I enjoyed this story much more than I expected. The characters are interesting, especially the protagonist, Gen, who I found witty, charming, and smart. The story is a bit slow sometimes, especially in the first part of the novel, but overall is intriguing and fascinating and I enjoyed the tales of gods and goddesses. The world-building is fantastic and the writing is excellent. All in all, The Thief is a great fantasy novel and I am looking forward to the sequel.

Eugenides's boast that he can steal anything may have landed him in the king's prison, but it may also be the key to getting him back out again. An impossible quest awaits in search of an object with the power to make kings and queens that no one have ever returned from seeking. Eugenides will need all of his skills as an expert thief if he's going to be successful, and stay alive.

The Thief is an interesting fantasy opening with superb world building, complex politics and fascinating religions. It's a great set up for the rest of the Queen's Thief series and left me excited to read on.

It's a slower but eventful quest narrative with a clever protagonist who hides things from the reader and keeps us guessing throughout, providing plenty of twists and drama. It's filled with stories within stories and detailed in-world mythology, and while this is a complete and satisfying narrative in its own right, there's clearly a lot being set up for future novels in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An imaginative tale of Gods and Myths

The Thief is a young adult fantasy book, though it should be said that this could be aimed at an even younger reader. The novel opens with a young man (Gen) who is in prison for stealing an object from the King. To gain his freedom, he is offered a chance to steal a legendary object, along with the King’s Magus, a bodyguard, and two apprentices. How could Gen refuse?

I’ve got to say that even before I started to read the book I already knew the outcome due to the spoilers in the synopsis, which stated “Eugenides the Queens Thief” from this I understood that Gen was already employed with the Queen of the Neighbouring Country.

The novel is written from the first-person point of view and follows Gen’s quest to steal a legendary stone from an ancient temple. Along the way we see relationships build with Gen and the other members of his party. A good two-thirds of the book is taken up with travelling to the temple broken up with stories by Gen and the King’s Magus of fabled Gods and Myths.

For me I did find the travelling tedious, especially as Gen’s character went from Insightful, to completely childish and petulant, with his constant complaining of hunger and wanting to sleep, then when we get to the part where he finds the stone and completes his quest, it just feels rushed.
I did enjoy the worldbuilding, however, one thing I think didn’t fit for me was the King’s Magus, he is both a diplomate and Kings advisor, however, the word Magus means Sorcerer and he seems he didn’t have any of these types of skills in the books.

Overall I did enjoy the book, and I would recommend it to a younger reader.

The first half of this book is a bit too long, a lot of journeying and nothing really happens. It makes it a bit of a slog to get to the second half where all the action happens. I have a feeling the other books in the series will be really good if you can just power through the first half of this one!

The characters were well developed and three-dimensional. In addition to this, the world and its politics were equally as intriguing and developed. Overall, it was a great read that hooked me from the start and it is a really good first book in a series!

Having seen soo many incredible reviews for Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen’s Thief series I was pretty excited to give the first book, The Thief a read (a huge thank you to Hodder for inviting me to read this on Netgalley) and so, with slightly high expectations I dived straight in…

Just a heads up, there is ALOT of travelling, walking and general adventure-based journeying in this book, and some incredibly detailed descriptions of said journey that I found very reminiscent of classic quest fantasies from the 90-00s— think LOTR but with less elves, hobbits or dwarves and more Greek mythological heist but via the longer, more scenic route.

My first impression was little mixed-we start off in a prison where the thief is being given the opportunity to gain his freedom—by stealing a mythical item that hardly anyone believes is real. It sounds dangerous and exciting but the pacing was personally just too slow for me to really enjoy. I admit, the detailed descriptions are very thorough but nothing much happens for half the book besides travelling, which disappointed me a little.

I did however, really enjoy the mythological based stories that are interspersed throughout the travelling—though I must confess I only worked out the thief’s name halfway through one of the tales that thief. (I don’t know if his name was mentioned at the start and my mind just forgot or whether this was intentional—but not knowing did confuse me for a while.)

Once we got to the heist—it did start to pick up with more action and some pleasant plot twists that were definitely more enjoyable than the first half. I did really like Gen (the thief) and fellow travel companion Sophos who seemed genuinely kind as opposed to the rest of the group. Whalen-Turner does craft a pretty good antagonist in Ambiades (aka useless the elder) who’s arrogance, pettiness and sense of entitlement really got under my skin (he’s definitely the villain you’ll love to hate type.)

The tone did feel a little on the younger side of YA, maybe even closer to middle grade (which unfortunately isn’t a genre I tend to enjoy) and might be why I didn’t love this as much as I had hoped. It’s also a fairly short book so maybe I just need more time with these characters (and this world) to truly appreciate it. I do think lovers of epic journey/ quest stories and middle grade fiction will get the most enjoyment from this.

