Where do I start... I kinda loved this book! At its core it's about a bunch of outcasts who are all out of options and are forced to work together whether they like it or not. They're all very different, with different skills and intentions and I love some of their interactions which are often humorous and quick-witted. I really took to all of the characters, some more than others naturally (Ryia am I right?.she uses hatchets as weapons and is a total badass!) and loved the gritty world-building throughout.

Among Thieves is action-packed with a lot of twists, turns and cliffhangers at the end of chapters which is so insatiably annoying! It just meant I burned through the book because I wanted to know more and I'm impatient.

I'm not sure whether this is a standalone or part of a series but I hope it's the latter! I hope to follow these character further in their journeys and see how the relationships evolve.

This has been compared a lot to Six of Crows in both marketing and some of the early reviews I've seen. Obviously as you can see the main storyline is the same but it's quite a common theme in fiction, TV and films. Not to take anything away from SoC but it wasn't exactly a brand new storyline.... I personally really enjoyed SoC and I also really enjoyed Among Thieves as I thought it was different enough that I wasn't constantly comparing.

If you can't mentally keep that distance from SoC and compare page by page, chapter by chapter then you probably won't enjoy this book.

New adult fantasy books always grab my attention especially when they are heist stories and I really wanted to like this book.
The book follows the well trodden path of a group of very disparate characters planning to steal a precious quill from the Guildmaster, who controls the adepts who have magical powers and through them, the world. I liked the world building and the magic system was interesting especially how it is used to control things.
However, the basic plot has been used over and over again and so for a book to succeed, it has to have something different and for me, this one really didn’t. The characters seemed too much alike to others that have cropped up in previous books I have read. I liked the character of Ivan who is an incredible master of disguise but none of the others really came alive to me. Six of Crows is an easy comparison to make but many other authors have used this scenario much more successfully too.
If you are new to this particular type of fantasy story, then it may well appeal to you but I just didn’t find it that engaging.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for my review.

I knew I'd enjoy "Among Thieves" but I really wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. There's an absolutely brilliant cast of characters, a great plot (with about 500 equally great subplots - but don't worry, it doesn't get confusing and I might be exaggerating a little), a solid world, and writing that instantly connected me to everything I just mentioned. It's a standalone, but maybe if we all ask nicely... I would desperately like to have more from these characters.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Every time a fantasy heist book is announced, people start going on about it being a "SIX OF CROWS" rip-off. What they actually mean is that the book has the main tropes of the sub-genre, and the marketing is leaning into it. Which is what you expect, given it's a fantasy heist book. It needs a crew with assorted skills, just like any heist. It needs tension between the crew for an emotional layer. Magic will be involved, to make it a fantasy heist. And these things are great, they're the staples people expect in the book.

Unfortunately, this book felt like it was leaning into the tropes too much without adding anything new. It made for a very predictable read. I knew what all the characters' secrets were very early on, and I could venture a decent guess at what would go wrong and how they'd solve it.

This book is being sold as adult - you can tell from the publisher and where it's being shelved in shops - but it really feels like YA because of the characters. Their ages are never mentioned explicitly, but working backwards you know they're at least in their mid-twenties. However, some feel really immature, which is particularly off-feeling given their meant to be crooks and "street wise."

My least favourite character, by a country mile, was Ryia, the lead. And she's also the character who felt the most YA, because she's such a stereotype. The badass fighter who's cocky (the point of sounding ridiculous and making me clench my teeth) and is able to go up against far too many opponents and win. I mean lines like "was it possible to be attracted to a weapon? She was kidding, almost" just sound so dumb and fit neatly into that stereotypical character I never want to see again. It's become so common they feel like cardboard cut outs of each other.

The pacing is OK, but I simply could not enjoy this book because I wanted to smash most of the characters' heads together. They were either being ridiculous or stupid (because they managed to miss the very obvious clues about each other.) When a character disappears from the narrative for a long time, when they "betray the others", you immediately know there's more going on (and that he's been silly too) because showing that POV would undermine the "reveal" later.

This book is clearly a standalone that's been given an open enough ending so that another book could be written if it sells well enough to commission one (currently, no appearances of another being bought, but we'll see once it's been out a bit.) Unfortunately, that makes it a very unsatisfying ending. An obvious next-book set up is never going to feel complete and fulfilling if there isn't another book. It honestly just feels like a cheap way to make people make noises about wanting a second book. It would have felt much better without the last two chapters (the obvious set ups) because then it would have felt like it actually ended.

I love a good heist story so was eager to read this book which features a gang of outlaws all planning to betray each other. I thought the world-building was gritty and developed, and the characters were well fleshed out. The slow burn enemies to lovers w|w relationship got off to a good start but I would have liked to have seen some actual romance by the end.

