My Thoughts On...
...The Plot

In Pitoria we meet Tash as she prepares to lure a demon from hiding so her boss Gravell can kill it and take the smoke which emerges from its dying body to sell on the black market. In Brigant we meet Catherine as she prepares to witness the execution of a traitor, struggling with her feelings for her guard Ambrose when she has already been promised in marriage to the prince of Pitoria. In Calidor we meet March a refugee who's planning his revenge against the prince responsible for the death of his people.

There are five POVs in this book. We're told the story from the perspectives of Tash, Catherine and March as well as Ambrose, who seeks the truth as to why his sister was branded a traitor and executed for her crimes, and Edyon, who is the bastard son of the prince of Calidor. I've read books with multiple POVs which haven't been written well but The Smoke Thieves was not one of them. Sally Green introduced Edyon about a quarter of the way through the story which allowed room for the other four characters to be introduced, and I loved reading all the ways the five characters stories intertwined.

It's in Pitoria, the home of princess Catherine's betrothed, where we meet Edyon, whom March and his friend Holywell are searching for. When Edyon steals a bottle of demon smoke from Gravell he isn't aware of the events he has set in motion. While Gravell and Tash are determined to get the bottle back no matter the cost and Edyon has no idea what it's potential really is, the smoke holds the answers Ambrose is looking for and could mean war for Pitoria, Calidor and Brigant.

The beginning of The Smoke Thieves was slow as we were introduced to the world and all the different characters whose journeys we'd be following. There was action to keep my invested in the story, but there was a lot more build up in the opening chapters. It was incredibly well written, small hints dropped and each character had their individual characteristics and motivations explored before they came together.

...The Characters

Tash is the first character we're introduced to in The Smoke Thieves, and she's definitely one of my favourites. Taken from her family by Gravell to help him hunt demons she sees the gruff demon hunter as her family; she's loyal to him but not blinded by her loyalty either. Tash is only thirteen so she does some stupid and reckless things trying to get what she wants, which more often than not is boots, but she's smart, tough, and after helping hunt them something of an expert on demons.

It took me a while to fully appreciate Catherine's character, and by a while I mean it's only looking back on the story that I've realised how well her development throughout this book was written. Catherine was raised in a place where women have no power, and it's only through her arranged marriage that she gets the opportunity to change that. She wants to make the people of her new kingdom love her so she teaches herself their traditions, adopts their fashions, and makes herself someone to be looked up to. That said I'm not a massive fan of the love triangle that seems to be developing between Catherine, Ambrose, and Tzsayn.

March doesn't remember much about his home or his family, having lost both to the war waging between Brigand and Calidor when he was young, but he wants vengeance for his people. There are times when it felt like March was being manipulated by Holywell rather than led by him; before they know the identity of the princes illegitimate son they will be delivering to his enemy all March thinks about is the pain it will cause the prince, but the more he gets to know Edyon the more he questions the choices they're making.

Edyon's life has been shaped by the fact that he doesn't know who his father is. He steals because it's more of an impulse than anything else, and even knowing it gets him into trouble he can't resist when he sees the demon smoke among Gravell's belongings. Edyon has had an easy life compared to March and Holywell, which is a cause of scorn for Holywell, but he trusts them with his safety after having his life saved by March more than once.

The relationship growing between March and Edyon was one I loved reading. While March is hiding the truth from Edyon Edyon is an open book when it comes to the other boy. He doesn't seem to hold anything back not even his feelings while March is much more hesitant, especially because he is aware of what he and Holywell are planning for Edyon.

...The Setting

There was a lot to develop in third first book. There are three separate countries – even if we don't spend a lot of time in Calidor or Brigand – all with their own rules, leaders politics and way of life that need to be expanded on and Sally Green does that incredibly well in this first book. There is still some things I would love to see developed more in the next book, mainly the world of the demons which was only really glanced over in this book, but I never felt lost in The Smoke Thieves as Catherine travels from Brigand to Pitoria, or as March and Holywell travel from Calidor to Pitoria.

