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Widdershins Adventures #1
Thief's Covenant
Once she was Adrienne Satti. An orphan of Davillon, she had somehow escaped destitution and climbed to the ranks of the city's aristocracy in a rags-to-riches story straight from an ancient fairy tale. Until one horrid night, when a conspiracy of forces--human and other--stole it all away in a flurry of blood and murder. Today she is Widdershins, a thief making her way through Davillon's underbelly with a sharp blade, a sharper wit, and the mystical aid of Olgun, a foreign god with no other worshippers but Widdershins herself. It's not a great life, certainly nothing compared to the one she once had, but it's hers. But now, in the midst of Davillon's political turmoil, an array of hands are once again rising up against her, prepared to tear down all that she's built. The City Guard wants her in prison. Members of her own Guild want her dead. And something horrid, something dark, something ancient is reaching out for her, a past that refuses to let her go. Widdershins and Olgun are going to find answers, and justice, for what happened to her--but only if those who almost destroyed her in those years gone by don't finish the job first. From the Hardcover edition.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2012
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6953 people want to read
About the author
Ari Marmell
101 books436 followersWhen Ari Marmell has free time left over between feeding cats and posting on social media, he writes a little bit. His work includes novels, short stories, role-playing games, and video games, all of which he enjoyed in lieu of school work when growing up. He’s the author of the Mick Oberon gangland/urban fantasy series, the Widdershins YA fantasy series, and many others, with publishers such as Del Rey, Titan Books, Pyr Books, Wizards of the Coast, and now Omnium Gatherum.
Ari currently resides in Austin, Texas. He lives in a clutter that has a moderate amount of apartment in it, along with George—his wife—and the aforementioned cats, who probably want something.
Ari currently resides in Austin, Texas. He lives in a clutter that has a moderate amount of apartment in it, along with George—his wife—and the aforementioned cats, who probably want something.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews
January 3, 2016
*** 3.40 ***
This went too fast... Very pleasant, quickly unfolding, young adult adventure fantasy with a young female protagonist. I did not even notice the time that passed while I was reading it, so this must be good. I did have some issues with the changes of time lines and POVs. I feel the jumps in time were done to make the story more dynamic, but at the end it only brought confusion and as a whole, it was unnecessary. I liked the dialogue and the setting, the world building was not quite complete, but I am guessing it would grow in the following books. Definitely worth reading, recommend for YA fantasy fans and young teens. Some violence, but it is not the focal point of the story. I will read the rest of the series as I can find them:)
This went too fast... Very pleasant, quickly unfolding, young adult adventure fantasy with a young female protagonist. I did not even notice the time that passed while I was reading it, so this must be good. I did have some issues with the changes of time lines and POVs. I feel the jumps in time were done to make the story more dynamic, but at the end it only brought confusion and as a whole, it was unnecessary. I liked the dialogue and the setting, the world building was not quite complete, but I am guessing it would grow in the following books. Definitely worth reading, recommend for YA fantasy fans and young teens. Some violence, but it is not the focal point of the story. I will read the rest of the series as I can find them:)
November 18, 2015
This was a fun YA fantasy. For the most part it was a light and humorous tale full of action, mystery, and adventure, but it also had its dark moments which provided some gravity to the happenings.
The world building was adequate without being anything special. The setting was reminiscent of 18th century France. The main thing that separated it was the presence of a real pantheon of Gods!
This tale tells the story of Adrienne Satti, also known by her thieves guild name of Widdershins. She was a street orphan, then a thief, than a ward of a noble house, then a thief again, all before she was even 18 years of age! Her backstory is told in a series of flashbacks. In the "now" Widdershins is working her regular gigs as a thief when she become caught up in a plot to assassinate the visiting Archbishop. She quickly discovers the assassins have a link to some dark mysteries in her own past and that even the Gods may be involved in the plotting!
The story was fast paced and quite engaging. Widdershins was a witty and likeable character who was easy to root for as she sought to battle against a rising evil in her city of Davillon. Lucky for her she is not alone in the task as she can call upon the help of the nearly forgotten God of Olgen.
This was an enjoyable story that got better as it progressed.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Audio Note: I listened to the Graphic Audio production of this one and it was very well done. The actors did a great job with the characters and the sound effects were used well to enhance the story.
The world building was adequate without being anything special. The setting was reminiscent of 18th century France. The main thing that separated it was the presence of a real pantheon of Gods!
This tale tells the story of Adrienne Satti, also known by her thieves guild name of Widdershins. She was a street orphan, then a thief, than a ward of a noble house, then a thief again, all before she was even 18 years of age! Her backstory is told in a series of flashbacks. In the "now" Widdershins is working her regular gigs as a thief when she become caught up in a plot to assassinate the visiting Archbishop. She quickly discovers the assassins have a link to some dark mysteries in her own past and that even the Gods may be involved in the plotting!
The story was fast paced and quite engaging. Widdershins was a witty and likeable character who was easy to root for as she sought to battle against a rising evil in her city of Davillon. Lucky for her she is not alone in the task as she can call upon the help of the nearly forgotten God of Olgen.
This was an enjoyable story that got better as it progressed.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Audio Note: I listened to the Graphic Audio production of this one and it was very well done. The actors did a great job with the characters and the sound effects were used well to enhance the story.
October 24, 2016
An entertaining little story with a really interesting main character and premise.
Widdershins, aka Adrienne Satti, aka Madeline Valoi, is a thief in the city of Davillon. She's only young, but she's already lived an adventurous life as a thief, then a noblewoman, then back to a thief but with the aid of a god. Davillon is about to be visited by an Archbishop and the powers that be want the city calm when he arrives. That means that both the local thieve's guild and the constabulary want quiet on the streets and Widdershins is the opposite of that. At the same time, an evil force from Widdershins' past has finally tracked her down.
Widdershins is an excellent thief and she has the personal attention of a god which is very helpful but also very dangerous. The city that she's in also has lots of well-drawn characters that make it come alive. Not a lot of world-building outside of that tight-focus though, but that serves the first story in the series quite well.
It took me a while to get into this. The first quarter of the book jumps around a lot which makes it a little hard to get into, and the tendency to drop into whoever has a useful point-of-view is a bit distracting. We even get the point-of-view of Widdershins' personal god at one point. It is worth persevering with though, because the story does come together well, particularly around an explanation for some of Widdershins' more reckless actions.
Widdershins, aka Adrienne Satti, aka Madeline Valoi, is a thief in the city of Davillon. She's only young, but she's already lived an adventurous life as a thief, then a noblewoman, then back to a thief but with the aid of a god. Davillon is about to be visited by an Archbishop and the powers that be want the city calm when he arrives. That means that both the local thieve's guild and the constabulary want quiet on the streets and Widdershins is the opposite of that. At the same time, an evil force from Widdershins' past has finally tracked her down.
Widdershins is an excellent thief and she has the personal attention of a god which is very helpful but also very dangerous. The city that she's in also has lots of well-drawn characters that make it come alive. Not a lot of world-building outside of that tight-focus though, but that serves the first story in the series quite well.
It took me a while to get into this. The first quarter of the book jumps around a lot which makes it a little hard to get into, and the tendency to drop into whoever has a useful point-of-view is a bit distracting. We even get the point-of-view of Widdershins' personal god at one point. It is worth persevering with though, because the story does come together well, particularly around an explanation for some of Widdershins' more reckless actions.
December 15, 2015
I deleted this book from my TBR shelf twice...until I finally decided to get the Graphic Audio version and get it over with. Obviously, I expected nothing special out of Thief's Covenant (but the cover looked so pretty, it was tempting me with its perfection!) Less than 10% in and I was already in love with the characters!
Thief's Covenant follows the story of Widdershins, the most successful and skillful thief in her guild with a great sense of humor and witty personality. How did such a young girl become so amazing? Her secret lies in Olgun, a mystical deity who follows her around and aids on her quests (however minor they can be). In a world, reminiscent to 17-th century France, our protagonist's idea for fun is stealing from the most guarded and impenetrable places. However, Widdershins's life gets super complicated when the leaders of her guild appear to want her dead, when blood-thirsty monsters start to roam her city and when she realizes that nothing about her divine helper, Olgun, is as simple as she thought it was.
Think a much lighter, more humorous and less complex mix between The Way of Shadows, Theft of Swords and the Mistborn series. Lots of humor, action, likable characters and entertaining plot. It did not blow my mind away, but it was one hell of a fun read, and I'm definitely checking out more from the author.
What I liked
-Great female characters - I'm usually slightly on my guard when a male author decides to have a female protagonist in a fantasy book (I still cringe whenever I think about The Warded Man), but Mr. Marmell does an excellent job creating one of the most memorable and likable characters I've read about this year. Widdershins is hilarious. Period.
-The plot - is nothing special when you break it down in the end. Yet, the author managed to turn it into a highly entertaining experience - that requires some skills!
-Humor - brilliant.
-Graphic Audio - absolutely amazing! Great actors, great sound effects, great everything! Widdershins's voice actor was pure perfection! And half the reason why I love this book! I cannot recommend it enough!
What I found mediocre
-World-building - nothing special, French Baroque. Not much was described.
-Story - not unique, but I loved the inclusion of deities.
-
Conclusion
Will I read the sequel? Hell Yeah!