I also read somewhere that this was a standalone but I really hope not as it feels as though the story just got going and a sequel would have so much more potential. The reader is at that place where the author can really produce something amazing so it would be such a shame for this not to happen. AMONG THIEVES is a fun heist story with morally grey characters that you'll fall in love with and plenty of stabby action.

4.5 stars!

Intriguing heist adventure with morally grey characters, secrets, betrayals, and dashes of humor!

I had a really good time with Among Thieves! I read most of the book in one sitting and just flew through the chapters. I couldn't get enough of the compelling characters, their interactions and banter, and was eager to learn more about them - especially Ryia. And I always love seeing the found family trope - or more like touches of it, in this case. Because, even though they share a common goal and need each other to pull off this heist, they all have their own motives and hidden agendas. Which makes it hard for them to trust one another, and you never know who's character/story will turn. It was kinda nerve-wrecking to watch it all unfold, because I was rooting for all of them to have their happy ending.

The magic system and the way it was woven into this world and society was fascinating. I wish it would have been more expanded upon as I would have loved to learn more about its intricacies - especially considering the backstory of a certain character and the consequences and implications of it.

My only real issue is the ending. This is a standalone book, but feels more like the first book in a series. It leaves everything wide open, and now I want answers!! I guess I can only hope for the author to write a sequel some day. I would love to read more from these characters and find out how it all turns out!!

PS: I didn't expect to see German-ish words/phrases used as a foreign language in this book ... that made me chuckle a few times. ^^

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

M.J. Kuhn has created a great magic system within this book, it's a fast paced heist, that took me a while to get into and whilst I was a little confused with the introduction of characters throughout, by the end I enjoyed the world building and enjoyed the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion for the chance to read Among Thieves.

Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn is an adult fantasy novel about a gang planning to pull off an impossible heist.

We follow the infamous Butcher of Carrowwick, a skilled, snarky and perpetually horny hatchet-wielding thief, who together with a typically ragtag band of crooks, sets out to pull off this grand heist.

It's a fun and fast-paced read, with plenty to enjoy. There's interesting magic and a setting just waiting to be explored.

There are also a number of areas where I'd have liked to see more. More character depth, particularly where it comes to their individual motivations for joining the heist, which all seemed thrown in at the last moment to add some spice.

A bit more about the magic early on, as I was just left confused at a couple of points as to what was going on.

More clever invention with the heist, which is one of the main selling points of this book but just fell a little flat for me.

Without those clever twists and turns, the meticulous planning and testing, the grand ingenuity of the caper... a heist becomes little more than just breaking and entering, and that's a bit like how I felt this one went.

The characters are interesting, and with that little bit of extra depth, could have taken this book up a good notch. It does seem that, for thieves in this fantasy setting, everyone is a bit too forgiving however!

Over all it's a good read, and I do recommend picking it up if thieves and heists are your jam. It just didn't quite work for me as well as I'd hoped it would.

I am a basic bitch who gets enticed every time she sees "thieves" and "heists" in the blurb and that’s the truth.

Among Thieves is one of those novels I went in with zero knowledge of what it was (as I said, seeing the word "heists" in the blurb was enough for me). Even without knowing that this was being compared to Six of Crows (which happens to be one of my favourite books by the way), I could immediately see a lot of similarities in between the two with respect to the characters and the plot. I'll admit that this had me unconsciously comparing the two every step of the way and trying to predict what would happen next. I was the happiest when the plot and the characters veered from my expectations (and from the SoC plotline) cuz I would have been mad otherwise!

Let's talk about the characters. I loved the main character, Ryia, the most. She's sarcastic and a badass with her axes. The rest of the characters were alright but not the ones you could root for. I wish we had gotten a bit more of their stories so that we could get invested in these characters more. I barely got scraps about Callum Clem (the Kaz Brekker in my head) and that drives me insane.

I also liked the magic system a lot.

Now if I have to talk about the things I didn't like, I think it has to be that the heist was really unsatisfying. There was no scheming and things just either fell into place (or didn’t). I wish these thieves were better thieves, you know? I didn’t get that ~ sense of absolute chaos where the reader is just having heart palpitations because everything IS DOOMED AND HOW WILL THEY EVEN GET OUT OF IT?! BUT WAIT the thieves have planned for every possible outcome cuz these are GOOD THIEVES AND EVERYTHING JUST WORKS OUT AT THE END ~ feeling! It really is an injustice to compare something to Six of Crows, especially because I feel this’ll completely ruined the experience for many when their expectations are not met.

