I have to admit that I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in but I am pleasantly surprised. The sorcery and magic system in this book blew my mind. I love a good mixed media book because I believe it can give a book more insight. All in all, this is a gripping and action packed story that will keep you hooked

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed this as a pilot to a new series.

Set in a London where magic exists but is illegal, magic casters and collectors must do so in secret. Now, a thief known as Cuttlefish has seemingly returned from the dead to finish collecting a series of magical books. Cuttlefish’s reemergence coincides with a mother and son returning to their neighborhood home. Both events send the local community and school into chaos.

The Identity Thief was a roller-coaster of trust! It got to the point where I basically assumed everybody was Cuttlefish and didn’t trust anybody! Which was a great way to write a suspenseful mystery. I honestly had no clue what was going on and was completely thrown by the ending.

One aspect of The Identity Thief that I really enjoyed was how well it tackled social issues, local community ‘politics’ and prejudice. There were no characters that were perfect. All of them were flawed and relatable.

This one was pretty great! I thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s always a plus when, from the very beginning you’re both freaked out and hooked hard!

This is a middle-grade or tween Urban Fantasy Adventure I’m glad I didn’t miss out on. It was well-written and well-plotted and, although targeted at the considerably younger than me audience, it wasn’t boring or patronising its readers. There is nothing worse than having the feeling the author has to explain everything because they think their audience is made up of rather uninformed (aka dumb) 12 year-olds.

For most part of the book we have two story-lines. There’s Cass and her friends, Hector, school, her mother, Hector’s mother – and lots of pre-teen drama. Bear with it, trust me. And then there’s Cuttlefish’s story, him stealing identities and books, for a reason we don’t know for a very long time. When the paths eventually cross, lots of stuff makes sense and the rest of the story is even more of a blast.

The magic system is based in ancient Greek, which makes people with Greek roots, like Hector and his mother, likely users of magic and therefore suspicious. Maybe that’s why Cass’s mother, a police officer in the special branch for magical policing, is so keen on befriending the family?

The story is full of twists and turns. To not overload the reader with lots of explanations the chapters are interspersed with pictures, notes, and newspaper clippings. This helps avoiding information dump. The Urban Fantasy setting, the humour, the slightly dark themes surrounding Cuttlefish reminded me of Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

4.5 stars

The Identity Thief surprised me in so many aspects and it made me stay up all night reading it.

Imaginative and engaging…

Imagine London but very dark — that’s where I was while reading The Identity Thief. It is set in London but with magic exist though forbidden and feared for its usage has great consequences. Magic is in form of sorcery and though there are bad witches, there are bad ones and the worst of them all is Cuttlefish. I admit the name cuttlefish is somehow over the top for me but it fits the character who is a major trickster. He shapeshifts, taking forms of anyone he can use to get his hands on the books of sorcery that he needs. And in his hunts for these books, he leaves chaos and fear in his wake. His goal for what he’s doing, achieving the God machine, is somehow ridiculous but still, that’s just make the story more imaginative.

In this alternate London, there’s a group especialized in catching anyone who deals with sorcery. I was really fascinated how brilliant Cuttlefish crimes are, how he can fool everyone he talks to. I’ve read books with shapeshifting as magic before but in The Identity Thief, this kind of magic is really used well. It made me wonder so many times if the scene I’m reading has Cuttlefish in it, are the characters are really who they are? Also, one of the places the story is set is in an old mysterious house standing beside a cemetery. It’s really atmospheric that more than I few times, I was anxious someone will jump out from the dark to make me scream.

The Reveals…

It seems like there’s two world in this book. One is Cassandra dealing with her friends in school, some family stuff, including her mom’s insistence that they befriend the new neighbors known as the River People, which she doesn’t like at all, and the other world is Cuttlefish and his crimes. As the blurb said they’re not connected. Well, in some way, they are and you would guess about it, thinks like you’d guessed right, and then at the end, the blurb is still right. They shouldn’t have been connected.

Anyway, at first, it seems like these two worlds shouldn’t be together in one story. All throughout the book I was wondering what will make the two worlds connect. And I thought maybe it’s because of Cass’s mother, Helen, who is the head of the special group especialized in catching magic users. But no, it’s more than that and I like it. And wow, the reveal with River People is amazing.

Superb storytelling…

So cryptic and mysterious and gripping. I swear if The Identity Thief is a movie, I’d be jumping every five minutes. That’s how effective the storytelling is. It’s so thrilling. But there’s also humor and it’s equally surprising. Like the humor is too eager to be part of the story so, amidst the thrill and scares, it squeezes itself to be known to the reader. There are scenes where you think it’s scary but it’s not. You know, like things moving but turns out it’s only a spider. I have a favorite funny part. There’s a part where two people are talking about some guy they’re suspicious about as Cuttlefish. (Remember: Cuttlefish take the forms of other people) And one of them blurted out how ugly the suspicious guy is and that’s his first impression. Okay, it’s not funny to call other people ugly but the delivery. The delivery is priceless.

