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Book: “Thick as Thieves” by M. J. Kuhn
Publishing Info: Gallery / Saga Press, July 2023
Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org |Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Ryia Cautella, a.k.a. the Butcher of Carrowick, and her motley crew have succeeded in the ultimate heist…with the most dire possible consequences. A terrifyingly powerful tool has fallen into the hands of Callum Clem, the criminal leader of the Saints, who was already one of the most dangerous men alive. With the newfound ability to force magic-wielding Adepts to his will, he is unstoppable.
With their group scattered throughout the five kingdoms of Thamorr—and not all on the same side of the fight—things seem hopeless. But can Ryia get the gang back together for one last job? Or will chess-worthy power plays and shifting loyalties change Thamorr as they know it?
Previously Reviewed: “Among Thieves”
Review: This was another of those nice situations where I’d held off on reading the first book for long enough that I was able to read this one right after the first. In this book’s case, this was helpful because there is a large cast of characters all trying to backstab one another and all keeping certain secrets from this person but not that person and and and…it can get quite confusing, quite quickly! So I do recommend those picking this book up after the year long wait to re-familiarize yourself a bit before diving into this one, just to keep everything straight!
One thing that really stands out about this series so far is the pace of the story and the action. While I think, on the whole, the first one was a bit more fast paced, there’s just no under-stating the snappy style of writing on display here. For a fairly lengthy book, I whipped right through this one pretty quickly. I also really enjoyed getting to see a bit more of this world. We travelled some in the first book as well, but we got even more new locations in this one, which I appreciated.
I really enjoyed all of our characters once again (surprisingly, while I still do have favorites, I don’t actively dislike any of them, though Tristan can have his moments). It was nice feeling as if I was getting a bit more depth for many of them as so much of the first book was taken up introducing this large cast. Now that we know a bit more about the backstories and motivations of several of them, the story was really able to dig into some of the meatier aspects of their characters. That said, I did feel like a few of their “special skills,” like Ian’s ability with disguises, did fall to the way side and could have been used more fully.
Part of this was due to the fact that our cast of characters were all split up into smaller groups for most of the story. That’s probably my biggest complaint of this book. Part of what made me enjoy the first book so much was the dynamic at play between this group of individuals. As it is, while the pairings we get here are still good, I did miss some of the quips, suspicions, and challenges that made up the larger group’s interplay. While eventually these groups do weave back together in a large, climatic ending, I wish we had spent more time with them together.
This book also felt a lot darker than the first. I’m not sure whether this is a good or bad thing, ultimately. On one hand, I have a hard time complaining about bringing in a more serious tone to some of the true horrors at work in this world. But on the other hand, I really enjoyed the fast, fun nature of the first book. Here, there were some truly surprising tragedies to be found, and I sure hope some of them don’t stick!
I think if you enjoyed the first book, it’s likely you’ll enjoy this one as well. There were a few loose ends that speak to the continuance of the series, but it also ended in a way that wasn’t a cliff hanger by any means.
Rating 8: A bit darker than the first, but still a fast, fun romp of a ride!
Reader’s Advisory:
“Thick as Thieves” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on Fantasy books with heists
The Library Ladies 