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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Great debut! Definitely the beginning of something epic.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not sure what I thought of this one except that it really didn't go how I was expecting. The writing style was good, the writing itself was well done and the world building and setting was interesting... but it didn't really grab me that much. Maybe it was more of a personal preference than anything but I found it to be long and cluttered when the overall 'i like this' mood faded.
that was a lot of fun. a solid fantasy, although inns! everyone meets at an inn to murder someone, it would seem.
Midnight Thief is the first book in the series by the same name and I thought Livia Blackburne did a great job introducing the characters and getting me interested in the story. There is plenty of action, a strong heroine, and just a bit of romance all tied into this YA Fantasy and I enjoyed every bit of it. I’m going to do my best not to spoil anything here so don’t hate me for being a bit vague at times. With that said, I am also going to spoiler tag this as well.
Kyra is an interesting character. She is strong and has been on her own for a long time but it hasn’t made her hard. She helps care for the other children that are out living on the streets and especially cares for two little girls, Idalee and Lettie. I loved seeing her relationship with these two. As she tries to help them, it is clear she wants to do whatever she can to keep them safe. In addition to this, she has created a family out of the people around her. Flick, as I mentioned before, is someone she has come to rely on and in addition to him, Bella, who works at the Drunken Dog (where Kyra stays) has basically adopted her.
As the story moves forward, we learn a bit more about James and Kyra. James definitely knows how to manipulate Kyra and she seems to be blind to it until a certain time. By then it is too late and Kyra is regretting not listening to what Flick told her. James threw me a bit and I admit I definitely liked him…up to a point. I wanted to know more about his background and the little bit that Rand mentioned to Kyra has me intrigued and like Kyra, I want to know more about what happened to him.
Tristam is introduced as a page and his goal is to become a knight and like his brothers, be part of the road patrols. Because of the death of his good friend Jack at the hands of the barbarians, Tristam changes his mind and petitions to be placed under the Ministry of Defense where he would work directly with Malikel and protect the palace. Tristam is determined to avenge his friend’s death and he is smart. As Kyra begins her work with the Assassin’s Guild, Tristam is the one who ultimately puts the pieces together and eventually, thwarts their plans.
There is definitely a lot going on in this story that I’m not really mentioning here…mostly because I don’t want to ruin anything. Just know that as Kyra begins working for the guild, she finds out more about them than she ever really wanted to know and none of it is really good. James has ulterior motives and is doing whatever he wants to in order to get the power he wants, no matter what the cost.
There is a bit of a mystical element with the barbarians and although I’m not going to say how, they play a big role in Kyra’s story. I do want to know more about this clan and how things came to be as they were for Kyra.
Blackburne does a great job blending in the fantasy pieces with a bit of romance/swoon. Kyra is seventeen and as she begins to build relationships with the guys in this story, there is just enough romance to keep me interested but not take over the rest of the story. Definitely check this one out when you can, I found myself unable to put this one down until I finished.
Spoiler
Kyra grew up on the streets of Forge and had the good fortune to meet Flick who eventually becomes her family. Kyra’s ability to climb well (as well as the fact that she is small) has helped her in her profession as a thief as she can easily get in and out of areas that others may not necessarily be able to. When we meet her the first time, Kyra has been contracted by a mysterious man named James, to break into the palace and find a ruby. What we find out is that it was really a test to see what she can do and Kyra finds out that James is really the leader of the Assassin’s Guild and he wants Kyra to work for him.Kyra is an interesting character. She is strong and has been on her own for a long time but it hasn’t made her hard. She helps care for the other children that are out living on the streets and especially cares for two little girls, Idalee and Lettie. I loved seeing her relationship with these two. As she tries to help them, it is clear she wants to do whatever she can to keep them safe. In addition to this, she has created a family out of the people around her. Flick, as I mentioned before, is someone she has come to rely on and in addition to him, Bella, who works at the Drunken Dog (where Kyra stays) has basically adopted her.
As the story moves forward, we learn a bit more about James and Kyra. James definitely knows how to manipulate Kyra and she seems to be blind to it until a certain time. By then it is too late and Kyra is regretting not listening to what Flick told her. James threw me a bit and I admit I definitely liked him…up to a point. I wanted to know more about his background and the little bit that Rand mentioned to Kyra has me intrigued and like Kyra, I want to know more about what happened to him.
Tristam is introduced as a page and his goal is to become a knight and like his brothers, be part of the road patrols. Because of the death of his good friend Jack at the hands of the barbarians, Tristam changes his mind and petitions to be placed under the Ministry of Defense where he would work directly with Malikel and protect the palace. Tristam is determined to avenge his friend’s death and he is smart. As Kyra begins her work with the Assassin’s Guild, Tristam is the one who ultimately puts the pieces together and eventually, thwarts their plans.
There is definitely a lot going on in this story that I’m not really mentioning here…mostly because I don’t want to ruin anything. Just know that as Kyra begins working for the guild, she finds out more about them than she ever really wanted to know and none of it is really good. James has ulterior motives and is doing whatever he wants to in order to get the power he wants, no matter what the cost.
There is a bit of a mystical element with the barbarians and although I’m not going to say how, they play a big role in Kyra’s story. I do want to know more about this clan and how things came to be as they were for Kyra.