Also, the story is told in different ways – narratives, POVs, articles (social media posts, newspaper clippings, excerpts from books). For some people, this can be confusing but for me, it makes the story more engaging and intriguing because I was never sure what kind of chapter I’m going to read next. Aside from that, it avoids info-dumping. It certainly helps with the backstories.

Well-developed characters…

The main heroine, Cassandra is very unlikeable. She’s not at all relatable for me, and characters like her and her friends are the reason why I’m not a fan of Young Adult. But I don’t think her character is very realistic. She’s only 12 and that seems too young but when I think more about it, it’s the age where the social peer pressure starts. But that’s not the only reason why I dislike Cass, what I hated the most is how she treated Hector. Ah, that kid Hector. My heart cries for him. He is a son of the River People and is new in school and wow, the bullying. Up until the end, I really wanted Hector to use sorcery just to punish them all. He has issues but Cass was too much and she acts like she knows everything.

But despite that, I was invested with Cassandra which means her character is really done well. All the side characters are also well-developed. There’s not one of them I will forget, that’s for sure. Even the ones with the slightest role are unforgettable but of course, my favorite, aside from Hector, is Cuttlefish himself. He makes every page thrilling even if he’s not part of the scene. It’s like his presence is always there. Like I said, he shapeshift so you’ll never really know if he’s with you. And the reveal in his character is really good.

Before 2020 started, I set a new rule for my star rating – I won’t give perfect ratings unless the book gives me complete enjoyment. Technically, I don’t have any issue about this book and I really enjoy it a lot but my enjoyment wasn’t complete because of Casandra. She really annoyed me at times thus a half-star less from a perfect rating.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I read it pretty much in one sitting, so certainly I found it engaging. And I laughed quite a few times. But did I really find it enjoyable? I'm not sure. What I was thinking, as I read, was: This is a book I would give to a kid as a bang-up fictional example of how discrimination spreads throughout a populace, and what role the media plays in shifting public opinion. But that's a pretty restricted use case. You know what, I've just realized why I didn't really enjoy it. I really hate plots that depend on people not sharing important information with their loved ones. It's *believable and realistic*, mind you, I just find it as irritating as hell. Okay, it's a good book that really pushes one of my buttons, in a bad way. Take that for what it's worth.

Ich glaube, idass meine Erwartungen an "The Identity Thief" etwas zu hoch waren. Der Klappentext klang vielversprechend und die Story war auch gut, aber ich hatte mir doch etwas mehr davon versprochen.
Die 12 jährige Protagonistin Cass lebt in London, aber leider bin ich mit ihr so gar nicht warm geworden. Sie ist eine unglaublich unsympathische Protagonistin, die sich auch keineswegs ihrem Alter entsprechend benimmt. Ihr Gegenpart ist Hector, der auch nicht unbedingt ein Sympathieträger ist.
Es hat mich etwas gestört, dass Alex Bryant eine so komplexe und komlizierte Geschichte geschaffen hat, mit Kindern als Protagonisten, die allerdings so gezeichnet sind, wie Erwachsene. Das passt leider so gar nicht zur Geschichte.
Der Magiepart hat mich etwas an Harry Potter erinnert - da bin ich kein großer Fan von, das hat mich in diesem Buch aber nicht sehr gestört.
Die Handlung ist spannend, wenn auch sehr komplex, sodass man nur schwer reinfindet. Nach etwa der Hälfte fliegen die Seiten dann aber nur so dahin. Es gab noch ein paar Plottwists, die aber leider nicht über die unsympathischen Protagonisten hinwegtrösten konnten.

I found the world, one where magic exists but is feared and punished, to be interesting. I liked the complexity of the plot shown within the book. The plot is very well-crafted and the twists and turns take the story in interesting directions.

The constantly changing narratives was a little frustrating to read however, and I had a difficult time connecting to the main character overall.

A really intriguing novel with an interesting take on issues around race & SEND. The relationship between Cass & Hector is one that will be common in most schools (as will be the one between Hector & the other children) and offers plenty for the reader to explore in terms of approaches to inclusion. There are, also, issues of discrimination, focused on the Greek community in the story, again providing plenty of opportunity for discussion.

The theme of sorcery is one that will draw readers in, but the idea of a magical death sets it apart from other novels I've read.

The narrative, at times, felt a little convoluted but there's a lot happening in the story, & I think the complexity helped the feeling of confusion felt by the characters.

