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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Book #109 Read in 2018
City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson
Christina's mother was murdered and she has joined a street gang to survive. She wants to punish her mother's murderer. But does she know the whole story? This book has lots of action and twists and turns that will keep high school and adult readers hooked. The characters are interesting. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.
City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson
Christina's mother was murdered and she has joined a street gang to survive. She wants to punish her mother's murderer. But does she know the whole story? This book has lots of action and twists and turns that will keep high school and adult readers hooked. The characters are interesting. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.
“People don't look for revenge to make them happy. They do it because they must.”
Tina is a thief. She joined the Goonda gang years ago, honing her craft for one purpose only: to kill Mr. Greyhill, her mother's murderer. But when her heist goes wrong, she's found out by her old friend Michael, Mr. Greyhill's son. Michael, as it turns out, has a game-changing piece of information: there's a video of who killed Tina's mother, and it's not Mr. Greyhill. Can Tina con Michael and the Goondas at the same time? Complete her mission and find out the truth of what happened all those years ago?
This was an intense high-stakes heist novel. Everything you learn only leads to more questions, and every fact that comes to light only adds to the mystery. Structured with Tina's useful rules, this book creates a personal setting in which we can see how Tina has created a structure to make up for how unorganized her life is. Keep emotions down, stay silent, remain invisible. That is the only way to be a thief in Sangui City.
Discussing themes such as slavery, colonization, war, inner-city gangs, and what family means, this book has it all.
Heart-wrenching, shocking, and slightly romantic, City of Saints & Thieves is the perfect book to get you out of any reading slump.
Tina is a thief. She joined the Goonda gang years ago, honing her craft for one purpose only: to kill Mr. Greyhill, her mother's murderer. But when her heist goes wrong, she's found out by her old friend Michael, Mr. Greyhill's son. Michael, as it turns out, has a game-changing piece of information: there's a video of who killed Tina's mother, and it's not Mr. Greyhill. Can Tina con Michael and the Goondas at the same time? Complete her mission and find out the truth of what happened all those years ago?
This was an intense high-stakes heist novel. Everything you learn only leads to more questions, and every fact that comes to light only adds to the mystery. Structured with Tina's useful rules, this book creates a personal setting in which we can see how Tina has created a structure to make up for how unorganized her life is. Keep emotions down, stay silent, remain invisible. That is the only way to be a thief in Sangui City.
Discussing themes such as slavery, colonization, war, inner-city gangs, and what family means, this book has it all.
Heart-wrenching, shocking, and slightly romantic, City of Saints & Thieves is the perfect book to get you out of any reading slump.
This book was a rough start, but once I got to chapter 27 man, was I hooked! When you find out who Tina’s father is and that he is the same person who killed her mother, you can't help but keep turning pages. This book was written incredibly well and Anderson did not disappoint. Definitely will be getting all of my friends to read this book.
Tina wants nothing more than revenge for her mother’s murder. Or so she thought. When one of her childhood friends helps her to dig deeper into the murder, Tina finds she does want more: she wants the “why.” From the streets of Kenya to the villages of Congo, Tina scraps together her mother’s story.
This summary seems to oversimplify the complexity of this novel! The book is about these things. But layered within this story are introductions to the atrocities that plague the Congo and its region, as well as the multi-faceted Kenya. I appreciated the setting. I inhaled the surroundings. I drowned in the area’s sorrows. The refugees and citizens may be trying to live their lives but, eeek, what they have to duck and dodge in order to succeed is breath-takingly haunting.
City of Saints & Thieves was something very different for me. But I did have reminders of my reading of Eliot Scherer’s Endangered. The refugees have stories begging to be told and Natalie C. Anderson found a way to take some of those stories and reach an audience that desperately needs to be aware of what is happening in that area of the world.
The mystery is twisted; the why is just … well is there ever a “why” with a murder that is satisfying? The characters are diverse: ethnically, sexually, and economically. The setting? Anderson brings it into your room. The descriptions have you feeling the heat, breathing the dust, and lost in the crowds and also lonely on a country road.
I am so glad I didn’t let this linger on my TBR pile. Wow.
This summary seems to oversimplify the complexity of this novel! The book is about these things. But layered within this story are introductions to the atrocities that plague the Congo and its region, as well as the multi-faceted Kenya. I appreciated the setting. I inhaled the surroundings. I drowned in the area’s sorrows. The refugees and citizens may be trying to live their lives but, eeek, what they have to duck and dodge in order to succeed is breath-takingly haunting.
City of Saints & Thieves was something very different for me. But I did have reminders of my reading of Eliot Scherer’s Endangered. The refugees have stories begging to be told and Natalie C. Anderson found a way to take some of those stories and reach an audience that desperately needs to be aware of what is happening in that area of the world.
The mystery is twisted; the why is just … well is there ever a “why” with a murder that is satisfying? The characters are diverse: ethnically, sexually, and economically. The setting? Anderson brings it into your room. The descriptions have you feeling the heat, breathing the dust, and lost in the crowds and also lonely on a country road.