I enjoyed the whole book but the ending to The Smoke Thieves was what stood out for me, it was explosive as plenty of secrets were revealed and our five heroes finally realised what they'd be facing. Sally Green wrote a brilliant conclusion to what I think was a strong start to a new series, and I can already tell it's going to make for an epic second book.

What's it about?

A princess, a traitor, a soldier, a hunter and a thief.

In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father, while her true love, Ambrose, faces the executioner's block. 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 through life. 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 five heroes find their lives transformed and their futures inextricably linked by the unpredictable tides of war.

(Blurb adapted from Penguin Books. Thank you, Penguin)

My thoughts

I remember picking up Sally Green's first novel Half Bad and staying up all night to read it. I remember the next morning going down to my local bookshop to buy the next one, and hovering round on publication day a year later of the third until they put it on display. I wasn't sure what to expect with this new series, but there was no way I was not going to read it.

For me, this was a bit of a curate's egg. I loved the ambition behind the novel, and the way Green built an entire world to hold her story. I liked the five different perspectives and the clear delineations between them. I loved the imagination behind the demon smoke and the intricacies of warfare. I especially loved the relationships nurtured, particularly between March and Edyon.

However, I felt it never really got going as a story. I remember thinking when I was about halfway through that surely I was going to get into it now, that something was definitely going to hook me in the next chapter or so. That didn't happen until the end of the book, and it felt like the entire story was building and building to a climax that only half happened.

Additionally, I wanted more depth in the characters. I wanted to know more about Edyon's relationship with his mother, and Catherine's with hers for that matter. I wanted to know more about how Tash ended up with Gravell, and how March felt about the loss of his family. I came away not really sure if I knew anything about the character, and for a long book like this, I wanted more. Maybe that'll happen further into the series, but shouldn't it be part of the set-up?

There was also the obvious Game of Thrones comparisons- a white-haired princess sold into marriage to a foreigner by cruel family, for one- but I bet George R R Martin nabbed most of his source material from somewhere, so that's not strictly fair on Sally Green. I do want to know what happens next, and I will be reading the next one, but I'd like the next one to have a little more pace.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, I think so. It's not as instantly gripping as Half Bad, but I think it'll be a grower.

Sally Green has done it again! The Smoke Thieves is set in an incredibly brutal world full of characters, history and a story that rivals even that of the Half Bad Universe. Cannot WAIT for the next book!

This is one of the books I acquired through Net Galley, and it is, quite frankly, a read it at your earliest convenience.
It's the first of what I believe will be a trilogy and concerns the intersecting lives and adventures of four teenagers. It is one of those books that you never want to put down, except there were a few points where I got kind of scared for the characters and had to stop. In my defence, I hadn't realised it was the first of a trilogy at first. If I had, I would have been less nervous!
I particularly liked that it had two rather wonderful female protagonists, both very different characters and definitely not the kind of standard cut out female characters you often find. The male protagonists were interesting characters as well. The four main characters are really four very different people and I love that. There were times where it was hard to remember they were teenagers, but then there were little moments periodically that reminded you.
I really cannot wait to read more, but I will have to be patient...

This one was really good, since it was an advanced copy the formatting errors were expected. Character wise I liked Tash and Ambrose from the start, Catherine grew on me, I changed my mind about March, but still don’t know what to think about Edyon. Got into the story right away, found it easy to follow. Love the plot and can’t wait until the next one.

I absolutely love Sally Green! The Half Bad trilogy was amazing, if you haven’t read that yet I definitely recommend it! The Smoke Thieves is the first book in Green’s new fantasy series.

Following 5 different teens, The Smoke Thieves has wonderfully balanced and intelligent characters, plenty of action, and a mystery to keep you guessing.

