Unfortunately, this one wasn't quite for me. I did have to DNF at about 40%, because I just couldn't get through it. It seems like the first part of the book is just a really long journey and conversation between the characters, which you might enjoy. Personally, I didn't.

Actually, the reason why I am rating this 3 stars rather than nothing at all, is because even though I found the overall plot a little boring, I really enjoyed the writing style. The characters tell us old stories and myths along the way, and I thought those were really fun and unique.

I was hoping to enjoy this one, particularly because I've heard the sequel is fantastic, but it just wasn't for me.

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. It was too slow-paced and the characters felt very two dimensional. Gen’s POV was fun but the rest of the story just didn’t live up to my expectation. I was expecting a lot more action but the whole book was just the journey to the place where he had to steal the item

I've wanted to read this book for so long that I figured the invitation to view it on NetGalley was a sign. So thank you to Hodder And Stoughton & Netgalley for sharing a copy of The Thief with me.

The rating is for the stories of the gods and the last two chapters only. They really made up for the fact that a lot of this book was just boring. The majority of this book was just a group of men meandering but at least Gen was funny.

Don't get me wrong, there are interesting bits and lovely scenes in between. The world-building and little sneaky things that Gen does add to the experience, it just couldn't combat the fact that I felt like I was getting a play by play of every move they made on this trip.

Thank you so much Hodder And Stoughton & Netgalley for sharing a copy of The Thief with me. I had such a fun time reading it.

First things first, I have to admit I was tad confused when I saw that it was published in 1996 but loved that it was being rereleased outside of America. Especially because this book is perfect for Throne of Glass fans. This book reminds me of the books my parents would read and one of the reasons why I was so excited to read fantasy books.

I wanted to read those types of books when I grew up. Reading the beautiful books with the yellowed pages and creased covers because they were so well loved. This book fits into that category perfectly.

If you want to dive into a more classic fantasy novel from the nineties then this book is one for you!

I saw this book on #netgalley and I was immediately transported back to when I was 8 and stumbled across it in the school library. I'm a bit wary about rereading books i loved as a child. Some books are diminished, tarnished when you read them as an adult but The Thief is just as bright and sparkling a gem as when I first read it.
Eugenides is the best sort of adventure hero... he's so human, he doesn't win every battle of wits, we see him bruised and lost for words. But he's also is cunning, daring and reckless. Megan Whalen Turner writes her supporting characters brilliantly too, they don't follow narrow gender roles and they are all well rounded characters in their own right, not just foils for Eugenides.

I would recommend this to anyone, great for about 8 onwards, bonus if you have an interest in Greek mythology.

Completely and utterly forgettable. I finished the book a couple of days ago and can't remember what it was about. I will not rush to read the rest of the series.

A perfect fantasy read for anybody who loves to delve deep into fantasy. The narrative was lucid and engaging..I liked the protagonist and I loved how the story built itself up.

this book had an interesting story, excellent writing, a fantastic protagonist who’s narrative was very entertaining throughout. i loved the world building here and would love to see how it develops. one of the twists i thought was slightly obvious, but the story was throughly entertaining regardless. guessing the twist didn’t ruin the story at all, and i still loved this fast-paced fantasy read!

Missed this one when it first came out. 3.5 stars because it got a bit repetitive but rounded up as the characters where engaging and the world was intriguing and I am going to read the second In the series to see if it build on this promise

This book was a lot of fun to read, books that have a heist / thief plotline are usually some of the most engaging stories to me, as they have great characters and big adventures that read like some of the most action packed movies in cinema. Which is what I got, when reading the thief. Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with the book, but very interested when netgalley invited me to read an arc.

The main character was witty, and really likeable, the banter between characters was light, and funny, and the imagery was well described, making it easy to visualise the story. I did feel like the pace was a little slow at the beginning, but once the story peaks, the intensity and pace pick up.
The book is aimed at younger readers, and so the writing was quite simple, which made it an easy read, however there were a few times where the story became repetitive, and slowed the story down again.

I am now aware that this is a series, and am looking forward to reading the rest of the books.

I really enjoyed this thoughtful, clever fantasy. Gen is a thief, released from prison by a magus who has need of his extraordinary skills. Battered, bruised and starved, the last thing Gen wants is to go on a long road trip with a man who treats him like a dumb, wayward instrument, a soldier and two supercilious apprentices with an unknown destination and no task, but he has little choice.

