So damn good! Among Thieves is a fast-paced, high-stakes, fantasy heist story with so many twists, betrayals, and alliances I didn’t see coming. Every person has their own agenda and I was actually surprised to see who won in the end. Now I REALLY want a sequel! ( )

It is in the Name … the story is about a band of thieves (anti-heroes), each with their own secrets and ambiguous moral stance, that team up for a heist against the most powerful man in their world. The story is awash with conflicts, both external and internal, and the main characters align with and betray each other as well as other parties … and the author does a good job at informing the reader as to the internal motivations that drive that.

The world building is interesting for the most part, but some of the word choices for people, places and things were a miss for me … they just didn’t quite connect, but at least they were fairly obvious in context (such as referring to the slums as “The Lottery”). The magic system of Adepts was a solid implementation of mental abilities (aka psionics … kinetics and sensory) that did not over power the plot and was fairly consistent through out. The “seedy” part of the city was pretty generic through and a bit of a disappointment … you have the required gangs competing for control but no real sense of them outside of the typical tropes. Then you have the systemic corruption of power within the government/nobility that tries to help establish some empathy with the main character “thieves.” … the problem is that those characters are just not very relatable (interesting, yes, but definitely more caricature the believable).

The Team ...
You have a merc with a mysterious past and abilities almost inline with a Mary Sue … that gets explained a little as the story moves along. Props are due for evolving from what was fairly selfish character to one a little more altruistic by the end.
You have a young man with his own secret who is also on the run and has landed in the same ‘gang’ as a means to survive and stay hidden; you can guess how well that works right?
You have a mysterious “Northman” forger with his own conflicting agenda that may play a role in future installments
You have a smuggler captain who can sail a plank of wood with her small clothes as sails. …
You have a disgraced guardsman who compromises her integrity for a chance as redemption and the betrayal of a ream member
You have a completely odious gang boss that for some reason isn’t top dog in the slums … but acts like he is and survives just fine thank you very much.

The Mark
The most power man in the world … who also happens to be the gate keeper of virtually all magic (by controller access to practicing adepts).
An artifact used by the original gatekeeper to facilitate his rise to power

The Client
A King … who wants the power of the artifact to rule the world … but can’t be trusted to actually honor any deal? Yeah … they story really does hammer home the idea that you can’t trust anybody :-)
Each individual team member has their own, often conflicting, agenda … all hidden under an apparent motivation for cash … see above.
A competing gang boss that really is in it for the money … and just doesn’t see of doesn’t care about the danger of selling it to the above mentioned King.

Over all … it was a fun read that moves fairly well and I am looking forward to the next installment.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
# AmongThieves #NetGalley ( )

Pros: interesting characters, lots of conflicting motivations, challenging heist

Cons:

Ryia, The Butcher of Carrowwick, has been hunted by the Guildmaster of Thamorr for years. As the muscle for Callum Clem, leader of the Saints in the slums of Carrowwick, she has a fairly safe home. But when the opportunity comes to rob the Guildmaster and remove him as a threat she jumps at the chance. But this is a mission requiring a team, and though her teammates are mostly Saints, they’ve each got their own plans for how this mission will end.

The author does an excellent job of setting up the main characters. It makes the opening feel a little slow, but the payoff comes quickly when you understand who the heist team members are and the conflicting motivations that drive them. It’s the motivations that make this book compelling, knowing that they all want to double cross each other, but for different reasons. You know - early on - that things are going to go poorly, and it’s a wild ride seeing just how everything falls out in the end.

The characters are quite interesting with different reasons why they’re working for Callum Clem. I especially enjoyed seeing Ryia, The Butcher of Carrowwick, develop a conscience.

The adepts and their telepathic/telekinetic magic is handled well, kept in a fair bit of mystery. The crew mainly uses their own form of magic, sleight of hand and make-up to achieve their ends.

After the opening chapters the book is very fast paced, with plans and counter-plans, fights and derring do. If you like grimdark fantasy but with a more upbeat feel, this is a great book. ( )

Exciting new fantasy!

A familiar trope executed in a ‘eyes wide open’ way. You know, where the Bad Ass female lead, crime lord Callum Glen’s executioner / assassin ends up on a quest, with not a ship full of fools, but a ship full of lethal allies, each in their own way an expert, and indebted to seek an artefact that will destroy even more of the freedoms of those not part of acceptable society. A society at the mercy of the Guildmaster and his Disciples. The enemy! Then there’s the Guildmaster’s Adepts, part of a frightening army, dehumanised talented entities who become unthinking slaves bound to the Guildmaster. When I say talented I mean those with extra sensory type gifts, who are ripped away from their families and subjugated through horrific means.
Ryia Cautella, dubbed the Butcher of Carrowick, is a deadly blade and along with this rather fascinating group of riffraffs sets sail to take on an unwinnable challenge, each for different reasons. Their destination? The Guildmaster’s stronghold. Ryia holds a deeply held secret pushed down into the dark recesses of her mind. This journey may well be her last! I really enjoyed each of the crew.
Among Thieves is a rollicking, fast paced tale, where a reluctant hero and her equally reluctant companions are in a race against time searching for the key to a powerful artefact whilst being met by the dreaded forces of an evil overlord. But the ending hangs on a shocking note. All these tropes combine for a rapid read.

A Gallery Books / Saga Press ARC via NetGalley ( )