I went into this expecting to love it. It seemed something I'd love.
However it took me so long to get interested in. It felt like it took forever to read 20%. The pacing was just too slow.

Another thing for me is it had too many POVs. I would of preferred 2 or 3 instead of 5. Sometimes I get muddled up when there's too many. I also tend to struggle connecting with characters if chapters are short and each chapter changing POV.
Catherine had to most interesting story for me. I'm interested to see where it goes.
Thankfully towards the last 3rd I became interested. The action picked up and made me want to pick up book 2 once it's out.

I thank Netgalley for providing me the E-ARC for an honest review.
I was overwhelmed by the news that I received the ARC of this book as its one of the anticipated releases of May. Well talking about the book , I will say I loved the book at great extent ,but the book lacked at point as well. Smoke thieves I'd say is a Historical Fantasy based in Medieval times. The story is narrated by 5 POV's ,different characters take the story forward linking three countries Pitoria, Calidor and Brigant.
I provide you a rough sketch of the 5 characters :
~Catherine ,Princess of Brigant who is supposed to marry Prince of Pitoria as a political alliance.
~Ambrose ,Royal Guard of Brigant who is in love with Catherine.
~Edynon,Illegitimate son of Prince of Calidor.
~March ,Abask survivor and servant of Prince of Calidor.
~Tash , Demon Hunter and collector of Demon smoke .
The characters take the story forward but sometimes I felt the POV's were to lengthy and ought to be cut short especially March 's as his POV was the most boring. Nevertheless the first half of the book was amazing and engrossing , the middle part slacked but the book picked up momentum again near the end . The book focused a lot on world building and character development . And I think the author promises more in the other books of the series. With a abrupt ending , I just can't wait to read more of the series.

I was very excited to start Sally Green's new series and I was not disappointed. the premise of demons that have smoke with special powers is super intriguing. The book is instantly gripping, thanks to an enthralling demon chasing sequence at the start.
I raced through this book, I think mainly due to the short chapters from multiple character's perspectives. The five main characters are all so different - some likable, some not. Annoyingly at times it felt like this book was just a set up for the next book, which I know has to happen at the start of a series, but still I wish it had more of it's own resolved story. However this is still a great book and I'd highly recommend. I can't wait for book two - there's so much potential for what could happen next!

I really enjoyed this book. It’s multiple perspectives allowed you to see the characters grow. My favourite POV has got to be Catherine’s. I loved it. I thought that it started off a little slow, but it’s still a great read and an enjoyable book.

Normally i do not like stories that swap, shift and change like this one does. It drives me absolutely crazy and is normally why I put a book down or just loose interest all together.

This one was different i had to know Tash was ok and then I wanted to know what happened to Catherine and Ambrose . Would Catherine accept her arranged marriage or would she run away with Ambrose ? The need to find out how the story goes and how it will end compelled me to see it through.

I can't wait to see what happens next. I look forward to seeing the ride of Catherine the White and her Prince .

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing adventurous book and to know its the start of a trilogy...wow

where to start with this amazing book...it has hints of game of thrones with several stories throughout the book that culminate in a fantastic ending...though its not really an ending

its bloody and horrific but funny and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire book and though we are left at the end of the book wanting more, it helps knowing that there is two more books in this series

where has this author been hiding..another one to keep an eye out for...she writes amazing stories

This was overall an okay fantasy read for me. I like the stories that are told in multiple point of views and this was one of the things I really liked in this book. Almost all characters were interesting in their own way.
Following the footsteps of many other young adult novels, this book is again set in a fantasy kingdom packed with kings, princesses and princes. Not the most original plot line but I liked the style of writing and I think the end was really good!

