Se abre el telón y aparecen una mercenaria, un trilero, un maestro del disfraz, una contrabandista y una exmilitar… ¿Cómo se llama el libro? Pues Among Thieves, una novela que nos presenta diversos puntos de vista para narrarnos la preparación y ejecución de un robo aparentemente imposible de llevar a cabo, con una recompensa que excede los sueños de riqueza de todos los implicados pero que requiere enfrentarse al ser más poderoso del mundo.


Me gusta el tono un poco oscuro pero bastante humorístico que la autora ha utilizado para su libro, con una estructura muy típica pero que utiliza muy bien todos los recursos de los que dispone para tejer una aventura ligera y divertida. La construcción de mundo es algo restringida geográficamente pero está bastante bien pensada, con la existencia de los sensers y los kinetics, seres con capacidades superiores a los demás pero en su mayoría con el cerebro lavado de forma que están totalmente a disposición de los caprichos de sus dueños. Además, el submundo en el que se mueven los protagonistas, con toques de yakuza japonesa y otras bandas criminales nos resultará curiosamente familiar, a pesar de tratarse de una novela de fantasía en mundo secundario.

Lo más entretenido del libro es ver cómo se va desarrollando la trama y se van desvelando las intenciones ocultas de los protagonistas, así como los misterios de su pasado que les ha llevado a estar en la situación actual. Aunque la autora trabajó en la novela como una entrega única, es innegable que deja camino abierto para una posible continuación, que podría venir a resolver algunas de las dudas que se van planteando durante la lectura. Si a esto añadimos un sistema mágico indudablemente atractivo, ya tenemos la diversión servida, aderezada con algunos ligeros toques grimdark.

La prosa de la autora es bastante fluida, lo cual era un requisito imprescindible para este tipo de narración, en el que las condiciones de contorno de la misión son cambiantes conforme se van encontrando nuevas dificultades por el camino o van perdiendo miembros de la misión. El discurso se va adaptando a cada situación de una manera muy bien llevada, especialmente para ser una novela de debut.

Among Thieves es el típico libro que puede pasar desapercibido si no lo vas buscando de forma expresa, bien sea por esa portada un tanto genérica o porque no conozcas a la autora, algo de lo más normal al ser su primera novela. Y sería una lástima dejarlo pasar, porque no viene a revolucionar el género, pero es una novela entretenida y ágil con su toque de intriga y traición de esas que gusta leer.

Talking about thievery books, this one was FUN.

There’s a quote I’ve always loved from the late, great Roddy Piper — “Just when they think they got the answers, I change the questions”.

When reading Among Thieves, you’d be forgiven for thinking that M.J. Kuhn lives by that line. I found this to be such a fun, twisty, whats-gonna-happen, oh-no-they-didn’t, oh-fuck-what-now story. It’s the kind of book that knows exactly what it wants to be, and does exactly what it says on the tin. You want a heist? You want plotting and backstabbing and criminal underworlds? You want high-action mayhem and lots of group banter? Then Among Thieves has you covered.

I devoured the entirety of this book in one sitting. Lost a fair bit of sleep because of it. I’m not mad about it. Would stay up to 3am again.

There are some really fun and memorable characters here (I love Ivan), and a couple of very menacing antagonists, too. It perhaps doesn’t spent a lot of time building a world you’d want to get lost in, but it gives enough detail to inform the story, and give our characters a sandbox in which to go balls-to-the-wall mental.

My one major complaint is that there’s no indication as to whether a sequel is coming.

2,5/5

On its own, Among Thieves is a pretty good fantasy debut featuring a heist, a group of misfits, and sapphic representation. It’s really enjoyable and fast-paced, with many things happening and no time to get bored. If you’re looking to have fun reading, this book is a good choice. It’s also a quick read that’ll keep the reader interested and that constantly made me want to start the next chapter. The numerous action scenes kept the plot going, the characters were likable and had some great interactions that made me pretty invested in their dynamics. Overall, a great read.

Sadly it fell short on many aspects, and ultimately I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would.

