The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron

This book was such a fun surprise. Jude Ripon comes from a family of professional magic thieves, but as the youngest, she's stuck on lookout duty. Tired of being underestimated, she sets out to prove herself—with a heist, of course. What could go wrong? (Answer: a lot, especially when the magic turns out to be cursed.)

I loved the clever worldbuilding—edible magic is such a cool twist—and Jude is just the right mix of scrappy and determined. It’s fast, funny, and full of heart. A great pick for middle grade readers who love magical troublemakers.

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Thank you to #NetGalley and #TheWriteReads for the digital copy. This review represents my honest opinion.

I have to admit I bought The Thief of Farrowfell when it first came out but never got around to it because there is so much I want to read. So when I saw the blog tour I knew it was a sign to read it but when I looked for my copy could I find it so was grateful I received a Netgalley Arc.

I could kick myself for not picking it up sooner because I had a fantastic time. I bloody loved Jude, the plot, the magic system and the world Ravena built.

I have bought the second book in the series The Beast of Farrowfell which will be read in June and the final book The Battle of Farrowfell which released 8th May 2025 to finish up in my view a wonderful series.

For all the above reasons the Thief of Farrowfell receives 4 stars

I'm just gonna go now to kick myself some more toodles

**TL;DR:** *The Thief of Farrowfell is a solid first book in this new middle-grade fantasy series. With a unique magic system and compelling characters who will easily have you rooting for them, this is an action-packed adventure-filled novel that I think many young readers will find joy reading! While it does get somewhat dark and sinister at times, Jude is a great main character who keeps it real but also, continues to feel hope throughout the read that doesn’t let the story get bogged down. Despite the triumphs, I wouldn’t say this book has a happy ending exactly; however, it was a very hopeful one and I look forward to continuing the series and seeing where Jude’s story goes next.*

The world-building of Farrowfell was interesting and I liked the magic system. I can’t recall reading a story where the magic system is based solely on **edible magic** and while Guron gives us a good taste (no pun intended!) of what magic can do in this world, especially with the invisibility and ghost spells, I found myself eagerly wanting to see more variety because it sounded very cool. Another interesting element to the magic was the difference in tame magic and raw magic, and how the author made the latter come alive. It made me even more curious about the origins of Farrowfell’s magic and I hope that Guron will explore it in more depth in the coming books.

The writing was descriptive and enjoyable to read, and I think it would be easy for the intended audience to sink into the story as it is quite action-packed and full of mischief and adventure! Foremost, **this is about family and what it means to be one, but it is also about friendship**, touching upon themes of **grief, loss, and belonging**. I don’t think I expected the story to be quite this dark but as an adult reader, I appreciated it a lot. You could say that some of this is to be expected due to the fact that Jude is a thief from a family of the most renowned thieves in Farrowfell, but her family is one of the most horrid that I’ve read in some time! Jude craves her family’s acceptance and wants so badly to feel like a ***true Ripon***, which made it very hard at times to read how poorly they treated her, and it was heartbreaking to see how sad and disappointed Jude would become after every scene involving her family. She deserved so much better than them!

I loved Jude’s determination! She’s stubborn as anything, resourceful, and quick-witted, and I think young readers will be able to easily empathise with her. Although at first, their relationship was quite contentious—and at least from Jude’s side full of bitterness and jealousy—I liked how Guron wrote the relationship between Jude and Moorley. **Sisterhood is complex** and can be one of the messiest relationships in life, but there’s also a **unique bond that can form between sisters** that I’m glad came through in this book. I loved that there was at least one family member in her life that Jude was able to count on, even if she initially didn’t think so. Moorley was a great older sister and I can’t wait to see how their relationship evolves throughout the series!

As I think can be expected from a middle grade novel, this was **quite light in terms of character development**. There are several characters of note that we meet on Jude’s adventures, and while they seemed interesting, a glimpse is pretty much all that we get of them. It would have been great to see some of these characters developed more, especially the ones who played more significant roles including **Jude’s new found friends, Eri and Fin**. They seemed like good kids and I liked the role they played in helping Jude realise that **it’s not only blood family that can make you feel seen, and their acceptance isn’t the only thing that matters**. I’m sure that we will see much more of them as the series continues and I can’t wait for that!

This **doesn’t have the typical happy ending** that Jude and Moorley deserve, **nor the easy resolution** that tends to happen in middle-grade novels, but **that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a hopeful ending** (or beginning whichever way you see it) for them. I know there are lots more great adventures waiting ahead for Jude and Moorley, and it also probably isn’t the last time we see the Ripon family (unfortunately, lol). Overall, I had a great time reading this middle-grade fantasy and it’s one that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to young readers looking for a magical and adventurous story with a strong main character!