Overall, it was an enjoyable read most of the time, but I think it has lots of gaps to be a great series than an average one. I see very mixed reviews on Goodreads too. For now I’m guessing I enjoyed it enough to continue to the series. And I’m very curious because of the big cliff hanger ending 🙂
What I liked about the book:
1. We start the book with Princess Catherine, who was the character which hooked me all the way through. A part of the story is quite ordinary with kingdoms, princes, power wars, etc. Even then, among this, I think Princess Catherine was a special character that I cared for.
2. The ordinary kingdom story got connected with the fantasy of demon smoke at the end, which made it more interesting. And I think we will read more of that aspect in the sequel.
3. Although, the story was not so original as I said, the writing made it still nice to read.
4. The end was really good. I think Green connected the characters and stories really well and left it with a cliff hanger that drives you crazy 🙂
What could be better:
1. The book was too long. Some characters are not as interesting, and we went into other side stories in deep, which made the book long and at times, boring. It would be better if there are less parts from so many characters, and the story connected sooner.
2. I think people are asking if there are TWs. At the very beginning of the book, there’s a violent scene that’s very graphic. I admit it upset me a lot that I was going to DNF the book. But, somehow I continued and there were no other graphic description after that. So, don’t think the book is like that all throughout. Nevertheless, I’m against those graphic descriptions, so I didn’t like it anyway.
3. The story could be more imaginative and original. Most of it was the usual kingdom politics, which we read in many many YA fantasies.
I will read the sequel as I’m curious about Catherine’s evolution, and the follow up of the events.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin publishers for granting an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first time I tried reading The Smoke Thieves I didn’t finish it. I put it down after two chapters.

A couple days ago I decided to give The Smoke Thieves another shot in case the first time was due to me just not being in the mood. Luckily I actually managed to finish it this time!

Sadly I still didn’t love The Smoke Thieves. For me it was just okay.

Most of the book wasn’t super thrilling. Sure, there were a few mysteries to keep you going, but the whole thing just wasn’t super exciting. There were several different points of view:

1. Tash, the demon hunter. Her chapters were okay. She was kind of cute and spunky.

2. Catherine, a princess getting ready for an arranged marriage. Her chapters were easily my favourite! I love the idea of a princess going to a new kingdom, facing an arranged marriage, torn between political allegiances, etc. Her relationship with Ambrose was kind of eyerolly (see below) but luckily there was a bunch of other stuff going on too. I particularly loved her interactions with her betrothed.

3. Ambrose, the princess’s bodyguard and labelled traitor. I didn’t love him as much as I wanted to. I thought his character was a little cardboardy. It was a great character on paper: a guy betrayed by his country and falling in love with the princess he’s supposed to be protecting. But in practice he just wasn’t that exciting. There’s supposed to be kind of a flirty forbidden romance there but I wasn’t feeling it. Zero chemistry. And Catherine kind of acted like a 16 year old girl and Ambrose more like a 28 year old guy. Maybe I’m totally off but that’s what I was picturing.

4. March, a servant seeking revenge on his master (a prince). His backstory was kind of cool but I wasn’t super entertained by his chapters. Mostly just boring.

5. Edyon, a kleptomaniac. He was kind of a naive frilly snob. He was probably my least favourite along with Marsh. His attitude just grated on me.

The two biggest downsides for me were the lack of connection/investment I felt, and something about the writing style just kind of kept me at arm’s length. I had a hard time really clicking with this book.

I feel like this fantasy was really “proper”. Everything about it felt kind of refined and picture-perfect. It’s not that everything was awesome, it’s more like every character had their specific personality and place and they played it to a T. There was very little grey area and it made all the characters seem fake. For instance, there’s this character Boris who’s HORRIBLE but he’s almost unbelievably horrible? The things he said seemed clownish. He thinks super highly of himself, is a massive sexist, and treated his sister like dirt. Another reviewer labelled him as “cartoonishly evil” and that’s a great way to put it. I couldn’t even love to hate him; he was just terribly annoying.

But the best parts were Catherine’s chapters—I was always eager to get to those—and when things finally picked up pace at the end.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Sally Green’s others books (I hadn’t read any) then I do recommend you give this book a shot. If you already know that you click with her writing style then you might enjoy the book a lot more than I did. The ending is actually kind of exciting so there is some potential here.

Fantasy with multiple storylines/viewpoints & several bloodthirsty scenes...a kind of tamer, more accessible GoT for teens. Pace sags a little in the middle but plight of stronger characters keep the pages turning & cliff-hanger ending leaves reader wanting more. Should be popular.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



★★☆☆☆

DNF at 41%



I went into The Smoke Thieves expecting something along the lines of Six of Crows, with four strangers lives coming together and something kind of big connecting them. If, like me you go into it expecting the same, don’t. It’s nothing like it.