Catherine is a princess of Brigant, preparing for an arranged marriage organised by her father, the cruel ruler many fear. Ambrose, one of Catherine’s sworn guards, will do whatever it takes to protect his princess. March is a servant to the Prince of Calidor, seeking revenge after the vicious war between Brigant and Calidor destroyed his life and people. Edyon is a thief and steals small trinkets for fun as he travels around the country. And Tash, a young demon hunter, risks her life in order to capture highly illegal but coveted smoke from demons. When their paths cross and they find themselves linked by magic and war, who will prevail?

I was a bit nervous going into this because I loved the Half Bad trilogy so much, but it lived up to my expectations!

The Smoke Thieves is narrated by the five main characters, the chapters split up between them so you can see from all their points of view. This way of telling the story allows you to experience each of the characters thoughts and feelings and follow them on their individual journeys, as well as seeing the bigger picture. All of the characters had unique personalities and seeing their development throughout the course of the story is so interesting! They all grow as people and become more confident and sure in themselves, which is lovely to see. I enjoyed getting to know each character and seeing the story unfold through different eyes as all their paths cross and lives intertwine.

The world building was good, I liked the concept of demon smoke: obtained after a demon has been killed, it’s red/purple in colour but is illegal to buy or sell. However, the demon smoke is part of the mystery interwoven in this book, since it’s not all as it seems, and links the characters together in their attempts to uncover hidden secrets. I think there could have been more description of the settings the characters travel through, but this might just be personal preference because I love vivid imagery in books.

I adored the romances, and the ending was fantastic: what a cliffhanger! I’m excited for the next book to see where the story goes!

I’m giving this book 4 stars because even though I found some description to be missing, the plot was so engaging and the character development through the story was fantastic! This was a great fantasy novel and I have high hopes for the rest of the series!

The Smoke Thieves is the first part in a new Trilogy from Author Sally Green, Sally is most famous of the Half Bad series, a series that I haven't actually read yet but I can assure you after reading, The Smoke Thieves, it will be going straight up to to the top of my reading list. I was expecting this to be good but I didn't expect that it would the kind of good that meant I literally spent a whole Sunday afternoon with several cups of tea and a box of Celebrations reading this and needing to find out what would happen next. The story follows five characters, Catherine, Ambrose, Tash, Erydon and March - A princess, a traitor, a soldier, a hunter and a thief and tells the tale of how these five teenagers stories intertwine and interlink. Catherine, A princess destined to be married to a Prince from another land whom she's never met and knows very little about. Ambrose, Catherine's bodyguard and sworn defendant, but could there be more to that relationship? We have Tash, a thirteen year old Demon Hunter who trades in Demon Smoke. Erydon, a thief currently travelling with the fair but desperately trying to find out what his path is in life and finally, we have March, a soldier working for a King but with a troubled past that he's set on seeking revenge for. 

All of these characters sucked me in, but I have to say that I really liked the female characters in this, Catherine and Tash, they're strong and smart and independent which is a joy to see, whilst we definitely have a bit of a love triangle brewing in the books for Catherine, our princess, it's not the sole focus of the character, her decisions aren't based on her heart rather she's more keen on being seen as a powerful and strong leader. Tash, who very much reminds of Arya from Game of Thrones, I think because she's a young feisty, independent character, that stands her ground but shows the frustrations of being a thirteen year old girl sometimes that's trying to get by in an adult world, The Smoke Thieves offers up some perfect role models for the younger generation. It's not just the female characters either, the male characters in this book are also as interesting as our female characters. There's lots of focus on family relationships within the book, both positive and negative alongside friendship and even a hint of LGBTQ relationship that I am guessing will be further developed in the follow up books. 

The story is written in sequence but jumping from character to character as it progresses which makes for a really enjoyable read,I sometimes find when books are written like this, that it can be confusing but Sally has perfectly told the story so that the book as a whole flows. As I said, there's definitely romance brewing in this book in several different aspects but it's not the focal point, it's more character and story driven and links into friendship, family and politics. I'm very much hoping the Demon element will be further developed in books two and three also as I love the mystical element that this adds.

