I thought I would love this one but struggled with five points of view, it felt like two too many.
Loved the concept, and the world building, and liked the overall writing style but didn’t find anything unique in this YA fantasy and I guess I had high hopes.

I thought this was great - there are three seemingly very separate plots that cleverly draw closer to each other and intertwine. I didn't find it remotely predictable and yet as I got to the end, everything came together very neatly. The characters are defined and well drawn, and I'm really interested to read more from this interesting, rich world.

It continually surprises me, actually, how much of a little fantasy fan I’ve become. I can remember when I was growing up and my Dad used to read all these sci-fi and fantasy novels and I was all WHY WOULD I WANT TO READ BOOKS ABOUT DRAGONS AND MAGIC AND PLACES THAT AREN’T REAL AND THINGS THAT COULD NEVER EXIST and now I am all grabby hands for all of those things.

Anyhow. In that vein, let us talk today about the first in Sally Green’s new series The Smoke Thieves.
Sidenote: you may have heard of Sally from her Half Bad trilogy, and if you haven’t, well, you should get on that. S’good.

So The Smoke Thieves is new, and it’s about a princess preparing for a political marriage, the guard she’s in love with, a servant hungry for revenge, a boy who isn’t sure what he wants to do with his life and steals things just because he can, and a thirteen year old girl who spends her life being bait for a demon hunter.

I KNOW, RIGHT? ALL THE GOOD THINGS.


I could not get enough of this book. I loved it.

I mean sure, there’s a lot going on here and there are so many protagonists so I’ll admit I was a little bit scared it was going to be too much but actually it totally worked, and I loved them, precious little flowers that they are.

Princess Catherine for example is EXCELLENT. She’s headstrong and loyal and opinionated and in this pretty rubbish male-dominated world she lives in, she’s not afraid to ask questions.

Tash is so precious although she’d kick you in the shins for saying it; she’s old before her time that kid and you ache for her. She’s also hilarious.

As for March and Edyon. ALL THE FEELS.

I am ambivalent towards Ambrose, which might be terrible of me but he was my least fave and I wished Catherine would stop going on so much about how much she loved him. I WANT DEMON HUNTING AND CUTE BOYS KISSING DAMMIT. This cliched romance between princess and guard, whilst vital, fell a bit flat. And actually now I am thinking about it, that is my issue – I like Ambrose and he has the worst luck so he does not deserve this from me, I just don’t think I like him with Catherine and so much of his story was their pining and he did not have the same amount of excellence as she did and so did not keep me engaged.

The story switches between each of the five and whilst it starts off as separate threads you realise pretty quickly that these stories are going to overlap and I am so here for that you don’t even know. It’s so clever and well thought out and the world-building here is spot on and we all know how I live for that. The character voices are all really distinct too so I never felt like anybody was interchangeable which can defo be thing when you have so many people telling a story. I was one hundred percent engaged pretty much the whole time and I ended it wanting to have a small tantrum because I want book two right now.

Overall, then, I loved this book, I loved it and I’m super looking forward to book two for sure and with the exception of Ambrose (sorry dude) and the fact there was a lot of unnecessary F-bombing - which doesn’t bother me, I have no problem with swearing but I noticed here which makes me think there must be a lot and I kind of wondered why – this is a pretty solid start to a series and a great break away from the supernatural Half Bad. It isn’t perfect and it’s by no means the best writing ever: it’s flawed and now I’ve sat down to talk about it, I’m remembering the things that made me sort of grimace a little bit, like the swearing and the sometimes clunky writing and the fact that some narratives were more fully fleshed out than others, but wow I was so engaged and I couldn’t put it down and I just…all faults aside I really really liked it. I LIKED IT.

And the copy I have is SO PRETTY. The cover is all pastely and it has coloured edges and I swoon.

The Smoke Thieves is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series, featuring an ensemble cast of (you guessed it) young adults from different countries and walks of life, whose paths and fates converge in unexpected ways. You’ve got a princess, a thief, a demon hunter, a servant, and a soldier who all play important parts in events as kingdoms come to a clash in a new war. Their choices will affect not just their own lives (and hearts) but the course of nations.