Will I reread? Sure, one day, once I finish the series.
Will I buy a hard-cover copy? Depends on how much I love the rest of the books.
Will I recommend to friends? If you need something light, fun and epic in your life - check it out! The Graphic Audio is only 6 hours long.
Thief's Covenant follows the story of Widdershins, the most successful and skillful thief in her guild with a great sense of humor and witty personality. How did such a young girl become so amazing? Her secret lies in Olgun, a mystical deity who follows her around and aids on her quests (however minor they can be). In a world, reminiscent to 17-th century France, our protagonist's idea for fun is stealing from the most guarded and impenetrable places. However, Widdershins's life gets super complicated when the leaders of her guild appear to want her dead, when blood-thirsty monsters start to roam her city and when she realizes that nothing about her divine helper, Olgun, is as simple as she thought it was.
Think a much lighter, more humorous and less complex mix between The Way of Shadows, Theft of Swords and the Mistborn series. Lots of humor, action, likable characters and entertaining plot. It did not blow my mind away, but it was one hell of a fun read, and I'm definitely checking out more from the author.
What I liked
-Great female characters - I'm usually slightly on my guard when a male author decides to have a female protagonist in a fantasy book (I still cringe whenever I think about The Warded Man), but Mr. Marmell does an excellent job creating one of the most memorable and likable characters I've read about this year. Widdershins is hilarious. Period.
-The plot - is nothing special when you break it down in the end. Yet, the author managed to turn it into a highly entertaining experience - that requires some skills!
-Humor - brilliant.
-Graphic Audio - absolutely amazing! Great actors, great sound effects, great everything! Widdershins's voice actor was pure perfection! And half the reason why I love this book! I cannot recommend it enough!
What I found mediocre
-World-building - nothing special, French Baroque. Not much was described.
-Story - not unique, but I loved the inclusion of deities.
-
Conclusion
Will I read the sequel? Hell Yeah!
Will I reread? Sure, one day, once I finish the series.
Will I buy a hard-cover copy? Depends on how much I love the rest of the books.
Will I recommend to friends? If you need something light, fun and epic in your life - check it out! The Graphic Audio is only 6 hours long.
October 11, 2016
This was a fun and cute book that unfortunately couldn't seem to hold my attention for more than a few minutes. I did finally get through the end today and I really liked the end. So three stars because it was cute and the last 20 pages were 4 stars.
September 18, 2013
3.5 stars at The BiblioSanctum: http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
Our protagonist in Thief's Covenant is a young woman who wears many masks and goes by many different names. Once she was Adrienne Satti, an orphan taken off the streets to be raised as an aristocrat's ward, but soon after was forced to shed her old life to escape arrest for a savage crime she didn't commit. Now, she is known simply as the thief Widdershins.
And really, how could I not be drawn to a book starring a character with a name like Widdershins? Along with its impishly clever cover (I kept thinking I was holding the book upside down), it made me believe I was going to be settling back to a cute young adult novel, but to my delight it ended up being something so much more than that. It's true Thief's Covenant could be light and funny at times, but at others it was also quite dark, grim and heavy.
For instance, the book opens with a scene following a bloody and brutal massacre on page one, which instantly dispelled any sort of preconceived notions on my part. But this I considered to be a point in the book's favor, along with the fact that it doesn't seem to fall prey to typical Young Adult genre conventions (I for one thought the decision to forgo a romantic arc was brave but ultimately wise).
As such, I really think a wider audience can enjoy this without being worried about it feeling "too YA". Actually, I couldn't help but make comparisons to Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, not only for the obvious similarities like the subject of the orphaned thief and the past-present format of the novel, but because Thief's Covenant also contains the kind of unexpected plot twists and gut-wrenching story developments that are so characteristic of the Gentleman Bastard books.
Being such a slim volume, I was also pleasantly surprised at the richness of the setting and how layered the story was. The book takes place in a world where every person from the wealthiest noble to the grimiest street urchin worships one of the dozens of gods approved by the Hallowed Pact. Widdershins, however, is a follower of the almost-forgotten minor deity Olgun, but their worshipper-worshipped relationship is one that is unlike any other. Olgun is in fact a major presence in Widdershins' life, or more accurately, a rather major one in her head. Like I said, there's plenty of fun and cheeriness in this book too, and the playful banter between the two of them is a very good example of the humor you will find to break up the tension.
I only wish the story had been better paced; part of this is due to the aforementioned time jumps which occur quite frequently, with flashbacks to an earlier part of Widdershins' life almost every other chapter. On the one hand this was a very good way to give us better insight into her character and personality, and I find I really enjoyed her back story. On the other hand, it made the plot feel disjointed and gave the book a slow start, and because of this I couldn't get into it right away.
And yet, one thing I did notice was the carefully planned and measured way the chapters were laid out, done with such a subtle elegance that the events told in the flashback chapters would always relate to what was happening to Widdershins in the present. In this way, all the questions you'll have about her character and her history will eventually be answered. The steady doling out of details admittedly made this book a little tough to get through for the first half, but the rewarding second half made picking this book up well worth it in the end.
Our protagonist in Thief's Covenant is a young woman who wears many masks and goes by many different names. Once she was Adrienne Satti, an orphan taken off the streets to be raised as an aristocrat's ward, but soon after was forced to shed her old life to escape arrest for a savage crime she didn't commit. Now, she is known simply as the thief Widdershins.
And really, how could I not be drawn to a book starring a character with a name like Widdershins? Along with its impishly clever cover (I kept thinking I was holding the book upside down), it made me believe I was going to be settling back to a cute young adult novel, but to my delight it ended up being something so much more than that. It's true Thief's Covenant could be light and funny at times, but at others it was also quite dark, grim and heavy.
For instance, the book opens with a scene following a bloody and brutal massacre on page one, which instantly dispelled any sort of preconceived notions on my part. But this I considered to be a point in the book's favor, along with the fact that it doesn't seem to fall prey to typical Young Adult genre conventions (I for one thought the decision to forgo a romantic arc was brave but ultimately wise).
As such, I really think a wider audience can enjoy this without being worried about it feeling "too YA". Actually, I couldn't help but make comparisons to Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, not only for the obvious similarities like the subject of the orphaned thief and the past-present format of the novel, but because Thief's Covenant also contains the kind of unexpected plot twists and gut-wrenching story developments that are so characteristic of the Gentleman Bastard books.
Being such a slim volume, I was also pleasantly surprised at the richness of the setting and how layered the story was. The book takes place in a world where every person from the wealthiest noble to the grimiest street urchin worships one of the dozens of gods approved by the Hallowed Pact. Widdershins, however, is a follower of the almost-forgotten minor deity Olgun, but their worshipper-worshipped relationship is one that is unlike any other. Olgun is in fact a major presence in Widdershins' life, or more accurately, a rather major one in her head. Like I said, there's plenty of fun and cheeriness in this book too, and the playful banter between the two of them is a very good example of the humor you will find to break up the tension.
I only wish the story had been better paced; part of this is due to the aforementioned time jumps which occur quite frequently, with flashbacks to an earlier part of Widdershins' life almost every other chapter. On the one hand this was a very good way to give us better insight into her character and personality, and I find I really enjoyed her back story. On the other hand, it made the plot feel disjointed and gave the book a slow start, and because of this I couldn't get into it right away.
And yet, one thing I did notice was the carefully planned and measured way the chapters were laid out, done with such a subtle elegance that the events told in the flashback chapters would always relate to what was happening to Widdershins in the present. In this way, all the questions you'll have about her character and her history will eventually be answered. The steady doling out of details admittedly made this book a little tough to get through for the first half, but the rewarding second half made picking this book up well worth it in the end.
May 14, 2012
Dark in places, funny in others, Thief's Covenant is a fun, if somewhat flawed, ride. Adrienne, aka Widdershins, is as kind as she can afford to be. An orphan, long on the mean streets of Davillon, she has long made her way as a relatively accomplished thief—odd, then, to find her the last surviving member of an underground cult. This has both an up and a down side, but she's coping as best she can and trying to stay alive long enough to realize more of the up.
What develops from there is a great tale of a woman facing long odds, even if she does have the occasional ace up her sleeve. I came to really like Adrienne and to sympathize with her plight. I liked that Marmell didn't populate Davillon solely with ruffians and scoundrels and that at least some of the people in power were trying to do the right thing, even if they were arraigned against our heroine through most of the book.
Not that the book doesn't have problems. Marmell often steps in his own way, drawing attention to himself as author and thus breaking the reader out of the story. The most obvious device of his undoing is the large number of time jumps. The story develops on several timelines (clearly marked, so not confusing at all) and Marmell can't seem to help but time his jumps right when you want to know what happens next in your current timeline. This is manipulative and off-putting enough that I wish someone had smacked him and explained the virtues of linear (or even semi-linear) storytelling. The jumps are annoyingly frequent even if they weren't poorly timed.
