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Chimera #1
An Illusion of Thieves
In Cantagna, being a sorcerer is a death sentence.
Romy escapes her hardscrabble upbringing when she becomes courtesan to the Shadow Lord, a revolutionary noble who brings laws and comforts once reserved for the wealthy to all. When her brother, Neri, is caught thieving with the aid of magic, Romy's aristocratic influence is the only thing that can spare his life—and the price is her banishment.
Now back in Beggar’s Ring, she has just her wits and her own long-hidden sorcery to help her and Neri survive. But when a plot to overthrow the Shadow Lord and incite civil war is uncovered, only Romy knows how to stop it. To do so, she’ll have to rely on newfound allies—a swordmaster, a silversmith, and her own thieving brother. And they'll need the very thing that could condemn them magic.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Romy escapes her hardscrabble upbringing when she becomes courtesan to the Shadow Lord, a revolutionary noble who brings laws and comforts once reserved for the wealthy to all. When her brother, Neri, is caught thieving with the aid of magic, Romy's aristocratic influence is the only thing that can spare his life—and the price is her banishment.
Now back in Beggar’s Ring, she has just her wits and her own long-hidden sorcery to help her and Neri survive. But when a plot to overthrow the Shadow Lord and incite civil war is uncovered, only Romy knows how to stop it. To do so, she’ll have to rely on newfound allies—a swordmaster, a silversmith, and her own thieving brother. And they'll need the very thing that could condemn them magic.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 2019
114 people are currently reading
7743 people want to read
About the author
Cate Glass
4 books136 followersCate Glass is a writer of the fantasy adventure series Chimera. Cate Glass is also a pen name of Carol Berg, award-winning and bestselling author of fifteen epic fantasy novels and half a dozen novellas and short stories.
Though Cate's home has a great view of the Colorado Rockies, she has lived a large portion of her life in realms of mystery and adventure - Middle Earth, Camelot, Amber, Wonderland, Harry Dresden's Chicago, Jim Chee's New Mexico, Cheltenham race track or the colleges of Oxford, Victorian London, Cold War Berlin, the Welsh borderlands, River Heights, Marvel's version of Hell's Kitchen...you get the drift.
While studying mathematics and software engineering at Rice University and the University of Colorado respectively, Cate carved out a special place for studies in English and History of Art and reading, reading, reading.
A few years into a career as a software development engineer, Cate took up a hobby of writing her own fiction. Many manuscripts later (see Carol Berg's bibliography) Cate is deep into the stories of the Chimera.
Cate enjoys binging on movies and (well-written!) TV, as well as camping, hiking, and biking with her mechanical engineer spouse, and three sons who juggle music and teaching, software and carpentry, rocket science and ice hockey.
Though Cate's home has a great view of the Colorado Rockies, she has lived a large portion of her life in realms of mystery and adventure - Middle Earth, Camelot, Amber, Wonderland, Harry Dresden's Chicago, Jim Chee's New Mexico, Cheltenham race track or the colleges of Oxford, Victorian London, Cold War Berlin, the Welsh borderlands, River Heights, Marvel's version of Hell's Kitchen...you get the drift.
While studying mathematics and software engineering at Rice University and the University of Colorado respectively, Cate carved out a special place for studies in English and History of Art and reading, reading, reading.
A few years into a career as a software development engineer, Cate took up a hobby of writing her own fiction. Many manuscripts later (see Carol Berg's bibliography) Cate is deep into the stories of the Chimera.
Cate enjoys binging on movies and (well-written!) TV, as well as camping, hiking, and biking with her mechanical engineer spouse, and three sons who juggle music and teaching, software and carpentry, rocket science and ice hockey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews
July 8, 2019
This sucked me in right away- not so much because of the plot, but I loved the characters and the world building/setting. The setting is inspired by renaissance Italy. Although we could detract points for it being a European setting, I do think Italy is one of the rarer European settings, and I also felt like Glass did an excellent job of it making it unique (this is a godless empire for starters, which was kind of refreshing). Cantagna has seen it’s share of tyrant rulers and strife, so a decent portion of the population lives in poverty, keeping the setting dark and gritty.
Adding to that, Romy is a courtesan, and it was actually a relatively positive portrayal of a sex worker, so that was refreshing too. I will say though: the Shadow Lord technically owns Romy, which we all know is wrong, but there is no violence, no rape, etc. She is grateful and happy to be with him (her life before him sucked). So it definitely delves into some muddy water there. I’d compare the relationship to that of the one between Belle and Beast, just something I want to note because I can understand why this would be problematic for some readers. I don’t want to say this is a small part of the book, because their relationship is integral to the plot, but it also manages to not be the focus. As an aside, there are no sex scenes and very little romance.
Romy won me over right from the beginning as a character. There’s a scene where the wife of the Shadow Lord is gloating about her being cast out, and Romy instead of responding in a catty or jealous way, offers to help his wife however she can should she ever need it. In all their dealings with each other she always acted as the “bigger” person so to speak, and it was just nice that it never defaulted into the trope of two girls fighting over a man.
The main characters in this book are all sorcerers and I loved the variety of abilities they possessed among them (they only seem to have one ability each). I also really loved the diverging arcs between Romy and her brother Neri. Romy helps her brother grow a lot as a character, while at the same time, mourning the loss of her Shadow Lord and her old life, we see her enter a sort of downward spiral. Again- it was a refreshing arc for a character to have.
It wasn’t quite a five star read for me for a couple of very minor reasons. The first is that this is a slow burn sort of book where we don’t get to the heart of the plot until well after the halfway point. Many of the things prior to that are all set up, and as a result the plot felt a little thin (the characters and setting were so great, I just didn’t care that much in this case).
My second issue is with a stylistic choice that was made, that makes perfect sense for the book and I can see why the author did it that way, but is one that I found really jarring and kind of took me out of the moment when I encountered it. It only happens in a couple of chapters so again, no big deal.
I am absolutely chomping at the bit to get my hands on the next book and highly recommend this to any fantasy reader.
Adding to that, Romy is a courtesan, and it was actually a relatively positive portrayal of a sex worker, so that was refreshing too. I will say though: the Shadow Lord technically owns Romy, which we all know is wrong, but there is no violence, no rape, etc. She is grateful and happy to be with him (her life before him sucked). So it definitely delves into some muddy water there. I’d compare the relationship to that of the one between Belle and Beast, just something I want to note because I can understand why this would be problematic for some readers. I don’t want to say this is a small part of the book, because their relationship is integral to the plot, but it also manages to not be the focus. As an aside, there are no sex scenes and very little romance.
Romy won me over right from the beginning as a character. There’s a scene where the wife of the Shadow Lord is gloating about her being cast out, and Romy instead of responding in a catty or jealous way, offers to help his wife however she can should she ever need it. In all their dealings with each other she always acted as the “bigger” person so to speak, and it was just nice that it never defaulted into the trope of two girls fighting over a man.
The main characters in this book are all sorcerers and I loved the variety of abilities they possessed among them (they only seem to have one ability each). I also really loved the diverging arcs between Romy and her brother Neri. Romy helps her brother grow a lot as a character, while at the same time, mourning the loss of her Shadow Lord and her old life, we see her enter a sort of downward spiral. Again- it was a refreshing arc for a character to have.
It wasn’t quite a five star read for me for a couple of very minor reasons. The first is that this is a slow burn sort of book where we don’t get to the heart of the plot until well after the halfway point. Many of the things prior to that are all set up, and as a result the plot felt a little thin (the characters and setting were so great, I just didn’t care that much in this case).
My second issue is with a stylistic choice that was made, that makes perfect sense for the book and I can see why the author did it that way, but is one that I found really jarring and kind of took me out of the moment when I encountered it. It only happens in a couple of chapters so again, no big deal.