The first thing that bothered me was the huge similarity with Six of Crows. I know Bardugo didn’t invent heists, and I usually hate when people compare fantasy books to this massively hyped duology or call them “SoC rip-offs”, but in this case I have to admit, there’s a lot in common. From the characters and locations to the actual scenes and plot points, it really is extremely similar. You have to get to approximately half of the book before it starts to move in a different direction. This didn’t help me immerse myself in this story, didn’t let me connect with the characters at all as everything struggled to stand on its own.

The world building was a bit confusing, I found it hard to imagine the universe in which the story was taking place. So many locations and characters are introduced in such a short amount of pages and without much details or backstory, which made it very difficult to visualize things. Overall, it was really lacking character development and depth. Though they were interesting at first, I was not given anything to fall in love with the characters or to hate them… my issue really is that I didn’t feel anything strong for them other than a vague curiosity that wasn’t even satisfied by the end of the book. They were merely likable.

I definitely think the Six of Crows similarities and the lack of details and depth are related issues that do Among Thieves a disservice. As a confused reader I kept having SoC references coming at the forefront of my mind to fill the gaps that were left by this story. This is definitely not something that you’d want when reading a book, the story should provide enough substance to take the reader on the intended journey.

I was also very surprised to learn, after finishing the book, that this was adult fantasy. I initially thought it was young adult because it reads like it and I’m sorry to say that as an adult fantasy, this was not convincing at all. I would’ve needed a lot more depth, more showing and less telling. Among Thieves lacks subtlety. As an adult book, it felt shallow and didn’t go deep enough. Had I expected adult fantasy, I would have been utterly disappointed. To be clear, there are themes that are serious and violent, but nothing that you wouldn’t see in other YA fantasy series, so there’s no reason I can think of to categorize this as adult fiction.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t have fun reading this book, I mostly enjoyed going through it. But at this point, I expect more from what I read, especially when it is adult fiction, and cannot ignore the fact that I could’ve loved this book had it been more original and creative.

If this ends up being a series, I don’t think I will continue on with it, as it felt quite unoriginal and forgettable to me. It wasn’t a bad book in any way, but there were too many confusing factors for me to be really interested in this story.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the Orion Publishing Group for this ARC!

content warnings: slavery, branding, child abuse, amputation, general violence

Adored this story and going to get a physical copy. I loved the characters and the world building. I really enjoyed rolling five different people and what they get up to as well as they interact with each other

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me the EARC of this book.

Sadly I have to admit that I DNF'd this book after about 30%.

The premise of a Six of Crows type hiest sounded right up my street but sadly for me I instantly disliked the characters and the backstabbing nature that just never ended. Who was friends with who? Was there friends? For me a story needs to surely have at least one reliable character and that is why I didn't continue reading because I just didn't forsee it.

Among Thieves is a gritty, gripping young adult fantasy featuring a crew of misfit criminals working towards their own agendas. The drama of having a group of found family who are simultaneously looking for opportunities to betray each other - unparalleled. Among Thieves is an action-packed, entertaining read for people who want a fast, fun story.

Ryia Cautella is deadly with a blade, earning her the nickname of The Butcher in the city of Carrowwick. For years she's been hiding her real identity, jumping from town to town to stay ahead of the Guildmaster. He always tracks her down; it's just a matter of when. She works for the head of the Saints, a criminal gang, and when they get news of a job that could change her life, she accepts. Working with a strange group of criminals, Ryia must travel into the heart of the enemies territory, the Guildmaster's stronghold. Unfortunately for her, she's not the only one with an ulterior motive.

This book's writing was so riveting it was difficult to put it down. It's fast-paced and action-packed, filled with compelling characters in a fun, gritty world. Among Thieves doesn't necessarily bring much new to the table, but it's so entertaining you can't help but enjoy yourself. The use of multiple perspectives sped up the pace without making you feel like anything was being rushed. The worldbuilding was relatively simplistic, and that just made the book even easier to fall into.

