Gifted Thief is an enjoyable urban fantasy read with likable and complex characters. It is, for the most part, well written and the action is peppered throughout to allow for a reasonable reading pace.

Why only three stars then?

Unfortunately, the pacing of the story in the beginning dragged quite a lot. The content was interesting, and while most of the detail helped form the rest of the book, it felt stilted and cumbersome, rather than lithe and agile like the rest of the book.

The characters were mostly really well done. Some of the extreme stereotypes were a little annoying, but they worked in most instances.

Where things got really interesting was once Integrity delved back into the Sidhe world. I've read a number of Sidhe related books and I'd have to say this one was one of the best for creating a great deal of complexity in their belief and power dynamics. I also quite enjoyed the clan versus clan-less theme that ran throughout. It added another dimension to the story that I'm sure will come into play later in the series.

I will probably read book 2, I am keen to see how things progress, but I won't rush into it.

A couple of things I noticed:

78% - ...now it stood as docile than (delete than, insert as) Barbie.
87% - ...The only (one) who thinks you're...

**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book through the Awesome Indies Reviewer program.**

A highly enjoyable read, I read this, cover to cover, in a few days because I really wanted to know what Trudi Canavan had come with this time. I have already read and enjoyed her other trilogies so I knew what to expect in terms of quality of writing.

This is a fantasy novel principally about two characters, Tyen and Rielle, apparently from two different worlds and their interaction with magic, one in a world where magic is respected and used by nearly everyone, one from a world in which magic is denied, hidden and used only by a select few. The books is divided into parts which alternatively deal with Tyen or Rielle but they never meet – perhaps this is to come in the other parts of the trilogy.

It is well-written and engaging and hopefully the subsequent parts of the trilogy will continue this trend. I have always been impressed with Trudi Canavan’s writing up until now and this confirms her ability to enthral the reader.

There are many imaginative aspects to the work as one would expect from a fantasy novel and the author does not disappoint.

Recommended to anyone who enjoys a well-constructed fantasy novel, such as those written by Robin Hobb or Karen Miller.

I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

Integrity is a thief, a runaway, an orphan and Sidhe. She is the last of her clan; she was taken from her mother as wee baby when her whole family was killed. She was sent to live with another clan but not as a family member but as a slave to the head family. She was given the barest essential, a minimal amount of clothing and just enough food to keep her alive. Everyone was mean to her adults and children alike as they were no doubt following in the footsteps of the adults. The children didn’t know any better as they were only doing what they saw adults do and as long as an adult is doing then it must be the right thing to do.

She ran away at the age of eleven. She was tired of living like that and with such bad people. When the opportunity arises for her to run away she takes and never looks back. She is lucky she meets a man, Taylor, who takes her in and teaches her everything he knows about being a thief. After she gets in his car the first time he asks her what her name is. She sits there and thinks about it for a spilt second before answering him and tells him her name is Integrity. She doesn’t tell him that she doesn’t have a name.

For the next several years as Taylor teaches her how to be one of the best thieves in town and becomes like a father to her. They also hook up with a few more people who become like family to her as well. Integrity loves her new “adopted” family and would do anything in the world that she had to in order to save their lives. After Taylor gets himself into a little trouble with some bad people, Integrity steps up to home plate and is very determined to help him out and to also keep him alive. She has no intention of losing him or any of her “family members”.

To help Taylor she may end up doing something she said she would never do again and that is go back to the Sidhe clans. Going back may be the only way to help Taylor and her family. Everything in her tells her that going back is the wrong thing to do but it is also the only thing she can do.

There is one thing she hasn’t told Taylor and that is that she has been summoned by the Sidhe to return. Everyone’s magic is dying out and they need Integrity to help them save it. With her being the only surviving member of her clan left then that leaves her as the only person that can help them without her then their magic may die out over time. Integrity may not want to go back but if it will save her friends then she will do it.

But Integrity is not the dumb a** they think she is. She is way smarter than they will ever know or smarter than she will ever let them know. They think they are so smart and that they have her in a barrel but Integrity is not through yet and will not give up as easily as they may think. She will go in and do what they want but it will be on her terms. She knows she can’t trust them so she also has a backup plan in the making.

I really liked Integrity’s personality and altitude. She always has a good come back to anything anyone says. I love her sense of humor and the way she deals with people. She is filled with witty sarcasm and I love it. Integrity may not be a fighter and hordes violence but she is one kicka** heroin. I have really enjoyed going on Integrity’s little adventures with her and her friends and hope to see more of her and her friends in the near future. What is next on their agenda? What road in life will they travel down next time? What kind of trouble will Integrity get herself into or what will her friends do to get themselves into and then call on her to help them out?

If you love a good story filled with adventures, magic and back stabbing with a little twist on love thrown in then you are going to love Gifted Thief. So pick up your copy today so you can go on Integrity’s little journey with her too. You will love it!

This book was all over the place.  The concept had potential and it could've been a good book, but there was just too much thrown in there.  There were an endless amount of references to pop culture and it was really annoying.  I also didn't like how it took place in current times.  It was never explained how the world became magical or if it had always been like that.  The world building just wasn't there.  The main character was annoying and she did so many stupid things.  This book just annoyed me overall.

I think the thief stole the magic from this book! I've tried five or six times to read it and I just can't do it. There is something about the style of writing that I could not get in to. It's not polished for one and the writing felt forced and awkward. There are also two stories and two worlds going on but neither of the worlds are explained in any detail. The world building is literally just glossed over so you never get a true understanding or feeling for anything. I finally just gave up on it. It's unfortunately not for me. 

 

*I received this review copy from NetGalley & Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!