I am absolutely chomping at the bit to get my hands on the next book and highly recommend this to any fantasy reader.
June 17, 2019
Thank you so much to MacMillan - Tor/Forge, Tor Books for the e-ARC of An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass. Provided through NetGalley, all opinions are my own!
An Illusion of Thieves is a refreshing new (appropriate for young adult, but not, my bad) novel about a sister and brother who must first learn to coexist, and then foil an attempt by a rival group to start a civil war.
*description omitted here*
So I really enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons, first being that I am sick of romance in young adult novels. This book instead focuses on a first tentative, then beautiful slow burn hate-to-sibling-love relationship and character building between Romy and Neri. They form a real sister and brother bond and eventually while reading, it dawned on me that Neri is the true central character. I love how he goes from criminal angst to finding a purpose, then is able to function as a fairly reliable member of a group, thanks to Romy and the weaponsmaster.
The magic system is also pretty cool, where each person's magic seems to be more of a more innate talent. Romy can wipe and reorder minds, others can read steel, some can smith magically... I felt like they all had Skyrim-esque skill sets that were magic, except those people were considered dangerous as sorcery is illegal in the world.
The world is also fantasitcally built, in what felt like an old Roman style. The rings of the city were clearly described, as was the political situation. Also the cruelty described in the book felt SO real - the sniffers for example. There are a lot of messed up things going on against magic users. I felt like I was wading through the crappy morale of the lower city with the rest of the rabble. Now if you like a long, intricate description of political intrigue, this will be your book. I can fully appreciate what Glass did with the political structure, but the book slowed down SO much between say 45 and 70% that she lost me a little bit. Then at the end, the heist felt a tad bit anticlimactic and left me wondering if it couldn't have been a little more exciting, although the painter....the painter! I love his magic the most!
I definitely love the characters though and can not wait for book two. The crew will be involved in an even bigger scheme this time and I am so absorbed in the political aspects that I will be interested to see how the threads of the bigger world struggle all tie together.
100% Recommend for fans of fantasy, young adult fiction, heists, political intrigue, and a good group of characters! Thank you again to Tor for the opportunity to read the book early!
Blog link can be seen here:
https://onenursereader.wixsite.com/on...
An Illusion of Thieves is a refreshing new (appropriate for young adult, but not, my bad) novel about a sister and brother who must first learn to coexist, and then foil an attempt by a rival group to start a civil war.
*description omitted here*
So I really enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons, first being that I am sick of romance in young adult novels. This book instead focuses on a first tentative, then beautiful slow burn hate-to-sibling-love relationship and character building between Romy and Neri. They form a real sister and brother bond and eventually while reading, it dawned on me that Neri is the true central character. I love how he goes from criminal angst to finding a purpose, then is able to function as a fairly reliable member of a group, thanks to Romy and the weaponsmaster.
The magic system is also pretty cool, where each person's magic seems to be more of a more innate talent. Romy can wipe and reorder minds, others can read steel, some can smith magically... I felt like they all had Skyrim-esque skill sets that were magic, except those people were considered dangerous as sorcery is illegal in the world.
The world is also fantasitcally built, in what felt like an old Roman style. The rings of the city were clearly described, as was the political situation. Also the cruelty described in the book felt SO real - the sniffers for example. There are a lot of messed up things going on against magic users. I felt like I was wading through the crappy morale of the lower city with the rest of the rabble. Now if you like a long, intricate description of political intrigue, this will be your book. I can fully appreciate what Glass did with the political structure, but the book slowed down SO much between say 45 and 70% that she lost me a little bit. Then at the end, the heist felt a tad bit anticlimactic and left me wondering if it couldn't have been a little more exciting, although the painter....the painter! I love his magic the most!
I definitely love the characters though and can not wait for book two. The crew will be involved in an even bigger scheme this time and I am so absorbed in the political aspects that I will be interested to see how the threads of the bigger world struggle all tie together.
100% Recommend for fans of fantasy, young adult fiction, heists, political intrigue, and a good group of characters! Thank you again to Tor for the opportunity to read the book early!
Blog link can be seen here:
https://onenursereader.wixsite.com/on...
May 27, 2019
My protection, my notice, and my interest in you and yours is ended. Cataline of the Moon House is dead.
---
Romy has risen from poverty and destitution to a life of privilege and wealth as the mistress of the Shadow Lord, the de facto ruler of their fantasy-Italian city-state. But when Romy intercedes on behalf of her thieving brother, the Shadow Lord banishes Romy from his house and esteem. Having risen to her city’s highest heights and fallen to its lowest lows, Romy must now slowly, painfully, begin crawling her way back up.
Ah. Oh dear.
An Illusion of Thieves is, for the most part, a winsome and engaging fantasy novel. I’ve seen fantasy Italy done plenty of times, but this version is still quite fun and manages to be fresh in its own ways. Romy is an engaging protagonist and well worth rooting for. Her sly-fingered brother, Neri, manages to rise from annoying pest to well-meaning brother who helps out sometimes, so yay that bit of character development.
But there are several severe structural problems with An Illusion of Thieves that really undermine the whole endeavor.
First off, I found the magic system uncreative. Essentially, certain individuals possess magical abilities. Because this world is terrified of magic, most magical people are killed as children by their horrified parents. As such, Romy and the other magic-users must hide their abilities on pain of death or worse. Ok, fine. You give some characters cool abilities, but even out the odds by making it potentially fatal to ever use those abilities. But there’s honestly no real rhyme or reason to the magical abilities. One character can walk through walls. Another can anticipate attacks. A third can erase and replace memories. But there’s no connecting thread between these different magical abilities – they’re just cool things that eventually become useful to the plot. The magic is therefore random and illogical. Magic systems need to be based on rules. This system doesn’t really have any.
Second, An Illusion of Thieves very badly wants to be a heist novel. Which is fine, I like heist novels. Heist novels can be great. An Illusion of Thieves markets itself on the back cover as a heist novel, for crying out loud. But the heist only begins about halfway through the book – and by “begins”, I mean that’s when Romy first hears that a heist needs to happen. As a result, the book feels unbalanced. The first half is so slow in comparison to the second half, because the plot only really properly begins in the second half. Neither half of the book seems to function properly because the other half doesn’t fit.
And finally, the driving relationship of the story just plain doesn’t work. At the start of the novel, Romy is the Shadow Lord’s mistress. By page twenty, he’s banished her and has told her to never darken his door again. She spends the rest of the book pining for him, even putting herself, her brother, and her friends in great danger to help the Shadow Lord when he’s in trouble. But I never understood why. Romy tells the reader that the Shadow Lord was capable of great kindness and affection, but we never actually see that. The Shadow Lord we see on the page is unkind and so bent on justice that he ends up inflicting terrible cruelty on those who don’t deserve it. Romy often tells the reader that the Shadow Lord’s predecessors were awful people who wanted to keep the poor downtrodden and in squalor, while the Shadow Lord is much more egalitarian and willing to help the poor. Which seems awfully rich seeing as Romy lives in total squalor for the entire novel and can never quite manage to escape crushing poverty, despite incredible effort. Where are the Shadow Lord’s reforms when Romy realizes that two days’ worth of hard, skilled labor has earned her enough to buy dinner for one night? Where are the Shadow Lord’s reforms when a client tries to attack her? Romy’s bleak life is a direct contradiction of her rosy view of the Shadow Lord.
Maybe that’s intentional, but I don’t think so. I think we’re supposed to view the Shadow Lord as a great, if gradual, liberator of the poor. But he doesn’t do much to demonstrate the accolades Romy heaps on his head, nor her ceaseless kindness towards him.