The characters are the highlight of this book. M.J. Kuhn masterfully balanced the electrifying plotline while maintaining a strong character focus. Ryia, the main character, is the most well developed, but it's easy to fall in love with the entire cast. The secrets they were keeping, the betrayals they were plotting - this book was deliciously dramatic. The flirtation between Ryia and Evelyn, a recently demoted member of the Royal Guard, was especially entertaining. The way Evelyn was disgusted by Ryia's violent criminality, but also found her kinda hot? Perfection.

Overall, Among Thieves was an endearing story about a messy, backstabbing family of criminals. This book was incredibly compelling and entertaining. People who love fast-paced, heist books, filled with morally grey characters would have a great time with this read.

The story was amazing. I loved all the characters, they were well written out. This story is definitely plot-driven more than character-driven though. The ending seems like there will be more, and I hope there is more. I cannot wait to read about what happens next in this world. The world-building could have been a little more detailed but it's still a good enough premise. My favourite would be how it was a crew put together to steal an object but at the same time having their own agenda. It was like you never knew whose plan to betray the crew would finally triumph.

This was disappointing. I was hoping for something more like six of crows, and I got something that was... not. I don't like grimdark, and honestly that's where I'd place this. The world was one of the grittiest I've seen. The characters are all terrible people willing to betray one another to get what they want. I didn't care about them in the beginning, I didn't care about them at 50% when I began skimming, and I didn't care about them in the end.

The worldbuilding was sparse and confusing. I got a decent mental image of the Lottery, but is there any part of the city (or country) not falling apart and run by criminals? There are the barest sketches of other countries but not enough to really feel like I know the world.

Overall, I wish I'd dnfed and spent the time I spent on this on a book I actually enjoyed. If I wanted to read about terrible people doing terrible things and coming to terrible ends I'd read grimdark, as I said.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group, Gollancz for providing an e-arc for review.

Among Thieves is a riveting and enthralling tale encompassing both the crime and fantasy genres in which a group of uniquely skilled criminals team up for an impossible job… while plotting to betray one another. Ryia Cautella, aka The Butcher of Carrowwick, has been on the run for the past six years in order to keep her secret exactly that; she's traversed the Five Kingdoms of Thamorr travelling from city to city to remain one step ahead of her enemies, namely sovereign ruler of the kingdom, the all-powerful Guildmaster of Thamorr, and his omnipresent all-seeing servants. Those who know her hail her as a merciless, scathing and deadly mercenary among her fellow dockside gangsters, and she has recently joined and became an infamous member of a syndicate knows as the Saints of the Wharf. So when Toliver Shadowwood, the King of Edale, arranges a meeting with the Kestrel Crowns, Ryia eavesdrops on the encounter and overhears their conversation. What she discovers has the potential to change her life and finally liberate her from the Guildmaster's never-ending pursuit.

Toliver Shadowwood, it appears, is desperate to get his hands on an ancient, magical quill belonging to the Guildmaster; the artefact that happens to give him all his powers and abilities. So when the Kestrel Crowns reject the offer made to them and refuse to take the contract, Ryia decides to take the bull by the horns and pilfer the job. Informing the boss of her crew, Callum Clem, of the mission, The Saints set sail on a dangerous voyage to the Guildmaster's island. However, before they even reach shore, where the most peril undoubtedly lies, Callum is arrested and the crew must carry on along their way without any guidance as to how to pull off the heist of a lifetime. Not only must Ryia now meticulously plan the heist that is to hopefully free her from the Guildmaster's grasp, but she must also keep tabs on those around her. Because when you're working alongside a band of thieves and criminals notorious for their deception and betrayal you realise no one can be trusted. Will she emerge from the fray triumphant?

This is a compulsive, enthralling and intensely bewitching heist novel, and I cannot quite believe it is a debut. It's an electrifying fantasy set in an intricate and exquisitely build world full of seedy characters looking to pull a fast one. The story never truly knows what it wants to be, but arguably that is what makes it as scintillating as it is - there's a mystery at its centre (over Ryia’s secret), a perilous and exciting adventure ensues in the form of the mission to the island, and of course the crime itself - the heist. It is the twisty, fast-paced fantasy heist novel of my dreams packed with action and explores themes such as betrayal, redemption, self-acceptance and recovery from trauma. Full of morally devious criminals who come together in a found family with a dash of slow-burn romance and a unique magic system, Kuhn’s astonishing writing hooks you in with the first severed finger and her ragtag bunch of loveable, backstabbing criminals who will steal your heart. A captivating, heart-pumping and immaculately plotted page-turner, with touches of snarkiness and humour, that I know I will remember for a long time to come as well as a fun and entertaining piece of escapism. Highly recommended.

