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kebreads's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. At times it held me riveted and other times I struggled to stay interested. Then I was disappointed by the cliffhanger sort of ending. So over all I liked it and will probably read the next book.
Content: clean
Content: clean
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit that Aladdin has never been one of my favorite stories. I don't really like the Disney movie. I don't really like the fairy tale. It just doesn't connect with me. However, when I was looking for Cinderella retellings I stumbled upon this series. However, the Cinderella book is only book 6 and I like to read, even interconnected tales, in order. Luckily The Sorcerer and the Swan Princess found me and after reading that book I wanted to read more by Tempest. So, I decided to give this retelling a go.
Sometimes I hate my own prejudice, because from the very first chapter I was hooked, and by then the true story hadn't even really started! I quite liked that both Ella and our Beauty from Beauty and the Beast were also already introduced and I liked our main character right away. Once the story got truly started and Ada infiltrated the contest to win the prince's hand to find a magical lamp I was only sucked in more and more.
And that's mostly because the selection element, the one where 50 princesses have to fight for the prince's hand, is really well done. The games never take over the entire story, but the tests make sense for a future Queen to be and the way our heroine passed them also made sense. And although there was quite some hate and jealousy among the girls I was glad that Tempest also included some nice and heartwarming female friendships.
Of course, it's quite clear at the moment it happens that our thief meets her prince. I've read a few too many romance novels to be surprised by reveals like that at the end of a book. However, I quite liked their interactions and the way they worked together. Tempest really gave me the feeling that those two people could be good for each other, without making it too much of an insta-love. There is still some love building to do in the upcoming two books and I can't wait to read it!
Sometimes I hate my own prejudice, because from the very first chapter I was hooked, and by then the true story hadn't even really started! I quite liked that both Ella and our Beauty from Beauty and the Beast were also already introduced and I liked our main character right away. Once the story got truly started and Ada infiltrated the contest to win the prince's hand to find a magical lamp I was only sucked in more and more.
And that's mostly because the selection element, the one where 50 princesses have to fight for the prince's hand, is really well done. The games never take over the entire story, but the tests make sense for a future Queen to be and the way our heroine passed them also made sense. And although there was quite some hate and jealousy among the girls I was glad that Tempest also included some nice and heartwarming female friendships.
Of course, it's quite clear at the moment it happens that our thief meets her prince. I've read a few too many romance novels to be surprised by reveals like that at the end of a book. However, I quite liked their interactions and the way they worked together. Tempest really gave me the feeling that those two people could be good for each other, without making it too much of an insta-love. There is still some love building to do in the upcoming two books and I can't wait to read it!
kasena's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
khaleesimod93's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This book was great from start to finish. I absolutely love Adelaide. She has a fun personality and is so loyal to those she loves and becomes close to. I'm really surprised at how mature she acts with every single test. Even those she feels like she will fail. She has grace and kindness that I believe the royal family is looking for. She is stunning not just because of her looks but because of who she is.
I fear for what's going to happen with the Witch. Adelaide will be queen, but what will she have to sacrifice to get there? I definitely think Bonnie will go to the beast of the land, and her story will be a retelling of beauty and the beast.
I'm also genuinely shocked at how much I loved the other competitors. Not Fairuza but Cora and even Cherine! Cora is very down to earth, but Cherine is crazy and silly and arrogant. I still love her, though. She does seem loyal to Ada, but I'm afraid once the truth comes out, she'll abandon Ada. Princess Ariane (I think that's how her name is spelled). I like her too. She seems genuine and kind. I laughed at both Ariane and Cherine, offering Ada to marry their brothers. It shows how amazing Ada really is as a human.
I knew exactly who the prince was as it's so obvious, but I love the revelation. Why he still picked that brat Fairuza is beyond me, but I hope she gets what's coming to her.
I fear for what's going to happen with the Witch. Adelaide will be queen, but what will she have to sacrifice to get there? I definitely think Bonnie will go to the beast of the land, and her story will be a retelling of beauty and the beast.
