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1.69k reviews for:

Thieves' Gambit

Kayvion Lewis

3.89 AVERAGE


Thieves' Gambit – Kayvion Lewis

(unbezahlte Werbung | Rezensionsexemplar)

ET 15.02.2024 ~ 416 Seiten ~ GB 20,00 €, eBook 16,99 € ~ 3,5/5 Sterne

Vorab: Bei Thieves' Gambit handelt es sich um ein Jugendbuch und das ist meiner Meinung nach so harmlos, dass es für wirklich junge Menschen ansprechend sein dürfte. Ich habe diesen Aspekt bei meiner Bewertung nicht einfließen lassen, da ich ja vorab wusste, dass es ein Jugendbuch ist.

Die Grundidee von Thieves' Gambit hat mir gut gefallen: Es gibt im Grunde mehrere Runden, in denen Jugendliche ihr Diebestalent beweisen müssen. Wer am Ende gewinnt, bekommt einen Wunsch erfüllt. Perfekt für Rosalyn, deren Mutter gerade erst entführt wurde und die keine Ahnung hat, wie sie die hohe Summe Lösegeld aufbringen soll.

Das Buch bietet viel Action, aber im Grunde alles ziemlich harmlos. Ich konnte mir viele Szenen sehr gut als Film vorstellen und wäre tatsächlich nicht überrascht, wenn Netflix hier mal eine Verfilmung rausbringen würde. Neben den Diebstählen geht es auch um Freundschaft, Liebe und Identität, also nicht sonderlich überraschend für ein Jugendbuch, aber auch nicht schlecht. Mir haben auch die diversen Charaktere gut gefallen.

Was mir leider gar nicht gut gefallen hat, waren einzelne absolut toxische Beziehungen zwischen Elternteil und Kind. Zwar werden die nicht positiv dargestellt, aber ich fand sie auch einfach anstrengend zu lesen und sehr nervig. Ein noch größerer Minuspunkt ist jedoch das Ende. In den letzten zwanzig Seiten passiert meiner Meinung nach so viel, dass es einfach nur absurd wurde. Ich hatte das Gefühl, als hätte man einfach das Interesse am Buch verloren und wollte die Geschichte deshalb so schnell wie möglich beenden. Ich verstehe es nicht. Das war definitiv nicht das Ende, das das Buch verdient hätte. Von mir gibt es deshalb nur 3,5 Sterne.

...I need the sequel immediately. I wasn't even expecting to enjoy the book this much but it's an absolute thrill ride with an ending that has ruined me a little bit with its twists.

3.5 ⭐️

Firstly, I would like to thank Penguin Young Readers Group, Nancy Paulsen Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Secondly, I would like to state that I DNF (10%) this book after determining I was not the intended audience.

This book is about seventeen year old master thief Ross Quest. She loves her overprotective mother dearly, but she’d like a break for the summer to be a normal teen. Ross devises an escape plan when she’s on a mission with her mom. Everything is going according to plan until things take an unexpected turn and Momma Quest’s life is put on the line. In order to save her mom she enters the Thieves’ Gambit. Which is no ordinary heist, it is a competition consisting of international heist in which the winner will get the grand prize ~a wish~.

The premise is what caught my eye in the beginning! However, the more I read this book the more out of touch I felt. So, I think this book will appeal to the younger side of ya readers. This was really a case of right book wrong reader!

The author does a great job of thoroughly describing the scenes and all the intricacies of the heists. At some points I did feel like it was over done, but I think this was due to the lack of connection I had to the book. If you are a fan of spy thrillers you’ll probably like this!
adventurous medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

What I Liked:

-While I actually guessed a couple of the larger twists, there were a couple of small twists that still caught me off guard.

-Heist books are fun. I really enjoy how they lean into unreliable narrators.


What I Struggled With:

-While I can't nail it down exactly, there was something about the novel that left me wanting more. Maybe I wanted to see Ross and the others struggle a little more to complete the gambit challenges?


Final Thoughts:

-I enjoy a good heist story. And while Thieves' Gambit was good, it didn't blow me away. Between that and the frequency of language used (see below), I most likely won't be reading any other books in the series.


Other Notes: I didn't keep exact track of cautions while reading, but there is semi-frequent mild/moderate swearing, semi-frequent blasphemy, moderate romance, a couple of kisses, moderate violence, and a girl is asked if she has a girlfriend. Of course, I may have missed something since, as I noted, I didn't keep exact track.


(I received an eARC from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
adventurous tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous mysterious 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: Yes

Overall, I loved Thieves’ Gambit. It’s an exciting heist novel with an endearing heroine whose fierce internal battle—go it alone or risk it all by trusting?—beautifully compliments the external competition she finds herself in. It does have a slightly slow start and there are a few plot twists that are a little hard to follow, but on the whole I enjoyed myself immensely. This is a quick, exciting read that will appeal both to action fans and romance fans as well as anyone who likes hodgepodge casts of lovable outcasts. I hadn’t heard of Kayvion Lewis before Thieves’ Gambit, but I’ll certainly keep an eye out for her next book (hopefully it’s a sequel) and I’ll need to track down her earlier work as well.
adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced
adventurous medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes