The Thief

By: Megan Whalen Turner

Narrated by: Steve West

The Thief has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Loved the Story & Narrator

It's rare for me to stumble upon a book that I really love, but this is one of them! Action, adventure, mystery all rolled into one story. The characters and plot movement took priority over stereotypical pitfalls that most books fall into. At first I really disliked Magnus' style of voice, but it got his first-impression character across quickly. Then I grew to like him as Gen did as well. Plus, a couple plot twists at the end! Very well done and can stand on it's own feet! I was confused as to the narrator's very aristocratic style for the first-person POV, but I think it all comes together in the end. :) Worth a credit or a purchase!

High marks for worldbuilding, light on plot

Reviews for the subsequent books indicate that the series improves with the sequels, so there is possibility that this is just the set-up to a great series. I have not finished the sequels though, so as it stands, this is an okay start. I'm not sure whether I will dive into the sequels (it isn't a high priority for me based on this one).

The worldbuilding is good and created a distinct mythos and culture for this universe. It did come at the cost of plot though. It is not a long book, so more could have been added without making the book overlong. In the last couple hours more does happen and it gets more interesting. However, the first half is so focused on mythology (even at the expense of character work) that I did not feel a vested interest in what happened to these characters.

I used a credit on this book because I read a different review that positively compared it to the Ascendance Trilogy (a.k.a. The False Prince) which I adore. This book is not at that level for me. This is fine, just nothing that blew me away. The narrator is a bit monotonous, but not awful. The book is a little slow, but not awful. That's basically the entire book for me. It's decent, but I'm not sure if I like it.

Voice actor skewed impression of characters

Everyone I told that I was reading this book raved about it, but the longer I listened the more I thought, "What's the fuss about?" I ended up liking it by the end, but I realized that I was getting the wrong impression from several of the characters because of how the narrator voiced them. One in particular came off as perpetually pompous and condescending when really he should be seen as a friend and confidant. I've listened to one other book with this voice actor and experienced a similar thing. His narration just isn't my style. But I would still recommend this story! If only to get to know the characters and better enjoy the next books in the series.

Boring and Slow…Until the Last Hour

The book is a very slow going travel tale, until the last hour. Then all these twists and turns are revealed without any foreshadowing. The ending was entertaining, but I’m not sure the hours leading up to it are worth it.

one of my favorite series

listening through again reminds me why this is in my top ten recommendations every time!