The Smoke Thieves focuses on four people with very different lives. From Princess Catherine of Brigant, being married off for political gain by her father, to Tash, a teen sold by her family to a demon hunter. To Edyon, a thief who thanks to being born out of wedlock can’t go to school to become a lawyer, and finally to March, his home and family destroyed thanks to the war between Brigant and Calidor, servant to the prince of Calidor who betrayed the people of Abask.

With the POV’s alternating between all four we learn little by little about them all, seeing their lives and how they begin to connect, but here is where it starts to get boring and where I lost interest. Each character repeats themselves, each with one thing they clearly want and as the reader you’re reminded over and over and over again. I get it, they want that. Not to mention the story felt like it was dragging, the characters boring.

I’ve not read Sally Green’s Half Bad trilogy, but I’d heard good things from it and expected good things from this. Sadly I was wrong and I won’t pick it up again to try and finish it. With a good premise it’s a let down.



Did I like the book? I wanted to.

Did I love it? Nope.

Would I recommend it? Nope. Boring characters with a dragging story, wasted potential on what could’ve been a good book.

I'm still not sure what fell so flat at the end for me to drop a star rating, perhaps it's the predictable climax or the some-closure-but-only-to-start-a-series-style ending. I really did love the first part of the novel; I was engrossed by all of the characters in various ways.

I devoured Sally Green's HALF BAD, though the second book in that trilogy I didn't even finish (perhaps I will one day, but compared to the first book, I struggled so much).

Sally Green is an amazing writer, but there's some inconsistency. I wanted to love the rest of the book the same way I loved the beginning, but the second half felt rushed and hastily put together. I wanted to love it, but overall I simply liked it.

Please blow me away with the next book.

Please.

Disclaimer: thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to compare The Smoke Thieves with a color, it'd be beige. Bland, run-of-the-mill beige. Fades nicely into the background and doesn't steal the show.



I really struggled getting through this book. Firsts in a fantasy series are always tricky, but I at least expect something to keep me going - either the characters, the plot, or the world building.
The Smoke Thieves follows five different (eh, at least that's what it says) perspectives that read like the same person for about the first half of the book. God bless Chapter titles. There was no personality - unless you count pining for someone or running really fast while checking out naked demons a personality.
Editing also seems like a big problem with this book. I said it within the first five percent of this book and I - like the book - will repeat myself: how many sentences can you possibly need to describe that someone can run fast? I don't need an entire history lesson - just say she runs fast and that's it. Those other five sentences should have at least added to the character's personality - but no, they just repeatedly stated that she ran fast. What a ride. I am so intrigued.
All this could have been fine - characters develop over time, after all. But there was nothing to keep me invested in the story - the romances weren't that deep, there was no intrigue or tension, no set-up for the reader to actually fear for the outcome. And while I probably shouldn't say this, I think that potato chips and my couch have more chemistry than Catherine and Ambrose. Not that that will keep them from pining for even a second.
Another point was the fact that the good and evil guys were just that - good and evil. There was no grey area, there were just bad (people like Boris who I want to kill after reading this novel) and good people (like Catherine who might have actually bored me to death).

This book was marketed as the first in a series in the likes of Game of Thrones.
I can assure you that it is not like that. The violence seemed unnecessary, there was no real plot twist (at least not one that you couldn't spot from miles away) and no sweeping romance. If you're looking for a YA version of GoT, you might be better served with Morgan Rhodes' Falling Kingdoms series.

All in all, this just wasn't for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters (they felt interchangeable at times), the story didn't keep me turning the pages, and the world was nothing particularly new or innovative. The writing style irked me as well but since I've never read a Sally Green book before, this might have been a fluke.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

It was a little ambitious and a little insane

* *
2 / 5

I read and liked Green's "Half Bad", but it wasn't really my genre. The Smoke Thieves, however, seemed right up my reading alley - a fantasy novel, a princess looking to rebel, a demon hunter, some sort of intriguing political skulduggery - but unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. It felt like a was reading a novel aimed at thirteen year olds, but it had the occasional "adult" language and scenes thrown in that seemed like a cheap attempt to appeal to an older audience.

