I have heard so much about this series and I've been wanting to read it for such a long time that I had admittedly high expectations when jumping right into this first novel of the series. And I got a lot of these expectations met: "The Thief" is a fun, very charming story about a loveable protagonist, set in an intriguing world that reminded me a lot of Ancient Greece (which is always a plus in my book). It's a very short read and I flew through it in one sitting, but sometimes that's just the kind of book I need.

Now, I wasn't blown away by it. The writing is solid but very simplistic, and the style felt kind of old school to me - which, of course, it probably is considering the novel came out about 17 years ago. There's not much fluff, it's all very to the point. The characters aren't really that complex, and certain plot developments suffer from it. I didn't find Gen a very consistent character either, even factoring in the reasons revealed by later plot twists.
The first part of this book is basically one long journey where absolutely nothing happens and the characters can't really carry this emptiness on their own. The mythological little stories were interesting, though. The second half is much more exciting and sets up the sequel very well, and it was simply much more interesting to read.

In general, this is an okay book and to be quite honest, it didn't really inspire me to read the rest of the series by itself. I will, though, because I heard that especially the second book is far superior and I'm intrigued.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This short novel follows the story of Gen and his four companions as they travel their country in search of a fabled treasure. As the adventure goes on we discover more and more things about the world they live in and the protagonists themselves, until the main twist gets revealed in the last few chapters of the novel.

I liked the pacing and the writing. It was simple, engaging, and easy to follow. I finished in it one go, without putting it down. Just that deserves mention.

That being said this is not a series I will follow, or an author I look forward to reading again. First, the worldbuilding is woefully weak. It feels like a prequel of sorts to a longer novel. Knowing that it's not is quite disappointing. Second, the character development was basically non existent. The flatness and shallowness of the characters reminds me of weak young adult fiction, more than proper fantasy. Finally, the pacing of the story is infuriating. The first half is way too long and nothing happens, and then in the second half too many things happen way too quickly, and most of these are extremely unlikely and lack credibility.

The plot is pretty simple, Gen is a great thief who to escape prison agrees to be recruited by the Kings Magus to steal an ancient stone that will change the kingdoms leader.

The first half of the book I found really slow and quite repetitive. The journey to find the stone only really consisted of Gen complaining about eating and sleeping. There wasn't much real interaction or conversation with those in the travelling party, so I found it really hard when these friendships bonds seemed to be so solid in the last few chapters of the book, for me it just wasn't believable, I didn't feel the trust had really been earned.

Most of the Lore is told via storytelling when they settle down to make camp, I did enjoy the way this was done. Learning about the Gods past through the characters tales was done well.

This was a short read, I managed to get through it in one sitting and while I did a little bit of skimming over the slow parts I can see the story having potential. I don't think I will continue on with the series just because I didn't enjoy any of the characters enough to want to know more.

I wanted to love this. It's not a bad book, but it doesn't really get started untill over half way through.

The beginning of the book can be summed up like a cheesy dance track, walk, talk, eat repeat.

So Gen is supposedly a master thief. He is taken from prison and sent on a quest to retrieve an ancient stone for the corrupt king. He travels a long way. And I mean a long was as this part of the story really drags on. Gen isn't a particularly likeable character at this point. He's more like a surly teen than a master thief. He basically moans about food the entire way and occasionally tells a mythological story.

The bit where he actually finds the temple and goes in for the stone is a bit better, but it lacked imagery at times. Then there's the ambush. Well personally what happened there was pretty obvious. It's all meant to be a big secret I thi k, but imo it was predictable and clear.

The ending was the best bit. Now I know that sounds rude, and it isn't meant to. Genuinely the ending is the clever bit. It ties everything together and adds a twist or two.

So overall not bad but not wow. The ending ties it all up which is clever, but the start was slow and arduous at times.

Four stars for really well-written characters in a great world.

I liked the main character. It's been a long time since I've read a book with a male lead and it was very refreshing. I loved his wit and cunning and enjoyed how the story was interspersed with myths from the world. I liked the secondary characters too, although not so fleshed out they were still well written with intrinsic motivations.

The first half was very slow and not particularly exciting but the second half picked up big time - with some great reveals that more than made up for the first half. If it were me I would have placed some setups in the first half as some of the reveals came out of nowhere.

So much fun!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for sending me the arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I had heard of Megan Whalen Turner's 'The Thief' in the past while looking for more books centred around rogues and thieves since my favourite books and games all revolve around them (Six of Crows, Thief: The Dark Project, Dishonored etc). However, I had never gotten the chance before to read 'The Thief' since copies of the book were hard to come by and it wasn't on Kindle yet.

I was happy to find an email from Hodder and Stoughton recently recommending 'The Thief' on Netgalley and jumped at the chance to read it now since the series is getting new updated covers and finally moving to Kindle format.

I enjoyed this book immensely despite it being aimed at middle grade or YA. I loved Gen as the main character and although half of the book involves a long travel sequence, he carried the story well and keep me reading. I enjoyed the mythology and stories of the Gods/Goddesses spread throughout the story and the world-building.