I'm also genuinely shocked at how much I loved the other competitors. Not Fairuza but Cora and even Cherine! Cora is very down to earth, but Cherine is crazy and silly and arrogant. I still love her, though. She does seem loyal to Ada, but I'm afraid once the truth comes out, she'll abandon Ada. Princess Ariane (I think that's how her name is spelled). I like her too. She seems genuine and kind. I laughed at both Ariane and Cherine, offering Ada to marry their brothers. It shows how amazing Ada really is as a human.
I knew exactly who the prince was as it's so obvious, but I love the revelation. Why he still picked that brat Fairuza is beyond me, but I hope she gets what's coming to her.
sarah_moynihan's review against another edition
4.0
I was lucky enough to receive a Kindle edition of "Thief of Cahraman" through a giveaway and overall I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read that I was able to read whilst reading some other books that I'd been waiting for some time to read. There were a few typos throughout the book, but not enough to detract from the reading. I was a bit disappointed with the unresolved ending, but that is why it's a trilogy. I plan on reading the following "Prince of Cahraman" once it becomes available. I look forward to seeing how she will continue on with her charade now that she is aware of Cyrus's identity and to battle her many conflicting feelings.
ameserole's review against another edition
5.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest review.
Thief of Cahraman was quite enjoyable. Definitely got some vibes from previous books that I've read before as well. For example, Red Queen, The Selection, and a little bit of Hunger Games? Don't ask why I got that last vibe - I just randomly did.
Now since this is fairy tale book that has to deal with a golden lamp, you might think of Aladdin. You'd be correct because the MC is Adelaide.. the girl version of Aladdin basically. She's a thief that somehow gets kidnapped (lol) and given a mission to steal a lamp. This item is in the palace, where she now has to enter a competition and pretend to be a lady. Now do you get why I got those book vibes?
I will admit, I was a bit hesitant when the competition was brought into this book. Sometimes it works.. and other times it really doesn't. I definitely had my ups and downs with the competition in Red Queen and The Selection. So, I secretly hoped I wouldn't hate this one.
Surprisingly, I didn't hate this. Nope, I enjoyed everything about this book. Especially Adelaide, she was definitely refreshing. Other than that, the romance was okay but it wasn't my main focus. Which is weird.. because this whole competition is about winning the prince. Yet, I liked it but I was more into the competition and the characters instead.
Overall, I can't wait to dive into the next book - just to see what the heck is going to happen next! I have so many questions and theories!
Thief of Cahraman was quite enjoyable. Definitely got some vibes from previous books that I've read before as well. For example, Red Queen, The Selection, and a little bit of Hunger Games? Don't ask why I got that last vibe - I just randomly did.
Now since this is fairy tale book that has to deal with a golden lamp, you might think of Aladdin. You'd be correct because the MC is Adelaide.. the girl version of Aladdin basically. She's a thief that somehow gets kidnapped (lol) and given a mission to steal a lamp. This item is in the palace, where she now has to enter a competition and pretend to be a lady. Now do you get why I got those book vibes?
I will admit, I was a bit hesitant when the competition was brought into this book. Sometimes it works.. and other times it really doesn't. I definitely had my ups and downs with the competition in Red Queen and The Selection. So, I secretly hoped I wouldn't hate this one.
Surprisingly, I didn't hate this. Nope, I enjoyed everything about this book. Especially Adelaide, she was definitely refreshing. Other than that, the romance was okay but it wasn't my main focus. Which is weird.. because this whole competition is about winning the prince. Yet, I liked it but I was more into the competition and the characters instead.
Overall, I can't wait to dive into the next book - just to see what the heck is going to happen next! I have so many questions and theories!
emlove's review against another edition
4.0
This title was just so much fun! It definitely delivered on the “gender swapped Aladdin retelling” that it promised with so many fun references and links. It was like rewatching the Disney movie in my head, with enough differences that kept it interesting.
I loved Ada. She is so relatable and real to me. It was such a nice change to read about a girl thief who isn’t the best in the world, she’s just a girl. A girl who pulled herself out of homelessness and is still dealing with the mental and emotional toll that her past has left her. A girl who is giddy at the thought of a beautiful boy and can’t stop thinking about him. All while constantly feeling the pressure of the lives at stake if she were to fail this quest. Her character was beautifully done and so refreshing.
Cyrus made me swoon. Constantly. While his storyline was definitely predictable, it was still a fun ride.