I rated this 4 stars initially, because it really is good even with all my complaints. But then I read that this is standalone? And I just don’t see how that can be? The ending was very open-ended and I was expecting this would be a duology at the very least. Now I’m just mildly confused and I’m rating this around 3-3.5 stars.

Among Thieves follows a group of five misfits who are up to one big heist: stealing a magical item from the all powerful Guildmaster. There's Ryia, a runaway who's now the infamous Butcher of Carrowwick; Nash, a legendary smuggler; Tristan, a conman; Evelyn, ex-captain of the guard and Ivan, master of disguise. All of them belong to the Saints, one of the most infamous gangs in Carrowwick, led by the half-insane Callum Clem. As their heist begins however, it turns out everything might not be what it seems.

In Carrowwick, there are three main gangs: the Harpies, the Crowns and the Saints which all compete for control over the city. We don't learn too much about the rest of the world, just that there are different kingdoms quarreling. There are two kinds of magic users, who are called Adepts: Sensers, who have enhanced senses and Kinetics, who have a sort of telekinesis. These Adepts work as slaves for the nobility and are dispatched by the Guildmaster. The gloomy, medieval setting worked really well for the plot and I liked that the characters were tough enough to make their way through it.

Speaking of the characters, I adored all of them and their group dynamic. We got POV chapers from each characer. They were all very much morally grey and each one has their own motive for going on the heist. Ryia has spent her life running from the Guildmaster and ended up as a wanted criminal, Evelyn wants her former job as a guard back, Ivan wants to free his brother from prison and Nash secretly harbors feelings for Ivan.

Each of the Saints being torn between their past and their loyalty to the group was really well done. While they were all kind of awful people, we still had some great bonding moments and witty banter. I especially enjoyed Ivan and Nash's, as well as Ryia and Evelyn's dynamics. We got some hints of romance and pining there which had me really invested. By the end of the book I was pretty attached to every member of the group, but I think Ryia might have been my favorite character. She was just so badass with her axes, funny quips and devil-may-care-attitude.

All in all, the characters were what carried this book for me. I found myself not really invested in the heist plot or the magic which is not to say it was badly done, it just wasn't all that exciting to me. For a multi-POV YA heist story, this was luckily not very trope-y at all but still fresh and interesting. We also had some great lesbian representation in Ryia. All in all, Among Thieves was a fun, fast-paced, action-packed adventure which is perfect for fans of Six of Crows and Lies of Locke Lamora. I gave the book 3.5/5 stars.

Huge Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book!

Among Thieves is a story about a small group of thieves planning an impossible heist. This is basically enough to get me interested in a book, since I love heists. This one in particular has a great cast of characters and a pretty unique magic system, which is why I loved it! I also want to say for everyone comparing it to Six of Crows - I liked Among Thieves better, actually.

Of the characters I liked Ryia the best. Her nickname is the Butcher and she is a mercenary famous for her efficient brutality and signature axes. Tristan is a talented sleigh of hand, even though he is new to the life of crime. Ivan is an illusionist, able to create disguises out of anything. Lastly, there is Nash, a smuggler who calls the sea her home. The mission is led and planned by ruthless Callum Clem, who is as mad as he is genius, and who managed to secure the support of Evelyn, a former royal guard with a still intact strong moral code.

All of them have secrets and their own motivations and they all want the same prize. However, working together is going to be just as tricky as the theft they want to pull off.

The plot is fantastic, full of risky situations and con-games. I was never bored! What I appreciate most is that the conflicts between the characters are always seen through to the end. Similar stories with characters who have opposing motivations always seem to find a solution for that but in this case, the consequences of everyone's secrets were fully realized. I was constantly on edge trying to figure out who would betray who first. I also enjoyed the fact that the obligatory romantic sub-plots were barely there, since it fit the story very well. (And I like it that way.)

There are small negative aspects I found, though. One of them is that the schemes were barely ever explained. Usually, I do like being kept in the dark about the details of the characters' plans so I can be surprised when they are put into action. However, here it felt like the balance was off. I lost track of all the secret plans the characters had, because most of the time, the reader only knows of their existence and nothing more.

Another critique is that the ending is quite open. It bothers me just a bit, because the book is supposed to be a standalone and it doesn't feel completed enough for that. It's a little dissatisfying for me, because it feels so much like the beginning of a series but without the assurance that there will be a sequel. Let's hope for the best!

All in all, I absolutely enjoyed this book! It combines interesting characters with a very high stakes heist and has both the qualities of a YA novel with its fast pacing and the maturity of more adult themes and consequences. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of such novels.