Really, the story should have begun before the Shadow Lord kicks Romy out. I understand why Glass wanted to start the story there – it’s a pretty exciting place to start. But since Romy’s loyalty to the Shadow Lord against all obstacle and logic is a major driver of the plot, we the reader need to understand that loyalty and be empathetic towards it. In other words, it’s not enough that Romy is on the Shadow Lord’s side. The reader also needs to be. So if the story starts earlier, if we could see Romy and the Shadow Lord’s relationship before it went completely and abruptly south, then perhaps the book would have a fighting chance of getting us on the Shadow Lord’s side.
An Illusion of Thieves could have been a good book. It has solid moments, and Romy’s a good protagonist. But there are far too many structural issues for the book to succeed.
---
Romy has risen from poverty and destitution to a life of privilege and wealth as the mistress of the Shadow Lord, the de facto ruler of their fantasy-Italian city-state. But when Romy intercedes on behalf of her thieving brother, the Shadow Lord banishes Romy from his house and esteem. Having risen to her city’s highest heights and fallen to its lowest lows, Romy must now slowly, painfully, begin crawling her way back up.
Ah. Oh dear.
An Illusion of Thieves is, for the most part, a winsome and engaging fantasy novel. I’ve seen fantasy Italy done plenty of times, but this version is still quite fun and manages to be fresh in its own ways. Romy is an engaging protagonist and well worth rooting for. Her sly-fingered brother, Neri, manages to rise from annoying pest to well-meaning brother who helps out sometimes, so yay that bit of character development.
But there are several severe structural problems with An Illusion of Thieves that really undermine the whole endeavor.
First off, I found the magic system uncreative. Essentially, certain individuals possess magical abilities. Because this world is terrified of magic, most magical people are killed as children by their horrified parents. As such, Romy and the other magic-users must hide their abilities on pain of death or worse. Ok, fine. You give some characters cool abilities, but even out the odds by making it potentially fatal to ever use those abilities. But there’s honestly no real rhyme or reason to the magical abilities. One character can walk through walls. Another can anticipate attacks. A third can erase and replace memories. But there’s no connecting thread between these different magical abilities – they’re just cool things that eventually become useful to the plot. The magic is therefore random and illogical. Magic systems need to be based on rules. This system doesn’t really have any.
Second, An Illusion of Thieves very badly wants to be a heist novel. Which is fine, I like heist novels. Heist novels can be great. An Illusion of Thieves markets itself on the back cover as a heist novel, for crying out loud. But the heist only begins about halfway through the book – and by “begins”, I mean that’s when Romy first hears that a heist needs to happen. As a result, the book feels unbalanced. The first half is so slow in comparison to the second half, because the plot only really properly begins in the second half. Neither half of the book seems to function properly because the other half doesn’t fit.
And finally, the driving relationship of the story just plain doesn’t work. At the start of the novel, Romy is the Shadow Lord’s mistress. By page twenty, he’s banished her and has told her to never darken his door again. She spends the rest of the book pining for him, even putting herself, her brother, and her friends in great danger to help the Shadow Lord when he’s in trouble. But I never understood why. Romy tells the reader that the Shadow Lord was capable of great kindness and affection, but we never actually see that. The Shadow Lord we see on the page is unkind and so bent on justice that he ends up inflicting terrible cruelty on those who don’t deserve it. Romy often tells the reader that the Shadow Lord’s predecessors were awful people who wanted to keep the poor downtrodden and in squalor, while the Shadow Lord is much more egalitarian and willing to help the poor. Which seems awfully rich seeing as Romy lives in total squalor for the entire novel and can never quite manage to escape crushing poverty, despite incredible effort. Where are the Shadow Lord’s reforms when Romy realizes that two days’ worth of hard, skilled labor has earned her enough to buy dinner for one night? Where are the Shadow Lord’s reforms when a client tries to attack her? Romy’s bleak life is a direct contradiction of her rosy view of the Shadow Lord.
Maybe that’s intentional, but I don’t think so. I think we’re supposed to view the Shadow Lord as a great, if gradual, liberator of the poor. But he doesn’t do much to demonstrate the accolades Romy heaps on his head, nor her ceaseless kindness towards him.
Really, the story should have begun before the Shadow Lord kicks Romy out. I understand why Glass wanted to start the story there – it’s a pretty exciting place to start. But since Romy’s loyalty to the Shadow Lord against all obstacle and logic is a major driver of the plot, we the reader need to understand that loyalty and be empathetic towards it. In other words, it’s not enough that Romy is on the Shadow Lord’s side. The reader also needs to be. So if the story starts earlier, if we could see Romy and the Shadow Lord’s relationship before it went completely and abruptly south, then perhaps the book would have a fighting chance of getting us on the Shadow Lord’s side.
An Illusion of Thieves could have been a good book. It has solid moments, and Romy’s a good protagonist. But there are far too many structural issues for the book to succeed.
May 28, 2020
Oh well. This wasn’t what I expected.
This is a new fantasy adventure written by well-known author Carol Berg under the pen-name Cate Glass. Not sure why she (or her publishers) decided to put it under a pen-name because it doesn’t deviate from her other fantasy books (and authors/publishers usually do pen-names to separate themselves in different genres or age categories).
The book is set in an Italian inspired world and I actually really liked it. It’s imaginative and easy to picture. In this world magic is forbidden, and people who are found with magic are, well, killed. If something happens and magic is suspected to be involved, there’s something called Sniffers that are able to tell if there’s been magic worked there or not. I wasn’t too mad at the magic system either. People who can use magic has certain abilities, like one can walk through walls, one other can remove and change someone’s memories, another can create magic doors. There’s definitely hints to more of these abilities and I’d love to see it even more explored. What we got now wasn’t much explored or well explained.
I think I liked the characters for the most part, even Neri (though he was an annoying thick-head for a good part of the book). I also enjoyed the relationships between the characters.
But the plot. Goddamn. She was a slow-moving girl. Everything about it promises a heist. With magic. Just the thought about a magical heist in a world where magic is forbidden, tickled all the right places for me. Heist stories needs to be swift, they need to be quick. You have the problem being presented, the gathering of the team, the planning, bam heist time.
This didn’t deliver the heist my heart and soul expected or wanted. First of all, it took HALF THE BOOK for the heist to even surface as a plan. Before that we had little plot going, what with Romy working as a scribe and drinking her old memories away and trying to make a responsible man out of her thieving, reckless, little brother. The actual heist gave a little action at one of the stages. It felt like the heist wasn’t getting enough pages and time to actually feel intriguing. In my opinion, the first half of the book should have been shortened by half, and the second half should have been longer. A whole year passes in the first half with not much happening, then the second half take places in only a few days, 4-5 days I think, which makes the pacing feel unsmooth.
Not sure if I will pick up the second book, though I still am interested in how the stories continue. Time will tell.
This is a new fantasy adventure written by well-known author Carol Berg under the pen-name Cate Glass. Not sure why she (or her publishers) decided to put it under a pen-name because it doesn’t deviate from her other fantasy books (and authors/publishers usually do pen-names to separate themselves in different genres or age categories).
The book is set in an Italian inspired world and I actually really liked it. It’s imaginative and easy to picture. In this world magic is forbidden, and people who are found with magic are, well, killed. If something happens and magic is suspected to be involved, there’s something called Sniffers that are able to tell if there’s been magic worked there or not. I wasn’t too mad at the magic system either. People who can use magic has certain abilities, like one can walk through walls, one other can remove and change someone’s memories, another can create magic doors. There’s definitely hints to more of these abilities and I’d love to see it even more explored. What we got now wasn’t much explored or well explained.
I think I liked the characters for the most part, even Neri (though he was an annoying thick-head for a good part of the book). I also enjoyed the relationships between the characters.