The second flaw is perhaps more subtle, but more jarring for me, personally. Marmell is really bad about inserting authorial intrusion that looks like its sole purpose is to be cute. The book is third person omniscient with no defined narrator, so there’s no “voice” to ascribe this to beyond that of the author. I'll give an example from page 26. Describing musicians, before we have a narrative perspective—i.e. we're narrowing in on the scene and haven't yet caught up with an actual perspective/viewpoint character. Describing musicians at an "event":
The arrows bit is fine, if a bit overwrought. But the break to make sure we know it's the musicians that are lavishly dressed? That's just the author playing around. These things detracted from the story by calling attention to themselves and breaking the reader out of the narrative flow.
So I liked the book. It hit a personal sweet spot for story and character. I'll definitely read the next book. Unfortunately, while I'd like to give this four stars, there's enough weaknesses to pull it down to three for me.
What develops from there is a great tale of a woman facing long odds, even if she does have the occasional ace up her sleeve. I came to really like Adrienne and to sympathize with her plight. I liked that Marmell didn't populate Davillon solely with ruffians and scoundrels and that at least some of the people in power were trying to do the right thing, even if they were arraigned against our heroine through most of the book.
Not that the book doesn't have problems. Marmell often steps in his own way, drawing attention to himself as author and thus breaking the reader out of the story. The most obvious device of his undoing is the large number of time jumps. The story develops on several timelines (clearly marked, so not confusing at all) and Marmell can't seem to help but time his jumps right when you want to know what happens next in your current timeline. This is manipulative and off-putting enough that I wish someone had smacked him and explained the virtues of linear (or even semi-linear) storytelling. The jumps are annoyingly frequent even if they weren't poorly timed.
The second flaw is perhaps more subtle, but more jarring for me, personally. Marmell is really bad about inserting authorial intrusion that looks like its sole purpose is to be cute. The book is third person omniscient with no defined narrator, so there’s no “voice” to ascribe this to beyond that of the author. I'll give an example from page 26. Describing musicians, before we have a narrative perspective—i.e. we're narrowing in on the scene and haven't yet caught up with an actual perspective/viewpoint character. Describing musicians at an "event":
Furiously they played, lobbing their music into the crowd like arrows, reproducing some of the most popular tunes currently making the rounds of courts and noble soirees throughout Galice. Their outfits—the musicians, that is, not the pieces of music, though those too were arguably gussied up and overdressed—were lavish fabrics in a hypnotic mishmash of garish colors.
The arrows bit is fine, if a bit overwrought. But the break to make sure we know it's the musicians that are lavishly dressed? That's just the author playing around. These things detracted from the story by calling attention to themselves and breaking the reader out of the narrative flow.
So I liked the book. It hit a personal sweet spot for story and character. I'll definitely read the next book. Unfortunately, while I'd like to give this four stars, there's enough weaknesses to pull it down to three for me.
February 9, 2012
First Impressions:
Ana: It is always a pleasure to see a straight-up Fantasy novel published for young adults and I was excited when I learnt that Pyr (a great adult Fantasy publisher) was coming up with an imprint for YA. Although I admit I was expecting a bit more of oomphage from this title, The Thief’s Covenant turned out to be a laid-back, fun, popcorn-Fantasy read with a cool girl-protagonist.
Thea: Like the shallow creature I can be, I fell for this book when I saw the cover (by the brilliant Jason Chan, naturally) – and then when I learned that it was a Pyr title, and one for its new YA focus, I was absolutely smitten. I have to agree firmly with Ana when it comes to the actual book itself, though. While I enjoyed the novel and its resourceful protagonist, there’s a degree of recycled-ness to the tropes, the characters, and the plot at large. That said, The Thief’s Covenant is a diverting, enjoyable, traditional fantasy novel, and certainly readable (though it does lack distinctiveness and oomph that would have taken it from good to GOOD).
On the Plot:
Ana: Once upon a time she was called Adrienne Satti, a street-urchin with a gift for thievery. Then she became part of the aristocratic ranks of Davillon, adopted by a good-hearted patron and slowly making her way toward acceptance…until that fatal day when a conspiracy between humans and Gods took it all away. Now she is Widdershins, the best thief in Davillon. On the run from those who think she is guilty of bloody murder, at odds with the members of her own Guild, mostly alone but for the eternal company of her own private God, Widdershins now has to find a way to keep living when all the odds are against her.
The Thief’s Covenant starts with a veritable bang in an excellent, gripping opening chapter with stakes as high as the sky, but the story progresses with a lot less gumption than its opening act but still in a fast-paced manner. Plot-wise, this is a basically a mystery in a Fantasy backdrop (which includes a sort-of-medieval secondary world setting and the presence of Gods amongst people) and it follows Widdershins and many other characters between present and past as they get involved in a religious-political conspiracy. In that way, The Thief’s Covenant doesn’t really break away from a more conventional setting but it tells its story in a competent way. It’s a fun book and I don’t really have a lot to say about it but sometimes this is more than enough.
With regards to the narrative though there is a lot of head-hopping between several characters as well as time-jumping (from two years ago, to now, to six years ago, to four years ago, back to now and so on and so forth). The latter was a bit distracting and I found myself continuously calculating the heroine’s age – at one point she must have been a 10/11 year old but she certainly didn’t sound like one.
Thea: Yes, what Ana said. The story itself is familiar – the resourceful ragamuffin orphan makes her way through a cutthroat world against all odds, taken under the wing of a wealthy mentor and further honing her skills until it all goes to hell in a handbasket. There’s the familiar trope of our wise-cracking, tongue-in-cheek heroine appearing to talk to herself when really, she’s speaking to a lower god (outside of the Davillon approved pantheon). I think Ari Marmell does a solid job of playing on these tropes and weaves a fast-paced plot with a logical progression and incredibly high stakes. I also loved the world, the city of Davillon and the level of complexity in regards to the political and religious strata.
Then again, the amount of time-jumping was frustrating and distracting – I like the technique of flashing back and forward in a timeline and I like the different things that are revealed about characters and our intrepid Widdershins (and Olgun!) with this technique, but there was a lack of continuity and it did require frequent flipping back and forth to figure out just when in the timeline a certain chapter would be occurring.
On the Characters:
Ana: The best thing about The Thief’s Covenant is Widdershins/Adrienne. She is funny, fun, capable and smart. I liked her immensely and loved her relationship with Olgum, the God that depends on her for his own survival.
On the other characters, although we spend a lot of time inside many characters’ heads, I don’t think any of them are really developed with the depth they deserved. I can’t help but to feel the narrative choice – head-hopping, time-jumping – made many of the plot developments and character arcs seem superficial and perfunctory. Case in point, there is a death of a great female character in the end that served more as a “look, I can be gritty too” rather than to serve the story in any way. In that sense, I would have preferred to have had only Adrianne’s PoV.
Thea: I agree – the best part about this novel has to be Widdershins herself. Smart, tough, wry, and utterly capable, Adrianne is a pretty awesome heroine, and certainly a protagonist that I’m interested in following on other adventures. She might not exactly be unique or groundbreaking as a character (in fact, Adrianne/Widdershins reminded me a lot of a YA female version of Rachel Aaron’s Spirit Thief hero, Eli Monpress), but I love me a heroine with agency. The other memorable character/component is Olgun, Widdershins’ symbiotic companion; a fringe god on the brink of extinction with some very human characteristics and failings.
On the other characters, in particular the death of a certain major character, I wholeheartedly agree with Ana – I get the sense that this was an attempt at Grim and Gritty, but comes off as kind of gratuitous. Too, the Evil Villain is obvious and lacking some much needed complexity. Yet, the strengths of the heroine (and her outcast god) are more than enough to make up the deficit.
Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:
Ana: If I sound less than enthusiastic it’s because sometimes one is in the mood for popcorn-reading and I admit I wasn’t when I read the book. I wanted a bit more from this. Still, The Thief’s Covenant is a competent entry-level Fantasy novel which, despite its faults, was fun to read.
Thea: I like popcorn, but I don’t quite think that’s what The Thief’s Covenant was for me. The telling of the story was a bit disjointed and the overall tropes were a little too familiar for me to fully immerse myself in the story – but I enjoyed it for the heroine and the worldbuilding.
Rating:
Ana: 6 – Good, recommended with reservations
Thea: 6 – Good, recommended with reservations
(We are giving away three copies of the book, open to all, running until 18/02/12. Enter HERE
Ana: It is always a pleasure to see a straight-up Fantasy novel published for young adults and I was excited when I learnt that Pyr (a great adult Fantasy publisher) was coming up with an imprint for YA. Although I admit I was expecting a bit more of oomphage from this title, The Thief’s Covenant turned out to be a laid-back, fun, popcorn-Fantasy read with a cool girl-protagonist.
Thea: Like the shallow creature I can be, I fell for this book when I saw the cover (by the brilliant Jason Chan, naturally) – and then when I learned that it was a Pyr title, and one for its new YA focus, I was absolutely smitten. I have to agree firmly with Ana when it comes to the actual book itself, though. While I enjoyed the novel and its resourceful protagonist, there’s a degree of recycled-ness to the tropes, the characters, and the plot at large. That said, The Thief’s Covenant is a diverting, enjoyable, traditional fantasy novel, and certainly readable (though it does lack distinctiveness and oomph that would have taken it from good to GOOD).
