Review: The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green was released in May & I loved it, if you like Game of Thrones, you’ll love this book! Check out my review below!
The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
Category: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publication: May 1st, 2018; Viking
Purchase: Amazon, Book Depository
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?
Review:
5/5 stars
Is no one reading this?? This book blew me away. With hints of Game of Thrones, I found it impossible to put down. And I definitely wasn’t ready for the end to come!
I didn’t even expect to love this considering I never got into the author’s Half Bad trilogy. I tried, but it never worked. This, however, was right up my alley. It’s been ages since I’ve been this caught up in a new fantasy. One in which I’d love to spend more hours and days reading about.
It’s told from multiple points of view and in third person narrative, so it reads the way A Song of Ice and Fire does. I know tons of people prefer first person, but with this narration (third person), we see and know all the things about everyone. We know every piece of the puzzle. Well, with missing bits of course. I loved the fact that at times it felt like a chess board. Characters moving all over the country/board—getting into place for that ultimate moment when they all converge. That moment was worth every single word leading up to it.
And the cast of characters is quite diverse, too. Strong women take the lead. Catherine and Tash were my favorite narrators, but I thought Ambrose and Edyon were close seconds. March was probably my least favorite, simply because his scenes had less of a thrill. I mean that in the sense of action and romance.
This has plenty of action for those who enjoy more than just slow plotting. I enjoyed the demon smoke aspect as it brought something new to the table of conquering the world. And while we still may not know everything, we’ve a good idea of what’s going to happen. The romance is subtle, but there. I felt it, cheered for it, and hope to see it through. But with how this book ended, there’s no telling who may die. Yep. GoT vibes all abound.
So yeah, if you want something different, fun, and love more than a single point of view, give this a try. I’m finding this to be extremely underrated and would love to chat with others about it. Oh, and I hope for more demon action in book 2!