Morally grey characters, a f/f relationship, the wittiest of banter and a well developed magic system made sure that Among Thieves is going to make my top reads of the year. In the Lottery, survival of the fittest means everything, something that Ryia Cautella, The butcher, knows only too well. She has spent her life bouncing between cities trying to keep herself, and her secret out of the Guildmasters hands, so when a chance arises, an impossible job that could end Ryia's need to hide, she knows she has to take the chance. Unfortunately, she can't complete it alone. Tentative alliances are forged, but what Rhia doesn't know is that everyone in her crew carries a secret, and every single one is after the artefact for their own goals.

Among Thieves, although largely Rhia's story, is told from 5 alternating POV's: Rhia, The Butcher has made herself well known as the assassin for hire controlled by Cal the leader of the Saints. She longs for freedom from the secret she has been hiding for years, and would gladly sell out every member of her crew to ensure it. She is snarky, sarcastic and has a heart made of stone, but the more time she spends with the saints, and a certain ex needle guard, the more chips start appearing.

Nash, is the self-proclaimed 'Queen of the Sea's.' At over 6ft she is not someone to be messed with, and she does come across as hard as nails. After seeing her sister taken away to become an adept she has no love for the system, and is more than happy to help take the guildmaster down. Her reasons for being a member of the Saints are not well known, but there is a certain member that keeps catching her eye.

Tristan is another member of the Saints running from his past. He's the baby of the gang, not really made for a rough life, and spends his days either pick pocketing the elite, or following the butcher round like a love sick puppy. When a rival gang learns his new name, Tristan has to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

Ivan is the go to con man for the Saints. A dab hand at disguises, he is able to fit into most situations, and is just at ease with the elite as he is with the dregs that live in the Lottery. His reasons for staying with the Saints are personal, and once he realises what he could gain from taking on this job he jumps at the chance, he has a debt to pay and will stop at nothing to get it done.

And finally, Evelyn, an ex Needle Guard turned reluctant gang member, as an ex member of the elite she has the skills and knowledge to get the crew where they need to be and ensure they can fit in, she just needs to get over her hatred of them first.

As well as the above five ( who have my heart) we get introduced to a wide breadth of side characters, all of which have a part to play in furthering the story. Every single character in this book is morally grey, none are quite what they seem, and they all have their own agenda to further which leads to plenty of snark, banter and a little backstabbing. These are people who would quite happily sell each other to the highest bidder, but as the story progresses we get to see them open up to each other, start to care a little... who said there was no honour among thieves.

The world building was well done, the world is separated into different Kingdoms, but all are controlled by the Guildmaster as he is the only person in control of the 'adepts' people born with magical abilities. The adept are nothing but mindless slaves, but their abilities ensure they are a sought after commodity, making sure the guildmaster remains at the top of the pecking order. Their are two kinds 'Sensors' and 'Kinetics.' Sensors have the ability to sniff out danger whereas Kinetic are the brawn, the ones who you would definitely not want to meet in a fight. I'm hoping the second book will open it up a little more and give us slightly more information about the other Kingdoms, as this was the only part I found a little lacking.

I genuinely enjoyed everything about this book, morally grey characters on a heist to bring down the big bad guy, who all secretly have plans to turn on each other is my jam apparently. The magic system was really unique and really easy to understand, and the authors writing style easily dragged you into the story and ensured you were glued to the pages. There are plenty of plot twists to keep the story moving at a speedy pace, and the ending had me desperately wishing I had book two in my hands. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next.

I received Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn for free on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much Orion Publishing Group and Gollancz for approving my request! This review is also available on Book, Blog & Candle.