This was an enjoyable read. This is definitely a fantasy series with more of a human motivation/political intrigue angle than and wizards-and-fireballs angle. The human side of the world is interesting in its own right, and then how the author worked demons and magic into it adds a twist I hadn’t really seen before. The characters you’re supposed to like are all likable/relatable enough. The villain(s) are clear from the get-go. Maybe a little too clear; I do like my villains to operate more in a gray area than just being outright vile, but it works for this book. The story has a good pace. It’s a nice mix of action, romance, intrigue, and introspection. As the author jumps around to different characters with each chapter, you get to see events converge from several angles, which I appreciate when done well (and this is).

It does have a few problems. Some of the “main” characters tended toward being a bit one-dimensional, while one of the secondary characters is actually (so far, to me) the most interesting character in the story. It’s got the dreaded YA love triangle. And I have some questions about the big reveal regarding the magical stuff; namely, how this is only now becoming known/an issue when its been around for centuries. (This vagueness is me attempting to avoid spoilers).

But overall, if you like fantasy intrigue and you’re looking for a somewhat unique and lighter YA read, give this a try.

Intriguing fantasy adventure

The lives of four characters intersect in a land of countries balanced on a precarious peace. A princess, an illegitimate son of a prince, a servant, and a demon hunter battle their individual woes and trials before being caught up war.
This is a strong start to new fantasy series, full of interesting characters of conflicting loyalties. The countries, their leaders and their people are set up clearly with distinct traits.
The ‘smoke’ of the title comes from little-seen creatures called demons. The smoke is exhaled when demons are killed and is then sold illegally as a drug. The smoke is mentioned at the very beginning of the story and takes some time for the significance to be realised, but is an interesting idea. Demon smoke and fortune-telling are the main fantasy elements and are used well alongside the non-magical court schemes and battles.
Despite some predictable elements (as is the case with most fantasy adventure stories), I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. I thought the inner conflicts regarding the characters’ loyalties to their friends, families and countries, was really well explored. I look forward to seeing where their journeys take them next.

I am so sorry.. I just couldn't get through this book. I tried, but I just couldn't get invested. I am bound to try on a later date again and hopefully will post a review!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for giving me this book to review

Smoke Thieves is a really good high fantasy novel with adventure, political intrigue and demons. I really like the five different point of views and how their stories started off as mostly separate but connected by the end. It was fast paced, and I felt like the world building was pretty solid as I understood the different cultures of the countries, especially Brigant and Pitoria.

Catherine is intelligent and driven to be accepted by create her own path and be her own person, not under the foot of her father or brother. Ambrose is loyal and honourable and very protective of Catherine and his family. March, I think was my least favourite as I felt like he didn’t question anything and was always a follower. Edyon was my favourite character as he is charming and a quick talker. Tash is nimble and sassy and while still a child she seemed mature for her age.

I enjoyed this book and I hope we don’t have long to wait for the next book. I would recommend to fans of the Darkhaven books and The Orphan Queen series.

If you like fantasy you will like this book. There are five main characters but they all revolve around the two female protagonists, Catherine - a princess, and Tash - a 13 year old assistant demon hunter. This is a medieval world of kingdoms at war, intrigue, betrayal and cunning. Faced paced and an easy read. My only quibble - I know this is the first of a sequel but I thought the ending too abrupt. However I did enjoy the book.

anyone who enjoys fantasy will love this book.
It was so well written and the world was amazingly built.
I felt for all the characters and couldn't wait to continue reading on - the plot was so gripping from the start.

I was a huge fan of Sally Green's Half Bad series so when I heard she had turned her hand to a multi-pov fantasy I was beyond excited....and she didn't disappoint. Like Half Bad the world is incredibly vivid and the characters layered and complex. I'm relived this part of a series as I simply could not get enough. The only problem will be waiting a year for the next installment!!

