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The Legend of Eli Monpress #1
The Spirit Thief
Eli Monpress is talented. He's charming. And he's a thief.
But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan into effect.
The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he'll need to steal some big things. But he'll start small for now. He'll just steal something that no one will miss - at least for a while.
Like a king.
But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan into effect.
The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he'll need to steal some big things. But he'll start small for now. He'll just steal something that no one will miss - at least for a while.
Like a king.
179 pages, ebook
First published October 1, 2010
235 people are currently reading
10722 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Aaron
34 books3,044 followersHello, my name is Rachel Aaron, and I write the Heartstriker books, a new Urban Fantasy series about misfit dragons, starting with Nice Dragons Finish Last. I also wrote The Legend of Eli Monpress fantasy series for Orbit Books about a wizard thief and the poor bastards who have to try and stop him. PLUS I'm also the author of the new, rolicking fun Science Fiction romance Fortune's Pawn under the name Rachel Bach.
I was born in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Denver, CO with my lightspeed son, perpetually understanding husband, and far too many plants. Besides my own books, the internet knows me best for writing very fast. The best way to get to know me is probably to read my blog or follow me on Twitter.
I was born in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Denver, CO with my lightspeed son, perpetually understanding husband, and far too many plants. Besides my own books, the internet knows me best for writing very fast. The best way to get to know me is probably to read my blog or follow me on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 876 reviews
April 4, 2019
3.5*
Well this was super fun, and have a very interesting magic system.
Well this was super fun, and have a very interesting magic system.
December 25, 2011
So I'm giving this four stars because I have read all three books in the series and so I'm rating the series overall as such this far. The second and third books are actually better than this first one. A REALLY REALLY fun series that fantasy fans will enjoy if they like their entertainment fluffy and light, and the books get better and better, so I would definitely encourage you to check it out!
This is a familiar fantasy-renaissance world, but where everything has a "spirit", water and air and even objects like doors and signs etc. The hero of the story is Eli Monpress, a dude who wants to be the most famous thief in the world, and is basically obsessed with raising the bounty on his head. Eli can be kind of irritating in his egoism, but the other characters are great, I particularly love his companion characters, Nico and Josef. (And they get more and more interesting in books 2 and 3).
I really REALLY like the world building here, and as the books go on the world gets more and more fleshed out. Super fun and interesting, I love the sense of humor that a main character can TALK to a door. Overall there is a very tongue in cheek attitude here that I super loved. And there's no heavy romance stuff (which guys might appreciate in the morass of lady-fiction I'm uploading :) )
If you like Diana Wynne Jones or any light fantasy like Piers Anthony etc, I think you might really like this series! It is definitely written at a young adult level too, so teens would def like it.
I can't wait for the next one out next summer!
This is a familiar fantasy-renaissance world, but where everything has a "spirit", water and air and even objects like doors and signs etc. The hero of the story is Eli Monpress, a dude who wants to be the most famous thief in the world, and is basically obsessed with raising the bounty on his head. Eli can be kind of irritating in his egoism, but the other characters are great, I particularly love his companion characters, Nico and Josef. (And they get more and more interesting in books 2 and 3).
I really REALLY like the world building here, and as the books go on the world gets more and more fleshed out. Super fun and interesting, I love the sense of humor that a main character can TALK to a door. Overall there is a very tongue in cheek attitude here that I super loved. And there's no heavy romance stuff (which guys might appreciate in the morass of lady-fiction I'm uploading :) )
If you like Diana Wynne Jones or any light fantasy like Piers Anthony etc, I think you might really like this series! It is definitely written at a young adult level too, so teens would def like it.
I can't wait for the next one out next summer!
August 27, 2015
(also for: people who are secretly five)
This is a fantasy novel in which some fantasy-novel-things happen, mostly in the logical order. The author is mostly not illiterate (though there are a few baffling word choices, and seemingly no knowledge of elementary physics or anatomy). Only some of the characters are insufferable. Imagine a fantasy novel that has been adapted as a cartoon for very young children. Or imagine someone writing Mary Sue fanfics about a fantasy setting they read once, in which characters cross over from popular contemporary TV shows (so far as I know, none of these characters actually ARE hip teenagers from 21st century california putting on bad ren-fair impersonations of how ye people spoketh in ye olden days and shit... they just read that way). And as in those fanfics, everybody is invulnerable, and if they ever look vulnerable it's only for an instant before their previously unmentioned extra-super-invulnerability-powers come into effect. This eliminates any element of narrative tension, and becomes frankly ridiculous in the anime-style Final Boss Battle.
I was interested and surprised to see just how similar this was to the fantasy of my youth - the D&D novels, the David Eddings and so forth - to the point where I felt I'd already met several of the characters before. [In fact, you've met every element of this before, if you've read any fantasy... it's extremely derivative]. The big differences are the adoption of this curiously mixed semi-millenial, semi-fauxdieval style, and the fact that this is much shallower and less interesting than the old pulp fantasies were (there's no depth to the setting in the slightest, for instance). All the distinctive rough edges have been filed off in an attempt to produce something maximally unobjectionable.
The plus side of that, however, is that it really is more polished than they were. The prose is more capable than in a lot of old pulp, and likewise the grasp of pacing.
However, beyond a mild and slightly surprising goodwill that I feel toward it, and the fact that it was an easy read, I can't really think of any reasons at all to recommend it - there's nothing it does particularly well.
Having said that, I found it pleasant enough, in a pandering way, that I will probably read the sequel...
For my more detailed thoughts, and many more questionable analogies, see my review on my blog.
This is a fantasy novel in which some fantasy-novel-things happen, mostly in the logical order. The author is mostly not illiterate (though there are a few baffling word choices, and seemingly no knowledge of elementary physics or anatomy). Only some of the characters are insufferable. Imagine a fantasy novel that has been adapted as a cartoon for very young children. Or imagine someone writing Mary Sue fanfics about a fantasy setting they read once, in which characters cross over from popular contemporary TV shows (so far as I know, none of these characters actually ARE hip teenagers from 21st century california putting on bad ren-fair impersonations of how ye people spoketh in ye olden days and shit... they just read that way). And as in those fanfics, everybody is invulnerable, and if they ever look vulnerable it's only for an instant before their previously unmentioned extra-super-invulnerability-powers come into effect. This eliminates any element of narrative tension, and becomes frankly ridiculous in the anime-style Final Boss Battle.
I was interested and surprised to see just how similar this was to the fantasy of my youth - the D&D novels, the David Eddings and so forth - to the point where I felt I'd already met several of the characters before. [In fact, you've met every element of this before, if you've read any fantasy... it's extremely derivative]. The big differences are the adoption of this curiously mixed semi-millenial, semi-fauxdieval style, and the fact that this is much shallower and less interesting than the old pulp fantasies were (there's no depth to the setting in the slightest, for instance). All the distinctive rough edges have been filed off in an attempt to produce something maximally unobjectionable.
The plus side of that, however, is that it really is more polished than they were. The prose is more capable than in a lot of old pulp, and likewise the grasp of pacing.
However, beyond a mild and slightly surprising goodwill that I feel toward it, and the fact that it was an easy read, I can't really think of any reasons at all to recommend it - there's nothing it does particularly well.
Having said that, I found it pleasant enough, in a pandering way, that I will probably read the sequel...
For my more detailed thoughts, and many more questionable analogies, see my review on my blog.
November 15, 2016
Actual rating: 4.5
I had tons of fun with this book! Picked it up due to a recommendation from one of my favorite authors, Michael J Sullivan, and it turned out to be very entertaining! She seems to have the same writing style, well as close as you can get, to Sullivan. But she doesn't do as well at creating characters as Sullivan does. Well, let's face it, I don't think anyone does. My only complaint is that I didn't feel as much of a connection to many of the characters at first, but they grew on me. The first 1/4 of the book was super entertaining, then it died down a bit for the next 1/4, but picks back up for an amazing ride for the last half. It's got great action and a pretty neat magic system. I really liked how she used spirits for her magic system and you have to learn how to control or convince spirits into working with you. Or you can be an evil warlock and enslave them. I did roll my eyes, at first, at how suave Eli was and how he could get just about ANY spirit to work with him. But when we found out why he could, I was fine with it. All-in-all, I would highly suggest this book if you're in search of an entertaining and fun book.