It did take a minute to fully invest, however. The beginning is full of descriptions of people and buildings and Ada’s internal monologue, so I did get a bit bored initially. But once she enters the palace and the competition starts, I couldn’t put it down.
Any fans of fairy tale retellings are sure to love this series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!
I loved Ada. She is so relatable and real to me. It was such a nice change to read about a girl thief who isn’t the best in the world, she’s just a girl. A girl who pulled herself out of homelessness and is still dealing with the mental and emotional toll that her past has left her. A girl who is giddy at the thought of a beautiful boy and can’t stop thinking about him. All while constantly feeling the pressure of the lives at stake if she were to fail this quest. Her character was beautifully done and so refreshing.
Cyrus made me swoon. Constantly. While his storyline was definitely predictable, it was still a fun ride.
It did take a minute to fully invest, however. The beginning is full of descriptions of people and buildings and Ada’s internal monologue, so I did get a bit bored initially. But once she enters the palace and the competition starts, I couldn’t put it down.
Any fans of fairy tale retellings are sure to love this series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!
paragraphsandpages's review against another edition
3.0
First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.
Stars (Out of 10): 5/10 Stars
I took a few days to think over this book, and what I thought of it, as different parts of this book spoke to me more than others. All in all, I’d say it had a pretty weak start, and didn’t play up the plot points I thought it would, but I still found myself sucked into the story by the end of it.
I’m just gonna start off by saying that the synopsis gives away the entire main twist of the book (I had guessed it before I had even started reading), and even when I started reading, the foreshadowing was a smidge too obvious. Since that twist ended up being the climax of the plot as well, it led to a subpar finale overall. It also made the book feel as if it didn’t truly have an ending, as both the knowledge of the twist and reveal of the twist made it feel like more was needed to tie everything together.
Additionally, the beginning was fairly weak too. We spend a few chapters learning a small bit of the world, and of the main characters in Adelaide’s life, as well as the mundane worries in her day to day life, including of wanting to be liked by a boy. It wasn’t an intriguing start at all, and the only thing that kept me reading was the whispers of something grander and more magical later on. Additionally, the beginning was so heavy with obvious fairy tale references that it became tacky, especially in regards to the Cinderella character. I assume this is to either introduce the author’s other future works in the world, but it felt out of place here, since she never came again, not even in the narrator’s thoughts.
While Adelaide was interesting in her unique motivations, wanting to settle rather than travel and explore, it didn’t make for as interesting a narrator. Adelaide wasn’t interested in learning about the rest of the world + her/her mother’s past, even as more and more clues were laid before her, which made the reader less interested in it all as well. Adelaide also has the tendency to steal, and is seen as a successful thief, due to her rough childhood after her mother’s death. However, I had two main issues with this. Firstly, she doesn’t seem to be all that successful at all. The book starts with her in the middle of a robbery, and she explains how long it took to plan, but she still makes a mistake (just to introduce the Cinderella character). Then, throughout the rest of the book, she almost never is able to be successful alone, in terms of stealing and sneaking, and always requires being led by other characters. Secondly, Adelaide seems to randomly steal things, even though she doesn’t need to in the competition, as she’s surrounded by gowns and jewelry that were given to her as well as entirely taken care of. Since her stealing habit was born out of need, it feels weird to see it continued as strongly throughout the book, though I get it is a habit. Additionally, it seems to be an active trait as well, in the sense that the author needs to continuously remind us that she does this, with the moments sometimes breaking the flow of the story.
In terms of plot, it felt like there was both too much in focus and not enough actually happening. We seem to have two main plots, the competition and the heist, but instead of blending together well, they fought with each other instead. And still, even with two main plots battling for the domination of a scene, there were many dull moments, of simply characters hanging around or just to show time is passing. Also, even though the pacing didn’t feel weird, in hindsight it all moved rather fast. There was more than a week between stages of the competition, but we almost never saw any of it, making it seem like people were getting eliminated every other chapter.
However, despite all the issues I had with it, I still ended up getting hooked into the story around 50% of the way in. Something about the writing kept interested in the story (once the competition started/Adelaide left Ericuria), and it all seemed to move by really fast, perhaps due to how the story was paced. Most of the individual parts were fairly well planned and written, I just wasn’t a fan of how it all came together to form the overall novel. I’m curious about where the story will continue to go, but I’m not sure if I’ll be picking the next books up yet.
