Reviews

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

folkofthebook's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Who could determine what counted as theft when museums and countries and civilizations saw the spoils of conquest as rightfully earned?

a leader, a con artist, a thief, a hacker, and a getaway driver. while there is the primary heist plot which is fun at times, there's also the underlying musing about diaspora and colonialism in regards to art. girl driver? i was in. budding sapphic romance? hell yeah.

i think this book should get the crazy rich asian treatment from hollywood. i don't know how well they'd actually execute it, but i think turning this into a sexy heist movie with some heart would be fun as hell.

“We’re children of the diaspora,” Will said. He had grown up in the US, knew that no matter how much he wanted it to be, China would never be home to him. “All we’ve ever known is loss.”

louisek's review against another edition

None of it went into my head and I just didn't like the writing, which is so disappointing because I like heists! 

bijoureadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

2.25

A bit slow, was waiting for Irene and Alex to get together for TOO LONG

farrington's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jaylene's review against another edition

2.0

Loved the synopsis and pre-ordered the book in January! And although I loved the characters and their ties to one another, the storyline didn't hold up as well as I expected. The way they communicated, their overall inexperience, and the author's dialogue choices made the heist very unbelievable. Which was a huge letdown after getting so excited about this read.

Looking forward to Grace D. Li's next novel! Thank you, NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books for the arc. I am very appreciative to have read about these character's stories.

literarymangos's review against another edition

2.0

DNF 37% — I just couldn’t sit through this book any longer. it got very boring and repetitive ☹️

I really did like the premise, it seemed very interesting !! just wish it was like idk structured differently

acharpentier's review against another edition

hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

2.75

jfreder13's review

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

aliyachaudhry's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this was soooo unintentionally funny

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Moderate: Grief and Xenophobia

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Alcohol

graceygal49's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Incredible book! Beautifully reflective and insightful while also adventurous with heist energy. Colonialism, Chinese-American identity, and immigration were profoundly explored. 10/10 recommend!!!