It's definitely an interesting start to the series & I'll be on the lookout for the subsequent novels.

Thank you Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
I liked the idea behind this book and it is fast paced with lots of action. The magic element of the book was well thought out.
The downside to the book was that it was quite confusing in the way it was written with the characters constantly changing narratives. I probably won't read others from the series but I can see why others would.

Thank you for my free copy of this brilliant book.

Loved the way it switched from first person to narrative and the news stories between chapters was a good way of giving more of the story. The main characters were likeable and I was sorry it ended, looking forward to more.

I give this book 3.5 stars. This book was a fun surprise. I love the sorcery concept, but I really wish there was more of it. It kind of had the Harry Potter vibe. I would say this book is 80% about bullying a boy who is possibly a sorcerer's child with epilepsy. The other 20% is about the sorcerer Cuttlefish trying to collect all of the grimoires in London. Cuttlefish is a mimetic who can look like anyone which he uses to trick people into giving him the books.

I had a few problems with this book.

1 - What is wrong with the digital print? The writing is so faint it strained my eyes so bad I also gave up. Also, I'm pretty sure this is what caused my migraine.

2 - The main character Cass is awful! She is a bully to Hector who has epilepsy and is socially awkward. She does't have any redeeming qualities. I would almost call her an antagonist than a protagonist. The amount of bullying in this books is painful. I just want to read a book about sorcery, not bullying.

3 - The author note is very distasteful. He requests everyone to leave him a 5 star review on Amazon and Goodreads. I can totally understand that, who doesn't want a 5 star review. However, he makes the comment afterwards that says "4 stars - actually hurt my book's place in the ratings, so I'm better off receiving no review than a 4 star review!" This almost makes me want to drop the star rating even lower. Any author should be appreciative that people are reading and reviewing their books. People appreciate honest reviews.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC for my honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I have to say I loved this book the plot twists and well written characters got me hooked from the beginning. The book is set in London and follows Cass as she tries to find out who the Identity Thief is. This book is highly recommended and I cannot wait to read more!!

The Identity Thief by Alex Bryant, an interesting book with a great magic system. A magical identity thief is on the loose by the name of Cuttlefish, but what could he possibly have done to bring him in contact with a group of 12 year school kids?

Identity Thief was an unexpected surprise. I went in not quite sure what it was about (although based on the blurb I figured it would at least be funny) but quickly found a world of magic and adventure that captured my imagination.

The main characters are 12, which felt like an odd choice. I also didn't think they felt that young - if it hadn't been mentioned repeatedly, I'd have assumed from their thoughts and actions that they were older (though admittedly not much, since Cass is sometimes quite immature).

I liked the mix of POVs and newspaper cuttings. The magic system was interesting and I loved the element of mystery! Getting an insight into Cuttlefish was brilliant too.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be uploaded to Amazon after release.

Set in London where magic is real but forbidden. Rather than something that is celebrated, magic is accepted as a normal part of the world and in many cases feared as it can leave the victims of those who use it brain damaged. As a lot of the magic books are in Greek, being Greek is pretty much an admission of guilt even if you have never practiced sorcery.

Cassandra is a teenager navigating school and social acceptance. Meanwhile, her mum Helen, is in charge of a force responsible for hunting down the legendary sorcerer Cuttlefish - who is wrecking havoc and magically killing people all over the place. But, is Helen really focusing on the job, or is she more interested in getting to know their new, socially awkward neighbours? While Helen gets closer with neighbour Persephone, Cas is forced to spend more and more time with her weird and off-putting son Hector, but does not want her friends at school to know as she believes they will drop her like something smelly if they find out. Hector is off putting because he is not good looking and he is one of the River People. However, he is really sweet and so excited to spend time with Cassie and have a friend.

There are lots of great things about this book.

1 - Although the main character is 12, a lot of adult themes are covered and as a lot of them could be triggering, there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book with a link to the authors website where all potential trigger subjects are listed. I wish all books (especially those with a broad age range in the target audience) did this.

2 - I like the mix of perspective, narrative and newspaper articles. It breaks up the story telling and makes the reading experience more engaging in this case.

3 - The characters are extremely well developed. Cass is not particularly likeable. No one likes a perfect hero and Cass certainly is not that. She is strong willed and independent with a sense of right and wrong sure, but she often choses wrongly because she wants to look cool for her friends which is a typical thing a lot of kids her age do! She is also selfish, self-centred, egotistical and obsessed with how she appears to others. Hector is like a really gross, sticky, furry sweet a 5 year old offers to share with you. Really off putting, you don't want it, you really want to say no thank you.... but ahhh look at the little kiddie sharing. So, you say thank you and Mmmm, as you eat that sticky, furry, revolting sweet while smiling. Or, perhaps like that one kid in class that always smells strongly of onions and BO - but they are really nice and kind and generous with their time and the little they have.

