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 mostly enjoyed The Smoke Thieves and the new world that Sally Green has created.

Look, it’s no secret that I’m a sucker for a royal setting in a fantasy. Add in a forbidden romance and I’m pretty much hooked. It’s for this reason that Catherine and Ambrose’s perspectives were my favourite. Becoming accustomed to a new court, evil family members, going on the run, royal politics and war. It’s my crack. I loved it.

The other perspectives, however... some were better than others. The story opens with a young girl, Tash, chasing demons with her partner Gravell to catch their smoke. It was a very slow beginning and I did contemplate giving up at one point. I really struggled to connect with the story and I think there may have been a stronger viewpoint to open with. I get that the idea was probably to introduce us to who and what “Smoke Thieves” relates to though.

March is a servant who serves the king responsible for destroying his home kingdom and the people in it. He comes across an opportunity for revenge and goes in search of the king’s bastard son Eydon. I didn’t really care for March either way but I did like Eydon and the fact he was a little naive. I also liked the growing relationship between March and Eydon as their journey progressed.

Overall, I think parts of this book were great and paced well. Other parts were really slow and I think there were probably too many different view points. After being really disappointed with the ending of the Half Bad trilogy (sorry to bring it up!) I was hoping to love this and while I didn’t quite reach that level, I did enjoy most of it and I’ll be picking up the sequel.

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!

Smoke Thieves is a fantasy set across three kingdoms and following the stories of five different characters. I prefer my fantasy reads to be a bit meatier, a la Mark Lawrence or Joe Abercrombie so to me this read as quite light and very obviously YA. I found each of the characters engaging in their own way, though Tash was my favourite to follow. Another element I enjoyed was the way the story comes together, I love starting a big story with a few different main characters and watching their storylines unfold to bring them together. I enjoyed it enough to stock a copy in the shop to recommend to customers, and it's the sort of book my sister will absolutely love so she'll get a copy for her birthday, but as far as my personal tastes go I don't think I'll continue the series. All in all Smoke Thieves is a great YA fantasy that I would be happy recommend to customers and friends.

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.

Half Bad fans, don’t get your hopes up; The Smoke Thieves is something completely different (and I couldn’t be happier about it). In this, the first of a medieval fantasy trilogy, Sally Green offers us political machinations and misbehaving royalty; spirited female characters and tortured male characters; converging storylines and multiple points of view—there are Game of Thrones comparisons being made and they’re not completely unfounded. 

The Smoke Thieves starts strong as Tash and Gravell (illegal demon hunters, charming odd couple and my favourite characters) risk their lives to obtain what will become the focus of the novel: demon smoke. Demon smoke is the highly sought-after substance that a demon exhales when it expires; its soul released from its body in tangible form. This smoke has magical properties, and humans who inhale it experience a pleasant high… amongst other effects.

Yes, the smoke is a drug—and no, the book is not an addiction parable. Perhaps the drug parallels will be explored in the next installment, as one character imbibes demon smoke regularly and already has an addiction of another sort. I hope this is expanded upon as it has the potential to be fascinating. Detailing the side-effects of the demon smoke would also (perhaps) quell the querulous voices of those who balk at the use of a drug as a plot device in a young adult novel.

If the drug parallels cause alarm, you should also know that the book contains mature language and mild violence. Despite this I would recommend The Smoke Thieves to any teenager as it reads easily, the violence lacks bite, the cursing is moderate and there is no sex (there are lingering touches and yearning looks, but that’s the extent of it). Whether most teenagers would appreciate the recommendation is another matter—the book is unfashionably light on the fantasy elements (and heavy on the medieval).

As for the characters, most of them have good foundations here, but Ambrose (the solider) has little to do and lacks definition for most of the novel. Events towards the end of the novel (and his reaction to them) give me hope for his development in the sequel, however. I just hope Sally Green can make a natural transition from his current bland personality to the more volatile persona hinted at in the novel’s conclusion.
 
The best character arc belongs to the object of Ambrose’s affections: Catherine (the princess). She wasn’t my favourite character, but hers were my favourite sections. With a story containing kidnappings, assassination attempts, thefts and exiles it’s actually quite impressive (or maybe it’s actually quite sad) that the most intriguing narrative was the one which involved a princess slowly winning over the country to which she had been promised. It reminded me of Katniss’ war for the hearts of the people in the Hunger Games novels (although now that I compare them I have to admit that Suzanne Collins accomplished it with a defter touch).

Speaking of The Hunger Games; the heterosexual love triangle so common to young adult fiction does rear its ugly head here, but readers also get LGBT representation in the form of March (the servant) and Edyon (the thief). Catherine and Ambrose have very little chemistry together, but their relationship is built on trust. Edyon and March have a sparky connection, but their burgeoning bond is based on a lie. I’m curious to see how that will resolve in the next book.
 
The perspectives of all four romantically-inclined characters become a bit blurred towards the novel’s end, so another hope for the sequel is for Sally Green to figure out a way to differentiate and keep each voice relevant in the sequel. That’s the issue with having both converging storylines and multiple points of view; at some point the characters meet and move together, and their narrations become echoes of one another. Tash is the most removed from the main storyline, and I think (I hope) she will be the breakout star of the next novel as a result.

