Title: The Smoke Thieves (The Smoke Thieves, #1)
Author: Sally Green
Pages: 512
Publisher: Penguin Books Limited
Release Date: 3rd May 2018
Blurb from Goodreads:
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?
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?
My Review:
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Penguin Random House UK Children's and NetGalley*
Boot-obsessed Tash lures demons to their deaths and sells their smoke for a living.
Catherine is a princess and daughter of the king of Brigant, a ruthless man who has no love for her. Catherine has feelings for Ambrose, her guard, but cannot act on them as she is soon to marry the prince of Pitoria. The match is one Catherine's father has arranged, and she has no choice but to do as the king wishes.
Ambrose is loyal to Catherine. He will protect her at all costs but must keep his feelings for the princess secret lest someone finds out - in which case, Ambrose might just lose his life.
March is a servant to the prince of Calidor, a man March detests for allowing March's people to be slaughtered. March will do anything to get revenge.
Edyon is a thief whose bad habit might just get him into trouble one day.
Can Catherine be happy in her marriage and new home?
Will March get his revenge?
Can Edyon trust the foreigner with the strange eyes?
But, most importantly, will Tash buy those boots?
The Smoke Thieves was an interesting read with some intriguing ideas - in particular, that of demon smoke.
The novel is told from five different perspectives - Catherine, Ambrose, Tash, March, and Edyon. I found Catherine, Ambrose and Tash's chapters the most interesting. I wasn't as keen on March and Edyon. I really liked Tash and Gravell's relationship.
I was worried that I might find five perspectives to be too many, but I didn't have any trouble switching between them.
The romance wasn't a huge part of the book, which I appreciated as it might have taken away from the story.
The plot was interesting, but the action scenes didn't grip me as much as they should have.
I liked the writing style, which was easy to follow.
This did feel a tad too long at over five hundred pages, but it only dragged once or twice.
I'm definitely intrigued to see what happens in the next book.
Overall this was an enjoyable read and a good start to the series.
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