Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
This was a fun, quick read, definitely written primarily for 8-12 year olds. It is a great introduction to D&D, and in many ways feels like a starting D&D experience.
Some of the situations the main character gets in feel too big, with beings too powerful, to warrant the interaction of a inexperienced minor thief.
There also was no real fighting that I found in my two read through of the book. That could be because this was the thief, or it could just be the way the books are written. Lots of the character interactions are a little slapstick or campy, but I think this works great for the intended age audience.
One fun thing is that I noticed is there seemed to be several very different end results readers could get, depending on the choices they made, which gives it a lot of re-readability.
An enjoyable and fun read, that reminded me of when I was in elementary school, reading similar D&D choose your own adventure books. I definitely will give another one of these a try, and am glad to see this is an avenue Wizards of the Coast is now exploring.
Some of the situations the main character gets in feel too big, with beings too powerful, to warrant the interaction of a inexperienced minor thief.
There also was no real fighting that I found in my two read through of the book. That could be because this was the thief, or it could just be the way the books are written. Lots of the character interactions are a little slapstick or campy, but I think this works great for the intended age audience.
One fun thing is that I noticed is there seemed to be several very different end results readers could get, depending on the choices they made, which gives it a lot of re-readability.
An enjoyable and fun read, that reminded me of when I was in elementary school, reading similar D&D choose your own adventure books. I definitely will give another one of these a try, and am glad to see this is an avenue Wizards of the Coast is now exploring.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another great installment to the series. The endings in this one aren't as bad as the endings in the one with wizards and giants, though they all seem to be varying degrees of being run out of town (when they don't end with you turned into a frog, joined up with pirates, or dying....) Great for that 11-13ish age where kids are really into fighting and nasty things happening.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Yes! I successfully made it through one of these on the first try. That pretty much never happens. This book/story definitely has me excited for getting/running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Mountain of the Mad Mage.
Good but not like I remembered these books being like as a kid in the 80's. Not a bad book, I'm just not 12 any longer.
Originally reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/23361-dungeons-and-dragons-to-catch-a-thief-an-endless-quest-book
4.5 Stars
Nostalgic parents rejoice!
Told in second-person present-tense, this fantasy is styled after the beloved choose-your-own-adventure books of yore. It also features a vast array of renowned D&D art, with works ranging from sepia to full color.
The story opens with you knowing just two things: That you are a halfling rogue… and that you’ve been soundly caught with your hand in the wrong pocket. The woman who’s ensnared you has a problem. A baby griffon has been kidnapped and is in need of rescuing, before it becomes the personal pet of an already powerful Beholder. Now you have some choices to make. Be pressed into the service of a civiler, refuse and be imprisoned, or try to connive your way out of what will surely be a treacherous mission…
Will you be a hero? A coward? Or something more opportunistically in-between?
The larger print, abundant imagery, and vagueness in regard to violence all culminate to make this material ideally suited to the lower range of Middle Grade. Readers are given no background on the main character in question outside of race and class, so it’s easy enough to insert oneself into the storytelling. Fortunately, not all roads lead to a gruesome death! But… a few of them might.
If you, dear reader, are anything like me… you can count on needing at least a half-dozen bookmarks to note the pages you may want to return to if your storyline’s ending strikes you as less than ideal. >.> (Why yes, I did go back and try every single fork in the non-linear option tree. You live your life and I’ll live mine. ;P)
My only suggestion for future installments would be the inclusion of a character sheet at the beginning. I think this would help readers with their decision-making, as well as introduce a foundational concept that could later transfer to the tabletop game. (It would also be neat to have a playable character ready-made. Just saying.)
A great option for reluctant readers, budding D&D fans, and kids who generally appreciate having more engagement and agency in their reading material.
4.5 Stars
Nostalgic parents rejoice!
Told in second-person present-tense, this fantasy is styled after the beloved choose-your-own-adventure books of yore. It also features a vast array of renowned D&D art, with works ranging from sepia to full color.
The story opens with you knowing just two things: That you are a halfling rogue… and that you’ve been soundly caught with your hand in the wrong pocket. The woman who’s ensnared you has a problem. A baby griffon has been kidnapped and is in need of rescuing, before it becomes the personal pet of an already powerful Beholder. Now you have some choices to make. Be pressed into the service of a civiler, refuse and be imprisoned, or try to connive your way out of what will surely be a treacherous mission…
Will you be a hero? A coward? Or something more opportunistically in-between?
The larger print, abundant imagery, and vagueness in regard to violence all culminate to make this material ideally suited to the lower range of Middle Grade. Readers are given no background on the main character in question outside of race and class, so it’s easy enough to insert oneself into the storytelling. Fortunately, not all roads lead to a gruesome death! But… a few of them might.
If you, dear reader, are anything like me… you can count on needing at least a half-dozen bookmarks to note the pages you may want to return to if your storyline’s ending strikes you as less than ideal. >.> (Why yes, I did go back and try every single fork in the non-linear option tree. You live your life and I’ll live mine. ;P)
My only suggestion for future installments would be the inclusion of a character sheet at the beginning. I think this would help readers with their decision-making, as well as introduce a foundational concept that could later transfer to the tabletop game. (It would also be neat to have a playable character ready-made. Just saying.)
A great option for reluctant readers, budding D&D fans, and kids who generally appreciate having more engagement and agency in their reading material.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I happened to spot this as the library and just had to pick it up and have a look!
I haven't read a choice book since I was a teen reading the Dr Who ones my local library had!
I'm a sucker for them - and I'm one of those people who likes to flick between the different options and see all the potential outcomes too.
Whilst I didn't overly enjoy this as a story, it was okay but nothing amazing, I love the concept. I read this one aloud with my wife who plays dnd with me and worked through the story together.
It would probably work best with a reader who already knows a bit about dnd, but could still be followed by someone with no knowledge at all.
I think I might start up a little collection of these. Maybe even see what other current franchises still make choice books. I think they would be a perfect way to give younger readers something different, and maybe even a good end of week read aloud story with a class, getting them to debate the choices and vote as we read along together.
I haven't read a choice book since I was a teen reading the Dr Who ones my local library had!
I'm a sucker for them - and I'm one of those people who likes to flick between the different options and see all the potential outcomes too.
Whilst I didn't overly enjoy this as a story, it was okay but nothing amazing, I love the concept. I read this one aloud with my wife who plays dnd with me and worked through the story together.
It would probably work best with a reader who already knows a bit about dnd, but could still be followed by someone with no knowledge at all.
I think I might start up a little collection of these. Maybe even see what other current franchises still make choice books. I think they would be a perfect way to give younger readers something different, and maybe even a good end of week read aloud story with a class, getting them to debate the choices and vote as we read along together.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Police brutality