The Smoke Thieves

First off, this book was not 400 pages. It was 531 some odd pages so don't believe the lies.Second off, this book has five POV's. Count them with me. FIVE. Though multiple POV hasn't turned me off in the past, this one almost did. Even though I bought the book and was holding in my trembling hands, asking myself WTF I got myself into.530 pagesOkay, so when a book is compared to Game of Thrones, I used to find myself squealing like a little piggy. Each and every time though, the book has disappointed me. Maybe because it was marketed incorrectly or maybe nothing can be compared to GoT. Fight me.I am going to go with what I didn't like first:Too many POV's. It didn't have to be that way.A tedious plot where nothing happens for quite some time and when it does, it's jarring.Too many POV's.The demons and the smoke could have had a bigger bearing on the story than they did.The ending was too abrupt and so clearly set up for a sequel.What I liked:Great writingAwesome coverThat I probably could have stopped at page 300 and got the gist of itSomehow I felt myself hooked and even though I finished this two days ago, I can't figure out why. I mean, the characters were well fleshed out save for Ambrose or whatever, he was boring AF and the love between him and the princess Catherine didn't seem too believable. But that was all right because it didn't really need it. Especially for her character arc. March wasn't any better. I think the only character I truly loved for the gay rep and the Arya Stark wannabe, Tash, who is a demon hunter and you can't really go wrong there.I don't know. I mean, I might read the second one only because I am anxious to see what happens. Please don't let it be as long as this one. I swear I lost muscle tone and gained some cataracts while reading this book.

Two stars...one for correct spelling and the other for proper punctuation.This book is a horror of cliche and inanity. It's a Mills and Boone novel under the guise of fantasy. It sucked!The dialogue is horrific and could be out of a comic book written in the 1950's. I honestly had a moment during one fight scene where I expected the next word to be "POW" or "BIFF" to denote a punch. It's a real pity because the premise while not original isn't bad.I'm gonna have to try and get a refund for this waste of digital space.

This book was amazing. Interesting and well told from first page to last page. I normally don't like books that switch characters every chapter, but i was completely engrossed with each one and the story overall. Ill definitely have to read this again and I recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging book to read. ❤

I’ll be honest, I didn’t read this whole book. However, I do believe that’s a sign of a not so great read. Overall, I just thought the characters were either flat or annoying as hell, and I just couldn’t get into what I’m sure was a cool plot line.

First book in a long time that has captivated me the way this one has. Just loved it! This is going to be a struggle waiting for the next book!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Penguin’s First to Read program for the review copy!I’ve often seen reviewers use the term “middle book syndrome” to describe a situation where the second book in a trilogy falls short of its predecessor. After reading The Smoke Thieves, I’d like to coin a new term: “series set-up syndrome,” where the first book in a trilogy doesn’t seem like a story in its own right, but more like a vehicle whose sole aim is to lay the groundwork for the real action that will start in book two.The first blurb I read about The Smoke Thieves described it as “the start to an epic medieval fantasy trilogy,” and the “start” piece is spot-on: it’s very clear that this book is merely the beginning of a longer saga. The story spans three/four fictional countries and many, many characters, including five main characters from very different backgrounds and circumstances. There’s Tash, a spunky demon hunter in quasi-indentured-servitude; Catherine, a princess who’s been raised in a stifling patriarchy and is being sent to a neighboring kingdom to marry a stranger; March, a bitter servant plotting revenge against his master; Ambrose, a lovelorn guard-turned-refugee; and Edyon, a thief of middling skill and mysterious heritage.Having so many protagonists share the spotlight means you don’t get to delve very deeply into any particular character’s arc. In most cases, I felt like I learned just enough about each person get a very general sense of their personality and storyline. As a result, I wasn’t terribly interested in Ambrose, March, or Edyon’s chapters because I wasn’t emotionally invested in them. I was fonder of Tash’s perspective, as she was plucky, gruff, and more memorable than her male counterparts, and grew to appreciate Catherine’s chapters as well.Catherine is by far the most fleshed out of the characters, and she undergoes the most growth as well. For the first half of the story I was ready to dismiss her plotline as boring and cliché, but Catherine slowly won me over with her quiet strength and intelligence. I admired how she chose to make the best of her challenging circumstances and acted in small but impactful ways to take charge of her life.Much of The Smoke Thieves’ plot focuses on getting the five main characters together in one spot and establishing the foundation for what I presume will be the main action in the trilogy’s second installment. While I was curious to see how the characters’ seemingly disparate lives would ultimately intersect, I would have liked to have had a bit more action along the way. The pace started to pick up in the last few chapters, but just when things finally seemed to be reaching a head, the book ended.While I wish The Smoke Thieves would have done more than simply set the stage for the rest of the trilogy and put all of the key players in place, I wouldn’t say it was a bad book. I’m curious to see where Green takes the story and intend to continue the trilogy to learn what will come next for the characters.This review can also be found on my blog, Angela's Library.