On the Plot:
Ana: Once upon a time she was called Adrienne Satti, a street-urchin with a gift for thievery. Then she became part of the aristocratic ranks of Davillon, adopted by a good-hearted patron and slowly making her way toward acceptance…until that fatal day when a conspiracy between humans and Gods took it all away. Now she is Widdershins, the best thief in Davillon. On the run from those who think she is guilty of bloody murder, at odds with the members of her own Guild, mostly alone but for the eternal company of her own private God, Widdershins now has to find a way to keep living when all the odds are against her.
The Thief’s Covenant starts with a veritable bang in an excellent, gripping opening chapter with stakes as high as the sky, but the story progresses with a lot less gumption than its opening act but still in a fast-paced manner. Plot-wise, this is a basically a mystery in a Fantasy backdrop (which includes a sort-of-medieval secondary world setting and the presence of Gods amongst people) and it follows Widdershins and many other characters between present and past as they get involved in a religious-political conspiracy. In that way, The Thief’s Covenant doesn’t really break away from a more conventional setting but it tells its story in a competent way. It’s a fun book and I don’t really have a lot to say about it but sometimes this is more than enough.
With regards to the narrative though there is a lot of head-hopping between several characters as well as time-jumping (from two years ago, to now, to six years ago, to four years ago, back to now and so on and so forth). The latter was a bit distracting and I found myself continuously calculating the heroine’s age – at one point she must have been a 10/11 year old but she certainly didn’t sound like one.
Thea: Yes, what Ana said. The story itself is familiar – the resourceful ragamuffin orphan makes her way through a cutthroat world against all odds, taken under the wing of a wealthy mentor and further honing her skills until it all goes to hell in a handbasket. There’s the familiar trope of our wise-cracking, tongue-in-cheek heroine appearing to talk to herself when really, she’s speaking to a lower god (outside of the Davillon approved pantheon). I think Ari Marmell does a solid job of playing on these tropes and weaves a fast-paced plot with a logical progression and incredibly high stakes. I also loved the world, the city of Davillon and the level of complexity in regards to the political and religious strata.
Then again, the amount of time-jumping was frustrating and distracting – I like the technique of flashing back and forward in a timeline and I like the different things that are revealed about characters and our intrepid Widdershins (and Olgun!) with this technique, but there was a lack of continuity and it did require frequent flipping back and forth to figure out just when in the timeline a certain chapter would be occurring.
On the Characters:
Ana: The best thing about The Thief’s Covenant is Widdershins/Adrienne. She is funny, fun, capable and smart. I liked her immensely and loved her relationship with Olgum, the God that depends on her for his own survival.
On the other characters, although we spend a lot of time inside many characters’ heads, I don’t think any of them are really developed with the depth they deserved. I can’t help but to feel the narrative choice – head-hopping, time-jumping – made many of the plot developments and character arcs seem superficial and perfunctory. Case in point, there is a death of a great female character in the end that served more as a “look, I can be gritty too” rather than to serve the story in any way. In that sense, I would have preferred to have had only Adrianne’s PoV.
Thea: I agree – the best part about this novel has to be Widdershins herself. Smart, tough, wry, and utterly capable, Adrianne is a pretty awesome heroine, and certainly a protagonist that I’m interested in following on other adventures. She might not exactly be unique or groundbreaking as a character (in fact, Adrianne/Widdershins reminded me a lot of a YA female version of Rachel Aaron’s Spirit Thief hero, Eli Monpress), but I love me a heroine with agency. The other memorable character/component is Olgun, Widdershins’ symbiotic companion; a fringe god on the brink of extinction with some very human characteristics and failings.
On the other characters, in particular the death of a certain major character, I wholeheartedly agree with Ana – I get the sense that this was an attempt at Grim and Gritty, but comes off as kind of gratuitous. Too, the Evil Villain is obvious and lacking some much needed complexity. Yet, the strengths of the heroine (and her outcast god) are more than enough to make up the deficit.
Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:
Ana: If I sound less than enthusiastic it’s because sometimes one is in the mood for popcorn-reading and I admit I wasn’t when I read the book. I wanted a bit more from this. Still, The Thief’s Covenant is a competent entry-level Fantasy novel which, despite its faults, was fun to read.
Thea: I like popcorn, but I don’t quite think that’s what The Thief’s Covenant was for me. The telling of the story was a bit disjointed and the overall tropes were a little too familiar for me to fully immerse myself in the story – but I enjoyed it for the heroine and the worldbuilding.
Rating:
Ana: 6 – Good, recommended with reservations
Thea: 6 – Good, recommended with reservations
(We are giving away three copies of the book, open to all, running until 18/02/12. Enter HERE
August 26, 2016
The multiple POV's and the frequent time-jumping was frustrating and hard to keep up with. I would have preferred it if the timeline didn't jump every chapter and if there had been no more than 3 POVs, it just got confusing.
The language used was too descriptive and flowery at times, there were also sentences & words used that didn't suit the tone of the story like 'poop-head' and 'butt'.
On the plus side Widdershins was a great heroine - smart, witty, strong and daring. Her relationship with Genievieve, Renard and Olgun were definitely the highlight of the book. The banter and tug-of-war between Bouniard and Widdershins was entertaining. There was no real romance in the book but I'm hoping Bouniard/Widdershins happens in the next book.
The language used was too descriptive and flowery at times, there were also sentences & words used that didn't suit the tone of the story like 'poop-head' and 'butt'.
On the plus side Widdershins was a great heroine - smart, witty, strong and daring. Her relationship with Genievieve, Renard and Olgun were definitely the highlight of the book. The banter and tug-of-war between Bouniard and Widdershins was entertaining. There was no real romance in the book but I'm hoping Bouniard/Widdershins happens in the next book.
May 19, 2024
4,25
Teraz jak o niej myślę to była naprawdę dobra fantastyka. Na początku ciężko się było połapać oco chodzi może to tez wpłynęło na moją ocenę. Bardzo mnie zaciekawiła i jestem wściekła że nie ma kontynuacji.
Teraz jak o niej myślę to była naprawdę dobra fantastyka. Na początku ciężko się było połapać oco chodzi może to tez wpłynęło na moją ocenę. Bardzo mnie zaciekawiła i jestem wściekła że nie ma kontynuacji.
February 27, 2012
I have read other books by Marmell, and even though this one is YA it's still bloody, but not that violent. How to explain, people die, a lot, but it's not shown as it would be in an adult book. Still, poor Widdershins.
At first I was not sure if I would like how it jumped in time, but it worked perfectly. Because each flashback showed me something new. First we got Widdershins as she is now, a young thief with few friends. Then there is poor Adrienne, alone on the streets, a pick-pocket among others. Then there is Adrienne, a young woman of means (and it sure made me wonder how she got there, but I found out.) Things that happened two years ago made Adrienne stop being Adrienne, and Widdershins was born. I liked her, she was tough and she has the best sidekick. A God who she can hear, but that the reader can't hear. But I could still see him in my mind and he was too funny.
The story is about a lot of people hunting Widdershins, for different reasons. But it is all connected, even if I will not say how and why. The story worked so well and there was even a surprise gasp from me, oh I loved that surprise. Bravo. But I am being tease now since I will not tell you what that was.
Being the girl I am I am hoping for a romance to blossom, how it would work I do not know, but it is there ;) I am looking forward to book 2 to see if anything happens.
Conclusion:
The ever so cool Widdershins made this my fav Marmell book to date. I liked that the book was dark, yet light and it did not end with a cliffie either which is always appreciated. But still I do want to know what happens next, because things are far from over. I would recommend this one to fantasy lovers, young and old.
At first I was not sure if I would like how it jumped in time, but it worked perfectly. Because each flashback showed me something new. First we got Widdershins as she is now, a young thief with few friends. Then there is poor Adrienne, alone on the streets, a pick-pocket among others. Then there is Adrienne, a young woman of means (and it sure made me wonder how she got there, but I found out.) Things that happened two years ago made Adrienne stop being Adrienne, and Widdershins was born. I liked her, she was tough and she has the best sidekick. A God who she can hear, but that the reader can't hear. But I could still see him in my mind and he was too funny.
The story is about a lot of people hunting Widdershins, for different reasons. But it is all connected, even if I will not say how and why. The story worked so well and there was even a surprise gasp from me, oh I loved that surprise. Bravo. But I am being tease now since I will not tell you what that was.
Being the girl I am I am hoping for a romance to blossom, how it would work I do not know, but it is there ;) I am looking forward to book 2 to see if anything happens.
Conclusion:
The ever so cool Widdershins made this my fav Marmell book to date. I liked that the book was dark, yet light and it did not end with a cliffie either which is always appreciated. But still I do want to know what happens next, because things are far from over. I would recommend this one to fantasy lovers, young and old.
October 4, 2016
Thief's Covenant is a YA fantasy about a thief who was born in poverty, then taken in by an aristocrat, and then ends up in hiding after a horrible event that she is blamed for. It's a rags-to-riches-to-rags story.
There are quite a few time jumps in this book and at first I wasn't crazy about the time jumps interrupting the main story line, but after I got used to them they didn't bother me at all. I liked every one of the characters in this book and a couple of the deaths saddened me. In tone it reminded me a little bit of Rachel Aaron's Legend of Eli Monpress series. A fun read with some dark touches, the fun balances the book out perfectly so it isn't too dark.