But the plot. Goddamn. She was a slow-moving girl. Everything about it promises a heist. With magic. Just the thought about a magical heist in a world where magic is forbidden, tickled all the right places for me. Heist stories needs to be swift, they need to be quick. You have the problem being presented, the gathering of the team, the planning, bam heist time.
This didn’t deliver the heist my heart and soul expected or wanted. First of all, it took HALF THE BOOK for the heist to even surface as a plan. Before that we had little plot going, what with Romy working as a scribe and drinking her old memories away and trying to make a responsible man out of her thieving, reckless, little brother. The actual heist gave a little action at one of the stages. It felt like the heist wasn’t getting enough pages and time to actually feel intriguing. In my opinion, the first half of the book should have been shortened by half, and the second half should have been longer. A whole year passes in the first half with not much happening, then the second half take places in only a few days, 4-5 days I think, which makes the pacing feel unsmooth.
Not sure if I will pick up the second book, though I still am interested in how the stories continue. Time will tell.
October 30, 2019
Strong 4 stars from me. There is a lot to like about this novel and it has many elements I love in fantasy work -especially politics and magic. But for the most part it is a story of ex-courtesan who is threw in an ordinary life to take care of her brother. Living in luxury for 9 years, Romy is suddenly forced to learn how to earn for life in a world without priveleges and connections and she has to prevent her younger brother from getting arrested. They both have special abilities, but she is reluctant to use it because magic is forbidden
In their struggle they meet some interesting people who become allies and eventually they create quite a good team. I think Romy is an excellent lead. She doesn't know everything, she is struggling on a way to manage a good life for her and her brother, but she learns quickly and she knows how to use the knowledge and abilities she posseses. I really like the development of her relation with her brother - Neri who started as a spoiled kid and grew up a little during the pages. Of other teammates, there is a special swordman who is also a little drunkard but he's working on it. And a silversmith who is a master in his craft.
All of characters are really likeable and unique and I'd be glad to read about their next adventure. There's also a lot more to know about the world and the magic in it. Why some people have skill and others don't and how all of it exactly work? This book is a good work and a promise for an excellent series.
In their struggle they meet some interesting people who become allies and eventually they create quite a good team. I think Romy is an excellent lead. She doesn't know everything, she is struggling on a way to manage a good life for her and her brother, but she learns quickly and she knows how to use the knowledge and abilities she posseses. I really like the development of her relation with her brother - Neri who started as a spoiled kid and grew up a little during the pages. Of other teammates, there is a special swordman who is also a little drunkard but he's working on it. And a silversmith who is a master in his craft.
All of characters are really likeable and unique and I'd be glad to read about their next adventure. There's also a lot more to know about the world and the magic in it. Why some people have skill and others don't and how all of it exactly work? This book is a good work and a promise for an excellent series.
May 20, 2019
An Illusion of Thieves opens a new epic series written by Carol Berg under her new pen name Cate Glass. Set in the world reminiscent of Italian Renaissance, it blends political intrigue, skullduggery, heist, and magic.
Significant conflicts and conspiracies start id dining rooms and artisan workshops. The city of Cantagna is a hotbed of issues, social, economic, and political. Despite internal conflicts and differences, everyone agrees that magic is evil and any person carrying the taint should be executed.
The story’s single point narrator, Romy, leads a comfortable life as a courtesan and the favored mistress of Il Padrone, the ruler of Cantagna. She has a dark secret (magic) she hides well until her foolish brother, Neri, commits a theft using his magical skills. To save him, Romy has to give up her life and build a new one in the slum of Lizard’s Alley. Luckily for the siblings, her thorough courtesan’s education involved reading, writing and developed her charm, grace, humor and the ability to hold an intelligent conversation. She finds a job as a scribe.
And when their life finally starts getting normal, an unexpected turn of events forces her to learn to control her powers and assemble the team of magical misfits. Sounds like fun, right?
Glass told the story through a single point-of-view narrator, but don’t let it mislead you. It’s not a one-woman show. It centers on a four-person ensemble of thieves with magical abilities and their way of getting into the business of secret missions, heist, and thievery.
I liked Romy as a lead character and her engaging voice. She’s complex and conflicted, and her past (sold by her parents, raised to be a courtesan, lost everything because of her younger brother’s foolish behavior) shapes her actions and developments. For years she perceived her magic as a demonic taint, not a gift. After using it she was left with chills and aching head.
When she discovers that magic can feel clear and pure, she questions if it was something broken in her that made her magic so awful. Despite darker moments, Romy remains rather optimistic, resourceful and likable.
She shares great chemistry with other members of the crew. I especially liked the ruthless training she and her brother received from Placidio, a battered swordmaster with a dangerous past. Pure fun. The fourth member of the crew, a metalsmith with an unusual skill for forgery, impressed me with his stoic approach to threats and danger. Only Romy’s brother, Neri, could use more development. He fits a trope of a young, athletic and reckless hero adored by girls, but with little brains. I’m sure there’s more to him than that, but, well, we see little development for him. I find him flat, but hopefully, things will change in the next installments of the series.
An Illusion of Thieves loses some ground with slower pacing and insufficient focus on a central plot. Glass takes time with building characters and the complex world of political intrigue and magic. I didn’t mind as I prefer smaller-scale fantasy to the end-of-the-world narratives, but epic-fantasy readers may feel the story lacks higher stakes. I don’t agree, but I can understand why someone would feel this way.
Glass planned Chimera adventures as an episodic series rather than an epic arc told in few installments. What does it mean? More magical heists. Secret missions. Twists. And this is only the beginning.
I can’t wait to put my hands on the next book. An Illusion of Thieves is pure fantasy fun, rich, engaging, with intriguing worldbuilding, thoughtful character development and a storyline that grows tenser with every chapter.
Significant conflicts and conspiracies start id dining rooms and artisan workshops. The city of Cantagna is a hotbed of issues, social, economic, and political. Despite internal conflicts and differences, everyone agrees that magic is evil and any person carrying the taint should be executed.
The story’s single point narrator, Romy, leads a comfortable life as a courtesan and the favored mistress of Il Padrone, the ruler of Cantagna. She has a dark secret (magic) she hides well until her foolish brother, Neri, commits a theft using his magical skills. To save him, Romy has to give up her life and build a new one in the slum of Lizard’s Alley. Luckily for the siblings, her thorough courtesan’s education involved reading, writing and developed her charm, grace, humor and the ability to hold an intelligent conversation. She finds a job as a scribe.
And when their life finally starts getting normal, an unexpected turn of events forces her to learn to control her powers and assemble the team of magical misfits. Sounds like fun, right?
Glass told the story through a single point-of-view narrator, but don’t let it mislead you. It’s not a one-woman show. It centers on a four-person ensemble of thieves with magical abilities and their way of getting into the business of secret missions, heist, and thievery.
I liked Romy as a lead character and her engaging voice. She’s complex and conflicted, and her past (sold by her parents, raised to be a courtesan, lost everything because of her younger brother’s foolish behavior) shapes her actions and developments. For years she perceived her magic as a demonic taint, not a gift. After using it she was left with chills and aching head.
When she discovers that magic can feel clear and pure, she questions if it was something broken in her that made her magic so awful. Despite darker moments, Romy remains rather optimistic, resourceful and likable.
She shares great chemistry with other members of the crew. I especially liked the ruthless training she and her brother received from Placidio, a battered swordmaster with a dangerous past. Pure fun. The fourth member of the crew, a metalsmith with an unusual skill for forgery, impressed me with his stoic approach to threats and danger. Only Romy’s brother, Neri, could use more development. He fits a trope of a young, athletic and reckless hero adored by girls, but with little brains. I’m sure there’s more to him than that, but, well, we see little development for him. I find him flat, but hopefully, things will change in the next installments of the series.