Being compared to Six of Crows (which is, btw, one of my favourite books) can be a blessing or curse.
While it immediately captures readers' attention, it also sets a very high bar to live up to.

Well, M.J. Kuhn did such a great job not to disappoint those tremendously high expectations, crafting a world that strongly reminded me of both Camorr (The Lies of Locke Lamora) and Ketterdam (Six of Crows).

As in SoC, one of the main strengths of this book was the band of criminal misfits put together to accomplish a suicidal heist that would put their lives on the line (more than once). They were forced to put aside their differences and rely on each other. So bad that everyone had their own agenda and no qualms in betraying the crew to succeed.

The worldbuilding and the magic system are quite simple to grasp, yet not less original. What I loved the most was the idea of magic as something no longer to be feared, but that could be chained and sold to the higher bidder. Intriguing, right?

Only two things did not satisfy the SoC fan in me completely:
1) the characters were well-rounded and the reasons why they planned on betraying the others were strong and believable, so it was easy to get attached to them. Nonetheless, while we got a few glimpses into Ryia's past, I would have like to have a little more detail about the other characters' back-stories and the relationships that linked them;
2) our bunch of gutter rats faced the mission leaving a lot to chance (ok, ok, Kaz Brekker may have spoiled me), leaving me with the feeling that they were throwing a Hail Mary most of the time.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and will eagerly be awaiting the sequel. If you love an impossible heist, double-crossing and tons of secrets, you won't want to miss this!

~I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and the editor~

Smugglers, cheats, murderers, and drunks. These are the types of people drawn to the Lottery. A life lived in these quarters is a hard one, with the filth that coats it also seeming to infect each soul that dwells there. Governing these streets is Cal Clem and never far from his side are the brawlers, assassins, and thieves that aid in making his rule such a formidable one. Those who get close to Clem tend to live for longer than those who attempt to ferret out a hard-won existence on the gloomy streets, but servitude to him does not come with any other expiration date than the one death can grant.

I immediately adored this book. A gloomy setting formed the backdrop for gritty characters performing gruesome deeds. The actual direction the story-line was going to take was slow to unfurl but I enjoyed my time learning more about the politics of this world, a little about the magic those in power horded, and about the others who dwelled far from wealth or status and yet sought to eke out some of it for themselves. No matter what it took.

There was little light to be found here, but the individuals who centred this story made their own in the form of witty dialogue and sarcastic interactions that endeared me to them all, despite the brutality and bloodshed that also dogged them. There were many perspectives featured and all came with a harrowing back-story or high-stake needs that made their joint ventures consistently infused with added tension.

This book took place in shadowed street corners and on the high seas. It took the reader to hidden catacombs and on the floor of fighting pits. We met those who ruled this world and those who were only attempting to escape being trod by them. I loved everything I read and am so eager to get my hands on the sequel, to continue my explorations.

Among Thieves is a book that you should read and not give up on. MJ Kuhn creates a fascinating, gritty and real world in which our group of thieves thrive in. I didn't know what to expect heading into this as it was my first book read by MJ... I completely was blown away. From pure description of some amazing action sequences to believable dialogue, Among Thieves will pull you in and get you turning that page as quick as a certain Quill (to get this reference, READ THE BOOK!)

Among Thieves follows a handful of well fleshed out characters but Ryia, my favourite is just another awesome character that I want, that I NEED to know more about, that I NEED to follow. Hopefully there are more to come from this beautiful universe Kuhn has created.

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publishers Orion for this copy.

M.J. Kuhn has given us a solid entry into the fantasy heist sub-genre. The world building is solid, with an interesting magic system where those who have powers (called Adepts who have either extreme physical powers or the ability to sense threats to their masters) have been turned into mindless slaves for the elite. All the Adepts are conditioned on the island of The Grandmaster, a man not even Kings are able to cross. So, of course, that is who our crew of assorted thieves and con-artists are tasked with stealing a mysterious artifact from.

The real draw here is the characters. Everyone is working for crime boss Cal for different reasons (some willingly, some not) and everyone has their own secrets and agendas, so expect a lot of backstabbing, betrayal, and secret identities. While some of the "twists" are too heavily telegraphed to really be effective as surprises, they mostly are still interesting and have an emotional impact as we see the effect on the various characters. Ryia's developing relationship with the disgraced former Captain of the Royal guard (who lost her job because of Ryia) in a particularly engaging one.

While this book may not be breaking a lot of new ground, it's still a really enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book in the trilogy.

I really really tried with this book, especially considering I received an arc, which I am extremely grateful for. However, I have to be honest. I feel awful having not even finished ‘Among Thieves’ but life is short, my to-be-read list is ever growing and I just couldn’t get into this at all.