I initially couldn’t get into this book but I’m so glad I persevered as it was very worth it. With edible magic, a family of thieves and family drama, this book has a lot to keep the reader wanting more.

Jude is a wonderful character full of fight and resilience in the face of quite a bit of adversity. The magic in the story itself is quite unique and unlike other magical based books. It is a well written book with enough suspense to keep the reader entertained.

This books may be more suited to upper key stage 2 due to some of the slightly more adult themes like the family dynamics but year 3/4 will enjoy it with an adult helping them to navigate the story.

Themes include magic, adventure, fantasy and family problems.

I’m intrigued what the next story brings with Jude and Moorley.

My Thoughts

I will start by saying that i was provided with an ecopy of this book free of charge by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I the moment I read the blurb i was hooked. The idea of a world where magic was edible! How awesome is that! Also I wanted to get to know Jude. She seemed like someone fun.

As our story starts we find Jude sneaking out on her own hiest ready to prove that she is a True member of The Ripon family.

Everything is going amazingly! She got the magic she was seeking but then she gets told its cursed.

She shrugs it off til things start to go horribly wrong for her family. Hoping to get rid of her curse she joins the Weston children from whom she stole from in their quest to find their parents.

Its a brilliantly well told story that folks of all ages can get lost in. Loved exploring Farrowfell with Jude.

I’ll be honest: I requested this book for two main reasons: 1) Alessia Trunfio is my favourite illustrator, and 2) I really loved Ravena Guron’s debut, which was a YA mystery thriller, that ended up in my 22 Best Books of 2022 at the end of last year. Did I read the plot? Not really, I knew very little going into it, but I was curious about this edible magic idea.
I can safely say, I much prefer this author’s writing when it comes to YA mystery, as you can probably tell by my low rating. However, before going into details, I want to say that Alessia Trunfio did a great job with both the interior illustration and the cover. I will probably end up buying myself a physical copy just so I can display it on my shelves, honestly.
Now, onto the book itself, I had two main issues with The Thief of Farrowfell. The first one was the pacing: I found the plot to be interesting enough — not my all times favourite middle grade plot and not the most original one — but it dragged. It was a really slow book and, in my opinion, with a premise like that one it had, it needed to be quicker, faster.
I want to say that this dragging feeling was partly due to the author trying to fit too many characters into 300 pages, but most of all it was caused by the fact that she tried to weave family issues into a story which was too short to really talk about such topics. I can appreciate the idea and the effort, but the execution was a bit lacking for my taste.
The second issue, and the main reason why my rating is so low, were the characters: I will never tire of saying how much I love characters and how important they are to me. Unfortunately, this means I tend to give lower ratings when I don’t vibe with the main character. I found Jude to be a little annoying, to be completely honest with you, and I generally didn’t care about her enough to care about what she was going through.
The secondary characters were way more interesting, but they weren’t flashed out enough for me. I have read somewhere this might turn into a series, so maybe this is why the author chose not to develop them at their fullest. On the other hand, I want to say that it was a risky choice, because as it stands, I don’t know if I will continue the series, and it is partly due to this very fact. (Let’s be honest, I’ll probably read an hypotetical book two just because I love Alessia Trunfio — true Italian pride here — but you get what I’m saying).
Overall, I do think that many people can enjoy this story, especially those who value plot over characters, and are not scared of a slow book, but I still believe this should have been edited differently, because the premise made it sound much more interesting than it actually was, and it’s a bummer, especially since I know Ravena Guron can write.
So, do I recommend this book? Yes and no, it truly depends on what kind of reader you are and how many books in this genre/age range you’ve read before. Also, it really depends on what you are expecting: if you do not expect high action, you might actually love this one.

THE THIEF OF FARROWFELL is a fun tale of magic, curses, and terrible families.

The magic of this world has to be eaten to work, which was a really nice way of opening magic up to anyone - supposing you have enough money or stealing abilities! It comes from raw magic, which is very dangerous and creates monsters, so must be handled with care...

This is a tale of trust and lies. No one is telling the entire truth, so you spend the book trying to sift through the lies to work out what's really happening alongside Jude. But then again, if you were able to trust the characters, they'd be bad thieves!

Jude's family are horrible (or slightly unusual) in ways that felt very Roald Dahl, which I really liked as it evoked that childhood nostalgia. They're all aloof and mean (or running around building flying chariots), which makes them great villains to root against.

I really liked the journey Jude went on with her relationship to her family, particularly her sister. There's resentment and desire to be accepted, but also wanting to be her own person and be loved. And then it ends in a really great place that shows so much growth but also how hard it can be to break with the familiar.