An Illusion of Thieves loses some ground with slower pacing and insufficient focus on a central plot. Glass takes time with building characters and the complex world of political intrigue and magic. I didn’t mind as I prefer smaller-scale fantasy to the end-of-the-world narratives, but epic-fantasy readers may feel the story lacks higher stakes. I don’t agree, but I can understand why someone would feel this way.
Glass planned Chimera adventures as an episodic series rather than an epic arc told in few installments. What does it mean? More magical heists. Secret missions. Twists. And this is only the beginning.
I can’t wait to put my hands on the next book. An Illusion of Thieves is pure fantasy fun, rich, engaging, with intriguing worldbuilding, thoughtful character development and a storyline that grows tenser with every chapter.
June 28, 2020
2 and a half stars
There is a point in time where I would have quite enjoyed this book. This, unfortunately, was not that time. This book has cropped up again and again on lists of best heist books, and that was what I was looking forward to most when I picked this up. The heist, however, isn't even hinted at until page 200 of a 350 page book, and in the end it is fairly inconsequential.
The bulk of this book is spent wallowing in poverty as the main character goes from riches to rags and has to scrape for every penny. This is extreme poverty in an unforgiving and mean world (complete with a lot of references to rape, child sex trafficking, and sex work especially early on). Her worry is real, trying to earn enough to eat and avoid detection and subsequent execution for being a magic user. She has to hide who she is, keep her dumb family member from exposing her to death, and fight for enough money to even live. And boy howdy I am experiencing more than enough of all of that in real life right now. I don't need to read about it too. (If I'm reading back on this one day here is some context: Remember when COVID reduced your hours to 0 to 6 a week and you still had bills? And you got kicked off unemployment because the country decided the working class was expendable? And you had to continually remind people the damn plague was real? Yeah? Good times. Good times.)
The main thrust of the book is Romy's relationship with her brother, Neri. And...I couldn't stand him. True, he does change and become less of an ass by the end of the book but it is too little too late for me to invest in him whatsoever. Honestly I didn't even much care for Romy herself. To say nothing about her swooning adoration for the man who kicked her out on the street. So no, not really invested in the relationships.
So what did I like? The world building was solid. The writing was also solid. I kept reading, even if it was in the hopes of a grand heist. I did like the swordsman, and wished the book gave us more on him. I was genuinely sucked in to the world. It transported me. And perhaps that's the book's great failing - this was not where I wanted to be right now. This book was not a fun escape, at least not right now.
If you're in the mood to explore the more destitute and desperate sides of a fantasy Italy this may be your jam. If you're hoping for a fast paced caper this is not the book for you.
There is a point in time where I would have quite enjoyed this book. This, unfortunately, was not that time. This book has cropped up again and again on lists of best heist books, and that was what I was looking forward to most when I picked this up. The heist, however, isn't even hinted at until page 200 of a 350 page book, and in the end it is fairly inconsequential.
The bulk of this book is spent wallowing in poverty as the main character goes from riches to rags and has to scrape for every penny. This is extreme poverty in an unforgiving and mean world (complete with a lot of references to rape, child sex trafficking, and sex work especially early on). Her worry is real, trying to earn enough to eat and avoid detection and subsequent execution for being a magic user. She has to hide who she is, keep her dumb family member from exposing her to death, and fight for enough money to even live. And boy howdy I am experiencing more than enough of all of that in real life right now. I don't need to read about it too. (If I'm reading back on this one day here is some context: Remember when COVID reduced your hours to 0 to 6 a week and you still had bills? And you got kicked off unemployment because the country decided the working class was expendable? And you had to continually remind people the damn plague was real? Yeah? Good times. Good times.)
The main thrust of the book is Romy's relationship with her brother, Neri. And...I couldn't stand him. True, he does change and become less of an ass by the end of the book but it is too little too late for me to invest in him whatsoever. Honestly I didn't even much care for Romy herself. To say nothing about her swooning adoration for the man who kicked her out on the street. So no, not really invested in the relationships.
So what did I like? The world building was solid. The writing was also solid. I kept reading, even if it was in the hopes of a grand heist. I did like the swordsman, and wished the book gave us more on him. I was genuinely sucked in to the world. It transported me. And perhaps that's the book's great failing - this was not where I wanted to be right now. This book was not a fun escape, at least not right now.
If you're in the mood to explore the more destitute and desperate sides of a fantasy Italy this may be your jam. If you're hoping for a fast paced caper this is not the book for you.
April 16, 2019
Full review is here, on my blog!~
This story follows the exploits of Romy, who is the eldest daughter of a law scribe in the poorest part of the city of Cantagna. Magic is anathema in this world. It is evil, and forbidden, and so Romy has to hide her magical abilities for fear of her life. She was sold by her mother to a brothel when she was ten, and since then has risen in the ranks of the courtesans of the city to the point where she has become the mistress of the Shadow Lord, the feared leader of the city.
When her also-magical brother Neri is caught stealing, she intervenes by asking the Shadow Lord to help, and he banishes her from his sight when he learns the details of the theft. And so Romy and Neri have to go back to the gutter and try and survive by themselves. Romy uses her skill at writing to become a scribe like her father. They hire a drunken swordmaster named Placidio to teach Neri how to defend himself, and he soon turns out to be more than meets the eye. Then they run into a metalsmith named Dumond who is running from sorcerer hunters.
When Romy uncovers a devious plot to incite civil war, it’s up to her, Neri, Placidio, and Dumond to come up with and execute a plan just as devious in order to stop it. Maaaagical shananigans abound!
Romy is an easy protagonist for me to cheer for. Her life has been tough, for the most part. She was enjoying an easy life being the mistress of the most powerful man in the city, but has to give it all up very suddenly, and despite that, she never really complains, she just soldiers on. Despite the fact that Sandro, is a powerful man who doesn’t take a lot of crap, I nonetheless kind of wanted Romy to end up going back to him, because the stories she told of her time with him were often sweet, and you could tell that they legitimately cared for each other.
I also really liked the secondary characters as well. Placidio was a complex character whose story evolved really well as the story progressed. Dumond the metalsmith and his wife Vashti were also fantastic characters. Neri really grew over the course of the story, and I enjoyed it. I think though, that my favorite character is one that we don’t see as often in person, Alessandro di Gallanos, Il Padroné, the Shadow Lord. He’s mysterious, and a bit scary, as we have seen him in his element, so to speak, when he more-or-less throws his lover of nine years into the street. But he isn’t exactly the monster many people see him as, when you see him through the caring memories of Romy. There are reasons for the things that he does, and while they seem harsh, he tries to make them… less so. In his own way, anyway.
The plot itself moved at a good pace, and the twists and turns that the plot snaked through kept everything interesting, right up until the end. The heist that Romy, Neri and their companions set up in order to avoid a civil war was well thought out, intricate, and wonderfully entertaining to watch unfold. The uncertainty of what would happen, or if they’d be caught left me on the edge of my seat.
Romy especially has a bit of a… perhaps a magical quirk that allows her to slip into a role so completely that she seemingly becomes that person. There are a couple parts of this book in particular that use the narrative to full advantage to describe this act of ‘losing herself’ in her playacting. It was great.
So, all told, this was a well written and engaging romp through a wild and often magical heist. With great characters and a solid plot line with plenty of clever twists, it’s a hard book to put down! The ending wrapped up everything tidily, while leaving a nice open space for many more escapades in the world of the Chimera. I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment. I can’t wait to see where this goes!
Thanks to the author as well as Tor via NetGalley for the review copy.