The Smoke Thieves introduces us to a whole new world of heroes and heroines, demons and dastardly dealings with a light touch and wit and at a fast-moving pace.
The map of this world comes in very handy at the beginning to place everything and the whip smart dialogue will appeal to anyone who likes their stories to get a move on although the narrative never felt rushed.
Catherine is the central figure around which everything ends up revolving, and yes, she is a princess, but not a normal, run-of-the-mill princess.  In fact, she reminded me at times of Buttercup in that perfect fantasy 'The Princess Bride', a little.  Feisty, intuitive and thanks to her mother, not content to settle for a passive life, she deals with everything the novel throws at her but Sally Green ensures she remains human, with weaknesses and emotional complexities too.
It is a book that very much ends on a 'to be continued' note and as the reader, you very much want to continue reading what's next for characters you have come to believe in and care about.

I can't really give a fair review as I didn't finish. I struggled to get into this to be honest, so it might just be me. The writing just didn't pull me in

Unfortunately this just didn't work for me. I found the characters a little superficially written and there were times that I doubted the characters' age; they just seemed to act older then their age. I didn't particularly care about any of the characters and found the romance elements to be frustrating. The two characters supposed to be in love barely know each other and I just couldn't get behind it. The pacing between the multiple perspective was a little jarring, which meant that I felt even more disconnected from the story and characters. This also meant that the plot didn't flow for me and there were times it dragged. Unfortunately the world building was also lacking. Nothing about the world was distinct for me, which is a shame because it had potential. Having said all that, I think a lot of people will like this book. It didn't work for me but if you're interested in the plot I would still recommend checking it out.

This is the first book in a new fantasy series, and I enjoyed reading it.

The characters are well drawn and we get to know them as their various strands weave together through the book.  

The contrasts and customs of each country are well described, and I love the way different factions dye their hair to show their allegiances.

I liked the way we are not told the full details of the demons, but are left in suspense and waiting for the next book - as it should be!

The prose is nicely descriptive - however I deplore the use of the F* word, which doesn't seem to go with the medieval-fantasy setting for this book; I feel that the author should invent some suitable curse words of her own to go with the various countries, and use those instead which would add to the authenticity.

All in all an enjoyable read, and I will look forward to the next in the series.

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Having previously reading half bad by this author and not liking the way it was written, I thought that I would have a go at this book, and unfortunately I couldn't get along with it. I don't fit this particular book.

I received an ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I couldn't finish this book, because of several reasons that jarred me in the book. I have the feeling that when this book is released; readers will either love it or dislike it. 
I liked some of the concepts behind the story that the author portrays and thought that they created a realistic fantastical setting for her characters. One of my issues with the book though was the multiple perspectives that there are. I was confused switching between some of the characters. I assume that eventually, the characters would come together in the story to justify the different perspectives later. I had some doubt in the targetted age range for this book; this was due to the swearing that was in the book. I found at times it was jarring to the narrative and often times unnecessary to be there. 
The only perspective that I enjoyed reading was Catherine's perspective, but even then there were times that I didn't feel invested in her part of the story.

Sally Green has proved yet again that she is a force to be reckoned with, moving on from the black and white witches of the Half Bad trilogy she dips a very elegant toe into the world of YA fantasy, introducing us to a new world of danger, romance, politics and the enticing mystery of demon smoke. 

The Smoke Thieves is excellent, with a plentiful host of main characters, with chapters hopping from person to person, Green crafts a world that’s effortlessly easy to lose hours to. There is some much needed light relief from Tash, fierce companion to an enormous, often drunk demon hunter, definitely my favourite character by far. But even her tale falls to darkness as the novel draws to a close, a trail of death and demon smoke in its wake and leaving us with a painful wait until book two emerges.