4 - This is the best and most exciting - In Fantasy, almost everything you read seems highly derivative. The Identity Thief is not. It's unique, well written and really exciting. You grab any time you have to read a bit more and see what happens next. No one is going to say - "Oh you love Lord of The Rings/Harry Potter/Narnia? You should read The Identity Thief." What people will say is - "You love Fantasy? You need to read The Identity Thief." I personally can not wait for the next instalment in the God Machine series.

Now, I must point out that the story is definitely worth 5 stars, however there were two occasions where this almost dropped to four.

1 - In Kindle format the font is extremely faint, no matter how bright I have my settings. I think this is supposed to be part of what happening not being real, as stated at the beginning. However, I would of preferred to read without the strain on my eyes. The faintness of the print almost put me off reading the book all together. Which would have been a shame as the story really is fantastic.

2 - At the end of the story you get a few words from the author. Standard. I have no problem with this. The author asking for a review if you like the book. No problem. What I do have a problem with, is where the author points out that 5 stars are great for his rating but that anything less is worse than no rating at all. I am sorry that this is the case. However, it really is not my problem or my fault. I did not design the algorithm that makes this so. I certainly hope it improves but this is not in my power. What is in my power is providing honest reviews for what I read regardless of how many stars I feel it is worth. Other people might not mind this, but for me the author almost talked himself out of the 5 star rating I was already planning on rewarding. Ultimately, I decided that the story is still worthy of the 5 stars because it really is that great.

Finishing statement - Fantastic book! Brilliant plot! Well developed characters! Surprising plot turns and reveals. Well paced and thoroughly engaging story line. I definitely can not wait for the next instalment and will be recommending this book to others.

It has been a while since I've done a NetGalley review so... I got this book, The Identity Thief by Alex Bryant, in the "Read Now" section of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. There may be spoilers in my review. This is the first book in a series.

I'm not saying I picked this because the author describes his book on the blurb as being better than three mangoes but maybe I did.

Trigger warnings
The copyright page includes a link to a website that lists the trigger warnings of the book. Currently these are listed as:
ableism; autism; biohorror; bullying; decay; death; epilepsy; excessive violence; fungi; gore; kidnapping; infant death; insects; lookism; mental illness; mentalism; police brutality; racial discrimination; racially motivated violence; religious discrimination; spiders; worms.

After getting in touch with the author, homophobic microaggressions have also been added to the list. Can more books do this please?

Plot
Sorcery exists. Cuttlefish is a sorcerer who, a decade ago, unleashed carnage on London. Now Cuttlefish appears to be back, trying to track down a series of books, but Cuttlefish is basically a shapeshifter so can be anyone or anything. Also a group of schoolchildren get caught up in it all.

Characters
Firstly I have to point out something that I love - the character names. There's Hector, Helen, Cassandra, Persephone, Jason. Persephone (Foni) is a doctor of Ancient Greece. How can I not love this book just from that alone? Some of the characters do feel more like cardboard cut outs than fully formed characters, but it's not a huge problem. The main group - Cass, Tori, Jess, Hector, Helen, and Foni - all felt three dimensional. There are a few moments where it becomes a little obvious that only a handful of characters have a strong voice, but I'll happily say that it is worth reading anyway.

I do consider the setting of a novel to be as much of a character as the rest of the cast. I will admit a certain bias: I've always lived in North London, where the book is set. I know the real world locations in this book. That did help to ground it, but I'm not overly convinced that a reader who isn't familiar with the real world locations would have that same strong sense of setting.

Format
This isn't something I comment on often, but this is something I love. The novel is mostly told in first person by Cass, but there are chapters of third person narration. I have a soft spot for that blend of following one narrative through the eyes of one character, but also reading things that the character wouldn't have any way of knowing. Combine that with the newspaper clippings, extracts from books, and information posters, you have the perfect recipe for a book.

Overall
I kind of love this book. Putting aside my love of Classics, I really enjoyed reading this. If you're familiar with my reviews you'll know that I'm very open when I dislike something, and yes there are things that can be improved. Some of the characters do feel a little flat, and there are moments that I can criticise for petty reasons. I just lack the spoons to do that right now. Yet none of that diminished how much I enjoyed reading the book, or how I shushed someone who was trying to talk to me because I wanted to read more.

This is the first book in a series of hopefully seven which I am very excited to keep reading.

Enjoyed with: green tea with pomegranate juice, and a small packet of Haribo
Would recommend: this book feels like it was written for me because it has everything I love in one novel, so I'd recommend it to anyone who'd listen
Quick notes: LGBTQ+ representation!
Time it took to read: two and a half hours
Goodreads: review