A good half of this book is an entertaining road trip as Gen watches and learns his companions weaknesses and intentions, the second half a twisty, fun adventure full of surprises and revelations. Beautifully written and absorbing this is a series to savour.

I geuinely had a fun time reading this book. I really enjoyed the book. Perfect for those looking for a quick enjoyable fantasy book

I have heard so much about this series and I've been wanting to read it for such a long time that I had admittedly high expectations when jumping right into this first novel of the series. And I got a lot of these expectations met: "The Thief" is a fun, very charming story about a loveable protagonist, set in an intriguing world that reminded me a lot of Ancient Greece (which is always a plus in my book). It's a very short read and I flew through it in one sitting, but sometimes that's just the kind of book I need.

Now, I wasn't blown away by it. The writing is solid but very simplistic, and the style felt kind of old school to me - which, of course, it probably is considering the novel came out about 17 years ago. There's not much fluff, it's all very to the point. The characters aren't really that complex, and certain plot developments suffer from it. I didn't find Gen a very consistent character either, even factoring in the reasons revealed by later plot twists.
The first part of this book is basically one long journey where absolutely nothing happens and the characters can't really carry this emptiness on their own. The mythological little stories were interesting, though. The second half is much more exciting and sets up the sequel very well, and it was simply much more interesting to read.

In general, this is an okay book and to be quite honest, it didn't really inspire me to read the rest of the series by itself. I will, though, because I heard that especially the second book is far superior and I'm intrigued.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This short novel follows the story of Gen and his four companions as they travel their country in search of a fabled treasure. As the adventure goes on we discover more and more things about the world they live in and the protagonists themselves, until the main twist gets revealed in the last few chapters of the novel.

I liked the pacing and the writing. It was simple, engaging, and easy to follow. I finished in it one go, without putting it down. Just that deserves mention.

That being said this is not a series I will follow, or an author I look forward to reading again. First, the worldbuilding is woefully weak. It feels like a prequel of sorts to a longer novel. Knowing that it's not is quite disappointing. Second, the character development was basically non existent. The flatness and shallowness of the characters reminds me of weak young adult fiction, more than proper fantasy. Finally, the pacing of the story is infuriating. The first half is way too long and nothing happens, and then in the second half too many things happen way too quickly, and most of these are extremely unlikely and lack credibility.

The plot is pretty simple, Gen is a great thief who to escape prison agrees to be recruited by the Kings Magus to steal an ancient stone that will change the kingdoms leader.

The first half of the book I found really slow and quite repetitive. The journey to find the stone only really consisted of Gen complaining about eating and sleeping. There wasn't much real interaction or conversation with those in the travelling party, so I found it really hard when these friendships bonds seemed to be so solid in the last few chapters of the book, for me it just wasn't believable, I didn't feel the trust had really been earned.

Most of the Lore is told via storytelling when they settle down to make camp, I did enjoy the way this was done. Learning about the Gods past through the characters tales was done well.

This was a short read, I managed to get through it in one sitting and while I did a little bit of skimming over the slow parts I can see the story having potential. I don't think I will continue on with the series just because I didn't enjoy any of the characters enough to want to know more.

I wanted to love this. It's not a bad book, but it doesn't really get started untill over half way through.

The beginning of the book can be summed up like a cheesy dance track, walk, talk, eat repeat.

So Gen is supposedly a master thief. He is taken from prison and sent on a quest to retrieve an ancient stone for the corrupt king. He travels a long way. And I mean a long was as this part of the story really drags on. Gen isn't a particularly likeable character at this point. He's more like a surly teen than a master thief. He basically moans about food the entire way and occasionally tells a mythological story.

The bit where he actually finds the temple and goes in for the stone is a bit better, but it lacked imagery at times. Then there's the ambush. Well personally what happened there was pretty obvious. It's all meant to be a big secret I thi k, but imo it was predictable and clear.

The ending was the best bit. Now I know that sounds rude, and it isn't meant to. Genuinely the ending is the clever bit. It ties everything together and adds a twist or two.

So overall not bad but not wow. The ending ties it all up which is clever, but the start was slow and arduous at times.

Four stars for really well-written characters in a great world.

I liked the main character. It's been a long time since I've read a book with a male lead and it was very refreshing. I loved his wit and cunning and enjoyed how the story was interspersed with myths from the world. I liked the secondary characters too, although not so fleshed out they were still well written with intrinsic motivations.