Men and power. They loved it and were addicted to it more than she could understand

Contrary to the synopsis of the book, The Smoke Thieves has five main characters, all of which had their own chapters. I liked two of them. Let's start with those! Tash is a thirteen year old girl who hunts demons with her mentor, a gruff older man called Gravell. She's spunky and bold and runs like the wind. Together, the two hunt demons for the smoke they expel when they die, which people use to get high off. It's also incredibly illegal, so they live a life constantly on the move. Despite the title, The Smoke Thieves, it's only really Tash's chapters and the very end that actually have anything to do with demons or their smoke...

Then we have March, a servant to the Prince of Calidor. Calidor was at war with Brigant and in the process destroyed March's homeland, the country of Abask. March seeks revenge and travels to Pitoria to find the Prince's illegitimate son and deliver him to Brigant, to see the Prince suffer as he had suffered. I felt a lot of sympathy for March and high hopes for his romance arc. In tricking the Prince's son, Edyon, March begins to fall in love with him. Unfortunately, Edyon is a bit of a boring flat pancake and seems like a bit of an idiot.

When I represent my country I am not a woman: I am a land and a people and a queen

Then we have Princess Catherine of Brigant, a country that is seriously sexist and her brother is an absolute ass, who is betrothed to the Prince of Pitoria. Unfortunately, 90% of her thoughts are occupied by our final character, Ambrose. I didn't care one whit about Ambrose's chapters, which mostly consist of travelling and thinking about how he can't be with Catherine because of her station. Catherine, who is a bit more interesting, spends her time trying to win over the people of her new kingdom, thinking about how much her life sucks (it does, it's depressing to read about), and daydreaming about Ambrose.

Five characters is a lot; it's far too much when only a few of them are even likeable or interesting. Most of them have separate arcs and journeys, only really joining together at the end, and whilst I admire Green's ambition, it didn't really work. The story is very slow, it takes a long time for an overall plot to emerge, and there's way too much focus on the romance. The twists at the end don't really make sense and it's all a bit black and white: some guys are clearly good, others are cartoonishly evil.

The Smoke Thieves would have appealed to me more when I was thirteen, but the book clearly seems aimed at older teenagers. The result is an unfocused book that drags on.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

I've never read anything by Sally Green before, but within the first chapter I knew I was going to love this book. It is a strong contender for my favourite book of 2018 and it's definitely become one of my favourite series. I can't wait for the next installment.

The Smoke Thieves is a high fantasy book with the chapters alternating between the points of view of each of the main characters. This style is very reminiscent of Game of Thrones but it's much less of a slog to get through and remember who everyone is. I found myself invested in each of the characters and every time the POV switched I was excited to see how their story was going to develop or what had happened to them in the time between each chapter.

This book is set across three kingdoms and each one is fantastically built and unique, jostling for power and dominance and attempting to make unions to further their own paths.

My favourite character arcs were Tash and Gravell and their squabbly father-daughter type relationship as they illegally hunt demons for their smoke, and Princess Catherine. Catherine's arc was probably the one which had the most development, and the most potiential for further development in the coming books. She starts the book as a child being effectively traded by her father for the good of the kingdom and she ends up becoming a leader. I liked the romance between her and Ambrose but personally I'm rooting for her to end up with the Prince.

I think it's worth warning you not to get too attached to the characters in this series as at least once in this book my heart was broken and with the war in full swing I foresee this only getting worse.

I can't wait for the next book in the series but in the meantime I've been to the library to get my hands on some more Sally Green books!

There are so many characters in the book, and they are all so integral to the story in their own wcover131358-mediumay, so rather than give you an overview of the story line, I wanted to think about the characters independently: (note this list is not comprehensive and in no particular order)

March, His family were killed by the prince he now serves, His parents by their hand and his brother by but he has a hidden loyalty to Holywell and leaves the Prince to join Holywell

Holywell, claims he is of Abask descent, just like March and has take the boy under his wing now he has left the servitude of the Prince. Together they are hunting Regan.

Lord Regan, supported Thelonius in the fight on the Abask. He is a close friend of the prince. He visits the fair to meet someone, could it be Edyon?