Among Thieves was one of my most anticipated reads of the year - I mean if you have a book with morally grey characters, witty banter, a f/f relationship AND a heist the obviously I NEED to read it! It's everything I love wrapped into one story.

I really enjoyed the characters, they were so fun and whip smart especially Ryia! I know she is technically a hardcore assassin known as 'The Butcher' but I think she is a cinnamon roll ok?! They all have their own traumatic pasts and they shouldn't fit together but they make such a terrific team....when they're not planning on betraying each other!

Found family is one of my favourite tropes and I love how this book has a group that would kill to protect each other but would also sell each other out in a second! The betrayals and schemes in this book are mind-blowing, honestly you won't see whats coming! It was so clever and twisty with great action!

I'm hoping there is going to be another book because I definitely would love to see the characters again and see what happens to them next! Plus there was the start of a great sapphic relationship which I need more of! Also I really enjoyed the magic system and I would love for the worldbuilding to be explored even more because it was very interesting so far.

Among Thieves is a fun, witty, rollercoaster of a story that I really enjoyed! I'm looking forward to reading even more from this author!

Among Thieves was a really fun read that had me hooked from the start, and with Ryia as the opening point of view it definitely kept me entertained, as she is very snarky, but also very capable, which I like. Ryia is notorious in Carrowwick for her deadly skills, shadowy presence, and infamous axes she always keeps upon her person, and she works for Callum Clem, leader of the Saints, the city’s most powerful gang – for now. Things have been going a little wrong for the Saints recently, and there is talk of the rival gangs joining forces on a big job that will see them claim the highest position. Ryia’s mission when we meet her is to shake down a visiting prince who broke contract with Clem and to obtain information. So far, standard, and the Lottery (aka the slums of the city) is an immediately familiar place for those who read a lot of fantasy set in cities, and the key characters all have recognisable elements while also being unique.

There’s Ryia, already mentioned, who is a witty assassin with a difficult past, and a secret that holds implications not only for herself but the whole world; Nash, a smuggler who has survived by letting people believe she shared Callum Clem’s bed; Tristan, light-fingered and quick-witted, who works for Clem to pay off the debt of trying to steal from him, but won’t tell anyone where he’s from; Ivan, the charmingly handsome disguise master skilled in sewing intricate outfits that can change colour and style with the tug of a string; and Evelyn, the disgraced -yet self righteous- Needle Guard who knows all the details about royal comings and goings, and how to break into the archive.

And the job is, as always in a good heist story, seemingly impossible: our characters must break into the island of the Guildmaster, the man who controls the entire kingdom with his Adept, to retrieve a magic quill of unknown properties. But let’s talk about the world-building, otherwise the sentence I’ve just written makes no sense: the known world is divided into nations, each with its own king, but is controlled by the Guildmaster, a title passed down from one Adept to another, the first being Declan Day. What are the Adept? Essentially people born with magic, either Kinetics or Sensor, and we learn that there was a time in which they were free and wrecked havoc on non-magical people, until one of their own -the very same Declan Day- found a way to bring all Adepts under his control, and they are now sold as slaves throughout the kingdom. Somehow, the Guildmaster knows where each Adept is in the world at any given time, and shows up to collect Adept-born children and train them on his island – when they’re old enough, they’re sold in the great auction attended by all the royals and merchants of the kingdom, and they are wiped of any free will and respond only to the command of their master, who brands them with their blood. It’s pretty grim, and the book does some interesting things with the way some of the non-Adept characters start of thinking of magic users as things and then coming to realise the horror of this slave trade.

This whole magic system is very interesting, and so is the dynamic between the characters, because they’re all in this job for their own gains – on the outside acting on behalf of feared leader Callum Clem, while each scheming to use the reward to solve their own problems. I liked this tension, and the inevitable way in which the crew become a bit of a family while on the job, making any betrayals even worse. There were a few elements that felt a little flat to me, with most of the nations heavily drawing on different European countries, and the two things that kept taking me out of the narrative were the names of the months – essentially the same as ours but spelled different, like Juli – and the way Ivan, who is from fantasy Russia and always inserts random words of his own language into his sentences and inner monologue, which in my experience is not what a bilingual would do when he is otherwise fully fluent in the secondary language, as Ivan seems to be. That’s just me nitpicking, but I enjoyed reading Among Thieves and I do hope there is a followup, as a lot of plot lines are left unresolved.