This was another book that I initially thought was written for adults. I wasn't really that disappointed by it being a YA novel though. While it isn't as in-depth as most adult fantasies, I enjoyed it being a lighter read. This is a four book series and I will be reading the next one.
There are quite a few time jumps in this book and at first I wasn't crazy about the time jumps interrupting the main story line, but after I got used to them they didn't bother me at all. I liked every one of the characters in this book and a couple of the deaths saddened me. In tone it reminded me a little bit of Rachel Aaron's Legend of Eli Monpress series. A fun read with some dark touches, the fun balances the book out perfectly so it isn't too dark.
This was another book that I initially thought was written for adults. I wasn't really that disappointed by it being a YA novel though. While it isn't as in-depth as most adult fantasies, I enjoyed it being a lighter read. This is a four book series and I will be reading the next one.
September 13, 2013
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Widdershins is a thief in the city of Davillon, who has help from her personal God Olgun. However, she has a dangerous past which could end up with her being arrested or worse. Widdershins is an excellent character who is loyal and mischievous and Olgun is brilliant because, even though we cannot see or hear him, I can picture him so easily. Thief’s Covenant is a well written fantasy book, which has likable characters and a good story line.
Widdershins is a thief in the city of Davillon, who has help from her personal God Olgun. However, she has a dangerous past which could end up with her being arrested or worse. Widdershins is an excellent character who is loyal and mischievous and Olgun is brilliant because, even though we cannot see or hear him, I can picture him so easily. Thief’s Covenant is a well written fantasy book, which has likable characters and a good story line.
December 5, 2018
3.5! Wow more than I expected.
World: The worpd building here is very very solid. There is no info dumping here and the world is shown to us through the eyes of Shins and we get enough to see what is happening. That being said the world is well thought out and the pieces are pretty solid. It's not entirely original I will say and I does have a lot of pieces I've seen in other books (namely Lies of a Locke Lamora) but it's well done. The supernatural aspect comes in a bit later and it is a bit unclear jarring but overall it is an interesting world. Nice.
Story: I am not kidding when I say that this is "Lies of Locke Lamora" light as most of the major beats from that book, the intercuts of the different times are all nearly verbatim to that book. It's still really good by yeah it is pretty much that story. What the book does well after the similar story is in the characters and the banter which sets this book apart. Well "Lies" did have amazing banter and so does this one and this book with it's well constructed world and story shines with the cast of characters. It is what drew me in and I'll get to that below. However I did not like two tragic events that happen in this book and I felt it took away from the charm of this book and threw it back to the realm of the cliché storyline (if it didn't do those two it would be more it's own thing) but once again I get back to "Lies of Locke Lamora" and it too had these big events that shook and cemented the world and characters. Overall I really enjoyed it, I am a bit bummed about the two events but I really enjoyed myself in this book.
Characters: Shins is great, she's a cliché of the genre, the tough as nails, witty, funny thief but what makes her stand out is her beautifully realized personal voice and the banter that Marmell create between the characters. My favorite moments were when the characters were together just bantering and it made me smile. I loved Shins' friends and Gwen was the best thing, them together made me smile. The supernatural being that is in the book is also good but not really clearly defined and his powers do need a but more flushing out (as I said the world building is good but there are some gaps). The villain is basic and simple but yeah the banter, so good.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I expected a cliché meh of the genre and the characters really grabbed me and took me on an adventure. I can't wait to read the next book.
Onward to the next book!
World: The worpd building here is very very solid. There is no info dumping here and the world is shown to us through the eyes of Shins and we get enough to see what is happening. That being said the world is well thought out and the pieces are pretty solid. It's not entirely original I will say and I does have a lot of pieces I've seen in other books (namely Lies of a Locke Lamora) but it's well done. The supernatural aspect comes in a bit later and it is a bit unclear jarring but overall it is an interesting world. Nice.
Story: I am not kidding when I say that this is "Lies of Locke Lamora" light as most of the major beats from that book, the intercuts of the different times are all nearly verbatim to that book. It's still really good by yeah it is pretty much that story. What the book does well after the similar story is in the characters and the banter which sets this book apart. Well "Lies" did have amazing banter and so does this one and this book with it's well constructed world and story shines with the cast of characters. It is what drew me in and I'll get to that below. However I did not like two tragic events that happen in this book and I felt it took away from the charm of this book and threw it back to the realm of the cliché storyline (if it didn't do those two it would be more it's own thing) but once again I get back to "Lies of Locke Lamora" and it too had these big events that shook and cemented the world and characters. Overall I really enjoyed it, I am a bit bummed about the two events but I really enjoyed myself in this book.
Characters: Shins is great, she's a cliché of the genre, the tough as nails, witty, funny thief but what makes her stand out is her beautifully realized personal voice and the banter that Marmell create between the characters. My favorite moments were when the characters were together just bantering and it made me smile. I loved Shins' friends and Gwen was the best thing, them together made me smile. The supernatural being that is in the book is also good but not really clearly defined and his powers do need a but more flushing out (as I said the world building is good but there are some gaps). The villain is basic and simple but yeah the banter, so good.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I expected a cliché meh of the genre and the characters really grabbed me and took me on an adventure. I can't wait to read the next book.
Onward to the next book!
December 17, 2013
3 or more stars for characters and plot. But deduct a star due to jumping around in time causing confusion and frustration.
The author has a university degree in creative writing. I want to know “who told him it’s good writing technique to jump around in time?” Is that what they are teaching? I do recall one “expert” saying authors should create hooks (or cliffhangers) at the end of every chapter. But I disagree. But I expect some readers are not bothered by it. Jumping around in time is the easiest way to create cliffhangers. This book is so full of jumping around I was totally confused and frustrated. By page 76, I lost track of who was who and doing what. So I sat down, and flipped through the entire book writing down pages and times. Then I went through the book reading the chapters in chronological order. And that way it was good. I liked the ideas, the setting, the gods.
The story is about thieves in a city with aristocrats. Reminds me of Dickensian London. The main character is 17-year-old Widdershins, a female thief. She climbs buildings like Spiderman. She is nimble, can dodge most attacks, and is good at running and hiding. The god Olgun lives in her body. She and Olgun have conversations, and he helps her do dangerous things. For example, the staircase is falling down, Olgun makes it stable while she climbs it. The Finders Guild (of thieves) has a god that rules them and tells them what to do. The aristocrats pray to a different god and get benefits. The Guard (police) have their own god. Different bad guys want to kill Widdershins, a demon and some of her fellow thieves.
Widdershins never kills anyone, but she manipulates action to cause death to bad guys, like making one bad guy shoot at her but she ducks so a different bad guy gets hit.
Overall it was pretty good. I’d recommend it for teens. But don’t buy the audiobook if there ever is one. You won’t be able to follow it due to jumping around. Even though I read it out of order, I still had to take copious notes to keep track of the many different characters. There were too many. Some characters could have been combined into one.
One part bothered me. Widdershins was living with a close friend for more than two years. A disaster happens and the police tell her friend they suspect Widdershins did it. The police want to search her room and her friend nods ok. Widdershins hears this and leaves. She has no contact with her friend for another two years. That was out of character. The least she could have done was wait until the police were gone and then tell him the truth. But she didn’t.
This is book 1 in the Widdershins Adventure Series. The ending is complete and satisfying with the bad guys taken care of, but a few good guys die. And Widdershins is ready for the next book. So far there are two sequels.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 268 pages. Swearing language: damn, hell, sh**, but not often used. Sexual content: none. Violence: moderate fighting and injuries plus one bloody massacre. Setting: unknown time of swords, blunderbuss guns, and travel by horse, city of Davillon. Copyright: 2012. Genre: young adult adventure fantasy.
The author has a university degree in creative writing. I want to know “who told him it’s good writing technique to jump around in time?” Is that what they are teaching? I do recall one “expert” saying authors should create hooks (or cliffhangers) at the end of every chapter. But I disagree. But I expect some readers are not bothered by it. Jumping around in time is the easiest way to create cliffhangers. This book is so full of jumping around I was totally confused and frustrated. By page 76, I lost track of who was who and doing what. So I sat down, and flipped through the entire book writing down pages and times. Then I went through the book reading the chapters in chronological order. And that way it was good. I liked the ideas, the setting, the gods.
The story is about thieves in a city with aristocrats. Reminds me of Dickensian London. The main character is 17-year-old Widdershins, a female thief. She climbs buildings like Spiderman. She is nimble, can dodge most attacks, and is good at running and hiding. The god Olgun lives in her body. She and Olgun have conversations, and he helps her do dangerous things. For example, the staircase is falling down, Olgun makes it stable while she climbs it. The Finders Guild (of thieves) has a god that rules them and tells them what to do. The aristocrats pray to a different god and get benefits. The Guard (police) have their own god. Different bad guys want to kill Widdershins, a demon and some of her fellow thieves.
Widdershins never kills anyone, but she manipulates action to cause death to bad guys, like making one bad guy shoot at her but she ducks so a different bad guy gets hit.
Overall it was pretty good. I’d recommend it for teens. But don’t buy the audiobook if there ever is one. You won’t be able to follow it due to jumping around. Even though I read it out of order, I still had to take copious notes to keep track of the many different characters. There were too many. Some characters could have been combined into one.
