The Thief on the Winged Horse was an interesting and engaging read overall. I enjoyed the premise, and there was sufficient world building for me to get a sense of the place and situation without unnecessary info. The characters, too, mostly came across well. We got a decent understanding of the main players and their motivations, and they all felt like unique, developed figures. However, there was something that didn't quite click for me and I am having trouble deciding what it was. As I said, world building and characters were well done and there was an intriguing plot, but somehow it didn't completely come together, and when I closed the final page, I was wishing for something more, yet I couldn't tell you what that "more" was. Maybe over time the answer will come to me, but for now I will just say this was a good book, with plenty of well-written content to please fans of fantasy/magical realism. I liked it, but there was just something missing that would have made me leap from liking it to loving it. This was a 3.5-star read for me, which I will round up to a four, rather than down to a three. I'm glad I read it once, but it's not something I feel the need to reread in the future.

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

Persephone's family, the Kendricks, is know for their famous doll-making business. Their dolls are special, peculiar, because they are magical. Each one of them are able to make feel the beholder some emotions, like bliss, or anger, or paranoia, or love and so on. Only family members can work and create the dolls. Persephone wants to learn the craft, but she's a woman and that would mean break the family's traditions. One day a stranger claims to be a member of the family and to be able to craft the magical dolls. When the most important doll vanished, Persephone finds herself involved into an mystery.

The thief on the winged horse is a tale of magic, mystery and family. The story is interesting, full of twists and mysteries and with captivating characters, above all Persephone who is struggling to follow her dreams and her desires. The plot is complex, a mix between a fairy tale and a mystery investigation, realism and magic, love and loss. The writing style is captivating, even though a bit slow in some parts, but above all enjoyable.