Among Thieves is one of those books that I really wanted to like, but which ended up being a disappointment. The idea is great: a group of thieves trying to pull off a daring heist. Mostly, that’s what I got. It’s the execution that was lacking.

The book relies solely on secrecy and ‘plot twists’ instead of character building and a plot stemming from it. The beginning of the book was especially trying, as I tried to make sense of the world and characters, only to realise that that was all I was going to get. The characters knew more than the reader who was constantly kept in the dark. It got old pretty fast.

Since we didn’t learn anything about the characters, they and their motivations weren’t driving the plot. The ‘plot’ happened behind the scenes, and was thrown at the reader’s face instead of taking the reader along the ride. And the ‘plot twists’ had no impact when they’d been constantly hinted at in lieu of character building.

A group of thieves in the slums of a coast town stumble on a plot to steal something that one king is willing to pay extraordinary sums for. They take the job, even though they don’t know what it is they’re stealing and why the king wants it, and even though it takes them to the most dangerous person in the realm.

Each thief has their secret that is meticulously hinted at throughout the book, only to be revealed when it has already stopped having meaning. Ryia is named as the main character in the book description, but since they all have their named chapters and everyone gets a lot of screen time, she doesn’t really stand out. None of the characters does, because we learn nothing about them. I’m struggling to remember their names even.

Their secrets cause them to make choices that put the heist at risk. The choices make sense to them, but they’re meaningless to the reader. The entire bunch comes across as selfish as a result. There were weird hints at romantic interests at times. I didn’t care, because I didn’t care about any of the characters.

The book ends with a sort of a cliff-hanger and an epilogue that reveals that the true mastermind was someone else entirely, with their ‘surprise’ POV chapter. I didn’t care for them either. Needless to say, I won’t read the next book.

The book wasn’t all bad though, hence three stars. The language was good, and a decent effort had been put to the world-building, with its creepy enhanced humans. Or non-humans—not that more than a token was done to criticise the treatment of these slaves. If the author had concentrated more on people and less on gimmicks, this would’ve been a good book.

A daring tale of murder and mayhem, thievery and treachery, killers, kings and kinship.

We meet Ryia, whose sharp tongue is almost as deadly as her skill with an axe.
Ryia is on the run from a power that threatens all of Thamorr when she teams up with a deadly group of misfits, thieves and smugglers in an attempt to steal a magical relic. A power that could start a war in the wrong hands

Every character in this cast is delightfully well developed and each one has secrets that would, without a doubt bring them to blows with their allies, should they be revealed.

I immediately loved our main anti-heroine, sassy, stabby and sapphic, Ryia is my favourite type of character and her growth throughout the story is a joy to read!

There are subtle side-plot romances, one of which felt quite cliché but was cute nonetheless while the other was brilliantly refreshing to read.
If you like enemies to lovers tropes with lots of banter, this is for you.

The fast pacing had me hooked from the start and kept my attention throughout.
The plot was intricately woven, some of the twists taking me completely by surprise while others were delicately foreshadowed.
I loved the action scenes as these often involved pivotal character development moments too.


Overall a fun fast read for fans of Six of Crows, morally grey characters, found families, sass and humour and excellent lgbt+ rep.

4/5

Among Thieves is the debut story from M. J. Kuhn set in the world of Thamorr. It’s a pacey, heist novel based around gangs in the city of Carrowwick.

The story is a multi POV story, but the main the one that stands out is Ryia, otherwise known as The Butcher of Carrowwick, a master assassin who has never been known to miss her mark.

In addition to Ryia’s pov, there are four other points of view that revolve around Ivan, a master of disguise. Evelyn, a disgraced captain of the king's guard, Nash, who is a piratical type and finally Tristan. A young man who is in love with Ryia and also always at her side, and not without his own shred of mystery.