Difficult one to review - I really wanted to like this as it had an interesting premise and I liked the female characters immediately (though they are not convincing at their stated ages), but the book seemed to become unbalanced as time went on. Pacing multiple viewpoints is always tricky; the comparison with Game of Thrones is obvious and I'm afraid The Smoke Thieves just doesn't quite get it right for me. We see too little of some characters whose arcs move in great jumps, and too much of others who move too slowly. Comparing again with GoT, where the kingdoms are practically characters in their own right, the universe of The Smoke Thieves doesn't really stand out to me either - I felt like I was reading a Phillipa Gregory Tudor novel (i.e. Catherine's parts) pasted over a nondescript mediaeval Europe background (most of the rest of the characters), and I found that a bit jarring. As for the demons, which could have really made this a  stand-out novel...we barely see them and their whole reason for being in the book is some rather hand-wavy magical drug abuse until a rather hurried reasoning towards the end. They're nothing but prey with no agency of their own - whether this will develop in further sequels I don't know, but I don't think it's enough to keep my interest. As a whole it didn't work for me, unfortunately.

I was not too sure about this book to start with as there were so many characters to get to grips with. However once I had started I was hooked. I liked how the individual threads were woven together with the main characters meeting at the siege. The concept of demon smoke with its powers was interesting and added an element of magic to the mix.

I liked Catherine and Ambrose as well as the two princes - all had depths which were not immediately apparent.

I am very interested to see where the story goes.

I will purchase this for my library but will suggest it to my stronger readers who can deal with a story with multiple characters.

Fantasy novel, first part of a series – good and original plot

This novel involves a range of different characters, all with their own agendas, eventually coming together as war breaks out between rival nations in this fantasy. Tash and Gravell are smoke thieves; Catherine is a princess in a court where women have no power or influence; Ambrose is her bodyguard and then there are the Abask men, March and Holywell as well as Edyon who is a victim of circumstance. Betrayal, death and illegal activity abound.

I enjoyed the originality of the story but did not the simple writing style particularly enthralling. However I enjoyed this enough to want to know how the story progresses.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Totally brilliant....review to come!

Here it is....... I loved Half Bad and I was nervous about whether this book would work, would it be any good, could Sally Green do it again and have another success on her hands..... well the answer is yes to all of those questions, this book is a gem of a fantasy read and if others don't like it I'll be horrifically disappointed as I loved it!

The Smoke Thieves is a completely different deal than the wonderful Half Bad as Sally Green steps away from the Paranormal/Supernatural field and ventures in the world of Young Adult Fantasy (with a few added demons!) with great aplomb. There is a wide cast of characters from a demon hunter to a thief, a princess in love with a soldier and there is even a traitor to boot. All the characters are spread across Sally Green's new fantastical world in turmoil and even I struggled to see how exactly she'd pull them all together coherently by the end of the book, how all the varying plot threads would twist themselves together but have faith as Green really does pull out all the stops by keeping the pace high flying and fast, by keeping the reader entranced and engulfed by the action that flows so quickly you can hardly catch your breath. The characters are all completely contrasting, so very different from each other and all have their flaws that shine out and make them incredibly believable and earthy.

All in all The Smoke Thieves is a bona fide treasure of a book, a YA fantasy classic in the making and a brilliant way to begin a new series for Sally Green. This book had me enthralled, mesmerized and simply bewitched with compelling characters and a highly structured and all-consuming plot...... magnificent and scintillating!

If you are a fan of Game of Thrones, but want something a little easier to follow, then The Smoke Thieves is for you. A book full of different POVs, The Smoke Thieves is set in a wonderful fantastical world where there are countries on the brink of war. We follow the story through the POVs of a princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief who all live separate dangerous lives until they all meet.

Overall I did enjoy this book, I've given it a 3.5 stars. I felt the world building has been focused upon in this book (as expected in a beginning to a new series), and it seems like a really interesting magical world. Green has clearly though out her world through the traditions placed in each of the countries, the political systems that are explained, and the way magic fits into the world. Through the world building, Green explores themes such as politics, magic and duty in the book was what drew me in to the story. These themes are then taken on by the characters in different ways but particularly in Catherine and March, who ended up being my favourite characters.

Full review: https://mythicreader.wordpress.com/2018/02/25/the-smoke-thieves-review/