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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Realm of Thieves is book one in the Thieves of Dragemor series by Karina Hale. It’s an enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance with dragons galore and will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Brynla has lived a life of great pain and does what she must to get by. After escaping a dragon worshiping cult, she began stealing dragon eggs as a means of survival. Although stealing dragon eggs is both illegal and dangerous, it pays well, and Brynla is extremely skilled at it. Andor is from House Kolbeck, a rival to Brynla’s current employer, and he’s extremely interested in having Brynla work for him. Between Brynla’s temper and Andor’s smugness, will they be able to work together to pull off the heist of a lifetime?
Realm of Thieves has a unique world and magic system, complete with dragons and wonderful characters. What more could a girl want in a new fantasy series? Brynla is strong, brave, and determined. She is slow to let people in, but when she does, she loves fiercely. Andor is intelligent, observant, and extremely loyal to those he cares about most. The tension and banter between Brynla and Andor is fabulous, and I loved reading their story. As much as I loved them both, I think my favorite character was Lemi, the shifting dog sidekick. He’s loyal to a fault and brought such joy to both Brynla and Andor. If you’re into romantasy with a heavy dose of dragons, this is a book you will not want to miss!
Thank you Berkley Publishing Group: Ace for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
I love Lemi the magical teleporting dog!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found Realm of Thieves to be a fun, adventurous, romantasy. It has many elements that I love in high fantasy, a main character that is a rogue thief, good worldbuilding, an interesting mystery element surrounding the main character and my favorite aspect of this novel in terms of magical animals, a magic dog!
I loved Brynla as a main character. She is brave, clever and distrustful of most everyone and with good reason. She's in the middle of stealing dragon eggs when we first meet her. Halle does a very good job of building the world through her character's eyes, while weaving in bits of backstory to help us understand why Brynla is risking her life for dragon eggs that aren't even of any benefit to her like they are to most thieves. I especially loved the interaction between her and her dog, Lemi, at the start of the book. We are soon introduced in the opening chapter to the man who will be Brynla's main love interest as well, Andor. I found him to be a much less sympathetic character at first. He's pretty arrogant and high-handed. I was okay with him being flawed, though. As the story unfolds, it gives him plenty of opportunity to grow and change for the better, which I truly felt he did. .
The stakes in this novel stay pretty high throughout and we never know who might be at risk of dying or being captured. The character development for the primary and secondary characters was also strong as well. I did have some trouble keeping track of who belonged to which continent and which syndickat, at times. That was one of my main issues with the worldbuilding and plot. It was hard to remember who was who sometimes in that regard. Most of the time, those characters or groups are off page, so that could account for a lot of that. But the author does provide a character and syndicakat guide as part of the front matter in the book as well as a map. I did feel that the last quarter of the book is very fast-paced and I think that there were times I would have liked to remain in the moment just a little bit longer. However, it did keep me turning pages to see what was going to happen and find out what the mystery surrounding Brynla was going to finally reveal. I will definitely read more in this series and would like to thank NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an eARC of Realm of Thieves in exchange for this honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I loved Brynla as a main character. She is brave, clever and distrustful of most everyone and with good reason. She's in the middle of stealing dragon eggs when we first meet her. Halle does a very good job of building the world through her character's eyes, while weaving in bits of backstory to help us understand why Brynla is risking her life for dragon eggs that aren't even of any benefit to her like they are to most thieves. I especially loved the interaction between her and her dog, Lemi, at the start of the book. We are soon introduced in the opening chapter to the man who will be Brynla's main love interest as well, Andor. I found him to be a much less sympathetic character at first. He's pretty arrogant and high-handed. I was okay with him being flawed, though. As the story unfolds, it gives him plenty of opportunity to grow and change for the better, which I truly felt he did. .
The stakes in this novel stay pretty high throughout and we never know who might be at risk of dying or being captured. The character development for the primary and secondary characters was also strong as well. I did have some trouble keeping track of who belonged to which continent and which syndickat, at times. That was one of my main issues with the worldbuilding and plot. It was hard to remember who was who sometimes in that regard. Most of the time, those characters or groups are off page, so that could account for a lot of that. But the author does provide a character and syndicakat guide as part of the front matter in the book as well as a map. I did feel that the last quarter of the book is very fast-paced and I think that there were times I would have liked to remain in the moment just a little bit longer. However, it did keep me turning pages to see what was going to happen and find out what the mystery surrounding Brynla was going to finally reveal. I will definitely read more in this series and would like to thank NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an eARC of Realm of Thieves in exchange for this honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book has a really cool premise and it started off promising.