DNF/Put down for now - 28%

This book is taking me forever to get into, I am enjoying the way in which the author writes, it's just kind of hard work getting through a couple of the perspectives. It feels a little jumpy, and I'm not enjoying it right now. I am very intrigued by Tash's perspective but every time it switches to one of the other characters I get fed up and put it down. I know I will return to this at some point and really enjoy it but for now it's a dnf.

Welcome to "The Smoke Thieves", a medieval-inspired world of kings, princesses and demons!

CONS

Demons. Magical creatures (good or evil) always steal my heart. I'm excited about the sequel to learn more about these human-like red, orange and purple demons and about the demon smoke. Oh, and this leads me to ...

TASH! A spunky thirteen year-old demon hunter. At first, she did annoy me because all she could think about was buying some boots. But then she grew on me with her attitude.

Female Power! Sadly, women always lived (and still do) in a world that sees them as weak and less capable than men. Catherine's journey from an oppressed princess to a woman who speaks her mind shows that any woman - anyone - has the power to forge her own path and the power to gain agency. It's such a beautiful message.

CONS

Where are the plot twists? I'm not saying the plot is predictable, but there are clues since the beginning of what is going to happen, so in the end there were no twists (and only one death made my heart ache).

Edyon. It annoyed me how he could be freezing to death (and running for his life), but all he could think about was having March on a bed. I was hoping for a cute romance, but Edyon ended up being too pushy. And that's not okay!

A princess, a traitor, a soldier, a hunter and a thief. The lands of Calidor, Brigant and Pitoria are at odds. Five teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Five nations destined for conflict, and so you need to find out how...



What a fast paced, engaging read. It features through its core the arrogance of royal Brigant men, making great and brutal baddies. Predominantly this is set against the more courteous and noble Pretorian people. Then there is the devil smoke and the power it holds that is a precursor for war.



Each chapter moves between the lives and events of these teenagers concurrently, so that you determine how their lives will eventually converge. Of note some of the battle scenes and injuries are quite graphic, which some readers may struggle with, but this does well to convey the brutality of King Aloysius.



All the teenagers are very different in their nature. They encounter a plethora of people on their travels of which many are untrustworthy. The characters like the carnival depictured are colourful and somewhat exotic. There is fighting, the need to draw upon lots of wherewithal, route out deception and subterfuge, amidst some tormented romance, good looking knights and good old heroism. The female characters are intelligent and formidable in their own rights and all the characters develop nicely. Essentially everything a YA series ought to offer. Not sure I would compare it to a YA King of Thrones, but taking on board the warring families, book one definitely leaves you with a sense of an all-consuming adventure, cut throat behaviour and plenty of perils along the way.

Ok so for the first time I feel like I really don't know how to rate The Smoke Thieves. I can't work out if 3.5 is too high or too low. I really struggled for the middle third of the book and it was only when I hit the last third I felt like I actually wanted to find out the ending.

The Smoke Thieves follows five characters, a princess (Catherine), a traitor (March), a hunter (Tash), a solider (Ambrose) and a thief (Edyon). I did feel in parts that all of these points of view were a little bit overwhelming. Though towards the end of the book it did get better. I found that I loved reading Catherine, Tash and Edyon's parts but found Ambrose's kind of boring and March's really tough to read too.

I really loved that at the start of a chapter of Catherine's POV we got an except from a fictional book from the world of The Smoke Thieves. I found this really helped with the world building and helped to highlight the differences between the countries (as well as helping the reader understand Catherine too.)

I found myself most drawn to Catherine, Tash, Edyon. Though I must confess I found Catherine a little bit whiny at times, especially when it came to her thoughts regarding Ambrose. What I did love about Catherine was that she really took to adapting to her new life, and became her own person over the course of the book, it was really interesting to read. She accomplished so much in such a short space of time, and I really can't wait to see what she does in the next book!

I feel like Ambrose was simply a mirror for Catherine's feelings and there were only a few points when his narrative added to the story. Maybe one less point of view would have worked better and helped with the slow pacing in the middle of then book?

I loved Tash's character, she was bold and fierce and I found her working relationship with, and devotion to Gravell to be really interesting. I think that Tash was the most interesting character for me, and I can't wait to see where her story goes in the later books.