I had tons of fun with this book! Picked it up due to a recommendation from one of my favorite authors, Michael J Sullivan, and it turned out to be very entertaining! She seems to have the same writing style, well as close as you can get, to Sullivan. But she doesn't do as well at creating characters as Sullivan does. Well, let's face it, I don't think anyone does. My only complaint is that I didn't feel as much of a connection to many of the characters at first, but they grew on me. The first 1/4 of the book was super entertaining, then it died down a bit for the next 1/4, but picks back up for an amazing ride for the last half. It's got great action and a pretty neat magic system. I really liked how she used spirits for her magic system and you have to learn how to control or convince spirits into working with you. Or you can be an evil warlock and enslave them. I did roll my eyes, at first, at how suave Eli was and how he could get just about ANY spirit to work with him. But when we found out why he could, I was fine with it. All-in-all, I would highly suggest this book if you're in search of an entertaining and fun book.
April 2, 2020
This is one of the books I chose to read for the Book Tempter's TBR Challenge which I've been enjoying whilst in hiding this month. I've had it on my TBR for a while and it's a book I was fairly sure I'd enjoy, but I hadn't got around to trying it just yet. Glad to say this did not disappoint and if you're a fan of Michael J Sullivan or the Greatcoats series by Sebastian de Castell then I think you would love this.
We follow the infamous Eli Monpress, greatest thief in the world, and his misadventures. The story starts with Monpress kidnapping a king, and it seems that there is rather a lot that Eli can do that other wizards if his world can't. He's joined by an intriguing young girl and Josef, the greatest swordsman in the world, on his thieving adventures, and together they're a band with a lot of mysterious backstory.
Alongside Eli we also follow Miranda who is a Spiritualist, and her spirits. Miranda is a member of a guild who enlist Spirits as servants and they work in tandem to do good. She's tasked with tracking down Eli and his friends and taking him in for all the thievery he's committed, however, when she finally meets Eli it's in the midst of a rather bad situation which means she has to work with him if things have a chance of returning to normality.
The magic of this world is based on everything having a spirit, a rock, a door, a storm and more. Each spirit could be bonded into servitude by a Spiritualist or it can be talked to and befriended like Eli. Equally they can be ensnared by evil people, and their powers stolen. The spirits of the world all feature as small side characters, and I think as a magical system it works well as it's straightforward but exciting.
The fast pacing of this meant I read it easily in two sittings, and enjoyed it, and I hope to go back to the rest of the story soon. It's a fun sword and sorcery which promises a lot more to come, and I look forward to discovering the next events. 4*s.
We follow the infamous Eli Monpress, greatest thief in the world, and his misadventures. The story starts with Monpress kidnapping a king, and it seems that there is rather a lot that Eli can do that other wizards if his world can't. He's joined by an intriguing young girl and Josef, the greatest swordsman in the world, on his thieving adventures, and together they're a band with a lot of mysterious backstory.
Alongside Eli we also follow Miranda who is a Spiritualist, and her spirits. Miranda is a member of a guild who enlist Spirits as servants and they work in tandem to do good. She's tasked with tracking down Eli and his friends and taking him in for all the thievery he's committed, however, when she finally meets Eli it's in the midst of a rather bad situation which means she has to work with him if things have a chance of returning to normality.
The magic of this world is based on everything having a spirit, a rock, a door, a storm and more. Each spirit could be bonded into servitude by a Spiritualist or it can be talked to and befriended like Eli. Equally they can be ensnared by evil people, and their powers stolen. The spirits of the world all feature as small side characters, and I think as a magical system it works well as it's straightforward but exciting.
The fast pacing of this meant I read it easily in two sittings, and enjoyed it, and I hope to go back to the rest of the story soon. It's a fun sword and sorcery which promises a lot more to come, and I look forward to discovering the next events. 4*s.
October 15, 2014
This series definitely has a strong start. It is a rapid paced, easy, and really fun read. The world building and magic system are both intriguing, and though there are many common tropes present in the story, it is told with a flair that makes it a distinctive read. I would definitely recommend this series to fans of the fantasy genre.
August 1, 2018
Too young and dumb for me, and this time I say that as an observation and a critique.
* * * * *
I don't usually rate books I don't finish, but I will have to from now on. Marking this as read and rating it to circumvent the Goodreads recommendation "algorithm" from recommending similar books. It seems that's the only way around the system.
* * * * *
I don't usually rate books I don't finish, but I will have to from now on. Marking this as read and rating it to circumvent the Goodreads recommendation "algorithm" from recommending similar books. It seems that's the only way around the system.
January 14, 2023
4.5 stars.
Just as delightful on reread. Luke Daniels nailed Eli's demeanour and made it even more enjoyable.
Full review of the first omnibus here
Just as delightful on reread. Luke Daniels nailed Eli's demeanour and made it even more enjoyable.
Full review of the first omnibus here
March 1, 2016
Final rating: 4/5 stars
Final rating - for the whole series: 4.5/5 stars
I just read whole series in 5 days and I want to make one review to encompass all 5 books in the series and my opinion on them.
To be honest, I kinda struggled with the first book. But the rest of them are worth it. Really worth it. This is that type of series where books get better with each book. For example, my ratings would be: book I - 4, II - 4.25, III - 4.5, IV - 4.75 & V - 5.
Why that way? The more I read, the more I realized that first two books were only introduction into something much bigger - the main story which happens in the last 3 books. And main story is much, much better than the first two books.
And now, having read all of the books, I have to say: THIS SERIES IS DAMN DIFFERENT (SOMEWHAT UNIQUE) LATER ON. And awesome! With great characters and interesting story and well done everything!
Why 4 in this book though? While I loveeeeeeeed the story, I didn't understand the characters in the beginning - they felt blank. But how the story went later on I understood them, especially when their pasts started revealing and when I got to see them for who they are. That way I can safely say I would marry Nico and Eli, and probably kick Josef until he landed in the ocean on the other side of the world and I would do the same for Miranda. They kinda deserve it. But Nico and Eli are precious characters that I love, Nico is amazing girl - and she and Eli both have something in common - they struggle to survive & be free.
These books are not focused on romance - if that's what you are looking for. In fact, there is some flirting here and there, some kisses here and there too, but it's NOT a focus and it's not about romance, but a story about doing anything to keep being free and doing everything to save people they care about.
Imagine if everything around you had a soul. IF you were a wizard, you would be able to hear what the door said, you would be able to contract with spirits and use them for self defense and for advices in exchange for power and obedience. These people are called Spiritualists/wizards.
There is also a force of nature that controls everything from the shadows - a white lady called the Shepherdess - and another force of nature, but complete opposite, a Demon who wants to devour every soul it can get it's hands on. But the Demon is trapped under the mountain and he can only spread his seeds into (un)willing humans and make them hosts for the demon seed (and the carriers of such seeds are called Demonseeds). Demoonseeds are humans who terrify the spirits - as soon as one is noticed all Spirits go into panic.
Demonseeds are hunted by the League - a force led by Lord of Storm, a man of great power, who follows Shepherdess' orders.
And lastly, across the sea there is a continent conquered by Immortal Empress.
Overall, the world building is great, especially later on when all comes to place.
This is a story of a thief wizard Eli, who can make every spirit listen to him and help him. His companions are Josef, a man who wants to become strongest swordsman in the world because he carries the strongest awakened sword "Heart of War" and a demonseed Nico.
The three of them are on a quest to make Eli the man with the highest bounty in the world. How to do that? Steal few HQ pictures here and there, steal a lot of stuff, steal a King... Whatever gets on Eli's mind.
But when he steals a King, he didn't count that it would throw the whole country in chaos - because in the kingdom of Mellinor, wizards are not looked upon kindly, and King's brother is a wizard which got cut off from succession because of it. And now he finally got the opportunity to occupy it now that his brother is kidnapped due to being a lucky target of Eli Monpress.
So, a Spirtualist Miranda and her ghosthound are dispatched to capture Eli and set things right - to make sure Eli doesn't ruin the reputation that wizards worked hard to get for so many years.
But Eli made a deal with a dangerous force and he must play by the rules he set, or else he would lose his freedom - forever.
On the other side, the Demon of the Dead Mountain wants to get free and he would do anything to achieve that.
There are four absolute main characters in the series:
◈ Eli Monpress is a man who wants to become the most notorious man in the world. He would steal anything if it would make his bounty higher. One could say he is a total Attention Whore and that wouldn't be an overstatement. After all, Eli lives for making his bounty as high as possible. His bounty is his everything - after all, his whole future and even life depends on it. Once he made a bet - and that bet is the only thing allowing him to roam free in the world, and if he fails, he would have his freedom taken away and be forced to live a life which is for him worse than death. Being a wizard, he can charm his way out of almost all situations, but the thing is... He is a very special wizard.