One part bothered me. Widdershins was living with a close friend for more than two years. A disaster happens and the police tell her friend they suspect Widdershins did it. The police want to search her room and her friend nods ok. Widdershins hears this and leaves. She has no contact with her friend for another two years. That was out of character. The least she could have done was wait until the police were gone and then tell him the truth. But she didn’t.
This is book 1 in the Widdershins Adventure Series. The ending is complete and satisfying with the bad guys taken care of, but a few good guys die. And Widdershins is ready for the next book. So far there are two sequels.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 268 pages. Swearing language: damn, hell, sh**, but not often used. Sexual content: none. Violence: moderate fighting and injuries plus one bloody massacre. Setting: unknown time of swords, blunderbuss guns, and travel by horse, city of Davillon. Copyright: 2012. Genre: young adult adventure fantasy.
April 9, 2012
Thief’s Covenant is the story of Widdershins, a young woman formerly known as Adrienne Satti, who grew up an orphan on the streets of Davillon, escaped poverty to join the city’s powerful aristocracy in a rags-to-riches story, and then shockingly found herself cast down to the bottom rungs of society again. Now she’s clawed her way back up to the life of a successful thief… and the ghosts of her earlier life, make that lives, come back to call on her..
Ari Marmell, the author of this entertaining YA fantasy novel, goes back and forth between the different stages of the young thief’s life, slowly revealing details until, by the end of the story, you finally have a more or less complete picture of not only Widdershins/Adrienne as a character, but also the balance of power in the city of Davillon.
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
Ari Marmell, the author of this entertaining YA fantasy novel, goes back and forth between the different stages of the young thief’s life, slowly revealing details until, by the end of the story, you finally have a more or less complete picture of not only Widdershins/Adrienne as a character, but also the balance of power in the city of Davillon.
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
March 10, 2015
My library finally got Lost Covenant after I 'suggested' they buy it. So I am reading Thief's and False again, because they are good and deserve a review and not just stars.
I think I first read Thief 's Covenant in July of 2012 when False Covenant was released. I forgot how funny and sad this book is. I do not usually like books with multiple points of view, the death of multiple supporting characters, and confusing flashbacks. However, Marmell sucks me in and traps me with his elegant descriptions and subtle horror. Any adult who dismisses this book because it is labelled YA fantasy is missing a fantastic story. I am very glad Lost Convenant is out.
Although Widdershins's Adventures will never make my 'books to read when I feel bad' shelf, I love Olgun enough to add them to my favorites shelf.
I think I first read Thief 's Covenant in July of 2012 when False Covenant was released. I forgot how funny and sad this book is. I do not usually like books with multiple points of view, the death of multiple supporting characters, and confusing flashbacks. However, Marmell sucks me in and traps me with his elegant descriptions and subtle horror. Any adult who dismisses this book because it is labelled YA fantasy is missing a fantastic story. I am very glad Lost Convenant is out.
Although Widdershins's Adventures will never make my 'books to read when I feel bad' shelf, I love Olgun enough to add them to my favorites shelf.
December 12, 2020
Honestly, I didn't finish this one. I got a little over halfway through and just gave up. Part of that was definitely the depressive slump I've been in causing a ridiculous lack of motivation to do much of anything, but a bigger part of it was legitimate disappointment.
It's version 692 Million of YA Quirky Female Theif / Assassin Medieval-esque Fantasy Adventure and I would never judge it by that alone, because I LOVE that nonsense.
And it had a legitimate factor of intrigue. The impact of the gods and the unique world and the whole span of the cultural aspects included were actually really awesome. I am honestly saddened that I didn't get all the way through it and that I will not be picking up any of the sequels. It was COOL.
But it was like something a high schooler wrote at 2am while trying to avoid writing an essay worth half their quarter grade... It was... I mean, I don't think I'd even read fanfiction that was this unpolished.
The PoV hopping was sloppy, the time-jumps were erratic and confusing, the non-linear-ness didn't serve any actual point... And all the line-breaks... They were being used as space-holders because writing transition scenes is hard, and while using breaks like that (to just jump ahead instead of actually transitioning) is a legitimate drafting technique, you're supposed to go back an fill in those gaps eventually.
It's a tragedy, if you ask me.
Because I WANTED to like it. Badly.
But the writing was too immature to allow the story to be taken seriously.
This wasn't exactly an 'avoid at all costs' sort of story, but it's so close to the line that I'm including on the list to ensure that no one mistakes my reviewing it as any kind of recommendation for it...
It's version 692 Million of YA Quirky Female Theif / Assassin Medieval-esque Fantasy Adventure and I would never judge it by that alone, because I LOVE that nonsense.
And it had a legitimate factor of intrigue. The impact of the gods and the unique world and the whole span of the cultural aspects included were actually really awesome. I am honestly saddened that I didn't get all the way through it and that I will not be picking up any of the sequels. It was COOL.
But it was like something a high schooler wrote at 2am while trying to avoid writing an essay worth half their quarter grade... It was... I mean, I don't think I'd even read fanfiction that was this unpolished.
The PoV hopping was sloppy, the time-jumps were erratic and confusing, the non-linear-ness didn't serve any actual point... And all the line-breaks... They were being used as space-holders because writing transition scenes is hard, and while using breaks like that (to just jump ahead instead of actually transitioning) is a legitimate drafting technique, you're supposed to go back an fill in those gaps eventually.
It's a tragedy, if you ask me.
Because I WANTED to like it. Badly.
But the writing was too immature to allow the story to be taken seriously.
This wasn't exactly an 'avoid at all costs' sort of story, but it's so close to the line that I'm including on the list to ensure that no one mistakes my reviewing it as any kind of recommendation for it...
April 3, 2012
What a marvelous, well thought out book. Though the one thing that really stands out with Thief's Covenant is the writing itself. I can honestly say this book was fun to read, and I mean it in terms of not only the great plot and characters, but the amazing writing from the author. There are some of the best similes, metaphors, alliterations, etc. in here that I ever have had the pleasure of reading, and it did not feel overdone in the least.
The plot was great and it really was an entertaining read. It did feel too short towards the end though (perhaps because I was devouring it like mad), so needless to say, I anxiously await the next installment!
March 20, 2018
Rating: 4.5/5
I was pleasantly suprised by this. It's a fantasy adventure that doesn't get too bogged down by drawn out emotions or unnecessarily complicated plots. The main character is fun to read and the world is pretty cool as well. I would like to know a little bit more of the side characters and would definitely not complain if we see some romance in the sequels (my vote is for a certain grumpy mustached man).
I was pleasantly suprised by this. It's a fantasy adventure that doesn't get too bogged down by drawn out emotions or unnecessarily complicated plots. The main character is fun to read and the world is pretty cool as well. I would like to know a little bit more of the side characters and would definitely not complain if we see some romance in the sequels (my vote is for a certain grumpy mustached man).
March 6, 2024
YA sword and sorcery
Adrienne is 17 in the opening scene, which occurs immediately after 24 out of 26 members of a religious cult she belonged to were murdered. She remains the only living worshiper of an odd little god who resides inside her head. Where does she go after she escapes? What does she do to survive? Who knows?
Flashback to Adrienne at 9 years old. Her parents die in a fire. She is taken to an Oliver Twist type orphanage run by a callous nun. She only stays 48 hours, and then presumably ends up living on the streets. Where does she go after she escapes? What does she do to survive? Who knows?
Flash forward 2 years from the time of the opening scene, which would presumably make Adrienne 19. She is masquerading as an aristocrat named Madeleine at a fancy party at a huge mansion. She leaves the party, goes to a really bad part of town, removes her fancy dress and brown wig, and stuffs them in a canvas bag, which she had previously stowed in a mucky alley. She was wearing a Catwoman type black leotard underneath. Adrienne lives in that awful part of town, in a world with no indoor plumbing. How does she get clean enough to masquerade as an aristocrat? How does she get all the wrinkles out of her gown after stuffing it in a bag? Who knows?
Adrienne returns to the mansion where the party was held and sneaks in, with the help of the god inside her, and steals a big sack of gold coins. It is a huge amount of money, but we are informed in her thoughts that it will only last her a few months. Why is that, if she lives in a slum? Who knows?
Flashback 6 years to age 13. Adrienne is a child pickpocket who tries to steal a fancy sword. The aristocratic owner inexplicably stops his servant from shooting her dead. Why did he do that? Who knows?
Return to the present, age 19. Adrienne is being confronted in the tavern owned by an aristocratic woman with a club foot, who is her only live, human friend, by a group of armed men, who are there for a cut of the loot Adrienne stole the night before. Adrienne beats up five big guys, only using her fists and her feet, and then, instead of leaving and never coming back to the place where they know she typically hangs out, she sticks around, casually tossing back some booze with her friend the tavern owner. Why would Adrienne not care that she's going to inevitably end up getting her buddy killed? Well, finally, it's easy to guess the answer to this unexplained and unmotivated little mystery: Adrienne doesn't care enough about her only friend in the world to protect her from Adrienne's many enemies.
The story goes on and on from there, and it never stops being irritatingly confusing.
I am not normally a fan of sword and sorcery, and this particular story has done nothing to change my opinion of the genre.
