be irritating with her obsession with Ambrose; I felt like we could not go two minutes without her pining for him. I get that it’s a 16 year old girl but man did she drive me insane.

Overall, this was a fun book in an interesting world and I really loved some of the characters. Think I will end up continuing the series just to get more Tash and March to be honest!

Intriguing fantasy adventure

The lives of four characters intersect in a land of countries balanced on a precarious peace. A princess, an illegitimate son of a prince, a servant, and a demon hunter battle their individual woes and trials before being caught up war.
This is a strong start to new fantasy series, full of interesting characters of conflicting loyalties. The countries, their leaders and their people are set up clearly with distinct traits.
The ‘smoke’ of the title comes from little-seen creatures called demons. The smoke is exhaled when demons are killed and is then sold illegally as a drug. The smoke is mentioned at the very beginning of the story and takes some time for the significance to be realised, but is an interesting idea. Demon smoke and fortune-telling are the main fantasy elements and are used well alongside the non-magical court schemes and battles.
Despite some predictable elements (as is the case with most fantasy adventure stories), I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. I thought the inner conflicts regarding the characters’ loyalties to their friends, families and countries, was really well explored. I look forward to seeing where their journeys take them next.

I am so sorry.. I just couldn't get through this book. I tried, but I just couldn't get invested. I am bound to try on a later date again and hopefully will post a review!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for giving me this book to review

Smoke Thieves is a really good high fantasy novel with adventure, political intrigue and demons. I really like the five different point of views and how their stories started off as mostly separate but connected by the end. It was fast paced, and I felt like the world building was pretty solid as I understood the different cultures of the countries, especially Brigant and Pitoria.

Catherine is intelligent and driven to be accepted by create her own path and be her own person, not under the foot of her father or brother. Ambrose is loyal and honourable and very protective of Catherine and his family. March, I think was my least favourite as I felt like he didn’t question anything and was always a follower. Edyon was my favourite character as he is charming and a quick talker. Tash is nimble and sassy and while still a child she seemed mature for her age.

I enjoyed this book and I hope we don’t have long to wait for the next book. I would recommend to fans of the Darkhaven books and The Orphan Queen series.

If you like fantasy you will like this book. There are five main characters but they all revolve around the two female protagonists, Catherine - a princess, and Tash - a 13 year old assistant demon hunter. This is a medieval world of kingdoms at war, intrigue, betrayal and cunning. Faced paced and an easy read. My only quibble - I know this is the first of a sequel but I thought the ending too abrupt. However I did enjoy the book.

anyone who enjoys fantasy will love this book.
It was so well written and the world was amazingly built.
I felt for all the characters and couldn't wait to continue reading on - the plot was so gripping from the start.

I was a huge fan of Sally Green's Half Bad series so when I heard she had turned her hand to a multi-pov fantasy I was beyond excited....and she didn't disappoint. Like Half Bad the world is incredibly vivid and the characters layered and complex. I'm relived this part of a series as I simply could not get enough. The only problem will be waiting a year for the next installment!!

DNF/Put down for now - 28%

This book is taking me forever to get into, I am enjoying the way in which the author writes, it's just kind of hard work getting through a couple of the perspectives. It feels a little jumpy, and I'm not enjoying it right now. I am very intrigued by Tash's perspective but every time it switches to one of the other characters I get fed up and put it down. I know I will return to this at some point and really enjoy it but for now it's a dnf.

Welcome to "The Smoke Thieves", a medieval-inspired world of kings, princesses and demons!

CONS

Demons. Magical creatures (good or evil) always steal my heart. I'm excited about the sequel to learn more about these human-like red, orange and purple demons and about the demon smoke. Oh, and this leads me to ...

TASH! A spunky thirteen year-old demon hunter. At first, she did annoy me because all she could think about was buying some boots. But then she grew on me with her attitude.

Female Power! Sadly, women always lived (and still do) in a world that sees them as weak and less capable than men. Catherine's journey from an oppressed princess to a woman who speaks her mind shows that any woman - anyone - has the power to forge her own path and the power to gain agency. It's such a beautiful message.

CONS

Where are the plot twists? I'm not saying the plot is predictable, but there are clues since the beginning of what is going to happen, so in the end there were no twists (and only one death made my heart ache).

Edyon. It annoyed me how he could be freezing to death (and running for his life), but all he could think about was having March on a bed. I was hoping for a cute romance, but Edyon ended up being too pushy. And that's not okay!