Eli is a kind person, who over time understood what it means alive and what it means to have people who are close to you and who you can love, for which he would do anything if that would mean they could be safe. What hurt me the most through the series is the fact that people have habit of misjudging him and his actions even when he is downright honest and literally begs. Everyone is used to him having a plan under a plan. (For example, I almost cried when )But overall, he is a reckless, stubborn and very enthusiastic person. Being a Gentleman thief requires delicacy as well.
◈ Josef Liechten is a swordsman who wants his past to be forgotten. He wants nothing more than to be the greatest swordsman in the world. After all, he is carrying the strongest sword in the world - Heart of War - which has a mind of it's own. Heart chose Josef as a wielder, but Josef believes he is not worthy of using such a sword until he is the same level as it. He can also use any type of the sword, be it a short sword, long sword, two handed, daggers, throwing daggers - he is a literal walking armory. But, aside from his sword, he cares a lot about Nico, a girl he saved from dying. He met Eli on a mission but decided it would be best to follow him instead because that way he would be able to face many strong opponents.
Josef is a very... tricky person. What he wants to do, he does. He is stubborn and a person who sometimes judges too harshly... sometimes with a good reason. I can't say I have been his fan because I haven't - and during the five books I have read, I didn't really care about him.
◈ Nico is a demonseed. She is literally possessed by a demon in the form of seed which is in her chest. But because of it she can regenerate very fast, can move through the shadows and go anywhere. But Nico feels indebted to the man who saved her life, Josef, and wants nothing more than to stay by him. Even when the whole world wanted her to die, except for the Master Demon who urged her to fall into depravity, Josef wanted her to live and stay herself.
Nico is a wonderful bundle of pure cutness which needs to be protected at all costs. She wants to stay alive, she fights everyday to stay human, to not fall into the darkness her Master (Demon of the Dead Mountain) wants and she wants nothing more than to stay with Josef and help him and his ambitions. But later in the story, she becomes so strong that my love for her knows no bounds.
◈ Miranda Lyonette is a member of the Spirit Court sent to capture Eli Monpress before he tarnishes the reputation the Spirtualists worked so hard to achieve. But her missions don't always go like planned. Miranda is dutiful, honor bound and spirits are her everything - even more than humans. She would always do what is right - even if it defies the laws set by her council or even laws set by humans.
Miranda is an action heroine who follows what is right. She despises people who enslave spirits (force their will on them to make them do their bidding) and would do everything to stop them. But, like Josef, she judges too harshly sometimes without even listening to reason.
Also, there is no talking about Miranda if her spirits are not mentioned as well. Her spirits are cute, loyal and interesting. But most of all is Gin - a ghosthound she freed and convinced to work with her - and they get along so well it's so hard to see Miranda without Gin with her.
◈ Others:
There are more characters in the story, and a lot of them impact it greatly, but many of them appear more in the later book, but I have to write about few more characters - which will include some minor spoilers. But I will put every serious one under the separate spoiler tags.
Interesting series - it is worth reading once you pass first book. Books 3-5 are each about one of the characters - 3 is for Nico, 4 is for Josef and 5th is for Eli. Miranda got her short story as well Spirit's Oath about her past, and this is what I loved. I love when I meet the characters through their pasts because otherwise they feel bland.
Overall, unique ideas, great world building and strong ending - Either there were no plot holes or I did not notice them at all. But overall, for that ending, and for Eli, it is worth it.
The next section is based on all of the books.
LIKED:
☑ Characters and their development through the books. Especially Eli and Nico.
☑ Ideas, especially book 2, 4 and 5.
☑ Different perspective on demons and gods and fantastic world building.
☑ Conclusion of all 5 books.
DISLIKED:
☒ Slow paced beginning into the series, it takes at least 2 books to figure out how main characters think
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:
⚠ Standalone: No. Series of 5 books + a prequel story about Miranda's past. Completed.
⚠ Point of View: Third person, multiply POVs.
⚠ Cliffhanger: Only in fourth one.
⚠ Triggers:
⚠ Love triangle: NO. THANK GOD.
⚠ Angst: Of course. But not always. It's usually funny.
⚠ Supernatural: Yes. Gods, spirits and wizards that talk to spirits. And demons, unique demons.
⚠ Explicit content: No.
⚠ Ending type:
⚠ Note: It's wonderful series with unique ideas, wonderful world building and great characters once you pass first 2 books. Their development come through 3, 4 and 5th book.
Final rating - for the whole series: 4.5/5 stars
“First rule of thievery,' Eli said, grinning, 'only run if you're not coming back.' (...)
'First rule of thievery, never use the same entrance twice.' Miranda rolled her eyes. 'How many 'first rules' of thievery do you have?'
'When one mistake can mean your head on a pike, every rule's a first rule,' Eli said cheerfully.”
I just read whole series in 5 days and I want to make one review to encompass all 5 books in the series and my opinion on them.
To be honest, I kinda struggled with the first book. But the rest of them are worth it. Really worth it. This is that type of series where books get better with each book. For example, my ratings would be: book I - 4, II - 4.25, III - 4.5, IV - 4.75 & V - 5.
Why that way? The more I read, the more I realized that first two books were only introduction into something much bigger - the main story which happens in the last 3 books. And main story is much, much better than the first two books.
And now, having read all of the books, I have to say: THIS SERIES IS DAMN DIFFERENT (SOMEWHAT UNIQUE) LATER ON. And awesome! With great characters and interesting story and well done everything!
Why 4 in this book though? While I loveeeeeeeed the story, I didn't understand the characters in the beginning - they felt blank. But how the story went later on I understood them, especially when their pasts started revealing and when I got to see them for who they are. That way I can safely say I would marry Nico and Eli, and probably kick Josef until he landed in the ocean on the other side of the world and I would do the same for Miranda. They kinda deserve it. But Nico and Eli are precious characters that I love, Nico is amazing girl - and she and Eli both have something in common - they struggle to survive & be free.
These books are not focused on romance - if that's what you are looking for. In fact, there is some flirting here and there, some kisses here and there too, but it's NOT a focus and it's not about romance, but a story about doing anything to keep being free and doing everything to save people they care about.
► WORLD BUILDING:
Imagine if everything around you had a soul. IF you were a wizard, you would be able to hear what the door said, you would be able to contract with spirits and use them for self defense and for advices in exchange for power and obedience. These people are called Spiritualists/wizards.
There is also a force of nature that controls everything from the shadows - a white lady called the Shepherdess - and another force of nature, but complete opposite, a Demon who wants to devour every soul it can get it's hands on. But the Demon is trapped under the mountain and he can only spread his seeds into (un)willing humans and make them hosts for the demon seed (and the carriers of such seeds are called Demonseeds). Demoonseeds are humans who terrify the spirits - as soon as one is noticed all Spirits go into panic.
Demonseeds are hunted by the League - a force led by Lord of Storm, a man of great power, who follows Shepherdess' orders.
And lastly, across the sea there is a continent conquered by Immortal Empress.
Overall, the world building is great, especially later on when all comes to place.
► STORY:
This is a story of a thief wizard Eli, who can make every spirit listen to him and help him. His companions are Josef, a man who wants to become strongest swordsman in the world because he carries the strongest awakened sword "Heart of War" and a demonseed Nico.
The three of them are on a quest to make Eli the man with the highest bounty in the world. How to do that? Steal few HQ pictures here and there, steal a lot of stuff, steal a King... Whatever gets on Eli's mind.
But when he steals a King, he didn't count that it would throw the whole country in chaos - because in the kingdom of Mellinor, wizards are not looked upon kindly, and King's brother is a wizard which got cut off from succession because of it. And now he finally got the opportunity to occupy it now that his brother is kidnapped due to being a lucky target of Eli Monpress.
So, a Spirtualist Miranda and her ghosthound are dispatched to capture Eli and set things right - to make sure Eli doesn't ruin the reputation that wizards worked hard to get for so many years.
But Eli made a deal with a dangerous force and he must play by the rules he set, or else he would lose his freedom - forever.
On the other side, the Demon of the Dead Mountain wants to get free and he would do anything to achieve that.
► CHARACTERS:
There are four absolute main characters in the series:
◈ Eli Monpress is a man who wants to become the most notorious man in the world. He would steal anything if it would make his bounty higher. One could say he is a total Attention Whore and that wouldn't be an overstatement. After all, Eli lives for making his bounty as high as possible. His bounty is his everything - after all, his whole future and even life depends on it. Once he made a bet - and that bet is the only thing allowing him to roam free in the world, and if he fails, he would have his freedom taken away and be forced to live a life which is for him worse than death. Being a wizard, he can charm his way out of almost all situations, but the thing is... He is a very special wizard.