The first half was very slow and not particularly exciting but the second half picked up big time - with some great reveals that more than made up for the first half. If it were me I would have placed some setups in the first half as some of the reveals came out of nowhere.

So much fun!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for sending me the arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I had heard of Megan Whalen Turner's 'The Thief' in the past while looking for more books centred around rogues and thieves since my favourite books and games all revolve around them (Six of Crows, Thief: The Dark Project, Dishonored etc). However, I had never gotten the chance before to read 'The Thief' since copies of the book were hard to come by and it wasn't on Kindle yet.

I was happy to find an email from Hodder and Stoughton recently recommending 'The Thief' on Netgalley and jumped at the chance to read it now since the series is getting new updated covers and finally moving to Kindle format.

I enjoyed this book immensely despite it being aimed at middle grade or YA. I loved Gen as the main character and although half of the book involves a long travel sequence, he carried the story well and keep me reading. I enjoyed the mythology and stories of the Gods/Goddesses spread throughout the story and the world-building.

There is a plot twist at the end of the book I saw a mile off however, as I was spoiled by the series title so I do blame the publisher. Regardless, Gen does go back and mention some clues that should have hinted at the plot twist in the end - but I didn't feel they were clues that readers could have discovered on their own and gone 'Oh of course' when looking back.

There are a few more instances of Gen telling the story one way then going back later and adding more details, including the plot twist, which can be annoying. But I suppose it does reinforce that Gen is a tricksy character and to take his words with a pinch of salt.

My other slight gripe was dialogue - I sometimes could not tell who was talking at times, but this might have been down to messy formatting on the app.

Overall I'd happily recommend this book to others and will probably pick up the next book in my own time when the new covers come out.

In the Thief we follow Gen, a young wayward sassy thief, who despite his best efforts is biding his time in prison. The world seems loosely based on the Roman conquest of Britain - with old and new Gods, an oppressive Empire where the rich grow richer and the power looks for more land to conquer.

Gen is surprising released from his imprisonment by the Kings head Magus - who enlists (read blackmails and strongarms ) Gens help in a quest. As we set off we know as little as Gen and the further we get we know less and less.

I feel like this book was just not for me. The world building felt a bit stilted and fairy tale like. It was really jarring moving between the story itself and these myths that were told by the characters alongside. The characters themselves felt very vague to me and I did not connect with them at all. The only dialog that took place really was one upmanship banter that though, while is entertaining get boring after awhile. Especially as Gen is supposedly the best thief ever, but he seems completely flummoxed by the people around him and acts like a sulky teenager.

Overall two stars as the end of the book did surprise me and I feel there is a lot of potential in this world

I downloaded this book because YA fantasy is my new favourite thing and I loved the cover with its hint of Greek myths. I hadn't realised the book was originally published in the 1990s, but was intrigued to learn that the series had inspired several of my favourite authors.

Eugenides (Gen) boasts that he can steal anything without being caught, even the King's seal, but unfortunately it is his boasting that lands him in a prison that apparently even he cannot escape from. So his only chance to win back his freedom is when the King's Magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object. But while the Magus is working on an ambitious plan to benefit king and country, Gen has a cunning plan of his own...

At first glance, The Thief appears to be an uncomplicated 'road trip' story of Gen, the Magus, his two apprentices and a soldier, as they travel across three countries, hunting down this mythical object - but there are several large twists!

The characters have lots of adventures along the way and the balance of power switches around as they get to know each other and reluctantly begin to like each other. The characters are brilliantly drawn, particularly the whinging, complaining, failed thief and trickster Gen, but I also loved bookish Sophos, whose father wants him to be a soldier, and the long-suffering Magus, who has to put up with them all. The strength of the story is in the characters and the writing, which is so compelling I read most of the book in one go.

The Thief reminded me a little bit of C.S. Lewis's The Horse and His Boy, but looking ahead at the rest of the series (already published in the USA), I can see it will take a Game of Thrones turn. Although The Thief is a fantasy, the names of the characters, their Gods, and the descriptions of the countryside, have a definite Ancient Greece feel about them - but there is also mention of more modern inventions such as books and guns.

Conclusion? I loved The Thief! Five stars from me, a new favourite author discovered, and I really can't wait for the next book in the series!


Thank you to Megan Whalen Turner and Hodder & Stoughton for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.