Despite the book’s slight flaws (a lack of fantastical elements, a few dull characters and some pointless point of view chapters) I knew I wanted to read the sequel when I was only halfway through The Smoke Thieves.  So it was infuriating to be presented with such an abrupt ending and such an inane cliff-hanger—you already had me, Sally Green, you didn’t need to resort to such cheap tactics! It soured what was otherwise a very positive last impression.

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.

I really enjoyed this book, I raced through it over one weekend and I loved and cared about the characters but, I mean, this is pretty much the definition of generic fantasy YA. It's multi POV, from the perspective of a thief, a princess, a demon hunter, a servant, and guard. Which all sounds pretty familiar but I didn't care? I loved Tash, the demon hunter who was only concerned with earning enough money so she could buy those pretty boots she'd seen in town. And March, the servant who tries to fight his feelings for the boy who is supposed to be his enemy. And even the other characters, there were so many good ones. I won't list them, because it would take me ages. I really don't have much to say and this isn't a great review but yes, it sounds generic, it is, but the characters were amazing and had me needing to find out what happened next. Read for the amazing characters.

3.5/5 stars.

It is no secret that I am a big fan of the Half Bad trilogy by Sally Green. They were the books that truly got me into reading. And they first books to make me cry; I mean UGLY, WAILING, GNASHING OF TEETH crying. I felt utterly miserable for days, it was magical.

I was lucky enough to meet Sally Green at an event at Waterstones Piccadilly, London this month, in which I had my limited edition hardback of The Smoke Thieves signed and finally a chance to tell her how much her books mean to me. She told me that I had "...made her evening". I fan-girled badly then tripped over as I was leaving. Let's move on.

The Smoke Thieves is a story told from five seemingly unconnected points of view.

We have the Princess Catherine, who is being forced into an arranged marriage for her father and brother's political gain.

Sir Ambrose, a member of Princess Catherine's personal guard, who is desperate for answers after his sister is wrongly executed for treason.

Downtrodden servant, March, who is seeking revenge against the Prince for whom he believes is responsible for the slaughter and downfall of his people.

Edyon, a feckless kleptomaniac, who receives news about his heritage that will change his life forever.

Finally, thirteen-year-old Tash, who baits, captures and kills Demons for the purpose of selling the highly illegal 'Demon Smoke'.

Set in a Kingdom that is holding tenuous peace on the verge of shattering; the fates of these five - Princess, Traitor, Solider, Thief, Demon Hunter - are inexplicably intertwined.

In typical Sally Green fashion, she takes her time to build up the world and set the story. Nothing is rushed and everything is pieced together with extreme care. There was no 'info dumping', all the necessary information was fed into the story clearly and in bite -size chunks. Like Half Bad, I feel The Smoke Thieves has set up the series nicely for more paced and exciting sequels. This isn't to say that The Smoke Thieves is slow or boring, far from it. When building a house you need to get the foundation right. If you rush the foundation you are going to be limited, but if you take the time to build a sturdy foundation you have the freedom to build yourself a beautiful and elaborate house. That is what Sally Green did with Half Bad and it is what she has done here with The Smoke Thieves. If you are a reader that needs instant gratification, you will not enjoy this book.

Sally Green has a innate talent for writing her characters. Each is very much unique and has their own voice. My particular favourites in this one were Tash and Edyon.

Tash is brash, young and naive. But also very endearing. Being thrust into a life of danger and illegality at an extremely young age, she has had to learn how to fend for herself and does a remarkably good job at it.

Edyon has the intelligence to outshine most scholars, and he knows it. Paired with a sharp wit and a taste for doing everything he shouldn't - he is one of my favourite kind of characters to read.

Princess Catherine is a character that grew on me as the book went on. I enjoyed watching her discover her power as a young woman and making decisions based on furthering her own political prowess, without those decisions demonising her as selfish.

The setting of the book is a fairly standard medieval fantasy world. Castles, Taverns, Forests, Horses, Travelling fairs, public beheadings and all that jazz. Although there are magical elements, especially in regards to the Demon Smoke, it isn't a world with Magic Wielders. So if you're expecting wizards and witches, you've come to the wrong place.

For the reasons listed at the beginning of this review, I will forgive Sally Green a few things I won't forgive other authors for. But it is worth mentioning that I felt there were a couple of chapters in the book that are somehow rushed over. These bits stood out so much because the rest of the book is so steadily paced. Most of these moments were from Ambrose's point of view, which was a shame as it meant I struggled to connect with him.

Overall I enjoyed the book and I get what she's trying to do. I think it's clever and patient of her to not give away all her tricks and twists in the first book. The ending is quite climactic and finally ties all the characters together, so although we are left on a cliff hanger, we aren't left with any annoying questions that should have been answered in Book one.

But, I don't yet feel totally invested in this story in the way I felt with Half Bad. I know I shouldn't compare her works with each other, but it's tricky not to given my past with the series. For that reason I am going to rate The Smoke Thieves 3.5/5 stars.

I recommend The Smoke Thieves to anyone who enjoys character driven fantasy, with political intrigue and who isn't bothered by a slow build up or multiple points of view.