The Spirit Thief was another random pick from the TBR. And it was a nice surprise.

The magic systems is an interplay between the magicians and the spirits they bond with and obey them. It was quite original. The ploys were not overly intricate, but that can be nice for a change.

It was a very easy read, a bit like a YA but without the seemingly mandatory romance (another plus). I am very curious to see where this series is going next.

This go around I read the second half, having read the first half another time.

We find out about Eli's relationship with the Shepherdess and what she has planned, things change between all the characters and they change the world.

I like this series, like the characters and like the setting. Interesting and entertaining.

This one has been sitting on my TBR pile for a while because I didn't want the series to be over. Kinda sad now that it is.

The Spirit Thief suffers a bit from first book in a series syndrome.  While I enjoyed the characters, I didn't learn much about them. While I thought the magic system and world building was original and interesting, we never delve deep enough into it's history and origins.  I ended up feeling like I read 'fantasy lite' and not the richly engaging story it had the potential to be.  I hope that as I move deeper into the series this feeling resolves itself, but at the moment I'm not hooked enough to move directly on to book 2.

Like many of the reviews for this book have already stated, this book is an improvement over the last two in the series. We have more characterization, more details about the world Eli lives in, and a deeper, darker plot. Eli stepped out of the spotlight for a bit, and we got to learn a little more about Nico and Josef, demons, the League of Storms, and Benehime. I can't wait to see how this all comes together in the next installment.

Hopefully more interaction between Miranda and Eli. I love those two together.

Anyway, on to [b:The Spirit War|10834868|The Spirit War (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #4)|Rachel Aaron|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1330089634s/10834868.jpg|15748974].

I love this series, Eli is a great character, he's so full of himself and often in a justified way. This time he's caught in a war that involves his friend Josef. It turns out that Josef is prince of a small state, whose mother is dying and who is summoned home by means of a bounty offer that tops the best Eli has ever managed to get to. Josef and Eli have to contend with politics, a wife for Josef and Eli's past. To add to it all most of the reason Josef's country is being attacked is Eli, he's also reliant on Eli to survive, both using his wits and his powers. Some of the mess may be Eli's responsibility and it's interesting to see how this world works and to see some glimmers of why it's not all his fault, at least this time. This brings into sharp focus some of the background stuff that's been hinted at in earlier books and hints at even murkier politics than the simple human stuff. I really want to read the next one too, and want to get people to read it more.