First of all, like all of the settings of this type of fantasy, this story exists in a version of the Middle Ages in Europe. In this case, an alternate-universe rendering of France, because all of the names of people and places are in French. I much prefer fantasy authors who don't fill large amounts of page space with detailed, nausea-inducing descriptions of blood-soaked, or human-waste-flooded areas within the city in which the FMC lives.
Though Adrienne is, for the most part, an alienated loner in a hostile world, whose constant companion, the little god in her head, gets her into as much or more trouble than he gets her out of, there are multiple POV characters besides her in this novel, including several evil villains. For me, personally, there were far too many subcharacters to keep track of while listening to the GraphicAudio version of this novel.
Speaking of GA, their dramatized version of this novel is the only reason I involved myself with this story. I love their work so much that sometimes they can get me to at least try a book that I never would have been interested in at all otherwise, such as this one. But the more I immersed myself in this GA performance, the more surprised I became that they chose to produce this series. There was clearly no viable way for them to eliminate all of the vast amounts of omniscient narration that fills this novel. If they got rid of all of it, it would only be a one-hour production, if that much. But what makes a truely functional audioplay is when at least 95% of it consists of intriguing dialogue and action. Instead, a huge portion of the GA performance of this novel involves a voice actor proclaiming the incessant, boring "telling" of omniscient narration, versus what every other GA performance I've listened to offers, the engaging "showing" of dialogue and action.
Finally, the author uses an excessive amount of flowery language in the endless descriptions of the various settings that master thief, Adrienne, slips in and out of. This especially goes over-the-top when furniture, such as a chair, or desk, or bookcase, is anthropomorphized by the author assigning to them moods or attitudes. To me personally, this artistic approach is an aggravating waste of time, when I'm hoping to get to some actually entertaining dialogue or action.
Adrienne is 17 in the opening scene, which occurs immediately after 24 out of 26 members of a religious cult she belonged to were murdered. She remains the only living worshiper of an odd little god who resides inside her head. Where does she go after she escapes? What does she do to survive? Who knows?
Flashback to Adrienne at 9 years old. Her parents die in a fire. She is taken to an Oliver Twist type orphanage run by a callous nun. She only stays 48 hours, and then presumably ends up living on the streets. Where does she go after she escapes? What does she do to survive? Who knows?
Flash forward 2 years from the time of the opening scene, which would presumably make Adrienne 19. She is masquerading as an aristocrat named Madeleine at a fancy party at a huge mansion. She leaves the party, goes to a really bad part of town, removes her fancy dress and brown wig, and stuffs them in a canvas bag, which she had previously stowed in a mucky alley. She was wearing a Catwoman type black leotard underneath. Adrienne lives in that awful part of town, in a world with no indoor plumbing. How does she get clean enough to masquerade as an aristocrat? How does she get all the wrinkles out of her gown after stuffing it in a bag? Who knows?
Adrienne returns to the mansion where the party was held and sneaks in, with the help of the god inside her, and steals a big sack of gold coins. It is a huge amount of money, but we are informed in her thoughts that it will only last her a few months. Why is that, if she lives in a slum? Who knows?
Flashback 6 years to age 13. Adrienne is a child pickpocket who tries to steal a fancy sword. The aristocratic owner inexplicably stops his servant from shooting her dead. Why did he do that? Who knows?
Return to the present, age 19. Adrienne is being confronted in the tavern owned by an aristocratic woman with a club foot, who is her only live, human friend, by a group of armed men, who are there for a cut of the loot Adrienne stole the night before. Adrienne beats up five big guys, only using her fists and her feet, and then, instead of leaving and never coming back to the place where they know she typically hangs out, she sticks around, casually tossing back some booze with her friend the tavern owner. Why would Adrienne not care that she's going to inevitably end up getting her buddy killed? Well, finally, it's easy to guess the answer to this unexplained and unmotivated little mystery: Adrienne doesn't care enough about her only friend in the world to protect her from Adrienne's many enemies.
The story goes on and on from there, and it never stops being irritatingly confusing.
I am not normally a fan of sword and sorcery, and this particular story has done nothing to change my opinion of the genre.
First of all, like all of the settings of this type of fantasy, this story exists in a version of the Middle Ages in Europe. In this case, an alternate-universe rendering of France, because all of the names of people and places are in French. I much prefer fantasy authors who don't fill large amounts of page space with detailed, nausea-inducing descriptions of blood-soaked, or human-waste-flooded areas within the city in which the FMC lives.
Though Adrienne is, for the most part, an alienated loner in a hostile world, whose constant companion, the little god in her head, gets her into as much or more trouble than he gets her out of, there are multiple POV characters besides her in this novel, including several evil villains. For me, personally, there were far too many subcharacters to keep track of while listening to the GraphicAudio version of this novel.
Speaking of GA, their dramatized version of this novel is the only reason I involved myself with this story. I love their work so much that sometimes they can get me to at least try a book that I never would have been interested in at all otherwise, such as this one. But the more I immersed myself in this GA performance, the more surprised I became that they chose to produce this series. There was clearly no viable way for them to eliminate all of the vast amounts of omniscient narration that fills this novel. If they got rid of all of it, it would only be a one-hour production, if that much. But what makes a truely functional audioplay is when at least 95% of it consists of intriguing dialogue and action. Instead, a huge portion of the GA performance of this novel involves a voice actor proclaiming the incessant, boring "telling" of omniscient narration, versus what every other GA performance I've listened to offers, the engaging "showing" of dialogue and action.
Finally, the author uses an excessive amount of flowery language in the endless descriptions of the various settings that master thief, Adrienne, slips in and out of. This especially goes over-the-top when furniture, such as a chair, or desk, or bookcase, is anthropomorphized by the author assigning to them moods or attitudes. To me personally, this artistic approach is an aggravating waste of time, when I'm hoping to get to some actually entertaining dialogue or action.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
did-not-finish
August 3, 2021Well, I tried. I really did. I LOVE books about thieves, so naturally I was curious about this girl thief turned aristocrat turned thief again. Unfortunately, it was immediately clear that this was going to be a struggle to get through.
I could forgive the time jumps in the narrative (which went Two Years Ago, Eight Years Ago, Now, Six Years Ago, Now, Four Years Ago, Now, Four Years Ago......) and the way the Widdershins is written like someone's fantasy badass thief girl rather than a real person: she can blend in with the rich, she has ocean-blue eyes, she dons a black leather bodysuit under her gown that she can change into when sneaking around, she wears black leather gauntlets and a Batbelt of handy thief gear, she can scale vertical walls, she's evidently so jacked that she can do a gymnastics pullover from a horizontal position, and her daytime wear is essentially a Robin Hood outfit of green and brown.......Look, I get it. All of that sounds awesome and cool, and if I were writing a fanfic idealized female thief, this is probably exactly what I'd write. But, it doesn't feel like a *real* person. It sounds like a persona that you'd make of yourself for a D&D game.
I could forgive all that for the sake of a good, fun story......except for the writing. Oh lord, the writing. There is almost nothing harder to read than writing by an author who likes the sound of their own voice. Someone take this author's thesaurus away, and get him a better editor. Find him someone that can help trim out the fat. This book is less than 300 pages, but it could have been more like 200 pages if they'd just cut out the excessive descriptions and the overwriting.
Take just this one passage for example:
Between the comfortably padded chair, the heavy mahogany writing desk liberally dusted with sundry scraps of parchment, and the overburdened bookcase that skulked dejectedly against the far wall, she knew that this had to be the Doumerge's study.
Does EVERY item need to have two or three adjectives or adverbs applied to it?
Almost every sentence/paragraph was crammed full of this kind of writing. Let me find another example....Ah, yes, how about this character description:
The elder fellow boasted a dignified, regal demeanor, exuding the pride which came only with fantastic wealth. Other than a thin tract of gray that ran across the back of his head, he was bald as a snake's belly. His features were sharp, hawkish, especially the beak he called a nose. His tunic was wine purple and ruffled, his half cape of midnight blue, his trousers a rich red. It looked as though a bruise had thrown up on him, but then most of the aristocracy, in Adrienne's experience, dressed as though they'd been painted in watercolors by a blind artist.
My goodness. There's a lot to unpack there. I'm just going to let it sit for a minute before I dissect it........Wait, no, there's too much. I'm just going to say one thing: how can you describe someone as dignified and regal in the same paragraph that you say that they looked like "a bruise had thrown up" on them? How???
I considered pushing through this book because it's relatively short, but then I started bookmarking overwritten passages. Once that happens, it's all downhill from there. A full list of problematic sentences or paragraphs would have essentially been me typing up half of the book into my review.
I gave up.
I could forgive the time jumps in the narrative (which went Two Years Ago, Eight Years Ago, Now, Six Years Ago, Now, Four Years Ago, Now, Four Years Ago......) and the way the Widdershins is written like someone's fantasy badass thief girl rather than a real person: she can blend in with the rich, she has ocean-blue eyes, she dons a black leather bodysuit under her gown that she can change into when sneaking around, she wears black leather gauntlets and a Batbelt of handy thief gear, she can scale vertical walls, she's evidently so jacked that she can do a gymnastics pullover from a horizontal position, and her daytime wear is essentially a Robin Hood outfit of green and brown.......Look, I get it. All of that sounds awesome and cool, and if I were writing a fanfic idealized female thief, this is probably exactly what I'd write. But, it doesn't feel like a *real* person. It sounds like a persona that you'd make of yourself for a D&D game.