The main plot wraps up very nicely, and the next books promise to be in the same world but with a different focus for the characters!

This debut middle grade novel is rather on the long side but please don't let that put you off. Fantasy lovers and more confident readers are in for an immersive treat of a story where heroes and villains merge in a dark and edgy world...

Jude Ripon is a thief! Desperate to be part of the family business, who steal and sell tamed and edible magic, she is determined to pull off a heist that impressives them.

But Jude might have bitten off more than she can chew with her latest theft. As she becomes embroiled in curses, lithrum attacks and a search for two people who have mysteriously gone missing, Jude begins to discover the extent of what her family are up to - does she really want to be part of it after all?

This is a fantastic exploration of family, villainy and coming of age set in a high-concept and spellbinding fantasy world. Ravena Guron's imagination is second-to-none and the complexity of her world-building is phenomenal - full to the brim with 3D imagery and perfect detail. The plot is perfect for fans of Crookhaven and Wednesday and reminded me of a darker version of The Addams Family.

I found the plot enthralling. It's dark, dangerous, twisty and turny and Grandleader is a particular character to watch. The story branches out like a spider's web, ensnaring you inside, and there are revelations throughout that will make you gasp. Yet, what I also loved was that the heart of the story is simple as Jude explores her identity and who her family really are. I loved her character journey and its one that I think will really capture the hearts of the reader. There's a lot of thought-provoking moments, edge of your seat action and a gorgeous blossoming friendship to boot.

Middle-grade fantasy is definitely on fire this year and I've been lucky enough to review some crackers. For me, The Thief of Farrowfell is right up there with the best and it is worth investing the time in the slightly higher wordcount. It's the first in a series and if book one is this good then I can't wait for the others...

A big thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for allowing me a review copy. The Thief of Farrowfell publishes today, 4th May 2023.

I knew I had to read it when I spotted the edible magic and thought this was very original. I was right as it's a very entertaining, well plotted, and fast paced story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This was a big success with the children. They enjoyed the story because it was just a bit different from anything we have read before. The idea of edible magic was original and inspired. A recommended read.

This is a fast-paced exciting fantasy story with lots of twists and turns (many unexpected), hugely imaginative, great world-building, super characters and character arcs, and I thought it was great.
Highlights for me include:
1. Edible Magic – I haven’t come across edible magic before, and I love that tamed magic tastes disgusting and raw smell smells delicious. I love the contrast between the powerful raw magic and its terrible consequences versus the tamed blend, which gives this story a superb plot line.
2. Jude – Jude is a super protagonist. Determined to prove her worth in a family of thieves lands her in a lot of trouble. Of course Jude has been brought up to value the family business and to live up to the Ripon name, which makes a lot of her commentary hilarious when she meets good kids Fin and Eri. Jude hates her sister Moorley who everyone seems to think is perfect, and I love how their relationship changes through the story.
3. The Ripon family – Jude’s family is pretty terrible, but they have been badly affected by their activities. To give you an idea of how awful her relatives are, her grandfather is known as Grandleader – there is nothing paternal about him at all.
4. World-building – this high-concept plot is brilliantly portrayed, with the use of tamed magic (legally and illegally acquired) and the threat from the monsters preying upon the people.
5. Pace – excellently paced story with the right balance of action, humour, tension, character development and twists and turns right to the end.
If you like fantasy, I highly recommend this superb story, and I really hope for more adventures in this world. There are some darker themes (Jude is neglected by her parents, there are also addiction problems, one of the side effects of raw magic), but I think they are handled very well and suitably for the age group.

I was provided an ebook advanced reader copy of this book by Netgalley and the publisher Faber and Faber in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book but overall enjoyed it. The idea of edible magic and the main character and her family being thieves really intrigued me. I found the dynamic of her family hard to read though. I wonder how a middle grade reader would digest the heavy amounts of emotional abuse and neglect. It felt like a much heavier book than the cover and synopsis suggested to me.

The pros: the main character Jude is strong and resilient and sees what her family has been doing is wrong and stands up to them. There were some good twists and turns and the author built up the tension well for the final scenes. The magic system is unlike others I have read before. I really loved the Hall of Knowledge concept and how it had learned and became something the people who built it couldn’t have predicted.

I am curious to see where the next book leads Jude as the end definitely leaves you ready for the next.

Thieving is what Jude does best until she takes a valuable cursed magic and things go horribly wrong. An incredible, inventive, fantasy that like raw magic, I just wanted to keep on eating. I can't wait to read about Jude's next adventures as she and her sister Moorley go it alone. Highly recommended.