Eli is a kind person, who over time understood what it means alive and what it means to have people who are close to you and who you can love, for which he would do anything if that would mean they could be safe. What hurt me the most through the series is the fact that people have habit of misjudging him and his actions even when he is downright honest and literally begs. Everyone is used to him having a plan under a plan. (For example, I almost cried when )But overall, he is a reckless, stubborn and very enthusiastic person. Being a Gentleman thief requires delicacy as well.
◈ Josef Liechten is a swordsman who wants his past to be forgotten. He wants nothing more than to be the greatest swordsman in the world. After all, he is carrying the strongest sword in the world - Heart of War - which has a mind of it's own. Heart chose Josef as a wielder, but Josef believes he is not worthy of using such a sword until he is the same level as it. He can also use any type of the sword, be it a short sword, long sword, two handed, daggers, throwing daggers - he is a literal walking armory. But, aside from his sword, he cares a lot about Nico, a girl he saved from dying. He met Eli on a mission but decided it would be best to follow him instead because that way he would be able to face many strong opponents.
Josef is a very... tricky person. What he wants to do, he does. He is stubborn and a person who sometimes judges too harshly... sometimes with a good reason. I can't say I have been his fan because I haven't - and during the five books I have read, I didn't really care about him.
◈ Nico is a demonseed. She is literally possessed by a demon in the form of seed which is in her chest. But because of it she can regenerate very fast, can move through the shadows and go anywhere. But Nico feels indebted to the man who saved her life, Josef, and wants nothing more than to stay by him. Even when the whole world wanted her to die, except for the Master Demon who urged her to fall into depravity, Josef wanted her to live and stay herself.
Nico is a wonderful bundle of pure cutness which needs to be protected at all costs. She wants to stay alive, she fights everyday to stay human, to not fall into the darkness her Master (Demon of the Dead Mountain) wants and she wants nothing more than to stay with Josef and help him and his ambitions. But later in the story, she becomes so strong that my love for her knows no bounds.
◈ Miranda Lyonette is a member of the Spirit Court sent to capture Eli Monpress before he tarnishes the reputation the Spirtualists worked so hard to achieve. But her missions don't always go like planned. Miranda is dutiful, honor bound and spirits are her everything - even more than humans. She would always do what is right - even if it defies the laws set by her council or even laws set by humans.
Miranda is an action heroine who follows what is right. She despises people who enslave spirits (force their will on them to make them do their bidding) and would do everything to stop them. But, like Josef, she judges too harshly sometimes without even listening to reason.
Also, there is no talking about Miranda if her spirits are not mentioned as well. Her spirits are cute, loyal and interesting. But most of all is Gin - a ghosthound she freed and convinced to work with her - and they get along so well it's so hard to see Miranda without Gin with her.
◈ Others:
There are more characters in the story, and a lot of them impact it greatly, but many of them appear more in the later book, but I have to write about few more characters - which will include some minor spoilers. But I will put every serious one under the separate spoiler tags.
► OVERALL:
Interesting series - it is worth reading once you pass first book. Books 3-5 are each about one of the characters - 3 is for Nico, 4 is for Josef and 5th is for Eli. Miranda got her short story as well Spirit's Oath about her past, and this is what I loved. I love when I meet the characters through their pasts because otherwise they feel bland.
Overall, unique ideas, great world building and strong ending - Either there were no plot holes or I did not notice them at all. But overall, for that ending, and for Eli, it is worth it.
The next section is based on all of the books.
LIKED:
☑ Characters and their development through the books. Especially Eli and Nico.
☑ Ideas, especially book 2, 4 and 5.
☑ Different perspective on demons and gods and fantastic world building.
☑ Conclusion of all 5 books.
DISLIKED:
☒ Slow paced beginning into the series, it takes at least 2 books to figure out how main characters think
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:
⚠ Standalone: No. Series of 5 books + a prequel story about Miranda's past. Completed.
⚠ Point of View: Third person, multiply POVs.
⚠ Cliffhanger: Only in fourth one.
⚠ Triggers:
⚠ Love triangle: NO. THANK GOD.
⚠ Angst: Of course. But not always. It's usually funny.
⚠ Supernatural: Yes. Gods, spirits and wizards that talk to spirits. And demons, unique demons.
⚠ Explicit content: No.
⚠ Ending type:
⚠ Note: It's wonderful series with unique ideas, wonderful world building and great characters once you pass first 2 books. Their development come through 3, 4 and 5th book.
December 23, 2025
Honestly, what a fun fantasy romp!
This is the book you read if you love a sassy, too-smart-for-his-own-good main character like Locke Lamora, but without the grimdark tone and content.
My favorite part about this book was the magic system. Rachel Aaron uses elemental magic but with a fascinating mechanics and cost aspect that I enjoyed immensely. There were some great character moments, especially toward the end of the book. And while the tone of the book never felt harsh or grim, there was a lot of heart woven through the pages and I was invested in the outcome almost immediately.
What starts out as a heist turned kidnapping quickly derails into a large scale ordeal, and our carefree rogue MC Eli the thief finds himself caught up in the middle of other people's problems.
This is the perfect read for fans of classic fantasy, who like their villains to be one notch away from mustache-twirly and their heroes to be of the anti variety. Top it all off with an intriguing magic system and some mysterious character history, and you have The Spirit Thief. Great, enjoyable book. I look forward to the next one.
This is the book you read if you love a sassy, too-smart-for-his-own-good main character like Locke Lamora, but without the grimdark tone and content.
My favorite part about this book was the magic system. Rachel Aaron uses elemental magic but with a fascinating mechanics and cost aspect that I enjoyed immensely. There were some great character moments, especially toward the end of the book. And while the tone of the book never felt harsh or grim, there was a lot of heart woven through the pages and I was invested in the outcome almost immediately.
What starts out as a heist turned kidnapping quickly derails into a large scale ordeal, and our carefree rogue MC Eli the thief finds himself caught up in the middle of other people's problems.
This is the perfect read for fans of classic fantasy, who like their villains to be one notch away from mustache-twirly and their heroes to be of the anti variety. Top it all off with an intriguing magic system and some mysterious character history, and you have The Spirit Thief. Great, enjoyable book. I look forward to the next one.
August 11, 2014
Cool magic and unbelievably funny narrative voice. I loved Rachel Aaron's Paradox scifi series (written as Rachel Bach), but after reading this, it's official: I'll read anything she writes! Eli Monpress is a charmer for sure.
Review to come.
Review to come.
May 3, 2017
Full review at Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2017/0...
The story, overall, is fun, starting out with Eli, the greatest thief of all time, stealing not the typical salable items, but rather a King. I mean, sure, you hear stories of princesses being stolen in the night and held for ransom or whatever other nefarious reasons someone might have to steal them. But stealing a king is a bit more unexpected, not to mention ambitious.
I think I had two issues with this book, which unfortunately, turn out are not trivial when it came to my enjoyment. First, while on the surface, the premise of each of the characters sounds intriguing, in execution I don’t feel like they were fleshed out enough to feel any connection to them, including Eli. It was just missing something for me, and I decided while the concepts were good, there just didn’t seem to be enough there to fully engage me. Perhaps readers that prefer action over characters, this will not be an issue.
The other area I struggled with is that everything just felt over the top for me. There were certain scenes I am guessing others will love, but just didn’t work for me. For instance, persuading a door to let him through. I often don’t do well with anthropomorphic creatures, so anthropomorphic inanimate objects is just something that rarely works for me. Like I said, others will love this aspect, and that’s great. It just wasn’t for me and probably creates more of a detachment from the story in my case.
And then there was the humor, often a sticking point for me. Unfortunately I think choosing the audiobook production probably made this humor harder for me to swallow. Eli is a character that is supposed to be funny, and I was at the mercy of the narrator’s performance. How he delivered the lines and jokes may have been spot on with what the author intended, but I would prefer a bit less overt delivery of the jokes. You can say the same joke multiple ways, and the emphasis can really impact how it is received. When I have control of the emphasis, I can tone down overt humor a bit (if that makes any sense to anyone else). The performance in this made it a more over the type of humor than I enjoy. Please keep in mind, I often struggle with overt humor in books, so if you don’t, just ignore me.
