Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Teen+, no language, some fight scenes, no love scenes
Length: 280 pages
Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: October 31st, 1996
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

TOUGH TO GET THROUGH.

Oh goodness, I had been warned that this book was tough to get through, but necessary to the rest of the series, and that is SO true.

I spent most of it speed reading through to conversations just to understand the story. The book tells the story of the Thief, Gen, going with the Sounis to find a stone said to give immortality to its holder.

While I enjoyed the back story of the formation of the world by the Gods (Earth & Sky), besides that I could barely hold on. Most of the time it’s the group moving through the country trying to get to the fabled Temple.

Once there, the story does begin to pick-up as real action descends. Fighting rebel armies, ending up back in prison, and a solid twist round out the conclusion.

I believe that this book will set-up the rest of the series well (and I’ve heard great things about the rest of her books).

If you’re interested in reading this series, I would still recommend reading this book.

The Thief is appropriate for all ages. I don’t recall any language, and there’s literally 3 women in the entire book who speak (maybe 15 lines?) so no love involved either, haha. They’re some fight scenes, but gore is minimal.