The main reason I requested an arc for this, like many other reviewers, was the comparison to Six of Crows (which is one of my favourite books and a very high bar to live up to). Not only this, but the inclusion of heists, a stabby queer protagonist called The Butcher of Carrowick (badass, right?), and a ragtag group of criminals and thieves each with their own talent; all coming together with their own personal agenda? Sounds like my idea of a good time.

Now, the writing is excellent, truly. Unfortunately, the amount of names and places and characters introduced with little backstory had me SO confused that I struggled to understand what was going on.

Not only that - as much as the different POV chapters are necessary to give readers an insight into each characters plot and personality, I think the lack of information on their backstory and actual introductions to them as individuals had my head spinning, trying to understand and follow the story.

I wanted to love this and get to the end, but it wasn’t for me, or maybe my head isn’t in the fantasy realm at the moment.

Overall, ‘Among Thieves’ had fantastic potential, but with far too much happening and too little information.

Thank you Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

The comparison to Six of Crows is the reason that I decided to ask for this e-arc because I love the Six of Crows duology.

Unfortunately this book didn’t hold on to that in my opinion. The characters in Among Thieves were flat and I couldn’t feel anything for them. Besides that, besides that I found this story to be chaotic and it takes much longer than it had to be, it drawd on.

The world building was however something I liked.

Overall it wasn’t a book that I enjoyed reading unfortunately.

Amount thieves follows the story of Ryia, a merciless blade with a reputation in the docks of carrowwick. Ryia has been keeping a secret, one that keeps her in the run, trying to stay a step ahead of the Guildmaster, the ruler of the five kingdoms.
Ryia finds herself part of a street crew full of smugglers and thieves and unfortunately finds herself caught up in a plan that will lead her straight back to where she is running from. However Ryia has a plan, one she must keep a secret as it could ensure her freedom once and for all. Unfortunately for her, her team have as many secrets as she does and all have plans of there own.

If you like secrets, scheming and backstabbing then this book is for you.
Each character had there own backstory, all have a hidden past that we slowly get to find out from hints and clues as we go through the book. This made it really interesting to see where the plot was going as everyone had there own needs and desires, making what seemed like a common goal of stealing an artefact actually quite complex as you never knew who was going to succeed in there own personal goal and what outcome that would lead to.

I found the magic system in this book to be very simple, I found that where I normally prefer something a bit more complex I actually appreciated this as the book moves fast, trying to keep up with a complicated magic system would have been tricky.

At the beginning of the book I found it hard to keep track of character names, the story moves so fast and it feels as if it’s assumed you should know who many of the characters are before they are explained or introduced, it feels like the book would benefit more from a bit more explanation in places. I also found some parts of the book quite predictable. However this did not take away from the fast paced, humorous heist that this book is.

The premise of Among Thieves is a good one. Ryia, aka the Butcher of Carrowwick is on the run from the Guildmaster and she can't let anyone know her secret. Together with a band of Thieves and miscreants she must help steal a special quill in order to protect her identity or potentially make money.
This is a story with a lot going for it. The characters are well developed and all have these interesting back stories, each of whom could easily be developed more in another book. No one in this book is ever quite as you expect and i look forward to seeing what else M J Kuhn will offer us in the future. If you like fantasy, worlds with trickery and cunning, or where people go on adventures then this is the book for you

When I saw this book being compared to Six of Crows, I of course had high expectations. After finishing I find that although it didn’t meet all of my expectations, it still managed to satisfy most of them.
We have a proper criminal underbelly of a city setting , a bunch of colourful characters ranging from a con artist, a disguise master, a pirate, an assassin to even a strait laced honour upholding soldier all with one goal. To steal the writing instrument of the Guild master that might or might not have some serious powers that can change the course of history. All of them have ulterior motives of their own and nobody is afraid to double cross the others to get what they need.
The book follows a fast pace full of action and a lot of twists and turns that keeps the reader entertained from start to finish. The heist part of the story was brilliantly executed and did meet mu high expectations. Now the part which didn’t mert my SoC level expectations were all concerned with the characters. Although they sounded really interesting in the beginning, none of them were explored in depth through the course of the story which led to them being a bit flat and superficial on paper. I also didn’t get the found family vibe from this motley crew of criminals. So those two were my main complaints about the story. But as I found out at the end, the story doesn’t end with this book. It ended on a bit of cliffhanger which leads me to believe that this will be turned into a series, in which case I hope my complaints with this instalment gets rectified in the sequels.
I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for an action packed heist story but I feel the comparison to SoC might be a bit unfair, so go in with limited expectations. You might just end up with a new favourite heist story.
Rating: 3.5 stars