There is a plot twist at the end of the book I saw a mile off however, as I was spoiled by the series title so I do blame the publisher. Regardless, Gen does go back and mention some clues that should have hinted at the plot twist in the end - but I didn't feel they were clues that readers could have discovered on their own and gone 'Oh of course' when looking back.

There are a few more instances of Gen telling the story one way then going back later and adding more details, including the plot twist, which can be annoying. But I suppose it does reinforce that Gen is a tricksy character and to take his words with a pinch of salt.

My other slight gripe was dialogue - I sometimes could not tell who was talking at times, but this might have been down to messy formatting on the app.

Overall I'd happily recommend this book to others and will probably pick up the next book in my own time when the new covers come out.

In the Thief we follow Gen, a young wayward sassy thief, who despite his best efforts is biding his time in prison. The world seems loosely based on the Roman conquest of Britain - with old and new Gods, an oppressive Empire where the rich grow richer and the power looks for more land to conquer.

Gen is surprising released from his imprisonment by the Kings head Magus - who enlists (read blackmails and strongarms ) Gens help in a quest. As we set off we know as little as Gen and the further we get we know less and less.

I feel like this book was just not for me. The world building felt a bit stilted and fairy tale like. It was really jarring moving between the story itself and these myths that were told by the characters alongside. The characters themselves felt very vague to me and I did not connect with them at all. The only dialog that took place really was one upmanship banter that though, while is entertaining get boring after awhile. Especially as Gen is supposedly the best thief ever, but he seems completely flummoxed by the people around him and acts like a sulky teenager.

Overall two stars as the end of the book did surprise me and I feel there is a lot of potential in this world

I downloaded this book because YA fantasy is my new favourite thing and I loved the cover with its hint of Greek myths. I hadn't realised the book was originally published in the 1990s, but was intrigued to learn that the series had inspired several of my favourite authors.

Eugenides (Gen) boasts that he can steal anything without being caught, even the King's seal, but unfortunately it is his boasting that lands him in a prison that apparently even he cannot escape from. So his only chance to win back his freedom is when the King's Magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object. But while the Magus is working on an ambitious plan to benefit king and country, Gen has a cunning plan of his own...

At first glance, The Thief appears to be an uncomplicated 'road trip' story of Gen, the Magus, his two apprentices and a soldier, as they travel across three countries, hunting down this mythical object - but there are several large twists!

The characters have lots of adventures along the way and the balance of power switches around as they get to know each other and reluctantly begin to like each other. The characters are brilliantly drawn, particularly the whinging, complaining, failed thief and trickster Gen, but I also loved bookish Sophos, whose father wants him to be a soldier, and the long-suffering Magus, who has to put up with them all. The strength of the story is in the characters and the writing, which is so compelling I read most of the book in one go.

The Thief reminded me a little bit of C.S. Lewis's The Horse and His Boy, but looking ahead at the rest of the series (already published in the USA), I can see it will take a Game of Thrones turn. Although The Thief is a fantasy, the names of the characters, their Gods, and the descriptions of the countryside, have a definite Ancient Greece feel about them - but there is also mention of more modern inventions such as books and guns.

Conclusion? I loved The Thief! Five stars from me, a new favourite author discovered, and I really can't wait for the next book in the series!


Thank you to Megan Whalen Turner and Hodder & Stoughton for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Thank you to the publishers for reaching out and sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Thief sets off slowly, our main character Gen is locked up in a prison and we learn his journey through him. Obviously he gets freed and the second half of the story is where the action takes place.

The writing and description in this novel is good and well placed however the first half did drag a little bit slowly for me. The second part of the story was interesting and more actioned out.

The Thief is part of a series and since this is the 1st novel I understand that world/character building is important so I would recommend readers stick it out.

An adventure with a twist!
We follow Gen - a thief who can steal anything as he is taken on an adventure across the country to steal the impossible!
The journey is tough and perilous and Gen is pushed to his limits like never before. The twist at the end makes the book complete.
A great read with lots of action.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thank you to netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book.

The thief is a fantasy young adult novel by Megan Whalen Turner. I personally don’t normally enjoy fantasy novels but I found the adventure aspect of this book kept me hooked.

“I want you to steal something."
I smiled. "Do you want the king's seal? I can get it for you."
"If I were you," said the magus, "I'd stop bragging about that." His voice grated.
My smile grew. The gold ring with the engraved ruby had been in his safekeeping when I had stolen it away.”


The Thief follows the magus’ quest to find an ancient treasure. To do so he must employ a master thief. He selects Gen from the kings prison. Turner cleverly intertwines adventure, mystery and mythology in a novel that is a credit to the English language.

While reading I never felt massively loss, although I still felt a sense of mystery that kept my attention. Turner has a unique skill to keep the reader interested and her books are fascinating.