This story follows the exploits of Romy, who is the eldest daughter of a law scribe in the poorest part of the city of Cantagna. Magic is anathema in this world. It is evil, and forbidden, and so Romy has to hide her magical abilities for fear of her life. She was sold by her mother to a brothel when she was ten, and since then has risen in the ranks of the courtesans of the city to the point where she has become the mistress of the Shadow Lord, the feared leader of the city.
When her also-magical brother Neri is caught stealing, she intervenes by asking the Shadow Lord to help, and he banishes her from his sight when he learns the details of the theft. And so Romy and Neri have to go back to the gutter and try and survive by themselves. Romy uses her skill at writing to become a scribe like her father. They hire a drunken swordmaster named Placidio to teach Neri how to defend himself, and he soon turns out to be more than meets the eye. Then they run into a metalsmith named Dumond who is running from sorcerer hunters.
When Romy uncovers a devious plot to incite civil war, it’s up to her, Neri, Placidio, and Dumond to come up with and execute a plan just as devious in order to stop it. Maaaagical shananigans abound!
Romy is an easy protagonist for me to cheer for. Her life has been tough, for the most part. She was enjoying an easy life being the mistress of the most powerful man in the city, but has to give it all up very suddenly, and despite that, she never really complains, she just soldiers on. Despite the fact that Sandro, is a powerful man who doesn’t take a lot of crap, I nonetheless kind of wanted Romy to end up going back to him, because the stories she told of her time with him were often sweet, and you could tell that they legitimately cared for each other.
I also really liked the secondary characters as well. Placidio was a complex character whose story evolved really well as the story progressed. Dumond the metalsmith and his wife Vashti were also fantastic characters. Neri really grew over the course of the story, and I enjoyed it. I think though, that my favorite character is one that we don’t see as often in person, Alessandro di Gallanos, Il Padroné, the Shadow Lord. He’s mysterious, and a bit scary, as we have seen him in his element, so to speak, when he more-or-less throws his lover of nine years into the street. But he isn’t exactly the monster many people see him as, when you see him through the caring memories of Romy. There are reasons for the things that he does, and while they seem harsh, he tries to make them… less so. In his own way, anyway.
The plot itself moved at a good pace, and the twists and turns that the plot snaked through kept everything interesting, right up until the end. The heist that Romy, Neri and their companions set up in order to avoid a civil war was well thought out, intricate, and wonderfully entertaining to watch unfold. The uncertainty of what would happen, or if they’d be caught left me on the edge of my seat.
Romy especially has a bit of a… perhaps a magical quirk that allows her to slip into a role so completely that she seemingly becomes that person. There are a couple parts of this book in particular that use the narrative to full advantage to describe this act of ‘losing herself’ in her playacting. It was great.
So, all told, this was a well written and engaging romp through a wild and often magical heist. With great characters and a solid plot line with plenty of clever twists, it’s a hard book to put down! The ending wrapped up everything tidily, while leaving a nice open space for many more escapades in the world of the Chimera. I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment. I can’t wait to see where this goes!
Thanks to the author as well as Tor via NetGalley for the review copy.
June 5, 2019
An Illusion of Thieves is a great novel. The series has great potential.
January 12, 2022
Notes:
Yay for a good Audible Sale purchase! Sometimes, the books were not worth the savings.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and setup for Chimera. I have a few questions about Romy, the city, magic and all. Hopefully, some of them will be answered in the following books. I would have liked a bit more definition for the setting.
A brutal story told with a light touch and silken veils. The violence and more are clearly outlined. It's up to the reader to color in the lines. The story pushes forward without giving time to grapple with the darker side.
Complex world setting and main character. This was the setup for the series and the tale of Romy's transformation into who she will be. I liked it. I'm ready for more heists.
Yay for a good Audible Sale purchase! Sometimes, the books were not worth the savings.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and setup for Chimera. I have a few questions about Romy, the city, magic and all. Hopefully, some of them will be answered in the following books. I would have liked a bit more definition for the setting.
A brutal story told with a light touch and silken veils. The violence and more are clearly outlined. It's up to the reader to color in the lines. The story pushes forward without giving time to grapple with the darker side.
Complex world setting and main character. This was the setup for the series and the tale of Romy's transformation into who she will be. I liked it. I'm ready for more heists.
October 25, 2019
I didnt know this was classified as an adult fantasy when I requested it, but I really enjoyed following a character a little older than what I normally read. Romy is a 24 year old courtesan who was sold to the Moon House because of her mothers fear and hate of her daughters forbidden magic. Romy has a great deal of knowledge from her courtesan training and she has great problem solving skills. Im still unsure how she knew so much about metalwork though. With their parents banished from the city, Romy is given responsibility of her reckless brother and shes determined to keep him out of trouble. Their relationship is the main one in this book which was a nice change from the usual romance. Their dynamic felt pretty authentic to me and I just liked seeing them get closer.
At her wits end with her brothers antics, Romy hires a swordmaster to teach her brother some discipline and confidence. I thought the swordmaster was an intriguing character with all the secrets he was keeping. His training did Romys brother a lot good and even helped him find a job as a guard at a local tavern. Then we meet a metalsmith when his chase from law enforcement has him crossing paths with Romy and her brother while they were doing some incriminating magic. The metalsmiths wife was absolutely wonderful and I love that Romy got another woman to talk to. These people helped Romy open her eyes to the possibilty that magic might not be as evil as she was led to believe. I also enjoyed seeing the way they all came together to try to excute Romys plan.
The first half of the book is a little slower as it focuses mostly on establishing the characters and the world, but in the second half we get a very entertaining heist plot line. There was one big flaw in their plan that I just couldnt overlook. The fact that they werent immediately arrested for bringing in an artifact that was reported stolen was completely unbelievable to me. Despite that I loved all the scheming. Romy was blackmailed into the heist, but she does it for the good of the city and the people who live there. The story was so engaging that I found myself thinking about even when I wasnt reading it. I just really enjoyed seeing Romy make a new life for herself after being released from her obligations as a courtesan.
The world had a beautiful Italian Renaissance vibe but with some added magic that differs from person to person. Some abilities include finding any object, walking through walls, changing memories, and much more. Its believed that people with this magic are demon tainted and are often blamed for any natural disaster that occurs. Their law enforcement uses sorcerers they've captured and mutated to sniff out magic. The writing felt a bit more complexe then young adult, but I quickly got use to it. I think this is a great young adult to adult crossover that a lot of people will enjoy. It has those young adult themes about a character coming into their own, but with a slightly older main character who finds work and takes care of her little brother. I like how the book ended with a possible new mission thats even riskier than the first. A mission that might just prevent a war.
*This book was received for an honest review
At her wits end with her brothers antics, Romy hires a swordmaster to teach her brother some discipline and confidence. I thought the swordmaster was an intriguing character with all the secrets he was keeping. His training did Romys brother a lot good and even helped him find a job as a guard at a local tavern. Then we meet a metalsmith when his chase from law enforcement has him crossing paths with Romy and her brother while they were doing some incriminating magic. The metalsmiths wife was absolutely wonderful and I love that Romy got another woman to talk to. These people helped Romy open her eyes to the possibilty that magic might not be as evil as she was led to believe. I also enjoyed seeing the way they all came together to try to excute Romys plan.
The first half of the book is a little slower as it focuses mostly on establishing the characters and the world, but in the second half we get a very entertaining heist plot line. There was one big flaw in their plan that I just couldnt overlook. The fact that they werent immediately arrested for bringing in an artifact that was reported stolen was completely unbelievable to me. Despite that I loved all the scheming. Romy was blackmailed into the heist, but she does it for the good of the city and the people who live there. The story was so engaging that I found myself thinking about even when I wasnt reading it. I just really enjoyed seeing Romy make a new life for herself after being released from her obligations as a courtesan.