Edyon, visits a fortune teller with the bones of an animal as requested, to hear his future has a dark and Ominous Twist. His mother works as a merchant at the fair. He’s also left with the words “thievery is not always the wrong one”

Thelonius, prince served by March, lost his wife and child recently and the grief is hard on him

Ambrose, Guard to the Princess Catherine, who he cares for more than he should, his sister, Ann has been beheaded by the king for reasons he doesn’t believe, and he’s running for his life.

Noyes, tactical… hunting Ambrose because of his affection for Catherine, but under the guise that he killed Boris’s men

Boris, Planning Princess Catherine Wedding to Prince, forced Ambrose to fight his men for his honour.

Oswald, Accused of having an affair with Ann, his oldest and dearest friend

Catherine, Princess in Brigant. Departing for Pitoria to marry a prince she has been promised to, but never met. His name is Tzsain. She clearly has feeling for Ambrose, and it is obvious early on that she seeks to more, and will become a likely heroine in the story.

King Aloysius 2 of Brigant, ruler who appears tyrannical and father to Catherine, Boris and Noyes

Queen Isabel, wife to the Kind, Mother to Catherine, Boris and Noyes. Not allowed to leave the castle.

Tash, sold to Gravell, Fast runner, Deamon hunter, and like all good girls is obsessed with getting a new pair of boots.

Gravell, Demon hunter, smoke seller, brought Tash to help him with these tasks, but hes obviously fond of her. They ve found a purple smoke they want to sell. But there’s something about it that’s different to the others…

This is a story of Power, greed, and courage. Loyalty and family, the one we are born with and the allegiances we make to form a new one.34508382

The narrative I liked best was Catherine’s, it felt the most personal, detailed and important to the story. Whist all of the others would likely change the story and are no doubt needed I found myself less interested in their activities and expeditions than the Princesses which is something I found interesting as I read the book, because its called the Smoke Thieves, so I felt I should be concentrating on Tash’s story, or Gravells. The ‘hints’ to the bigger story suggested to me that my preference maybe not as misguided as I originally thought the further I got into the book, but as to whether I made the right narrative allegiance – you’ll have to read the book to find out

The Smoke Thieves is one of the most engaging titles I have read in a long time. I was recommended it by a colleague who was so enthusiastic about the book I had to check it out! The thing that grabbed me most about The Smoke Thieves was the characters. The chapters were split between each of the the different characters perspectives and that really helped me get to know each one. There is definitely a character to suit every reader. There is Tash, a young orphan Smoke Thief who dreams of adventure and improving her lot, Princess Catherine, a royal who finds herself at the centre of court intrigue and scandal, March, a rogue who has it out for the Prince of the realm and Edyon, a young man just trying to find his place in the world. The characters each resonated with me for different reasons, but my favourite by far was Tash. There was something about her confidence and sense of adventure that I fell in love with. The world building was also incredible. Sally Green managed to make the world feel fully realised and solid within the first few chapters of the book, so that moving forward with the story I wasn't at all confused about where each character was in the world and how each of the places related to each other. The writing style was completely engaging and the book was absolutely unputdownable. I've recommended this book to everyone and will continue to do so. I so keen for book two!

The Smoke Thieves is the start of a series of fantasy books by Sally Green following five different characters, five teenagers who could change the world and though this book feels like a foundation for the rest of the series plot-wise, these characters are excellently developed.

Green’s focus on creating great female characters shines in this book, in particular creating women that are more than one dimensional and far from cookie cutter in Catherine and in Tash. Catherine is the rich, feminine character and Tash is her opposite in that, but The Smoke Thieves builds both of them in really good ways.

The plot is reminiscent of way too many things for me. The Kiss Of Deception, Caraval springs to mind, Game Of Thrones for the period the book is told in, Falling Kingdoms for the multiple perspectives. However I feel this first book is the basis for a lot of good things to come and so though it does these things, I am curious as to where these books will go, so I am going to give it a chance.

If you like Falling Kingdoms or The Remnant Chronicles, you might be into this.

I loved this book even though it did take me a little while to get into with so many POVs as I'm not used to 5 POVs in a book. But as soon as I got round that I got sucked into this world. I think it definitely helped that all the POVs had me guessing how they would all come together in the end. I also adored the little illustrations at the beginning of each chapter that showed which character would be narrating, it was a nice little touch!
Definitely can't wait for the next installment!