Now obviously when you write about fantasy ganglands it is going to garner a number of comparisons to certain other books. So, let’s get that out of the way! Ok, done? Comparisons made? Glad we have got that out of the way and now we can move on!

Among Thieves is a slick heist story that is a bit Ocean’s Eleven set in a fantasy land and it works well. We have all the tropes of the traditional heist movie, including getting the gang together, arguing with creepy boss, in this case Callum Clem, leader of the Saints gang who is also the boss of the main characters as they happen to be part of the same gang, and all the other things like twists, turns, betrayals and morally defunct characters that will happily stab you in the back whilst nicking the spare change in your pocket.

In Among Thieves, M. J. Kuhn has crafted a quite a dark environment that is quite dystopian, filled with gangs, power mad kings and an intriguing magic system, which I found particularly interesting. What we have is one benevolent (or is he?) overlord called the Guildmaster whose lineage helpfully removed bad things like war, kings, the need to have intriguing power struggles etc by banning all magic, enslaving anyone who may have innate magical abilities and turning them into mindless drones that he pimps out to the highest bidder. Simples! Nothing wrong with that and it all works like clockwork (obviously, the sarcasm is a little drippy, as you can guess it simply oozes off those words). In addition to this, there are the Kinetics, who are the enslaved magical types who get their mind wiped and are then employed as guards by the notables of the world.

The characters are all well rounded and I enjoyed spending time with them, particularly Ryia. One of the things in this book that I liked is that each character is in it for their own personal gain and there is a relatively large amount of backstabbing and subplotting going off, which M. J. Kuhn uses effectively to cause tension in the group. However, as the book progresses, she sneakily gives the characters time to develop a relationship, and M. J. Kuhn elegantly employs some of my favourite fantasy tropes, such as the found family and enemies to friends tropes. In addition to this, the rest of the ensemble cast that are in the book are equally as fascinating, such as Ivan, and Tristan

I have seen it mentioned in some reviews that there is not an intricate level of world building. However, for me, this is not such an issue and I found that for a standalone book there was enough world building that gave a level of understanding of the world, the history and the lore. I also think that there is ample opportunity to gain a more in depth understanding if M. J. Kuhn revisits this world (which I hope she does!).

The plot twists and turns and you never know what is going to happen. I found myself wanting to keep reading as there was always a heart in your mouth situation where I need to read to the end of the chapter to find out what is going to happen.

If you are up for a slick, heist story with morally redundant characters then I think that this might be up your alley. Among Thieves is a promising debut that is full of fun, escapism and heisty frolics, and I cannot wait to see what M. J. Kuhn will do next.

Trying to appeal to fans of Six of Crows and The Lies of Locke Lamora, Among Thieves proudly embraces its influences (and is not being subtle about them at all – Thamorr / Camorr?). While it doesn’t reach the intricacy and high stakes of the two mentioned series, this (currently) standalone fantasy novel is a fun, fast-paced adventure with mysterious, likeable enough characters, witty banter, intriguing magic system and a rather lackluster heist which is the most poorly executed part of the story.

First of all, I’ve seen this marketed as YA in some circles and frankly, I have no clue why. While the characters and plot are not as complex and convoluted as those of some well established adult epics, the same could be said for a number of major adult fantasy books. All the swearing, dark atmosphere, gory violence and innuendo make this book very much adult.

While I could pick this book apart and criticise its underdeveloped characters and narrative, I don’t particularly want to because I had a genuinely great time reading this. Something about the ‘down-on-their-luck misfits reluctantly banding together to perform a heist‘ plot just screams fun, even if it could been executed better. I genuinely believe that Among Thieves has a lot of potential; for once, adding about 150-200 pages would actually help the story. Although fast-paced novels are easy to get immersed in and breeze through, I couldn’t help but wish I had more time to sit with the characters‘ backstories, struggles or the slow burn evolution of the romantic subplots. Significant character moments and revelations should have been given more time to simmer to make bigger impact on the reader and other characters. With only 352 page time and 5 characters with their own agendas to follow, the story felt rushed and like it never delved deep enough. Again, all of them are likeable enough but besides the protagonist Ryia, I don’t feel like I got to know any of them well.

