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A review by zombehdoll
The Queen of Thieves by Johan Rundberg
5.0
This is the second book in the translated Swedish Moonwind series, and it's just as bold and captivating as the first book, Night Raven. It picks up in the spring of 1880, two months after the events of the first book, and 12 year old Mika is caught up in another mysterious adventure when some of the older children in the orphanage begin acting suspiciously.
In this installment, we get to spend more time with the other orphans, and learn more about Mika, especially through her care and concern for the other children. She's a lovable main character - clever, brave, and capable, without ever being annoying or saccharine. In this book, the author again deftly and sensitively portrays the stark realities of class division, poverty, and callousness the poor orphans are subject to, and their yearning for belonging, connection, and comfort, but he also lets their strength, resilience, and devotion to each other shine through. The book also explores themes of found family, freedom, self-determination, and moral grey areas such as breaking rules for good purposes.
The pacing is brisk and energetic, the writing is smart and engaging, and the story pulls you in right from the start until the dramatic conclusion. It's a bit dark, there's some violence and peril, and a villain character is ableist towards a child, but nothing is gratuitous or excessive for upper middle grade or YA readers. Each story answers some questions, but reveals more layers of overarching mysteries that I look forward to exploring in the rest of this thoroughly enjoyable series. I highly recommend it.
In this installment, we get to spend more time with the other orphans, and learn more about Mika, especially through her care and concern for the other children. She's a lovable main character - clever, brave, and capable, without ever being annoying or saccharine. In this book, the author again deftly and sensitively portrays the stark realities of class division, poverty, and callousness the poor orphans are subject to, and their yearning for belonging, connection, and comfort, but he also lets their strength, resilience, and devotion to each other shine through. The book also explores themes of found family, freedom, self-determination, and moral grey areas such as breaking rules for good purposes.
The pacing is brisk and energetic, the writing is smart and engaging, and the story pulls you in right from the start until the dramatic conclusion. It's a bit dark, there's some violence and peril, and a villain character is ableist towards a child, but nothing is gratuitous or excessive for upper middle grade or YA readers. Each story answers some questions, but reveals more layers of overarching mysteries that I look forward to exploring in the rest of this thoroughly enjoyable series. I highly recommend it.