Overall, I think it is a decent book, but was likely not a great fit for me. I may have done better with the print version, but I suspect even then I would still have listed most of the same concerns, especially with the characters, just the humor may have worked better for me.
The story, overall, is fun, starting out with Eli, the greatest thief of all time, stealing not the typical salable items, but rather a King. I mean, sure, you hear stories of princesses being stolen in the night and held for ransom or whatever other nefarious reasons someone might have to steal them. But stealing a king is a bit more unexpected, not to mention ambitious.
I think I had two issues with this book, which unfortunately, turn out are not trivial when it came to my enjoyment. First, while on the surface, the premise of each of the characters sounds intriguing, in execution I don’t feel like they were fleshed out enough to feel any connection to them, including Eli. It was just missing something for me, and I decided while the concepts were good, there just didn’t seem to be enough there to fully engage me. Perhaps readers that prefer action over characters, this will not be an issue.
The other area I struggled with is that everything just felt over the top for me. There were certain scenes I am guessing others will love, but just didn’t work for me. For instance, persuading a door to let him through. I often don’t do well with anthropomorphic creatures, so anthropomorphic inanimate objects is just something that rarely works for me. Like I said, others will love this aspect, and that’s great. It just wasn’t for me and probably creates more of a detachment from the story in my case.
And then there was the humor, often a sticking point for me. Unfortunately I think choosing the audiobook production probably made this humor harder for me to swallow. Eli is a character that is supposed to be funny, and I was at the mercy of the narrator’s performance. How he delivered the lines and jokes may have been spot on with what the author intended, but I would prefer a bit less overt delivery of the jokes. You can say the same joke multiple ways, and the emphasis can really impact how it is received. When I have control of the emphasis, I can tone down overt humor a bit (if that makes any sense to anyone else). The performance in this made it a more over the type of humor than I enjoy. Please keep in mind, I often struggle with overt humor in books, so if you don’t, just ignore me.
Overall, I think it is a decent book, but was likely not a great fit for me. I may have done better with the print version, but I suspect even then I would still have listed most of the same concerns, especially with the characters, just the humor may have worked better for me.
March 17, 2020
4 Stars (Excellent)
The Spirit Thief was charmingly surprising and a strong fantasy read! This was my first 'go round' with Rachel Aaron, and she didn't fail to impress! What's not to like about a thief who wants to become the most sought after and wanted criminal in the land? Only Eli Monpress can accomplish this. He is talented. He's charming. And he's a very sarcastic and at times not so impressive thief. Yet, as the narrative progressed, Rachel Aaron kept throwing surprises at the reader, and a magic system unlike any I've seen before. I was hooked!
The Lengend of Eli Monpress is a gem of a book that just has it all: great characters, enjoyable storyline, good storytelling and above all, enough well placed humour that puts a smile on your face while you're reading. The magic system is achieved by communicating with spirits, and wizardry is accomplished by either 'capturing' a spirit or 'convincing' the spirit to help you! Pretty much the entire world is bounded by spirits, i.e. a door that doesn't want to open can be coaxed speaking to its 'spirit door' to hook you up and open just a little bit. And so son. Most wizards are able to 'bind' themselves with spirits- but Eli is pretty special, as he has a certain wizard charm and can make any spirit do any shit he so desires! The results are both much fun and lead to a fast engaging narrative.
The Spirit Thief's writing is fluid and the prose is at times downright hilarious! Along with Eli, a not-expected allies in a small girl and an ever powerful swordsman lead to great adventures. The plot is rather linear, but some surprises along the way kept me engaged almost as if playing a 'video game'. In the end the 'boss battle' was pretty grand and sweet, and I'm definitely planning on reading the several additional books.
4 Stars
The Spirit Thief was charmingly surprising and a strong fantasy read! This was my first 'go round' with Rachel Aaron, and she didn't fail to impress! What's not to like about a thief who wants to become the most sought after and wanted criminal in the land? Only Eli Monpress can accomplish this. He is talented. He's charming. And he's a very sarcastic and at times not so impressive thief. Yet, as the narrative progressed, Rachel Aaron kept throwing surprises at the reader, and a magic system unlike any I've seen before. I was hooked!
The Lengend of Eli Monpress is a gem of a book that just has it all: great characters, enjoyable storyline, good storytelling and above all, enough well placed humour that puts a smile on your face while you're reading. The magic system is achieved by communicating with spirits, and wizardry is accomplished by either 'capturing' a spirit or 'convincing' the spirit to help you! Pretty much the entire world is bounded by spirits, i.e. a door that doesn't want to open can be coaxed speaking to its 'spirit door' to hook you up and open just a little bit. And so son. Most wizards are able to 'bind' themselves with spirits- but Eli is pretty special, as he has a certain wizard charm and can make any spirit do any shit he so desires! The results are both much fun and lead to a fast engaging narrative.
The Spirit Thief's writing is fluid and the prose is at times downright hilarious! Along with Eli, a not-expected allies in a small girl and an ever powerful swordsman lead to great adventures. The plot is rather linear, but some surprises along the way kept me engaged almost as if playing a 'video game'. In the end the 'boss battle' was pretty grand and sweet, and I'm definitely planning on reading the several additional books.
4 Stars
October 31, 2020
I rate 3.5
This is obviously a first novel of a series, and at least I like the ending.
It is just my personal taste, I read this book for a fantasy heist, and this book is more like a fantasy wizard fight story. I was ready to put as a 3 star since half story. At least this book was better entertaining me than my previous fiction novel.
I like the band members: a sly anti hero, a strong swordsman, and a wildcard; with interesting interactions between them. As a rag-tag team sucker, this band composition is good enough for me to check the next book. But not so soon, I still search a fantasy heist story.
This is obviously a first novel of a series, and at least I like the ending.
It is just my personal taste, I read this book for a fantasy heist, and this book is more like a fantasy wizard fight story. I was ready to put as a 3 star since half story. At least this book was better entertaining me than my previous fiction novel.
I like the band members: a sly anti hero, a strong swordsman, and a wildcard; with interesting interactions between them. As a rag-tag team sucker, this band composition is good enough for me to check the next book. But not so soon, I still search a fantasy heist story.
Read
May 26, 2018No rating. Stopped at about 40%.
I think it might just have been me, but I just could not connect with any of these characters. It's not poorly written and there are elements reminiscent of one of my favorite YA series, Queen's Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. But it just didn't hook me and I felt I gave it enough time.
Again, it might have been me and bad timing for me to start a new-to-me series from a new-to-me author. Especially fantasy where world building is so important and really takes a readers' concentration.
So, don't let me put you off if you find the blurb interesting.
I think it might just have been me, but I just could not connect with any of these characters. It's not poorly written and there are elements reminiscent of one of my favorite YA series, Queen's Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. But it just didn't hook me and I felt I gave it enough time.
Again, it might have been me and bad timing for me to start a new-to-me series from a new-to-me author. Especially fantasy where world building is so important and really takes a readers' concentration.
So, don't let me put you off if you find the blurb interesting.
December 6, 2023
Wow! Just wow this was so much fun.
July 24, 2019
Wow. So, I haven't had that much fun with a new book since Witches Incorporated, last year.
How I explain this series. Everything has a spirit, every rock, tree, cat, river. Wizards are the ones who can talk to the spirits. Some wizards are enslavers and force the spirits to do their bidding. Other wizards are spiritualists who take spirits as friends/servants and work with them in mutual relationship.
Then there's Eli, who's neither. He just cons the spirits into doing what he wants, like conning a door into letting him out of prison.
Reader thoughts: This series starts off light-hearted and fun. You read the first book and think little about it except that it was a great story. The second book opens a few more aspects of the world. The third leaves you very curious with just a glimpse into the higher realm of how things work. The fourth leaves you desperate to know what happens and how it all came to be this way and how-did-I-not-know-all-that-in-the-first-book feeling. The fifth was INTENSE. No kidding. So intense I had to set the book down and take a walk around the apartment. Twice.
Original review:
Characters. Not well-developed yet, but I can see how there's plenty of room for me to learn more about them in books to come. They are consistent, and the reader learns about them, just doesn't learn much. It's not a big enough book, though.
Beings. A good plethora, from spirits, Great Spirits, humans, wizards, ghosthounds, and demons (and whatever the Shepherdess is). I hope there will be a few more like the ghosthounds.
Magic. I love the way some people abuse their power and how it's an ethical debate and the different factions and how Eli doesn't side with any of them.
Conflicts. Perfect. With Eli against the King, and the King's brother against the King, and the wizardess against Eli and the King's brother, then enemies of enemies become friends. :)
Pacing. Perfect. Everything happens within a few days, and characters keep acting all at the same time.