A fantasy novel. Not billed as being the start of a series. But it is, and you swiftly realise as you get close to the end that it's not going to wrap up in the pages given, and end with lots up in the air. So be aware of that from the advance.It runs for four hundred and ninety four pages. There are lots of unnumbered chapters, which shift between viewpoint characters. But do tell you who it is in each.There's a map of the setting at the start.And a cast of characters by the country they come from in the setting at the end.It does contain some violence and a few bits of strong language.There are five viewpoint characters:Tash, a young girl who works as part of a pair of demon hunters. She's bait for the demons because she can run fast. They collect demon smoke. Which is illegal but in demand.There's a Princess called Catherine. A girl subject to the whims of her very nasty brother, their father, and the latter's spymaster. She's due to enter into an arranged marriage with someone she's never met. But she has a developing attraction with:Ambrose. A loyal guardsman of hers. And he soon finds himself in a lot of trouble.There's also downtrodden servant March, part of a minority group from a remote area. Who wants revenge for what has happened to his people.And Edyon. A young man who, although he hasn't realised it yet, stands at a crossroads in his life with a choice of destinies.All of them are of course going to have their lives changed forever in the face of powerplays and conflict. But what is the secret of the smoke?Why do we read books? Because we want a good read. And this is a good read. Which is why I really enjoyed it. It isn't a book that spends so much time scene setting that it takes a while to get going. It moves right from the off. This because it focuses on one character a chapter. It doesn't overload you with detail. And the characterisation is really good. You like Tash from the off thanks to the detail of her love for footwear. It's a good bit of characterisation and it makes her come to life instantly, and thus the first chapter really grabs you.Although Catherine and Ambrose could be stereotypical and cliched, they are three dimensional and sympathetic from the off as well. And thus their story really carries you along. Although they do remain background characters, Catherine's maids do grab your attention in the same way as well.March and Edyon didn't interest me quite so much from the off, but bear with those two as their stories do get come and come together very nicely.In fact everything does in due course. Little plot details early on do become very important, as a bigger picture steadily emerges. So you can once things become clear see how clever the writing has been. Any writing that can make you care for characters and get an emotional reaction from things that happen to them is doing a good job. And this does.As mentioned, it does end with things to be resolved. So it's good to find that the next book in the series is on the way. I look forward to it. Because I enjoyed this one so much. Well worth five stars.

I am a huge fan of 'Half Bad' and so was delighted to see Sally Green had started a new series! Though this series is very different it is just as well written and original.'The Somke Thieves' is multiple pov novel - but this is well done. Often I really struggle to keep characters names and various plot lines straight but the use of very different names for each character and entertwining but clearly distinct plot lines means this isn't a promblem.The use of deamon catching with a high fantasy setting is not a combination I have seen before, how ever I don't tend to read novels with a demon sub-plot so they may exist. Still I found this a refreshing take on the high fantasy sub-genre with several strong female leads, a nice coming of age plot, and an intrigue filled feud between countries.As I said in the headline there is a love triangle forshadowed. I mentioned this because I know some readers don't read novels with them - I am normally one of them but Sally Green is a good enough author that I ignored it!

I read The Smoke Thieves craving an immersive fantasy and boy, was I given one. The 5 protagonist's stories interlinked very well. I loved the culture within them, for example the hair-dying and different fashion, it was wonderful. Immersive world building, vibrant characters, and captivating story lines. Tash and Catherine stole the show for me in terms of character progression, and March and Edyon are just.... awwwwww... Tash and Gravells relationship is also super cute and heartwarming in a in-it-together-against-the-world-type-of-thing. After this beautiful book I had to get some more, and so invested in the Half Bad trilogy. I wasn't dissappointed. Sally Green certainly is a wonderful author!

I already bought and read this book and loved it that much I then bought it again for my friends birthday gift. Also purple splayed pages, yay

Great introduction to new lands and characters. Can't wait for the next book!