The ending was undeniably a plot twist, although it really wasn’t that hard to predict (I had already guessed due to clues not so quietly hidden). I enjoyed reading a book where I don’t feel the ending was pulled out of nowhere. Although would have liked if there was another element of surprise that was less easy to guess.

“That prison," I said with heartfelt sincerity, "Was absolutely the most awful thing that has happened to me in my entire life." I could tell by the way he looked at me that he thought my life had been filled with one awful thing after another.”


Gen (the thief) is certainly a likeable character. I found myself quickly becoming attached to Gen’s cheeky personality. The way he interacted with the other characters really made this novel in certain aspects for me.I enjoyed the other complex characters scattered throughout the novel and some characteristics that require some deeper reading.

I enjoyed the pacing of the novel towards the end and middle parts, however felt the first half was stressed out way to much. However you would argue you needed the long explanations for context. It may have been the authors way of clearly creating a setting to build the book on.

I did enjoy the mythological connotations throughout the book, although would have enjoyed it more if it was based on a set of particular myths. Due to the fact I have been left wanting to discover more. I am not normally a fan for Greek mythology either, so am in someways surprised why I liked this book so much.

I am excited to read the sequel, which I have high expectations for due to many other readers saying it is considerably better.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this novel, and the joy I got out of it. I am massively looking forward to reading its sequel, and would recommend it for anyone looking for an adventure-fantasy novel.

4/5

So....maybe I overhyped myself for this? I'd been meaning to read it for years and I'd heard so many good things about the series, that I leapt at the chance of an arc. And it was a perfectly decent book. If you like straightforward, journey-based fantasy written in plain but beautiful prose, then this will probably be totally your bag.



I did enjoy large sections of it even as other parts left me underwhelmed. I think the problem is that if you don't click with the characters, you won't care about the minutiae of their very uneventful interactions. I'm sure that if I'd fallen in love with the characters, I would have relished every second and been happy to have more. As it was, I was only starting to warm to Gen and Sophos by about 70% of the way through. So that was a bit of a bust as far as I was concerned. My second issue, is that the author pulls a swift reversal in the last half a dozen pages. Now, I'm all for providing subtle clues so that the reader can look back after the big reveal and say 'omg of course!' But that isn't what happened here. We're literally excluded from the merest hint of what is really going on. This doesn't read as clever, it's simply annoying. And unfortunately compounds the sense that the book never really gets going because that reveal feels like the inciting incident we should have had at the 30 - 40% mark.



So in conclusion, this didn't entirely work for me. Lovely prose, interesting world building and just not enough happening.

This book started off slow and I didn't think it started to pick up until I got to about 40%. While I love descriptive books I did find that a lot of it was filler, not an info dump as such, but a lot of details that didn't need to be included - the type of dirt under an olive tree, what shape an orange was etc. That being said, I did like the premise and the mythology and once Eugenides actually started his task it became intriguing.The plot twist was a surprise to me and I didn't guess how the book would end.

Overall, while I did struggle to begin with, I did enjoy it but I wouldn't continue with the rest of the books in this series.


*Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers @hodderbooks for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This story follows Gen, a thief freed from prison by the King's magus on the condition of helping them find some long-lost treasure.

This story was quite slow at parts with a good chunk just dialogue between the characters whilst travelling - though that helped flesh out the main character, Gen who definitely grew on me throughout. It was interspersed with tales of God's told around the campfire and I would have personally liked to have seen more of that mythical side.

I'd say the last 30% of the book picks up the pace and there is a superb ending. As the first book in a series, it laid the groundwork well and I would definitely read the sequel.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

OH MY GOSH I couldn't put this book down. It was absoluitely gripping with a fast pace that left me literally feeling like my kindle was going to start sparking flames. The writing was so good with a well executed storyline that was engaging and captivating, well developed charcaters that I loved and a great setting. The whole world building in this book was incredible honestly and I felt like I was there inbetween the pages. A really enjoyable read, I loved it.

A really great fantasy book. The plot was the first thing that caught my attention and I wasn’t left disappointed.
Also I love the new cover.
Would recommend!

A fun, entertaining and light hearted fantasy heist story. Follow Gen the Thief as he is forcibly taken out of prison and made to accompany the King's magus and his disciples on a mountainous quest to find a lost treasure that holds the keys to the kingdom. There are some great characters and unexpected plot twists that make this a read that draws you in from the first page - I read the whole lot in one night and can't wait for part 2 to come out!

DNF at 55%

I've been intrigued by this series for so long that I couldn't resist the chance to try it when I spotted it on NetGalley. I know this is a very popular series and it's one of those series I think I would have enjoyed if I'd read it when I was younger, but for the reader I am this book just isn't for me. It started out well, and it's a fairly quick read, but I'm very bored, and none of the characters are holding my interest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

I am at a crossroads with this book. In one sense, I did read this quickly but in another sense, I read it because I didn't want to DNF the book and wanted to see how it ended and if it could get better.
The story isn't the most memorable. The travelling is long and the characters sometimes fall quite flat. I think it would be a fine book for a quick read but definitely not something mind-blowing. Overall, it was alright.