Ending. Perfect. Evil destroys the wicked, good character has problems, friend steps in to help, big bad magic goes against big good magic and I won't say more. :)
Writer thoughts: The magic system is very well done and very well defined, what a person could and could not do and how magical strength played into it. RA knows how to keep her world consistent. She knows what beats to hit and when. Her cast is small, focused, and her scale grows more epic. With this series, she delves into character ideas and pasts without lots of inner dialogue. Fascinating how that works.
How I explain this series. Everything has a spirit, every rock, tree, cat, river. Wizards are the ones who can talk to the spirits. Some wizards are enslavers and force the spirits to do their bidding. Other wizards are spiritualists who take spirits as friends/servants and work with them in mutual relationship.
Then there's Eli, who's neither. He just cons the spirits into doing what he wants, like conning a door into letting him out of prison.
Reader thoughts: This series starts off light-hearted and fun. You read the first book and think little about it except that it was a great story. The second book opens a few more aspects of the world. The third leaves you very curious with just a glimpse into the higher realm of how things work. The fourth leaves you desperate to know what happens and how it all came to be this way and how-did-I-not-know-all-that-in-the-first-book feeling. The fifth was INTENSE. No kidding. So intense I had to set the book down and take a walk around the apartment. Twice.
Original review:
Characters. Not well-developed yet, but I can see how there's plenty of room for me to learn more about them in books to come. They are consistent, and the reader learns about them, just doesn't learn much. It's not a big enough book, though.
Beings. A good plethora, from spirits, Great Spirits, humans, wizards, ghosthounds, and demons (and whatever the Shepherdess is). I hope there will be a few more like the ghosthounds.
Magic. I love the way some people abuse their power and how it's an ethical debate and the different factions and how Eli doesn't side with any of them.
Conflicts. Perfect. With Eli against the King, and the King's brother against the King, and the wizardess against Eli and the King's brother, then enemies of enemies become friends. :)
Pacing. Perfect. Everything happens within a few days, and characters keep acting all at the same time.
Ending. Perfect. Evil destroys the wicked, good character has problems, friend steps in to help, big bad magic goes against big good magic and I won't say more. :)
Writer thoughts: The magic system is very well done and very well defined, what a person could and could not do and how magical strength played into it. RA knows how to keep her world consistent. She knows what beats to hit and when. Her cast is small, focused, and her scale grows more epic. With this series, she delves into character ideas and pasts without lots of inner dialogue. Fascinating how that works.
June 23, 2013
Rachel Aaron's The Legend of Eli Monpress is a series that has repeatedly popped up on my recommendations lists in the past; I swear every few weeks I'll be browsing through suggestions on my online book stores or Goodreads pages as usual and this blue cover will show up, with the man's face on it flashing his sly little smile at me. It's like he's saying, "READ ME! Come on, you know you wanna!"
Obviously, my curiosity gotten the better of me, or more accurately, World Without End's Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge gave me the perfect excuse and motivation to finally pick this book up and read it. And I'm happy to report, I wasn't disappointed.
The book begins with a kidnapping. Eli Monpress, the greatest thief of his age and also a talented wizard, has decided to pull off the greatest theft the world has ever seen, and what greater theft is there than the stealing away of a nation's king? His plans to increase his notoriety fall through, however, when he unwittingly brings about political turmoil that could threaten the kingdom and even the spirits of the land. Miranda Lyonette, the spiritualist tasked to hunt Eli, ends up joining forces with him and his friends to put a stop to the evil forces before they can destroy everything.
I've noticed that in recent years, the genre of fantasy has evolved towards being darker and grittier, and on the whole I feel it's a good trend. Still, every once in a while it's still nice to see something like The Spirit Thief that's fun, down-to-earth and makes you feel good after reading it. There's a lighthearted feel to the story, but there's also enough suspense in it to hook you. I for one found it very engrossing from the get-go.
I also found the magic system intriguing. The wizards in this world don't perform magic directly per se; instead they make requests or set up arrangements with the spirits that exist in everything from mundane objects like doors to the natural elements like the air, lava, or even full bodies of water. Miranda the spiritualist, for example, maintains symbiotic relationships with multiple spirits who serve her, and in return she provides them safe places to reside and lets them feed off her magic.
My only issue is a minor one. It has to do with the characters and a feeling that they haven't met their full potential. For one thing, the series' eponymous character feels merely like a side character, and while Eli is described as roguish and charming, I can't help but think of him as more cocky and annoyingly obnoxious. Maybe it has to do with how much he's constantly described as "grinning", and all I can picture in my head is that cover image every single time. The same goes for his companions Josef the swordsman and Nico the demonseed; both are very interesting, but don't seem to feature prominently enough for me to truly care about what happens to them.
My feelings for the characters not withstanding, this was a good start to what looks to be a series I definitely want to keep reading. If the rest of the books are as entertaining and fun as this first one, I think I'll enjoy it quite a bit.
See more reviews at The BiblioSanctum
Obviously, my curiosity gotten the better of me, or more accurately, World Without End's Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge gave me the perfect excuse and motivation to finally pick this book up and read it. And I'm happy to report, I wasn't disappointed.
The book begins with a kidnapping. Eli Monpress, the greatest thief of his age and also a talented wizard, has decided to pull off the greatest theft the world has ever seen, and what greater theft is there than the stealing away of a nation's king? His plans to increase his notoriety fall through, however, when he unwittingly brings about political turmoil that could threaten the kingdom and even the spirits of the land. Miranda Lyonette, the spiritualist tasked to hunt Eli, ends up joining forces with him and his friends to put a stop to the evil forces before they can destroy everything.
I've noticed that in recent years, the genre of fantasy has evolved towards being darker and grittier, and on the whole I feel it's a good trend. Still, every once in a while it's still nice to see something like The Spirit Thief that's fun, down-to-earth and makes you feel good after reading it. There's a lighthearted feel to the story, but there's also enough suspense in it to hook you. I for one found it very engrossing from the get-go.
I also found the magic system intriguing. The wizards in this world don't perform magic directly per se; instead they make requests or set up arrangements with the spirits that exist in everything from mundane objects like doors to the natural elements like the air, lava, or even full bodies of water. Miranda the spiritualist, for example, maintains symbiotic relationships with multiple spirits who serve her, and in return she provides them safe places to reside and lets them feed off her magic.
My only issue is a minor one. It has to do with the characters and a feeling that they haven't met their full potential. For one thing, the series' eponymous character feels merely like a side character, and while Eli is described as roguish and charming, I can't help but think of him as more cocky and annoyingly obnoxious. Maybe it has to do with how much he's constantly described as "grinning", and all I can picture in my head is that cover image every single time. The same goes for his companions Josef the swordsman and Nico the demonseed; both are very interesting, but don't seem to feature prominently enough for me to truly care about what happens to them.
My feelings for the characters not withstanding, this was a good start to what looks to be a series I definitely want to keep reading. If the rest of the books are as entertaining and fun as this first one, I think I'll enjoy it quite a bit.
See more reviews at The BiblioSanctum
January 1, 2013
2.5 stars
Originally reviewed: 7/1/2012
Unfortunately, for how excited I was about that opening line, how enjoyable it was to see Eli talk to a door and how quirky and fun the whole scene felt, that was as far as it went. It felt to me that all of the effort of catching the reader’s eye was put into that first chapter and the rest sort of paled in comparison. We never really get to know any of the characters. We’re given the impression there’s a story behind Miranda and her ghosthound, Gin. But that’s only because as readers we can recognize that set-up, some witty banter here or there, a caring touch or look, we know there’s more than just Spirtualist and ghosthound here. But that’s all we’re given! Every scene where we’re actually in Eli’s head is nothing compared to that opening scene. In fact, Eli quickly becomes that classic over-cocky thief that always has a witty remark prepared. That would be fine, if we got to know something else about him that pulled him out of that trope, but we don’t.
While I understood what was happening and I knew everyone’s motivation for what they did, I didn’t feel any need to care. So Eli wants his bounty to be one million whatever-the-currency-is-called. I get the impression from the blurb on the back cover that there’s a greater reason behind this than just him wanting a new poster, but we’re given nothing to work with. In fact, Eli reminds me of Flynn Rider (Disney’s Tangled) with none of the character development.
Finally, the abuse of similes was painful. I say this not to be snarky or mean but because it literally stilted my ability to get into the setting. There were too many ‘this felt like this’ or ‘that flowed like this’ for me to wholly visualize a single scenario.
