Book Review: The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
Title: The Smoke Thieves
Author: Sally Green
Rating: 3/5 stars
Release date: May 3rd 2018
Publisher: Penguin
Goodreads Synopsis:
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:
I'm not a fan of multiple perspectives (unless they're done extremely well) - this one dragged on for a bit and I had a hard time following some of the characters. Not that the writing was poor or anything but personally it's just much easier for me to follow a single perspective. Nonetheless, I was particularly fond of Tash and Catherine's POV (seems a bit biased here since they were the only female lead characters with their own POVs xD ). I found that I could relate to them so well - and I was just constantly rooting for them! Tash was such a spunky and quick-witted character. I love her! Her role was super interesting (she's a demon hunter/smoke thief) and her morals resonated well with me, though I do find her whiny and frustrating at times. Catherine on the other hand really won me over with her kindness and compassion for the people around her. Catherine had lots of room to grow and we definitely see that - given the circumstances that she had to endure (and thus develop) to become this strong, soft princess who would fight against those who threatens the people she loves and what she believes in.
The world-building was a tad bit dull but I didn't care much for that since the characters were the main focus in the story. I didn't care much for the romance either. The only "ship" felt more necessary to drive the plot, meaning they were introduced to the readers, became this huge conflict towards the progression of the story, but wasn't very well-developed by the end. The couple was just there to keep the plot going, rather than enhance it. It was a bit of a let down since I'm such a huge fan of forbidden love tropes!
Nonetheless, I did enjoy Green's writing. It's fast-paced, intricate, yet not too complex. This is my first Green novel and I must say I am pleasantly surprise with it. Her written prose flows so well - it fits the spunky-action fun within the blood-lust, cruel world she's created. Otherwise, everything else was just okay to me.
Overall it was thrilling and fun. Some plot twists here and there, you grow to love and hate the characters, and you learn a thing or two about demons ;) The world also resembles Westeros in some aspects (power hungry rulers, demons, bastards) if that interests anyone! I recommend picking up this book if you're in the mood for a sort of mindless, fun Fantasy read.
Many thanks to Penguin Random House Australia for sending over a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
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