The Thief

First in a series, though each book appears to have a satisfying ending rather than a cliffhanger. If you like trickster thieves and political intrigue, this series is definitely a must-read and will be hard to put down. Think The Lies of Locke Lamora meets the Daughter of the Empire series, with the real, personal intervention of the gods as seen in The Belgariad, and you have a pretty good idea what to expect.

Gen, the titular thief, is a delightful character from his inauspicious start through all his tricks and surprises to the satisfying ending, and the best news is there are multiple books after this one to read more. Set against the political backdrop of the three kingdoms of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia, as they struggle to find some resolution that will unify the region they share enough to stand against the external threat of the Emperor of Mede. Thieves, spymasters, kings, queens, political machinations, and gods playing with the lives of their worshippers, you'll find it all here. I finished this book 2 days ago and I'm already almost done the third in the series with no inclination to slow down!

I found this book dull and uninteresting. The reviews were positive for the series and I couldn't understand why I was so...meh about it.

I don't mind a tale about a journey but I need something to sustain my curiosity as we go from one village to another. Offer interesting characters, insight in to magic system, talk about the flora...something.

As Gen and team make their way to an undisclosed location I mentally checked out. I looked at my To Be Read list and began sorting what I would read next. This is a death knell for a book but I persevered.

The pace picked up once Gen finally offered more to the story than complaining. I wondered if there was a glimmer of hope and maybe this would redeem the series. There were some exciting parts and then I came back to my earlier feelings and was excited about what else I could read so I stopped at one book and will move on.