The world had a beautiful Italian Renaissance vibe but with some added magic that differs from person to person. Some abilities include finding any object, walking through walls, changing memories, and much more. Its believed that people with this magic are demon tainted and are often blamed for any natural disaster that occurs. Their law enforcement uses sorcerers they've captured and mutated to sniff out magic. The writing felt a bit more complexe then young adult, but I quickly got use to it. I think this is a great young adult to adult crossover that a lot of people will enjoy. It has those young adult themes about a character coming into their own, but with a slightly older main character who finds work and takes care of her little brother. I like how the book ended with a possible new mission thats even riskier than the first. A mission that might just prevent a war.
*This book was received for an honest review
May 13, 2019
Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2019/0...
I really enjoyed this one. It was an impulse request because when I was looking for my next book to read, it just sounded like a better fit for what I was in the mood for than anything I had on hand. I started reading it immediately and am quite glad I did. Turns out there’s a great story here.
As with so many books I love, this features a strong female protagonist. Romy started life in Beggar’s Ring, the poorest and most downtrodden part of the city. However, her family sold her at a young age to what is essentially a training program for courtesans (yup, her family sold her as a child to become a high end prostitute). This is kind of a mixed thing. Of course it is bad, no one would choose to be sold for anything, much less for this purpose, but it also gave her an education and training that would never have been available to her otherwise.
Her life as a well and diversely educated courtesan gives her a unique background. But one of the most unique qualities is that she is able to do magic. Magic is forbidden, only people from Costa Droga are ever born demon-tainted (aka have the ability to perform magic) but no one really knows why. Romy has worked hard to hide her abilities because if she were discovered, it would mean death. No matter how well she might seem to blend in, she is never really herself of fully open as she is always shielding this part of herself from everyone.
She’s a character that in some ways doesn’t seem to be belong to any of the different social groups, but can navigate her way through any of them. Romy has been enjoying the life she has been given as much as she can. She has become the favored courtesan of the Shadow Lord, who appears to care for her. She enjoys having intelligent conversations with him and others at court. She might not have chosen this life, but she finds things to appreciate. At least until she receives a message that tears her back to her original life, living with a brother that she loves but doesn’t always like that much. But Romy is a survivor and a fighter, and what she does and the characters she encounters along the way make for a very intriguing story (I debated how much detail to give, but decided to leave it vague…. but it does involve a heist of sorts, scheming and magic with some swords and action thrown in… definitely a very fun read).
My only slight criticism is that the end felt a bit rushed, and there was some pretty blatant set up for the books to come. I don’t mind set up, but something about it felt a bit unnatural or forced. BUT … the good news is I actually love how the book ended and the potential it left for the upcoming books. Like really love the concept and I think there’s great potential there for the series.
So overall, I definitely recommend this one and am really looking forward to the next one! I had originally thought this was an amazingly strong debut, but then saw that it is a pen name for Carol Berg, who I have heard highly recommended. Now I need to go see about reading some of her other books.
I really enjoyed this one. It was an impulse request because when I was looking for my next book to read, it just sounded like a better fit for what I was in the mood for than anything I had on hand. I started reading it immediately and am quite glad I did. Turns out there’s a great story here.
As with so many books I love, this features a strong female protagonist. Romy started life in Beggar’s Ring, the poorest and most downtrodden part of the city. However, her family sold her at a young age to what is essentially a training program for courtesans (yup, her family sold her as a child to become a high end prostitute). This is kind of a mixed thing. Of course it is bad, no one would choose to be sold for anything, much less for this purpose, but it also gave her an education and training that would never have been available to her otherwise.
Her life as a well and diversely educated courtesan gives her a unique background. But one of the most unique qualities is that she is able to do magic. Magic is forbidden, only people from Costa Droga are ever born demon-tainted (aka have the ability to perform magic) but no one really knows why. Romy has worked hard to hide her abilities because if she were discovered, it would mean death. No matter how well she might seem to blend in, she is never really herself of fully open as she is always shielding this part of herself from everyone.
She’s a character that in some ways doesn’t seem to be belong to any of the different social groups, but can navigate her way through any of them. Romy has been enjoying the life she has been given as much as she can. She has become the favored courtesan of the Shadow Lord, who appears to care for her. She enjoys having intelligent conversations with him and others at court. She might not have chosen this life, but she finds things to appreciate. At least until she receives a message that tears her back to her original life, living with a brother that she loves but doesn’t always like that much. But Romy is a survivor and a fighter, and what she does and the characters she encounters along the way make for a very intriguing story (I debated how much detail to give, but decided to leave it vague…. but it does involve a heist of sorts, scheming and magic with some swords and action thrown in… definitely a very fun read).
My only slight criticism is that the end felt a bit rushed, and there was some pretty blatant set up for the books to come. I don’t mind set up, but something about it felt a bit unnatural or forced. BUT … the good news is I actually love how the book ended and the potential it left for the upcoming books. Like really love the concept and I think there’s great potential there for the series.
So overall, I definitely recommend this one and am really looking forward to the next one! I had originally thought this was an amazingly strong debut, but then saw that it is a pen name for Carol Berg, who I have heard highly recommended. Now I need to go see about reading some of her other books.
May 25, 2019
***I received a free e-ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
Welp, this book turned out to be a lot different than I thought it was going to be. The writing style didn’t sit well with me, nor did the character relationships. An Illusion of Thieves held an interesting premise, but ultimately wasn’t for me.
In An Illusion of Thieves, an act of theft by her brother Neri, and Romy finds herself outcast from her role as the esteemed mistress of the Shadow Lord, and the rest of her family exiled from the city. The Shadow Lord puts Neri on probation and rules that for every misstep he makes, both he and Romy will suffer the consequences. After a long struggle and just when Romy and Neri finally seemed to have settled into their new existence, a person from Romy’s past turns up, threatening not only Romy, but the Shadow Lord’s reputation, and the welfare of their city. To save them all, Romy must gather her new allies and use the part of herself she’s always despised. Her magic.
Something that I really enjoyed about this book was the unique magical abilities the characters have. It wasn’t your typical elemental magic or whatnot, but characters could do things like paint doors to other locations, walk through walls, and rewrite memories. I also appreciated the seemingly extensive worldbuilding. It all honestly though, while it was admirable, I didn’t really pay attention to it. Maybe it would have been different if my eARC had included a map or index or something, but there were so much terminology and exposition thrust at the reader that I began to skim over anything about the world I didn’t understand. Which was often.
As I hinted at before, the two things that struck me right away was the writing style and Romy’s relationship with her brother Neri. The writing style is very formal and old-fashioned (I guess? I not quite sure how to describe it). This wasn’t a super big deal, but it did take me out the book on multiple occasions when I had to pause and reread the sentence to figure out what the author was trying to say.
And the sibling relationship. Argh. I don’t know if I can properly review this, so I’ll just try to express my thoughts as best as I can. For a long time at the beginning, Neri resents Romy and continually tries to rebel, not fully seeming to grasp their situation. This leads Romy to start physically restraining her brother with a wire rope every night and manipulating him to keep him in line…and this made me uncomfortable. I understand Romy’s desperation, but I just couldn’t believe that should be the solution.
Romy is an interesting character, but it took me awhile to stop disliking her. Between what I mentioned above, and the fact that it the opening scene, readers see her slap her servant, I was really bothered by her character. She at one time, becomes an alcoholic, which I was disappointed to see the book really brush over. I liked the idea of Romy’s character, but I’m not sure I actually liked her.
And then there was the pacing. The first few scenes felt rushed (I wanna see more characters in their “ordinary worlds” before circumstances change, GOOD GRIEF PEOPLE), and the rest of the beginning-middle was SO SLOW. And in the last third, when things picked up, things seemed too easy for the characters. Almost every went according to their plan. Where were the obstacles? And then there was the ending! It read like the often cheesy endings that kids’ movies entail.
