Title: The Smoke Thieves (The Smoke Thieves #1)
Author: Sally Green
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy
Publisher: Viking
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
A princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief. Four teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Four nations destined for conflict.
In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a loveless political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father. In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people. In Pitoria, feckless Edyon steals cheap baubles for cheaper thrills as he drifts from town to town. And in the barren northern territories, thirteen-year-old Tash is running for her life as she plays bait for the gruff demon hunter Gravell.
As alliances shift and shatter, and old certainties are overturned, our four heroes find their past lives transformed and their futures inextricably linked by the unpredictable tides of magic and war. Who will rise and who will fall? And who will claim the ultimate prize (goodreads)?
The comparison between The Smoke Thieves and Game of Thrones is accurate.
Plot: The Smoke Thieves followed five young people who seemingly didn't have much in common, but who were cleverly pulled together to stop an evil king. Using the five perspectives, Green was able to explore different aspects of the story and keep her audience engaged. I enjoyed The Smoke Thieves because Green didn't shy away from the violence and the different perspectives kept it interesting.
While it was easy for me to lose myself in the world and story, the ending started to become ridiculously obvious and dragged out. I understood the connection between all characters around the 60% mark and was just waiting for the rest of the characters to catch up. The action didn't stop toward the end but became redundant and I just really wanted it all to wrap up.
Characters: While The Smoke Thieves followed five separate perspectives, it was clear that Princess Catherine was the main character and I felt the most connected to her and her storyline. The other five perspectives were interesting to follow, but I didn't feel as they were as fleshed out as Catherine's was, nevertheless, I hope that they get their time to shine in the second book.
Worldbuilding: I absolutely loved the world of The Smoke Thieves because of the layers of complexities. There were power dynamics that involved the oppressed and the murmurings of demons! I think the demons served as an introduction in The Smoke Thieves which was a bit weird because I expected them to play a bigger role in the novel. I'm really intrigued to see how this plays out in the sequel!
Short N Sweet: The Smoke Thieves is a must-read book for epic fantasy readers, I do wish it were shorter.
Labels: 3.5 stars, book review, review, sally green, the smoke thieves, viking, viking books for young readers