Edyon was just so likeable and I loved reading from his POV. I even found March more endearing through Edyon's eyes, as much as I disliked reading March's POV. I felt that the budding romance between Edyon and March was much more interesting than the Catherine/Ambrose one.

As for March, I just couldn't find anything likeable about him, I know that he background went some ways to explain it and he was manipulated by a character who I won't name as I don't want to spoil things. But I just found him too venomous, but I am hoping that the character development, which started towards the end of then book, continues in book two as I liked the way it was headed.

All in all I found that The Smoke Thieves was an enjoyable fantasy read, there were so really interesting parts, like demons and the demon smoke, and some really interesting characters. The middle section of the book was a little too slow for my liking and I feel that 5 pov really stretched the focus a bit too much. The cliffhanger ending was a good one and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series when it is released.

This book was interesting from the opening chapter. It was the first multi-perspective novel that I've read in a while where I actually enjoyed all of the characters- usually there is at least one where I have to drag myself through their chapters because I just didn't care- but all the characters here were interesting and their narrative styles unique. The world felt a little under-developed, I was left wanting to know more about it than I got because there was so much potential for fascination. The book was mostly a set-up for the sequel, which also left the plot a little lacking as the closure-to-establishment ratio was a bit off. That being said, I am excited to read the second instalment

A fantastic start to a series - this fantastical book will leave you constantly asking questions as the 5 story-lines inter-cross and weave and meet, finally, at the end. There's a mixture of character with their strengths and weaknesses alike, so there's bound to be a favourite for everyone. Excited to see what happens next!

Awesome - epic characters and awesome world building! Loved it!
Never read anything by Sally green and I’m always wary of starting new fantasy series as I have high expectations but this did the trick. Fantastic!

Sally Green is back and better than ever with the first book in her new fantasy series, 'The Smoke Thieves.' It's my first foray into a fantasy with this many perspectives a la 'Game of Thrones' and, I have to admit, I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it!

All of the different perspective were necessary, and there wasn't anything overly complicated about the story. I wish the characters had been a bit quicker on the uptake too, as it felt like we were in the mode of exposition for a lot longer than I would usually have liked, but I forgave that on the basis that there were just so many characters to begin with.

Catherine was my favourite, but I also enjoyed Tash and Edyon too. When the threads started to come together, and the characters collided that was my favourite of all, though, so I'm definitely more excited for the next book in the series.

There's plenty of intrigue, and still a lot of the world-building left to explore, that's for sure, but this - for me - was an excellent start to this fantasy world! And I really appreciated the craft for balancing all of the POVs!

I received an early ARC copy of the book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I first heard about this book I was intrigued. After reading so many YA fantasy novels with a single protagonist I was excited to read one that focused on a group, and this is definitely one of the strengths of the book. You get to see the world through so many different perspectives and from differing social classes, which makes it much more layered. I was also excited about the concept of demons and Tash was my favourite character throughout.

Unfortunately I felt like the ensemble cast feel did also detract from the book in that quite a few of the characters didn't really feel fully developed. I think Edyon, Catherine and Tash are probably the most fully realised, and while the others had their drives and motivations they didn't really have much beyond that. Additionally, the world building didn't feel particularly original, as the demons weren't really explained or even really that present, though maybe this is being saved for a sequel.

Overall I think the main problem with the book is that it's the first in a series, just the tip of the iceberg, but it didn't really absorb me much as a reader into the world. I am curious about how the story progresses but I don't know if I will buy the next book, though perhaps if it expands on the world more I might consider it.

I was so excited when I was approved to read this book, as one of my highly anticipated books of the spring. This book had 5 perspectives, with each chapter coming from a point of view of a different character. There are an abundance of different character backgrounds, from knights, princesses, thieves and demons. The use of demons in this book I found was interesting as it is not a concept I see very often in young adult literature. Overall the book was fast paced and intriguing. Sometimes the story was hard to follow because of how many perspectives there were. However this did not take away from the plot, which was in depth and exciting.