I could forgive all that for the sake of a good, fun story......except for the writing. Oh lord, the writing. There is almost nothing harder to read than writing by an author who likes the sound of their own voice. Someone take this author's thesaurus away, and get him a better editor. Find him someone that can help trim out the fat. This book is less than 300 pages, but it could have been more like 200 pages if they'd just cut out the excessive descriptions and the overwriting.
Take just this one passage for example:
Between the comfortably padded chair, the heavy mahogany writing desk liberally dusted with sundry scraps of parchment, and the overburdened bookcase that skulked dejectedly against the far wall, she knew that this had to be the Doumerge's study.
Does EVERY item need to have two or three adjectives or adverbs applied to it?
Almost every sentence/paragraph was crammed full of this kind of writing. Let me find another example....Ah, yes, how about this character description:
The elder fellow boasted a dignified, regal demeanor, exuding the pride which came only with fantastic wealth. Other than a thin tract of gray that ran across the back of his head, he was bald as a snake's belly. His features were sharp, hawkish, especially the beak he called a nose. His tunic was wine purple and ruffled, his half cape of midnight blue, his trousers a rich red. It looked as though a bruise had thrown up on him, but then most of the aristocracy, in Adrienne's experience, dressed as though they'd been painted in watercolors by a blind artist.
My goodness. There's a lot to unpack there. I'm just going to let it sit for a minute before I dissect it........Wait, no, there's too much. I'm just going to say one thing: how can you describe someone as dignified and regal in the same paragraph that you say that they looked like "a bruise had thrown up" on them? How???
I considered pushing through this book because it's relatively short, but then I started bookmarking overwritten passages. Once that happens, it's all downhill from there. A full list of problematic sentences or paragraphs would have essentially been me typing up half of the book into my review.
I gave up.
January 24, 2019
3 1/2 stars
Solid book. It reminded me a little of Lies of Locke Lamora meets Nevernight meets Mistborn. Longer review to come.
Solid book. It reminded me a little of Lies of Locke Lamora meets Nevernight meets Mistborn. Longer review to come.
December 23, 2014
I wish they allowed half-stars here, because this was definitely 3.5, a little better than "liked it" but infinitesimally below "liked it a lot." The best part about the book is the main character, Widdershins. She is everything you could want in a young, brash, kick-ass thief.
The writing was really good--expressive and descriptive, a lot of content within a slim book.
I had trouble with the timeline, since it jumped, not just between static past and present, but all over the place, from "now" to "two years ago" to "six years ago" to "last week," and that, combined with the introduction of characters who were in that timeline but not in the present one, was a bit taxing. (Although perhaps the fact that I am sick with a pernicious head cold made my powers of concentration less than they usually are.)
This is an immersive fantasy, and as one reviewer mentioned, the setting is somewhat like Renaissance France. I actually found that distracting--the French derivation of names etc. made me expect one thing, while this was something different. There is a pretty well developed panoply of gods the people worship, which felt more like a Greek setting, but the names, clothes, etc. were pure French. I would have liked it a bit better had the book created its own, unrelated-to-human-history, setting. I do see, however, that the French setting allowed Widdershins to come across as a certain sort of gamin girl--I could see her played by a younger version of that fabulous actress in Amelie, whose name I am blanking on (also due to the head cold).
I actually picked this up because of the name--I am such a fan of The Thief and its three sequels by Megan Whalen Turner that I will give any book with a thief as its protagonist a shot at impressing me--and while this isn't on that level of excellence, it was good!
So--my objective in promoting this at the library if it was a worthy candidate for remaining in the collection is achieved. I will review it for our blog, and hope that someone else picks it up and likes it too.
The writing was really good--expressive and descriptive, a lot of content within a slim book.
I had trouble with the timeline, since it jumped, not just between static past and present, but all over the place, from "now" to "two years ago" to "six years ago" to "last week," and that, combined with the introduction of characters who were in that timeline but not in the present one, was a bit taxing. (Although perhaps the fact that I am sick with a pernicious head cold made my powers of concentration less than they usually are.)
This is an immersive fantasy, and as one reviewer mentioned, the setting is somewhat like Renaissance France. I actually found that distracting--the French derivation of names etc. made me expect one thing, while this was something different. There is a pretty well developed panoply of gods the people worship, which felt more like a Greek setting, but the names, clothes, etc. were pure French. I would have liked it a bit better had the book created its own, unrelated-to-human-history, setting. I do see, however, that the French setting allowed Widdershins to come across as a certain sort of gamin girl--I could see her played by a younger version of that fabulous actress in Amelie, whose name I am blanking on (also due to the head cold).
I actually picked this up because of the name--I am such a fan of The Thief and its three sequels by Megan Whalen Turner that I will give any book with a thief as its protagonist a shot at impressing me--and while this isn't on that level of excellence, it was good!
So--my objective in promoting this at the library if it was a worthy candidate for remaining in the collection is achieved. I will review it for our blog, and hope that someone else picks it up and likes it too.
June 29, 2012
I decided I'd like what Jacob liked about this enough to deal with the dislikes I'll probably also dislike!
Well, I got the above right, anyway - both in terms of the liking and the disliking. Feeling too lacking in energy to say much about it, but one quote has to be shared:
So much wrong in just one sentence.
Like Jacob, I found the multiple timelines to be intrusive and eventually irritating, which was a shame because there was plenty of tension without the constant hops, and limiting the narrative to just two times would have helped a lot, I thought.
There was plenty to like as well, though this isn't for readers who like their protagonists to have anything approaching happy lives without gore and loss, loss, loss. I was just on the verge of getting tired of Widdershins and her ridiculous risk-taking when there was a nice little surprise about that. And I thought the world's religious system was quite interesting - especially as there wasn't the far-too-standard-by-now evil church.
I'll be reading the second book, though I'm kind of wondering what/who on earth is left for Widdershins to lose.
Well, I got the above right, anyway - both in terms of the liking and the disliking. Feeling too lacking in energy to say much about it, but one quote has to be shared:
The aromas of rotting garbage, alcohol, vomit, and human offal intertwined to form a vulgar scent that caressed the dank streets with all the false affection of a diseased trollop.
So much wrong in just one sentence.
Like Jacob, I found the multiple timelines to be intrusive and eventually irritating, which was a shame because there was plenty of tension without the constant hops, and limiting the narrative to just two times would have helped a lot, I thought.
There was plenty to like as well, though this isn't for readers who like their protagonists to have anything approaching happy lives without gore and loss, loss, loss. I was just on the verge of getting tired of Widdershins and her ridiculous risk-taking when there was a nice little surprise about that. And I thought the world's religious system was quite interesting - especially as there wasn't the far-too-standard-by-now evil church.
I'll be reading the second book, though I'm kind of wondering what/who on earth is left for Widdershins to lose.
January 29, 2023
I think Thief’s Covenant does exactly what it needs to do. I think I have a bit of nostalgia for it and this won’t necessarily hold up for adult readers reading this for the first time but this is a great YA series for those who like Mistborn and like thieving and fantasy gods. The dialogue is great and it is nice and fast paced. I think the worldbuilding and characters lack a little bit in this and I did not love the flashbacks, but these things improve over the next books. There’s kinda a lot going on and Marmell manages to get you acquainted and set up for the next books in under 300 pages. I’ll also add a note that I hated the Graphic Audio recording. I think GA is not for me so your mileage may vary, but I found it challenging to keep up and separate out voices and thoughts so I do not recommend the audio unfortunately. I tried to disregard that in this review but it may have still affected it.
May 6, 2020
Disappointed.
Wanted story about some smart thief but got story about clumsy girl who felt like some kind of sociopath most of the time.
Main characters trait is being Mary Sue.
Story went back and forth with time "2 years ago, present, 5 years ago, present, 3 years ago..." and that sucked hard, same with story, it jumped around so much for book so short.
There was humorous bits in the book that made me laugh but the ending went dark kinda fast.
There were some plot holes that did not get any explanation.
Wanted story about some smart thief but got story about clumsy girl who felt like some kind of sociopath most of the time.
Main characters trait is being Mary Sue.
Story went back and forth with time "2 years ago, present, 5 years ago, present, 3 years ago..." and that sucked hard, same with story, it jumped around so much for book so short.
There was humorous bits in the book that made me laugh but the ending went dark kinda fast.
There were some plot holes that did not get any explanation.
June 26, 2016
I need to stop forcing myself to finish mediocre YA fantasy.
This read like fanfic, which would be fine if I was looking to read fanfic. The characters were pretty flat and all the attempts at humor felt awkward and modern and really pulled me out of the more historical setting. It felt very amateur.
This read like fanfic, which would be fine if I was looking to read fanfic. The characters were pretty flat and all the attempts at humor felt awkward and modern and really pulled me out of the more historical setting. It felt very amateur.
March 29, 2012
Wow, what a well thought and put together story. This is what I have been missing with some of the tripe that gets published in this day and age.
I now have to go out and buy this book AND its sequal!
Loved it!
I now have to go out and buy this book AND its sequal!
Loved it!
April 10, 2012
A fun, well written fantasy. I really enjoyed the characters and their world, and look forward to reading more.
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