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smallbob's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
lastblossom's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
tl;dr
Great for fans of heists in fantasy worlds with evil powers at work behind the scenes. Well-paced plot, somewhat lacking in character development. I am looking forward to the sequel.
About:
Callan is a conman. Or a con boy, rather. He's been on his own for a while, but thanks to the advice of the nameless conman who raised him, he's been able to make a good living for himself. At least, until a mysterious man hires him to steal from the High Weaver. The item? Unknown. But it's definitely protected with magic that only a kid can defeat - so now it's up to Callan as a ragtag group of four other young thieves to steal the mystery item, or die trying.
What I Liked:
Kevin Sands writes kids who are smart, capable, and determined, without making it seem too much like adults just talking out of child-aged characters. Callan gets the most page time, and he's a very compelling hero. A good balance of moral gray and caring for his teammates. Foxtail is my favorite character! Charming, deeply mysterious, and a lot of fun to read! I'm a huge sucker for found family, which this book does really well. Also loved the way fables about the Fox are woven in to the mystery at large. The world-building is lighter than I expected compared to Sands' other works, but it covers everything necessary to keep things consistent. Strong finale, and I am eager to read the next installment.
What Wasn't For Me:
I long for greater character development for Meriel, who didn't seem to get much further than "Pretty cool girl!" It's probably a good sign that I want to know more about the characters, but so far I am a little let down. More violence and blood than I expected from a middle grade book. It's not a turnoff, but might come as a surprise to someone not expecting it.
Great for fans of heists in fantasy worlds with evil powers at work behind the scenes. Well-paced plot, somewhat lacking in character development. I am looking forward to the sequel.
About:
Callan is a conman. Or a con boy, rather. He's been on his own for a while, but thanks to the advice of the nameless conman who raised him, he's been able to make a good living for himself. At least, until a mysterious man hires him to steal from the High Weaver. The item? Unknown. But it's definitely protected with magic that only a kid can defeat - so now it's up to Callan as a ragtag group of four other young thieves to steal the mystery item, or die trying.
What I Liked:
Kevin Sands writes kids who are smart, capable, and determined, without making it seem too much like adults just talking out of child-aged characters. Callan gets the most page time, and he's a very compelling hero. A good balance of moral gray and caring for his teammates. Foxtail is my favorite character! Charming, deeply mysterious, and a lot of fun to read! I'm a huge sucker for found family, which this book does really well. Also loved the way fables about the Fox are woven in to the mystery at large. The world-building is lighter than I expected compared to Sands' other works, but it covers everything necessary to keep things consistent. Strong finale, and I am eager to read the next installment.
What Wasn't For Me:
I long for greater character development for Meriel, who didn't seem to get much further than "Pretty cool girl!" It's probably a good sign that I want to know more about the characters, but so far I am a little let down. More violence and blood than I expected from a middle grade book. It's not a turnoff, but might come as a surprise to someone not expecting it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Violence
Minor: Child death
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
It's an interesting heist story set in a fantasy world. I wouldn't put it on the same level as either Six of Crows or Ocean's Eleven (the comp titles mentioned in the blurb), but it wasn't too bad.
At times I wondered if the target audience really was MG (there are quite a few gory parts), but I can't really see it as a YA title either, so I guess it's upper MG (10-12 years old). Even the age of the main character isn't too clear, as Callan says he was six when the Old Man found him and he travelled with him for eight years before the Old Man left some time ago - which means Callan would be at least 14. But then he seems to think the characters who are 12 are closer to his age than the one who's 16, so maybe he's 13...?!
The worldbuilding lacks a little and I don't know if it's because it's MG or because the author didn't bother. I would have liked something more fleshed out that kept me less in the dark by the end of the book.
It ends on a cliffhanger, so I assume there'll be a sequel. I'm not inclined to read it, though, since the stakes didn't grip me enough to care about what happens next. I'm not really worried about the injured character either; pretty sure they'll make it out with a few scratches at most.
It's an interesting heist story set in a fantasy world. I wouldn't put it on the same level as either Six of Crows or Ocean's Eleven (the comp titles mentioned in the blurb), but it wasn't too bad.
At times I wondered if the target audience really was MG (there are quite a few gory parts), but I can't really see it as a YA title either, so I guess it's upper MG (10-12 years old). Even the age of the main character isn't too clear, as Callan says he was six when the Old Man found him and he travelled with him for eight years before the Old Man left some time ago - which means Callan would be at least 14. But then he seems to think the characters who are 12 are closer to his age than the one who's 16, so maybe he's 13...?!
The worldbuilding lacks a little and I don't know if it's because it's MG or because the author didn't bother. I would have liked something more fleshed out that kept me less in the dark by the end of the book.
It ends on a cliffhanger, so I assume there'll be a sequel. I'm not inclined to read it, though, since the stakes didn't grip me enough to care about what happens next. I'm not really worried about the injured character either; pretty sure they'll make it out with a few scratches at most.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Torture, and Police brutality
Minor: Abandonment, Bullying, Death, and Death of parent
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