Read the entire review HERE.
Originally reviewed: 7/1/2012
Unfortunately, for how excited I was about that opening line, how enjoyable it was to see Eli talk to a door and how quirky and fun the whole scene felt, that was as far as it went. It felt to me that all of the effort of catching the reader’s eye was put into that first chapter and the rest sort of paled in comparison. We never really get to know any of the characters. We’re given the impression there’s a story behind Miranda and her ghosthound, Gin. But that’s only because as readers we can recognize that set-up, some witty banter here or there, a caring touch or look, we know there’s more than just Spirtualist and ghosthound here. But that’s all we’re given! Every scene where we’re actually in Eli’s head is nothing compared to that opening scene. In fact, Eli quickly becomes that classic over-cocky thief that always has a witty remark prepared. That would be fine, if we got to know something else about him that pulled him out of that trope, but we don’t.
While I understood what was happening and I knew everyone’s motivation for what they did, I didn’t feel any need to care. So Eli wants his bounty to be one million whatever-the-currency-is-called. I get the impression from the blurb on the back cover that there’s a greater reason behind this than just him wanting a new poster, but we’re given nothing to work with. In fact, Eli reminds me of Flynn Rider (Disney’s Tangled) with none of the character development.
Finally, the abuse of similes was painful. I say this not to be snarky or mean but because it literally stilted my ability to get into the setting. There were too many ‘this felt like this’ or ‘that flowed like this’ for me to wholly visualize a single scenario.
Read the entire review HERE.
January 23, 2017
This is really easy going, funny and entertaining popcorn fantasy!
"I should not like that" was more or less my first thought when starting this book, when the main character talks to a door. A wooden door. Yes - you read that right! And the door even answers and has a conversation with Eli, and decides it actually didn't like to have nails in it. How good for Eli, who needs to get to the other side of that door, and that is quite easy walking over a pile of boards on the floor... Say what?
I have no idea WHY it works - but it does! Instead of shaking my head and putting it down, I kept and kept on reading... I really enjoyed the humour in it, and loved the characters! It also had a bit of a Pokémon vibe for me, mixed with what felt like "Hitchhikers guide" to me.
I smiled, giggled and laughed - I also held my breath and stared.
If you want something really entertaining but not too full on comedy, this is perfect!
"I should not like that" was more or less my first thought when starting this book, when the main character talks to a door. A wooden door. Yes - you read that right! And the door even answers and has a conversation with Eli, and decides it actually didn't like to have nails in it. How good for Eli, who needs to get to the other side of that door, and that is quite easy walking over a pile of boards on the floor... Say what?
I have no idea WHY it works - but it does! Instead of shaking my head and putting it down, I kept and kept on reading... I really enjoyed the humour in it, and loved the characters! It also had a bit of a Pokémon vibe for me, mixed with what felt like "Hitchhikers guide" to me.
I smiled, giggled and laughed - I also held my breath and stared.
If you want something really entertaining but not too full on comedy, this is perfect!
February 3, 2012
Ugh. It's one thing to write for a younger audience. It's another to write for people you clearly think are idiots. I couldn't find a single character with anything resembling realistic motivations or reactions. The heroes feel like they were written by an 8 year-old asking "wouldn't it be cool if". Everyone else feels like they were written by an 8 year-old asking "who wouldn't want that?" In other words, the world is populated by meanie-heads and egotists with a supporting cast of henchmen and sycophants.
May 31, 2024
“Power for service.
Strenght for obedience.”
3.5
Fantasía+ladrón de guante blanco+espiritús de la naturaleza +espadas
mágicas+demonios+humor+magos= atrapada.
“I’m Eli Monpress, the greatest thief in the world. I’m worth more gold dead than most people will see in two lifetimes, and this is only the beginning”.
Esta novela me la he leído en inglés y es una pena porque no esté traducida al español. Ojalá algún día se decidan a hacerlo con algunas de sus obras porque siento que merecen mucho la pena. No la recomendaría para aquellos que comienzan a leer en este idioma. Si bien la pluma de la autora es ligera hay mucho vocabulario específico del mundo y de fantasía. Por este motivo, recomendaría leer otros antes de adentrarse a esta novela.
“Me? I, one of those confidents tricksters, manipulator of spirits ? Why the very thought offends me !"
Rachel Aaron estás conquistando mi corazón de poco a poco, aunque no he llegado a terminar ninguna de sus sagas las dos que tengo abiertas estoy encantada y con ganas de seguir. Sinceramente quería hacer una reseña más detallada pero últimamente me es imposible.
“The world we live in is made of spirits. Mountains, trees, water, even the stones in the wall or the bench I’m sitting on. They each have their own souls, just as humans do. ”
El argumento, así como el sistema puede ser cliché, sin embargo, la forma de escribir de la autora y los personajes lo mitigan: ella se toma su tiempo en ordenar todas las ideas para que exploten en el momento justo, a esto le añade sus toques de humor y personajes carismáticos y tienes una historia entretenida y llena de vida. Al menos esta ha sido mi experiencia con cada uno de sus libros.
“First rule of dungeons, don’t pin all your hopes on a gullible door."
En conclusión, me ha encantado y espero que si la catan les guste tanto como a mí.
“I will watch your back, mistress, so never let you will falter”.
Strenght for obedience.”
3.5
Fantasía+ladrón de guante blanco+espiritús de la naturaleza +espadas
mágicas+demonios+humor+magos= atrapada.
“I’m Eli Monpress, the greatest thief in the world. I’m worth more gold dead than most people will see in two lifetimes, and this is only the beginning”.
Esta novela me la he leído en inglés y es una pena porque no esté traducida al español. Ojalá algún día se decidan a hacerlo con algunas de sus obras porque siento que merecen mucho la pena. No la recomendaría para aquellos que comienzan a leer en este idioma. Si bien la pluma de la autora es ligera hay mucho vocabulario específico del mundo y de fantasía. Por este motivo, recomendaría leer otros antes de adentrarse a esta novela.
“Me? I, one of those confidents tricksters, manipulator of spirits ? Why the very thought offends me !"
Rachel Aaron estás conquistando mi corazón de poco a poco, aunque no he llegado a terminar ninguna de sus sagas las dos que tengo abiertas estoy encantada y con ganas de seguir. Sinceramente quería hacer una reseña más detallada pero últimamente me es imposible.
“The world we live in is made of spirits. Mountains, trees, water, even the stones in the wall or the bench I’m sitting on. They each have their own souls, just as humans do. ”
El argumento, así como el sistema puede ser cliché, sin embargo, la forma de escribir de la autora y los personajes lo mitigan: ella se toma su tiempo en ordenar todas las ideas para que exploten en el momento justo, a esto le añade sus toques de humor y personajes carismáticos y tienes una historia entretenida y llena de vida. Al menos esta ha sido mi experiencia con cada uno de sus libros.
“First rule of dungeons, don’t pin all your hopes on a gullible door."
En conclusión, me ha encantado y espero que si la catan les guste tanto como a mí.
“I will watch your back, mistress, so never let you will falter”.
April 16, 2020
It was fun but I did expect a lot more going into it. I’ve had friends liken this series to some other great works from authors that I love. The characters were fun and the magic has great potential but as a whole the book came off as very juvenile.
Should I keep going? Does it get any better?
Should I keep going? Does it get any better?
August 21, 2016
3,5/5 stars
This took me far, far longer than the length justifies, but I guess I wasn't in the right mood. Sometimes it's just like that, I guess.
Also... I was a bit disappointed. So I guess 3,5 stars is not really a bad rating by any means and to me, the around 3 can mean two things.
Either the book had some good ideas and some pleasant stuff, but some mistakes made me unable to give more, or (like here), something was kind of missing.
The story was about Eli Monpress, a master thief, with two friends, Josef and Nico, and the aspiration of having a one million gold bounty on his head. But this time he needed to work together with Miranda, a Spiritualist, part of a very serious and very regulated guild (church? gang? country? sect?) of magic users. Eli kidnapped a king, things turned shitty, they got framed for stuff they didn't do. Ya know.
Part of the issue is that 'ya know'. I don't feel the story was particularly original. Things happened, it was really short, didn't really have enough room for something super spectacular and deep. Not like I mind that all that much, just entertain me. Here... sometimes it was a bit lacking and I think I actually know the reason.
Not enough time for setting things up. Sure, not everyone loves a gazillion pages long fantasy brick every day of the week, I'm with that, totally, but here the world seemed to lack a certain depth at this point. There were moments that I knew with my rational mind were supposed to have suspense, like a to-death swordfight and all, but I just couldn't feel anything, as it was a culmination of events we don't know about. Imagine a final fight with characters you don't even know, without a context. Not very gripping.