I am so glad I didn’t let this linger on my TBR pile. Wow.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
In the course of reading a bunch of YA heist novels, I came across this one. Not what I was expecting, but a fantastic read nonetheless. I loved how deep we delved into Tina’s point of view, to the point where I physically felt some of the panic she felt when things went wrong.
I also love how the relationships within the narrative were treated. The back story is full of awful things happening to people, mainly kidnap, rape, and other forms of coerced sex. Tina has had a lot of trauma happen to her, and the way the text dealt with that and her attraction to a childhood friend was really well handled.
I also liked that the storyline felt realistic. These are teenagers doing a job that most adults would shrink from doing, but the plot did not feel contrived or unrealistic. Overall a very good read.
I also love how the relationships within the narrative were treated. The back story is full of awful things happening to people, mainly kidnap, rape, and other forms of coerced sex. Tina has had a lot of trauma happen to her, and the way the text dealt with that and her attraction to a childhood friend was really well handled.
I also liked that the storyline felt realistic. These are teenagers doing a job that most adults would shrink from doing, but the plot did not feel contrived or unrealistic. Overall a very good read.
Actual rating 4.5 (I rounded up)
The City of Saints & Thieves was a thrilling read. It was like no other book that I have ever read before. It has the feel of a fantasy, but had no magic and the story is set in Africa. What I found most interesting was that the certain parts of the story was true and other parts were entirely fictional.
To sum it up, this book is set in Kenya, with street gangs, a murder mystery, secrets and a teeny tiny bit of romance all wrapped up into one.
From page one I was wrapped up in the story. I flew through this book, and at the same time didn't want it to end. I LOVED the writing style. The little details, and the bigger picture all made this book a great story to read.
The main character Christina, Tina, Tiny is such a great character. She has her flaws, her doubts, has emotions, and makes you want to root for her throughout the story to find out what happened to her mom. I loved the back story, and how we are told that her mother is a refugee.
The secondary cast of characters was also part of the reason that I liked this book so much. Michael, BoyBoy, Kiki, Catherine, Ketchup and BugEye, I mean just their names are cool!
Guys, this book was just so great!
I highly, highly reccomend this book to any who enjoys reading YA mystery, contemporary, thriller. And if you just enjoy a good book, that will sweep you off your feet from page one, then this book is for you!
If you haven't read this book yet, do yourself a favor and go buy it, or pick it up from the library. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for sending me a finished copy of this book!
Thanks for reading this book review!
If you would like to read more book reviews, visit my blog at www.sarahjuneblog.com.
The City of Saints & Thieves was a thrilling read. It was like no other book that I have ever read before. It has the feel of a fantasy, but had no magic and the story is set in Africa. What I found most interesting was that the certain parts of the story was true and other parts were entirely fictional.
To sum it up, this book is set in Kenya, with street gangs, a murder mystery, secrets and a teeny tiny bit of romance all wrapped up into one.
From page one I was wrapped up in the story. I flew through this book, and at the same time didn't want it to end. I LOVED the writing style. The little details, and the bigger picture all made this book a great story to read.
The main character Christina, Tina, Tiny is such a great character. She has her flaws, her doubts, has emotions, and makes you want to root for her throughout the story to find out what happened to her mom. I loved the back story, and how we are told that her mother is a refugee.
The secondary cast of characters was also part of the reason that I liked this book so much. Michael, BoyBoy, Kiki, Catherine, Ketchup and BugEye, I mean just their names are cool!
Guys, this book was just so great!
I highly, highly reccomend this book to any who enjoys reading YA mystery, contemporary, thriller. And if you just enjoy a good book, that will sweep you off your feet from page one, then this book is for you!
If you haven't read this book yet, do yourself a favor and go buy it, or pick it up from the library. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for sending me a finished copy of this book!
Thanks for reading this book review!
If you would like to read more book reviews, visit my blog at www.sarahjuneblog.com.
Tina and Kiki were orphaned children in Kenya. Kiki lives at a convent school whereas Tina lives the rebel life in Sangui City as a thief and member of the Goondas, a street gang. Tina sneaks in to briefly visit her sister every Friday, which is their only remaining contact. Tina and Kiki were orphaned when their mother was killed in the mansion where she worked as a servant. Tina and their mother came to Kenya as refugees from the Congo whereas Kiki was born in Sangui City out of wedlock with their mom's master. One of Tina's missions with the Goondas was to break into their former residence, Mr., Mrs. and Michael Greyhill's house, to steal electronic files in order to destroy Mr. Greyhill's life as Tina is convinced that it was Mr. G that killed her mother. However, unexpectedly, Michael (Tina's former best friend, pre-murder) was home when she broke in and took her captive. Michael does not believe that his father committed the murder despite Tina's commitment to proving that he did. They decide to band together to prove who killed Tina's mom (with Michael hoping to exonerate his father and Tina hoping to prove it was in fact Mr. G). This mission takes them back to Tina's home country to discover more about her and her mother's past.