Because of this, none of the reveals felt particularly surprising or impactful. Obstacles were overcome or bypassed without elaborate complications, which deprived the heist part of all suspense even when things did go wrong. It read like a run of the mill robbery without much elaborate planning. Similarly, the magic system with the controlled Adepts and their abuse by the rich and powerful was a very interesting concept which should have been explored further. I will say, the one cool con artist bit I loved were all of Ivan’s clever disguise and costume tricks.

For now this is a standalone novel but the ending pretty much sets up the sequel, which I’d love to read if the author delves deeper into the characters and lore in the next book.

Despite its problems, I’m rounding up my rating to 4* because of how much I enjoyed this. If you love Six of Crows or Locke Lamora, you’ll fly through this one, just don’t expect their level of complexity.

Thank you Netgalley and Gollancz for providing me with an e-ARC for review!

Huge thanks to Orión Publishing and NetGalley for the e-arc of Among Thieves by M J Kuhn in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is most definitely a fast-paced, engaging heist adventure populated with morally grey characters, secrets, betrayals, and some seriously dry humor. And I can definitely see why there have been so many comparisons and references to Six of Crows, but saying that, intrigue, adventure, heists and thievery are common plots.

I really enjoyed Among Thieves, reading it in one sitting this afternoon. This book just flows and I didn’t want to put it down, so I didn’t until I was finished! A great way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon!

The key characters are interesting, with distinct bios and backgrounds, united in their common goal, but more than this, their interactions and banter made them feel like family; a highly dysfunctional family.😂

However, each character has their own reason or motive for being part of the heist, and there are plots within plots throughout, which definitely add to the tension of the story as it progresses, with strings being pulled tighter until suddenly the tension is too much and the crack of them snapping is loud and bites!

The world building and magic system are woven throughout the story, gradually revealing themselves and definitely intriguing…definitely making me want this book to be more than a stand alone. Add to this the ending, there is so much left unsaid that I’m thirsting for another book…there are so many places this story could go to.

A great read with an ending that will blow your mind and leave you thirsting for more.

3.5* rounded to 4
I didn't read Six of Crows so I can't say if there's a lot in common, I think there's a lot of potential as the world building and the magic systems are fascinating and the morally grey characters are interesting.
It's a grimdark fantasy that can become a very interesting series.
I found it entertaining but I didn't appreciated the cliffhanger as it was like waiting for any type of conclusion and being left with a "To be continued"
I want to read the next book to know what will happen.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks NetGalley & Orion for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fast paced fantasy heist, I read Among Thieves in only two sittings! I was disappointed to find out this is only a standalone because it really felt like an entry in to a much larger series/universe. I'm slightly hopeful as Kuhn has openly said she would like to revisit the characters in the future - fingers crossed!

Things I liked:
- The pacing was brilliant and kept me gripped.
- The world! I do feel like we needed maybe a little more world building overall; I needed a bit more history but I guess that might have been too much of an info dump. BUT, this world is unique and fascinating - I would love to read something else set in this universe.
- Tristan Beckett; he's one of the lesser leads in this book but I think he's my favourite and most likeable character
- Nash. I want a book solely devoted to Nash and her backstory, please.

Things I didn't like so much:
- Ryia. Yes, I know she's our lead character but she was just so... ugh! Stereotypically cocky and petulant in parts.
- There was build up to romance but not much pay off and that was disappointing.
- Our villain(s)! We didn't get to see much of them and that pains me.
- I guessed a couple of the reveals, one in particular felt kinda predictable so it fell flat for me when it came down to it.

Read this if you like;
- Fantasy heists with a ragtag crew
- Six of Crows vibes
- Found family
- Enemies to Lovers (Slow burn)

Overall I'd say a 3.5 out of 5 for me.
Would I reread? If I have the promise of a new book in this series/universe then yes.

This was a fine entry into the fantasy-heist genre, but I found a bit too much telling not showing. Characters a little difficult to relate to or get on board with. Enjoyable rather than memorable I think.