I have never once picked up a book and thought, man I hope this book has a main protagonist that spends 150 pages sitting on a horse, complaining about sitting on a horse. And complaining about being hungry, while sitting on a frickin horse. Unfortunately, that's exactly what I got with this book. Other reviewers have noted that the sequels are much stronger, which made me persevere.

This book felt like a set up for a bigger story, which proved correct. So you don't get infodumped by the history of this fantasy land, Gen's accompanied by Magus, Sophos, Pol and Ambiades, who are basically there to cook food, stab things and learn from the Magus. It's the latter where the story gently nudges you in the ribs with enough force to leave a bruise, but you come away getting the history.

I had this crazy theory all the way through the book that Gen was going to turn out to be a girl, and I was wrong. So that was disappointing. The ending did have an interesting payoff, explaining Gen's actions throughout but I'm not quite sure it made up for just how freaking boring the story was for the most part. It took me a full freaking weekend to finish this less than 300 page book.

The Thief the first book in The Queen’s Thief series by Meghan Whalen Turner, published 27 December 2005. TheLadyDuckOfDoom and myself had this book on our #SeptreSummer reading lists and we accidentally on purpose read it at the same time; or rather we listened to it (see below).

Gen is a thief, currently in prison for stealing from the royal court and then unwisely boasting about it in a tavern.

The king’s magus needs something found, a trinket from the gods, and he needs a master thief to help him find it. So he dregs Gen out of prison and onto a horse and the quest begins.

Like all good quests to find hidden treasure this is a journey through enemy territory, dangerous terrain and with travelling companions who can’t stand each other. It could be very boring, if it wasn’t for the stories of the old gods and goddesses they tell each other to while away the time on the road.

Although the stories might be inspired by the myths, stories and the countryside around the Mediterranean, this series is not a retelling of any myths, it is set in its own fantasy world and has its own unique voice and plot.

Some reviewers classify this novel and series as Young Adult. I’m not so sure about this. The protagonist might be on the younger side and is often described as a boy and not a grown man yet, though the story reads far more mature than your average YA fantasy. Probably because the usual tropes, like chosen one, love triangle, etc, are missing.

A big thank you to the publishers and netgalley for an eARC in exchange of an honest review!

I absolutely adored this book.
While it very much reminds me of Jennifer L. Nielsen I’m not surprised. Because this book came out in 1996! So really it’s Jennifer who has the similarities probably.

My original review of this book was simply: I honestly can’t believe this was written in 1996 and no one I know talks about it. Until 2017 I’d never even seen it in a bookstore wtf.

It’s such a shame and I’m glad this series is getting some love now! This is exactly the right time for it and I’m glad I read it this year.

It’s a fun and straightforward read that’s scary, smart and romanceless. Which is something we all know I like!

Pick this up if you like heists, thieves, and smart mouthed boys who really are asking to get crushed to death by a ruin or two.

I recently realised this was a book I had already read some time ago (stood in a corner of the school library and devoured this book because I was trying hard to finish it before the bell dismissed us) and I remember loving it. The world-building wasn't too complex and the magic systems were easy to understand and follow. The characters were loveable and so easily relatable now looking back on it and this is the kind of books I would want to recommend to younger readers trying to get into fantasy :))

This book is an appetizer - it leaves you hungry but definitely whets your appetite for the next book in the series.

If you read this as a standalone novel, you might think that it's slow and half of the book is a long march during which nothing really happens. Don't let yourself be deceived!

As the first book in a fantasy series, it introduces us to this imaginary world with its countries, people, their history, gods and beliefs. This takes time, and undoubtedly, the author teaches us to be patient, but events in the second half of the book forecast a captivating and epic story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an Advance Review Copy.

This started off really well and up until about halfway point I completely lost interest and the plot became confusing.

This is a fast-paced and addictive story with well-developed characters, intriguing kingdom politics and intricately crafted world history, mythologies and religions. The world that Megan Whalen Turner creates in this book and the rest of this series is truly immersive and the characters will stay with you long after putting down the final book.

Thanks Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read and and review.
It was enjoyable read, although I will never get used to the first-person narrative. I truly prefer to feel like a side observer of everything that happens with the characters when I read, so imagining that I'm the characters themselves is not my cup of tea. Aside from that I think the narrative and dialogue could use more crafting. There were places where the author repeats one and the same thing, just using different words for it. The dialogue often felt quite simple. The dialogue is essential tool to built tension, create electricity and sparks between the characters. There were also times when certain lines served no particular purpose for the scene or for the overall plot. On the good side there were very detailed descriptions of the surroundings, which truly helped to imagine the setting. Gen was also very likable protagonists - as a famous thief he's of course very self centered, but not without his own morals and beliefs. There was nice political intrigue, although the culmination of the plot could've been more...I don't know....unexpected and impactful. Despite that the book is a nice read and good start of something that's supposed to turn into series, so I'm sure next book will be even better! Recommending the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


The Thief is about Gen, who at the start of the story is imprisoned for stealing. His reputation for being the best thief proceeds him and soon the king's scholar takes interest in his talents. Together with a group of soldiers they go on an adventure to find a god's relic for Gen to steal
But they aren't the only people looking for the valuable item. Soon they have to face enemies and Gen has to decide whose side he wants to be on.


This was a very well-crafted fantasy book with a big adventure in its center. The protagonist had all the traits I love seeing in main characters. He was a little self-absorbed and made me laugh quite a lot with his witty remarks. My favorite aspect was the engrossing writing and the attention to detail when it came to the descriptions of the surroundings. The story dragged a little in the middle, but the end definitely made me curious for the sequel.

When I think of a fantasy book, I think of some hefty tome that sits around 500+ pages. Sitting at just under 300 pages, this book proves that length is definitely not everything in fantasy!

Gen is a thief who is released from prison on the condition that he is able to locate a magical artifact belonging to the Gods. We get to follow him and the rest of his crew, as they explore historical ruins in an attempt to find the impossible.

I absolutely loved this book. It may be short, but the author still managed to pack it to the brim with fantastical elements. All of the characters were really interesting and I liked how we were able to learn more about the mythology and history of this world through their conversations. The world was brilliantly written, and it left me desperate to know more about the political intrigue and monarchies that we are introduced to. My main issue is that the twist was really really obvious. In fact, it didn't even feel like a twist as I felt the author had set up the signs from page one.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the reading experience and can now appreciate why this is such a popular fantasy series. Can't wait to read the next book in the series now!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book was a nice surprise because I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it quite as much as I did. It has one of my favourite tropes ever in a fantasy (the under appreciated character surprising everyone trope) and the twist at the end was very unexpected. It’s pretty slow paced until the very end but the last 20% makes it worth it. Loved the character of Gen. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series and more of Gen.
Rating 3.5 stars