This started off really well and up until about halfway point I completely lost interest and the plot became confusing.

This is a fast-paced and addictive story with well-developed characters, intriguing kingdom politics and intricately crafted world history, mythologies and religions. The world that Megan Whalen Turner creates in this book and the rest of this series is truly immersive and the characters will stay with you long after putting down the final book.

Thanks Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read and and review.
It was enjoyable read, although I will never get used to the first-person narrative. I truly prefer to feel like a side observer of everything that happens with the characters when I read, so imagining that I'm the characters themselves is not my cup of tea. Aside from that I think the narrative and dialogue could use more crafting. There were places where the author repeats one and the same thing, just using different words for it. The dialogue often felt quite simple. The dialogue is essential tool to built tension, create electricity and sparks between the characters. There were also times when certain lines served no particular purpose for the scene or for the overall plot. On the good side there were very detailed descriptions of the surroundings, which truly helped to imagine the setting. Gen was also very likable protagonists - as a famous thief he's of course very self centered, but not without his own morals and beliefs. There was nice political intrigue, although the culmination of the plot could've been more...I don't know....unexpected and impactful. Despite that the book is a nice read and good start of something that's supposed to turn into series, so I'm sure next book will be even better! Recommending the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


The Thief is about Gen, who at the start of the story is imprisoned for stealing. His reputation for being the best thief proceeds him and soon the king's scholar takes interest in his talents. Together with a group of soldiers they go on an adventure to find a god's relic for Gen to steal
But they aren't the only people looking for the valuable item. Soon they have to face enemies and Gen has to decide whose side he wants to be on.


This was a very well-crafted fantasy book with a big adventure in its center. The protagonist had all the traits I love seeing in main characters. He was a little self-absorbed and made me laugh quite a lot with his witty remarks. My favorite aspect was the engrossing writing and the attention to detail when it came to the descriptions of the surroundings. The story dragged a little in the middle, but the end definitely made me curious for the sequel.

When I think of a fantasy book, I think of some hefty tome that sits around 500+ pages. Sitting at just under 300 pages, this book proves that length is definitely not everything in fantasy!

Gen is a thief who is released from prison on the condition that he is able to locate a magical artifact belonging to the Gods. We get to follow him and the rest of his crew, as they explore historical ruins in an attempt to find the impossible.

I absolutely loved this book. It may be short, but the author still managed to pack it to the brim with fantastical elements. All of the characters were really interesting and I liked how we were able to learn more about the mythology and history of this world through their conversations. The world was brilliantly written, and it left me desperate to know more about the political intrigue and monarchies that we are introduced to. My main issue is that the twist was really really obvious. In fact, it didn't even feel like a twist as I felt the author had set up the signs from page one.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the reading experience and can now appreciate why this is such a popular fantasy series. Can't wait to read the next book in the series now!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book was a nice surprise because I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it quite as much as I did. It has one of my favourite tropes ever in a fantasy (the under appreciated character surprising everyone trope) and the twist at the end was very unexpected. It’s pretty slow paced until the very end but the last 20% makes it worth it. Loved the character of Gen. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series and more of Gen.
Rating 3.5 stars