The first 30% had a lot of intrigue and looked like it would be a good enemies to lovers story but then the pacing and the story started to feel off.
For a good portion of the book it felt like nothing was happening but time was passing. I’m not sure how, why or when Andor and Brynla caught feelings because it wasn’t really developed, it just showed up and that was it.
The stakes didn’t really feel high and the plot points I thought were going to have a big impact were brushed over and explained away in the thoughts of the characters after brief time jumps. None of the conflict between the characters were dealt with in real time - we were just told about the outcome and resolution.
It came across as very clinical and easy to me which I didn’t enjoy. I really wanted to love this book but it sadly wasn’t for me.
The first 30% had a lot of intrigue and looked like it would be a good enemies to lovers story but then the pacing and the story started to feel off.
For a good portion of the book it felt like nothing was happening but time was passing. I’m not sure how, why or when Andor and Brynla caught feelings because it wasn’t really developed, it just showed up and that was it.
The stakes didn’t really feel high and the plot points I thought were going to have a big impact were brushed over and explained away in the thoughts of the characters after brief time jumps. None of the conflict between the characters were dealt with in real time - we were just told about the outcome and resolution.
It came across as very clinical and easy to me which I didn’t enjoy. I really wanted to love this book but it sadly wasn’t for me.
✨Realm of Thieves by Karina Halle ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I really enjoyed this book! This was a fantastic and unique story. I LOVED how the main female character Brynla was described and how she had to deal with a medical issue that I also deal with on a regular basis (endometriosis). The world building was so unique, and the relationship between Andor and Brynla was so well done! The next book can’t come fast enough!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I really enjoyed this book! This was a fantastic and unique story. I LOVED how the main female character Brynla was described and how she had to deal with a medical issue that I also deal with on a regular basis (endometriosis). The world building was so unique, and the relationship between Andor and Brynla was so well done! The next book can’t come fast enough!!!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.25 stars - In short, this book is about two thieves who vie for dominance in the illegal dragon egg trade, putting both their lives and their hearts on the line.
Brynla was forced to lead a life of crime in order to survive after she escaped a fanatical dragon-worshipping cult called the Daughters of Silence. She steals dragon eggs full of suen, which is the magical substance inside the yolk of a dragon egg that gives humans (and some animals) special powers when ingested, until she finds herself taken as Lord Andor's captive. She's forced to work for Andor if she wants to see her aunt again...but things take a dangerous turn, especially when you think no one is watching.
I absolutely adored Andor and Brynla...in fact, here's a few of my favorite quotes from Andor:
Brynla was forced to lead a life of crime in order to survive after she escaped a fanatical dragon-worshipping cult called the Daughters of Silence. She steals dragon eggs full of suen, which is the magical substance inside the yolk of a dragon egg that gives humans (and some animals) special powers when ingested, until she finds herself taken as Lord Andor's captive. She's forced to work for Andor if she wants to see her aunt again...but things take a dangerous turn, especially when you think no one is watching.
I absolutely adored Andor and Brynla...in fact, here's a few of my favorite quotes from Andor:
"I stand where you stand. And you stand at the forefront of my life. Everything else efalls to the wayside. Every thought, every feeling, it revolves around you, like you've embedded yourself under my skin, deep enough that I couldn't get you out even if I tried."
"What I want more than anything is to matter to you. To be something to you, to be everything to you...I want to be your better tomorrow."
I also loved that there was quite a bit of feminine rage in this book. She is driven by rage against the cult that persecuted and divided her family. This quote slapped:
"I haven't fallen to the wolves," I sneer. "I am the wolf."
This book also had the most amazing animal companion, Lemi! Spoiler:
I am excited to continue on in these series and find out what sort of secrets, lies, and betrayal will happen in the next book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review.
Note: Upon release, I purchased the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the narration by Jack Hart, Saskia Maarleveld, and Chris Tester!