Read this with a (just) pre-teen and I'm not sure who enjoyed it more. A good story with interesting (but not too complex) worldbuilding. The characters were relatable and engaging. Looking forward to reading the next book.

Great book! Not one I probably would've picked up but I really did enjoy it! It's a fantastic ya book, and I'm definitely interested to see what else the author has done.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I started reading this, I didn't think I would enjoy it much but then came a huge plottwist at the end that completely blew me away!

The Thief follows Gen, who can, according to his own word, steal anything. After bragging publicly of stealing from the king, he lands himself in prison. After months of rotting away, he is surprisingly let out: The Magus, the king's scholar, wants to steal him one of the most important objects in history. A mythical stone which could start wars and that is wanted by not just the king, but pretty much every ruler in vicinity. Gen and the Magus, along with a soldier, an apprentice and the son of a lord, make the journey which might change their kingdom forever.

Now, the first three quarters of this were basically just travel which got tired fast. Despite how that may sound, I did enjoy reading it because Gen's narration was honestly quite funny and it had one of my favorite elements in fantasy - lore. Throughout the story, Gen tells his companions stories of gods and mortals and I loved every second of it. The world and mythology were based on Ancient Greece which has always been one of my favorite historical subjects, so I really loved this aspect.

However, the last quarter or so of the book truly blew my mind. There basically was a huge plot twist which I didn't see coming, but was cleverly done. There was a great set-up for the future books and I will definitely pick them up now!

My main criticisms were the lengthy bits of travel and the fact that I didn't care about any of the characters apart from Gen. Thus, my final rating sits at 3.5 stars.

After seeing this book series floating around the internet for just about as long as I’ve been on it, I can’t believe I’ve only now decided to pick this series up. After seeing the new redesigned cover I was tempted again to try it out for myself and boy was it a good idea. Trying to describe what makes this book so fantastic will no doubt spoil it but it’s addictive once you get past the first half which I honestly found a little bit slow but eas well worth it in the end. I genuinely think Gen may be my favourite ever fictional character and I can’t wait to devour the rest of the series!!

It is a truly huge event to be granted the access to this gem of a book.
The amount of star-reviews, many of which are given by grand authors of our time, left me starstruck and very excited to get acquainted with this story.
"The Thief" is a legendary inspiration and treasury of traits of character, a study of worldbuilding, a true wikipedia on how a story can captivate a reader.
There's a motive of bonding and self-growth while on the road.
There's a unique cast of characters from all social levels.
There's magic and talent, mesmerising skills and so much joy in an adventurous life.
I hope to read the sequels and find out more about each character and about Gen's, this gem of a personage, way and story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the team behind this release for trusting me with this book!
I am honoured and grateful!

The Thief is a traditional quest story with echoes of the Hobbit as convicted thief Gen is taken out of prison by the King’s Magus and taken on a journey to steal a precious item. Along with them go the Magus’s two apprentices and a guard.
Initially the pacing of the book is quite slow as they journey across the country but this time is spent in developing the characters and the world building. Both of these are excellent and I especially loved the legends that they told to each other before they slept. The dynamics between the characters are always interesting and change during the book as they learn more about each other. After this slow build-up, the final third of the book is as exciting as anyone could wish and the book has a very satisfying resolution.
I enjoyed this character driven fantasy novel and will certainly read the others in the series.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers, Hodder and Stoughton for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc for an honest opinion.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

You know how sometimes a book isn’t for you? Well this book wasn’t for me. For more than a half nothing happened besides sleeping, eating and traveling so I got bored really fast. And the second half went by so fast? Like suddenly we got so much action and than BAM book is finished. So yeah this wasn’t for me.

1.5 ⭐️

I am SO sorry, but despite being excited for his, I really did not enjoy this book at all.

The vast majority of the story is an overly long, mind numbingly dull journey where absolutely nothing of note happens. It genuinely feels like about 4,000 pages of horse riding, camp fires, whining, arguing and general bullsh*t. There is also huge quantities of information dumping where you feel like you’re getting a history lesson, which just felt weird and misplaced and I found myself completely spacing out due to utter boredom.

It took me ages to work out who was who, and the main character Gen isn’t very likeable at all. He is constantly whining about being hungry and tired, and if I had to read about him taking another damn nap, I was going to throw myself out a window out of sheer frustration. Gen may or may not be one of the most annoying characters I’ve ever come across. I didn’t understand the relationship between Gen and the Magus at all, it all seemed very contradictory and I wasn’t sure what was meant to be going on given how inconsistent it was.

The twist… well I don’t want to ruin this for anyone but I worked out the “twist” really quickly so when I was proved correct, it was like… ok well that’s that then. Nothing happens until perhaps the last couple of chapters, and then it feels like an entirely different book and story which is why I might be tempted to read the next instalment.

A huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the invitation to read The Thief the first book in The Queen’s Thief series by Meghan Whalen Turner, originally published 27 December 2005 on NetGalley. I had not read anything by Whalen Turner previously and was intrigued and happy to accept the invitation to read and provide an honest and unbiased review.

The Thief struck me as very much an old school fantasy, perfect for younger YA readers, with its richness of story, world-building and plethora of Mediterranean myths and stories. The world building is set in a world full of myth, magic, gods and mystery and there are a plethora of olive groves, which definitely set my mouth watering for all things Mediterranean.

The protagonist Gen is a thief, languishing in prison after boasting of a theft from the Royal Court of Sounis in a tavern. He finds himself embroiled in a quest led by the King’s Magus to steal a mythical treasure, and this book tells the tale of their journey and quest. Gen and the Magus are not alone in their quest, there are other travelling companions, all of whom contribute to the trials, tribulations and politics of the journey.

This is an enticing read that sings songs of ancient myths, gods and legends and pulls you in to an entertaining story, that to my pleasure was not packed with the usual tropes such as the chosen one or love triangle.

If you are looking escape from the usual and want something a little more loyal to original fantasy, then this is a story that will pull you in from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed this book. Before picking it up, I didn't realise it was first published more than 20 years ago, but I think that soon becomes evident. Despite the plot summary sounding similar to numerous current YA books, the style of writing in this novel is different; it feels more like a classic fantasy story, reminding me a bit of the Eagle of the Ninth books by Rosemary Sutcliffe.

The main character, Gen the thief, is fascinating and it's clear from the beginning there is more to him than meets the eye. I love a charming protagonist, especially when they are surrounded by people who are obviously annoyed by their attitude. The relationship between him and the magus was interesting, firstly antagonistic before developing into grudging mutual respect (to an extent). Most of the time I was irritated at the magus (much like Gen) and found some of his lines particularly thought-provoking. One that stuck out to me was his meditation on folktales and how 'in the hands of common people they get debased', as opposed to the original versions preserved in scholarship - which in my mind completely misses the point of folktales as being an ever evolving cultural heritage.

I enjoyed the story, and particularly appreciated the vivid scenes inside the temple. Embarrassingly, I didn't predict the twist towards the end, though it seems obvious in hindsight. I would recommend this book to fans of quest narratives and fantasy inspired by the classical world.

This wasn’t to my taste but I won’t take away that it is a great book! I do thank netgally for the invitation to read this title and the publisher!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Hodder Paperbacks, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Eugenides, Gen, can steal anything, or so he says. When his boasting lands him in the king's prison, he gets the chance to get out when the king's magus invites him on an impossible quest: steal a legendary object and win his freedom back. In a long journey, with the magus, Pol, a soldier and two magus apprentices, Sophos and Ambiades, Gen finds himself with his own plans, very different from the magus'

The thief is the first book in a YA fantasy series of six ones, where Megan Whalen Turner introduces intriguing characters, vivid worldbuilding, politics and gods and goddesses, with plot twists, deep characterization and interesting bonds.
I liked reading this book, even though I've found the pacing a bit odd. At first, the story is very slow and it picks up from the middle, giving the readers revelations, twists, surprises and intriguing moments.

The characterization is amazing and I loved Gen as main character. He's smart, witty and he has his own plans and goals. Mistreated because his upbringing and "work" as a thief, Gen answers with snarky remarks, smart conversations and deep knowledge, against prejudices and superiority from the others. The story is intriguing and I loved reading about the twists and revelations and how the author mixed the story with gods and goddesses' myths and their influence and part in the world itself.
The writing is compelling, the characterization good and I liked how the bonds between characters change and deepen.
Very thrilling and, after this ending, I'm very curious to read the other books.

I've heard so many great reviews of this series so was eager to read the reissued first book. It was witty and richly detailed with engaging characters and an interesting plot. Will continue to read the rest of the series.

2.5 stars

Headlines:
I hyped this up for myself
Not a lot goes on for the first half
Interesting characters

The Thief is a book I've been wanting to read for a few years and it's finally getting a UK publisher this year. I bit the hand off netgalley and Hodder for this but I think the hype I'd got myself into over it ultimately made me crash and burn.

This is a character-driven, plot light ya fantasy, pitched around a thief (Gen) and his troop of keepers. Basically, for the first half, not a lot happens but there was enough to just about keep me engaged and that was because I really liked Gen. Surprisingly, I came to like his keeper, the Magus.

When things did pick up (a bit) plot-wise, I think I'd got beyond feeling invested. When I look at the other reviews for this book (it's been released elsewhere for decades), many talk about the slowness of this read but that the investment is worth it for the series. Feeling as I do, I'm unsure whether I will continue.

I'm sad I haven't nicer thoughts to share, but we can't always share our book friends' love for recommendations.

Thank you to Hodder Books for the early review copy.