I think part of this comes from Miss Aaron probably spending a lot of time working on the story in her head before actually making it happen. This is just my theory, but her already feeling like these people are her babies and not seeing it all with a fresh eye plays a part.
Another issue was the mistakes. She compares the city to sand dollar, which is a word derived from a currency that doesn't exist in the book. At one moment there is moonlight, then suddenly sunlight without time passing. She describes blue light as warm. She says a fresh, yellow bruise is standing out stark on pale skin, even though A, fresh bruises aren't yellow, they take that colour as they heal and B, yellow is not stark on pale.
Some careful person reading through would have picked up all of these, so I have no idea what her editor and the people actually checking the book did here. Not much, I suppose. These things bother me, not gonna lie, especially with books that got out through a proper publisher.
I'm pretty convinced that I gave it a fair chance, though, and I actually kind of liked the characters, the way they are all quirky and just feel like total misfits. I'm a sucker for that kind of a stuff and it is the reason why I will most likely go on with the series. Maybe it gets better. Maybe discovering more about them and their history and motivations will actually make me care about them more.
It really wasn't such a bad book. Was it brilliant? Nah. So right now I'm not sure how much I am sold on it. Rachel Aaron still needs to do a lot of work to convince me properly, but that is okay, I guess. I'm also kind of interested in her dragon shifter urban fantasy series, because it sounds kind of fun, so we have room for her spreading her wings and blowing my mind.
It's just a bit disappointing, especially right after Sebastien de Castell and his absolute brilliance. A bit of an unfair comparison, the guy is just really good, especially when you look at how he is working on his first series.
All in all, I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this, it is fine, but I doubt I will enthusiastically recommend it to anyone if the series will be consistently like this first installation.
Now spirit yourself away, guys!
This took me far, far longer than the length justifies, but I guess I wasn't in the right mood. Sometimes it's just like that, I guess.
Also... I was a bit disappointed. So I guess 3,5 stars is not really a bad rating by any means and to me, the around 3 can mean two things.
Either the book had some good ideas and some pleasant stuff, but some mistakes made me unable to give more, or (like here), something was kind of missing.
The story was about Eli Monpress, a master thief, with two friends, Josef and Nico, and the aspiration of having a one million gold bounty on his head. But this time he needed to work together with Miranda, a Spiritualist, part of a very serious and very regulated guild (church? gang? country? sect?) of magic users. Eli kidnapped a king, things turned shitty, they got framed for stuff they didn't do. Ya know.
Part of the issue is that 'ya know'. I don't feel the story was particularly original. Things happened, it was really short, didn't really have enough room for something super spectacular and deep. Not like I mind that all that much, just entertain me. Here... sometimes it was a bit lacking and I think I actually know the reason.
Not enough time for setting things up. Sure, not everyone loves a gazillion pages long fantasy brick every day of the week, I'm with that, totally, but here the world seemed to lack a certain depth at this point. There were moments that I knew with my rational mind were supposed to have suspense, like a to-death swordfight and all, but I just couldn't feel anything, as it was a culmination of events we don't know about. Imagine a final fight with characters you don't even know, without a context. Not very gripping.
I think part of this comes from Miss Aaron probably spending a lot of time working on the story in her head before actually making it happen. This is just my theory, but her already feeling like these people are her babies and not seeing it all with a fresh eye plays a part.
Another issue was the mistakes. She compares the city to sand dollar, which is a word derived from a currency that doesn't exist in the book. At one moment there is moonlight, then suddenly sunlight without time passing. She describes blue light as warm. She says a fresh, yellow bruise is standing out stark on pale skin, even though A, fresh bruises aren't yellow, they take that colour as they heal and B, yellow is not stark on pale.
Some careful person reading through would have picked up all of these, so I have no idea what her editor and the people actually checking the book did here. Not much, I suppose. These things bother me, not gonna lie, especially with books that got out through a proper publisher.
I'm pretty convinced that I gave it a fair chance, though, and I actually kind of liked the characters, the way they are all quirky and just feel like total misfits. I'm a sucker for that kind of a stuff and it is the reason why I will most likely go on with the series. Maybe it gets better. Maybe discovering more about them and their history and motivations will actually make me care about them more.
It really wasn't such a bad book. Was it brilliant? Nah. So right now I'm not sure how much I am sold on it. Rachel Aaron still needs to do a lot of work to convince me properly, but that is okay, I guess. I'm also kind of interested in her dragon shifter urban fantasy series, because it sounds kind of fun, so we have room for her spreading her wings and blowing my mind.
It's just a bit disappointing, especially right after Sebastien de Castell and his absolute brilliance. A bit of an unfair comparison, the guy is just really good, especially when you look at how he is working on his first series.
All in all, I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this, it is fine, but I doubt I will enthusiastically recommend it to anyone if the series will be consistently like this first installation.
Now spirit yourself away, guys!
January 16, 2023
4.5 stars
Another Rachel Aaron book that I loved. I'm sensing a delightful pattern here which says I should read another of her books asap.
Another Rachel Aaron book that I loved. I'm sensing a delightful pattern here which says I should read another of her books asap.
July 19, 2021
3.5 stars
What a fun first book!
Can't wait to learn more about Eli's group, their mysterious pasts and the extent of their abilities.
What a fun first book!
Can't wait to learn more about Eli's group, their mysterious pasts and the extent of their abilities.
May 10, 2016
The magic in this book is really interesting - everything (even inanimate objects) has a spirit and can communicate. I especially loved how Eli works with the things around him. I'm definitely interested in continuing on with the series.
November 5, 2025
3.5 stars.
Short and sweet. A lovely reread
Short and sweet. A lovely reread
December 28, 2021
Ahoy there mateys! This was an enjoyable popcorn read that dealt with a thief. I am a sucker for those stories. However the thief was the least enjoyable character. I liked Josef the swordsman and Nico the demonseed much better. I did enjoy the magic system. There is a ghosthound. But really the major problem is that the story details faded too quickly and led to me not wanting to read more of this series. No regrets though. I did love this author's series Night Shift Dragons. I will read other things by her. Arrrr!
September 5, 2017
What I liked :
- The writing - light, fun and fast paced. Just like instant noodles.
- Therapy for a door
- bounty hunters
- sword fights
- giant ghost hounds
- magic system with spirits in absolutely everything.
- exiled and exasperated kings
- Marion - the librarian. She was interesting and unique - I wish she were the female lead instead. Curious, nervous, resourceful, hidden spine, considerate, open minded
- nemesis
-Funny
“Gin,” she said loudly, “if anyone gives you trouble, don’t bother asking permission, just eat them.”
“Treason against the Spirit Court? Don’t you have to be a member of something to commit treason against it? I don’t recall ever joining your little social club.”
“Just a thief?” Miranda gave him an incredulous look. “You kidnapped the king of a council kingdom.”
“I was going to give him back,” Eli said, splashing a handful of water on his face.
“You,” Renaud said, scowling, “protect me? What would you do, sneak up behind him and make a speech?
What I didn't like :
Miranda
I have a list of reasons for not liking her -
1 Smug
2 Irritating
3 know it all with faulty / incomplete information
4 interfering
5 thoughtless
Will I continue? Definitely, Maybe
- The writing - light, fun and fast paced. Just like instant noodles.
- Therapy for a door
- bounty hunters
- sword fights
- giant ghost hounds
- magic system with spirits in absolutely everything.
- exiled and exasperated kings
- Marion - the librarian. She was interesting and unique - I wish she were the female lead instead. Curious, nervous, resourceful, hidden spine, considerate, open minded
- nemesis
-Funny
“Gin,” she said loudly, “if anyone gives you trouble, don’t bother asking permission, just eat them.”
“Treason against the Spirit Court? Don’t you have to be a member of something to commit treason against it? I don’t recall ever joining your little social club.”
“Just a thief?” Miranda gave him an incredulous look. “You kidnapped the king of a council kingdom.”
“I was going to give him back,” Eli said, splashing a handful of water on his face.
“You,” Renaud said, scowling, “protect me? What would you do, sneak up behind him and make a speech?
What I didn't like :
Miranda
I have a list of reasons for not liking her -
1 Smug
2 Irritating
3 know it all with faulty / incomplete information
4 interfering
5 thoughtless
Will I continue? Definitely, Maybe
Displaying 1 - 30 of 876 reviews