Blackburne does a great job blending in the fantasy pieces with a bit of romance/swoon. Kyra is seventeen and as she begins to build relationships with the guys in this story, there is just enough romance to keep me interested but not take over the rest of the story. Definitely check this one out when you can, I found myself unable to put this one down until I finished.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Originally at The Fictional Reader
Midnight Thief was a book was anticipating before its release. It seemed like a great fit for me. First of all, the cover is great and the synopsis? I love fantasy, especially if it involves thieves or an Assassin’s Guild. This novel had all three! I waited quite a while to read it though, after it was released and I don’t really know why. I’d heard from other people that they loved it and from others that they were a bit disappointed. So I decided to go into it without any expectations -which is what you should do with every book. And I really did enjoy it!
First, let’s talk about the storyline. I didn’t really know what to expect here, only that Kyra -a very talented thief- would be hired by the Assassin’s Guild and that she would complicate Tristam’s life -a Palace knight- quite a bit. And somehow, the story would involve Demon Riders. I really did like where the story went although looking back on it I feel as if it was more like a few smaller storylines turned into one? Which is definitely not a bad thing, like I said, I really did enjoy this! I was captivated by it and didn’t want to put it back down. But how do I explain this? I most novels, there is one intention of the main character or one task they want to achieve. And they have setbacks and betrayals and everything that makes a story intriguing but there is still one main intention. In the Midnight Thief, the main intention is also there but for some reason it feels like it’s several smaller ones. I probably explained this in a terrible way but I don’t know how to explain without spoiling you for the story. Let me know if you understood my meaning…
The Demon Riders were so awesome too! At first, I didn’t really understand. Why were they attacking the city and its people? What was happening? What were they? But those questions all get answered in this book, don’t worry. I thought it was a really good concept.
Then there are the characters. First, there’s Kyra. I really enjoyed her character! How she took care of these two other girls that live on the street even though she is poor herself, how she cares for the people around her, how intriguing it was when she went out to steal and just climbed towers like it was nothing. I really enjoyed reading from her point of view and I think she is incredibly brave. But also a bit naive… Usually that bothers me, but now it didn’t. She was really doing what she thought was the right thing and that kind of blinded her to everything else.
Then, there’s Tristam. I loved his character even more than I did Kyra’s! If he were an actual person, he’d be the one you can always count on. The one who thinks that honor, loyalty, friendship and honesty are the most important thing. Even though he’d annoy you sometimes because he seems so effortlessly righteous, you love him for it. That would be Tristam. I feel like that’s all I need to say.
This book also had some incredible side characters! James was intriguing but so disturbing too. I absolutely loathed Bacchus and loved Flick and Bella. They were all weaved into Kyra and Tristam’s story and I really enjoyed it.
I definitely recommend this book! Even if you don’t really read fantasy, this one is quite easy to get into.
Midnight Thief was a book was anticipating before its release. It seemed like a great fit for me. First of all, the cover is great and the synopsis? I love fantasy, especially if it involves thieves or an Assassin’s Guild. This novel had all three! I waited quite a while to read it though, after it was released and I don’t really know why. I’d heard from other people that they loved it and from others that they were a bit disappointed. So I decided to go into it without any expectations -which is what you should do with every book. And I really did enjoy it!
First, let’s talk about the storyline. I didn’t really know what to expect here, only that Kyra -a very talented thief- would be hired by the Assassin’s Guild and that she would complicate Tristam’s life -a Palace knight- quite a bit. And somehow, the story would involve Demon Riders. I really did like where the story went although looking back on it I feel as if it was more like a few smaller storylines turned into one? Which is definitely not a bad thing, like I said, I really did enjoy this! I was captivated by it and didn’t want to put it back down. But how do I explain this? I most novels, there is one intention of the main character or one task they want to achieve. And they have setbacks and betrayals and everything that makes a story intriguing but there is still one main intention. In the Midnight Thief, the main intention is also there but for some reason it feels like it’s several smaller ones. I probably explained this in a terrible way but I don’t know how to explain without spoiling you for the story. Let me know if you understood my meaning…
The Demon Riders were so awesome too! At first, I didn’t really understand. Why were they attacking the city and its people? What was happening? What were they? But those questions all get answered in this book, don’t worry. I thought it was a really good concept.
Then there are the characters. First, there’s Kyra. I really enjoyed her character! How she took care of these two other girls that live on the street even though she is poor herself, how she cares for the people around her, how intriguing it was when she went out to steal and just climbed towers like it was nothing. I really enjoyed reading from her point of view and I think she is incredibly brave. But also a bit naive… Usually that bothers me, but now it didn’t. She was really doing what she thought was the right thing and that kind of blinded her to everything else.
Then, there’s Tristam. I loved his character even more than I did Kyra’s! If he were an actual person, he’d be the one you can always count on. The one who thinks that honor, loyalty, friendship and honesty are the most important thing. Even though he’d annoy you sometimes because he seems so effortlessly righteous, you love him for it. That would be Tristam. I feel like that’s all I need to say.
This book also had some incredible side characters! James was intriguing but so disturbing too. I absolutely loathed Bacchus and loved Flick and Bella. They were all weaved into Kyra and Tristam’s story and I really enjoyed it.
I definitely recommend this book! Even if you don’t really read fantasy, this one is quite easy to get into.