Stars (Out of 10): 5/10 Stars
I took a few days to think over this book, and what I thought of it, as different parts of this book spoke to me more than others. All in all, I’d say it had a pretty weak start, and didn’t play up the plot points I thought it would, but I still found myself sucked into the story by the end of it.
I’m just gonna start off by saying that the synopsis gives away the entire main twist of the book (I had guessed it before I had even started reading), and even when I started reading, the foreshadowing was a smidge too obvious. Since that twist ended up being the climax of the plot as well, it led to a subpar finale overall. It also made the book feel as if it didn’t truly have an ending, as both the knowledge of the twist and reveal of the twist made it feel like more was needed to tie everything together.
Additionally, the beginning was fairly weak too. We spend a few chapters learning a small bit of the world, and of the main characters in Adelaide’s life, as well as the mundane worries in her day to day life, including of wanting to be liked by a boy. It wasn’t an intriguing start at all, and the only thing that kept me reading was the whispers of something grander and more magical later on. Additionally, the beginning was so heavy with obvious fairy tale references that it became tacky, especially in regards to the Cinderella character. I assume this is to either introduce the author’s other future works in the world, but it felt out of place here, since she never came again, not even in the narrator’s thoughts.
While Adelaide was interesting in her unique motivations, wanting to settle rather than travel and explore, it didn’t make for as interesting a narrator. Adelaide wasn’t interested in learning about the rest of the world + her/her mother’s past, even as more and more clues were laid before her, which made the reader less interested in it all as well. Adelaide also has the tendency to steal, and is seen as a successful thief, due to her rough childhood after her mother’s death. However, I had two main issues with this. Firstly, she doesn’t seem to be all that successful at all. The book starts with her in the middle of a robbery, and she explains how long it took to plan, but she still makes a mistake (just to introduce the Cinderella character). Then, throughout the rest of the book, she almost never is able to be successful alone, in terms of stealing and sneaking, and always requires being led by other characters. Secondly, Adelaide seems to randomly steal things, even though she doesn’t need to in the competition, as she’s surrounded by gowns and jewelry that were given to her as well as entirely taken care of. Since her stealing habit was born out of need, it feels weird to see it continued as strongly throughout the book, though I get it is a habit. Additionally, it seems to be an active trait as well, in the sense that the author needs to continuously remind us that she does this, with the moments sometimes breaking the flow of the story.
In terms of plot, it felt like there was both too much in focus and not enough actually happening. We seem to have two main plots, the competition and the heist, but instead of blending together well, they fought with each other instead. And still, even with two main plots battling for the domination of a scene, there were many dull moments, of simply characters hanging around or just to show time is passing. Also, even though the pacing didn’t feel weird, in hindsight it all moved rather fast. There was more than a week between stages of the competition, but we almost never saw any of it, making it seem like people were getting eliminated every other chapter.
However, despite all the issues I had with it, I still ended up getting hooked into the story around 50% of the way in. Something about the writing kept interested in the story (once the competition started/Adelaide left Ericuria), and it all seemed to move by really fast, perhaps due to how the story was paced. Most of the individual parts were fairly well planned and written, I just wasn’t a fan of how it all came together to form the overall novel. I’m curious about where the story will continue to go, but I’m not sure if I’ll be picking the next books up yet.
_camk_'s review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book is really good but the execution is not brilliant. The main plot twist is so obvious the only thing that it remotely a secret if when the reveal actual happens.
However, it is still a fun read and you will want to know what happens.
However, it is still a fun read and you will want to know what happens.
travelingallison's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.
I loved how this story unfolded and dealt with different fairy tales. For those wanting a new take on the Aladdin, this story has wonderful aspects of young adult, fantasy. It does remind me of The Selection, but there is enough of a twist and changes that make it really intriguing. Excited to see how this series turns out!
I loved how this story unfolded and dealt with different fairy tales. For those wanting a new take on the Aladdin, this story has wonderful aspects of young adult, fantasy. It does remind me of The Selection, but there is enough of a twist and changes that make it really intriguing. Excited to see how this series turns out!