Overall, An Illusion of Thieves really didn’t resonate with me. I do think other fantasy readers could potentially enjoy this book though. I wish I could say that I’ll consider picking up the sequel when it releases, but I simply can’t see that happening.
Trigger Warnings: child & sex slavery (repeatedly mentioned, not shown), maiming, a person being physically restrained, a brief sexual assault, slapping, alcohol addiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can see this review, my other reviews & additional bookish posts at my blog: Are You My Book?
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
Welp, this book turned out to be a lot different than I thought it was going to be. The writing style didn’t sit well with me, nor did the character relationships. An Illusion of Thieves held an interesting premise, but ultimately wasn’t for me.
In An Illusion of Thieves, an act of theft by her brother Neri, and Romy finds herself outcast from her role as the esteemed mistress of the Shadow Lord, and the rest of her family exiled from the city. The Shadow Lord puts Neri on probation and rules that for every misstep he makes, both he and Romy will suffer the consequences. After a long struggle and just when Romy and Neri finally seemed to have settled into their new existence, a person from Romy’s past turns up, threatening not only Romy, but the Shadow Lord’s reputation, and the welfare of their city. To save them all, Romy must gather her new allies and use the part of herself she’s always despised. Her magic.
Something that I really enjoyed about this book was the unique magical abilities the characters have. It wasn’t your typical elemental magic or whatnot, but characters could do things like paint doors to other locations, walk through walls, and rewrite memories. I also appreciated the seemingly extensive worldbuilding. It all honestly though, while it was admirable, I didn’t really pay attention to it. Maybe it would have been different if my eARC had included a map or index or something, but there were so much terminology and exposition thrust at the reader that I began to skim over anything about the world I didn’t understand. Which was often.
As I hinted at before, the two things that struck me right away was the writing style and Romy’s relationship with her brother Neri. The writing style is very formal and old-fashioned (I guess? I not quite sure how to describe it). This wasn’t a super big deal, but it did take me out the book on multiple occasions when I had to pause and reread the sentence to figure out what the author was trying to say.
And the sibling relationship. Argh. I don’t know if I can properly review this, so I’ll just try to express my thoughts as best as I can. For a long time at the beginning, Neri resents Romy and continually tries to rebel, not fully seeming to grasp their situation. This leads Romy to start physically restraining her brother with a wire rope every night and manipulating him to keep him in line…and this made me uncomfortable. I understand Romy’s desperation, but I just couldn’t believe that should be the solution.
Romy is an interesting character, but it took me awhile to stop disliking her. Between what I mentioned above, and the fact that it the opening scene, readers see her slap her servant, I was really bothered by her character. She at one time, becomes an alcoholic, which I was disappointed to see the book really brush over. I liked the idea of Romy’s character, but I’m not sure I actually liked her.
And then there was the pacing. The first few scenes felt rushed (I wanna see more characters in their “ordinary worlds” before circumstances change, GOOD GRIEF PEOPLE), and the rest of the beginning-middle was SO SLOW. And in the last third, when things picked up, things seemed too easy for the characters. Almost every went according to their plan. Where were the obstacles? And then there was the ending! It read like the often cheesy endings that kids’ movies entail.
Overall, An Illusion of Thieves really didn’t resonate with me. I do think other fantasy readers could potentially enjoy this book though. I wish I could say that I’ll consider picking up the sequel when it releases, but I simply can’t see that happening.
Trigger Warnings: child & sex slavery (repeatedly mentioned, not shown), maiming, a person being physically restrained, a brief sexual assault, slapping, alcohol addiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can see this review, my other reviews & additional bookish posts at my blog: Are You My Book?
June 25, 2019
2.5* Just a pass for me. Didnt buy this myself. Was given it as a gift. Although I love fantasy, this wouldnt have been something I jumped at. Just never got that interested in the Italian style fantasy world. Lynch did it better. Also I felt like the magic system was little too simple for me. I wanted some more complexity to it.
September 23, 2019
Where did the true evil lay? In the intent, or in the magic itself, or in the soul that made use of magic?
An Illusion of Thieves was a tough book to rate. Up until about 91% of the book I still wasn't sure what I was going to rate it, but then the ending happened and I had my mind made up for me quite quickly.
I'm not going to lie, going into this I thought it was a YA book, but very early on it was made quite clear that this was an adult book. There is a fair bit of brutality in this book and an open-minded approach to the life of a courtesan. Obviously there is a lot of grey area to touch on when there is a story about a courtesan who has developed a strong 'relationship' with the man she is courtesan for, because it opens up the discussion of master/owner and is there really room for a relationship to grow within those confines.
This book has very little romance, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's an intriguing thing. I liked the magic within the story and am looking forward to seeing how it develops even further in the sequel. The family dynamics was also written genuinely and showed genuine struggles which allowed me to connect with the MC and her brother.
If I had to describe Romy in one word I would go with intriguing. There is more than meets the eye with Romy and I don't think we've seen all she has to offer yet. I liked how she was a strong, intelligent woman who made the best of whatever she was made to endure. There are definitely cracks starting to show with how much she has had to go through throughout her life, so I am interested to see how the author goes about this, whether she patches it up or lets it all fall apart.
*thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
An Illusion of Thieves was a tough book to rate. Up until about 91% of the book I still wasn't sure what I was going to rate it, but then the ending happened and I had my mind made up for me quite quickly.
I'm not going to lie, going into this I thought it was a YA book, but very early on it was made quite clear that this was an adult book. There is a fair bit of brutality in this book and an open-minded approach to the life of a courtesan. Obviously there is a lot of grey area to touch on when there is a story about a courtesan who has developed a strong 'relationship' with the man she is courtesan for, because it opens up the discussion of master/owner and is there really room for a relationship to grow within those confines.
This book has very little romance, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's an intriguing thing. I liked the magic within the story and am looking forward to seeing how it develops even further in the sequel. The family dynamics was also written genuinely and showed genuine struggles which allowed me to connect with the MC and her brother.
If I had to describe Romy in one word I would go with intriguing. There is more than meets the eye with Romy and I don't think we've seen all she has to offer yet. I liked how she was a strong, intelligent woman who made the best of whatever she was made to endure. There are definitely cracks starting to show with how much she has had to go through throughout her life, so I am interested to see how the author goes about this, whether she patches it up or lets it all fall apart.
*thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 13, 2019
I loved this book! By far the most stand-out quality was the characters. Everyone is wonderfully balanced as people - no one is pure good or pure evil, they're just real people making the best choices they can while navigating complicated situations. All of the relationships, but particularly Romy and Neri's, are believable. The realism gives them so much more emotional weight. Each setback is keenly felt; each little bit of progress is worth a celebration. The plot is well paced, the world is realistic and intriguing, and the story feels nicely completed while also providing a nice hook to the next book in the series (which I already can't wait for!).
Thanks to netgalley for the eARC.
Thanks to netgalley for the eARC.
January 9, 2022
DNF'd.
There's good stuff here, but it's kind of drowning in stretched-out angst that doesn't feel like it's going anywhere, and worldbuilding that feels detached from the MC.
At this point, more than halfway through the book, it looks like a brand new plot is starting -- some arbitrary heist with a statue.
I'm not suffering, but I have more interesting books to read.
There's good stuff here, but it's kind of drowning in stretched-out angst that doesn't feel like it's going anywhere, and worldbuilding that feels detached from the MC.
At this point, more than halfway through the book, it looks like a brand new plot is starting -- some arbitrary heist with a statue.
I'm not suffering, but I have more interesting books to read.
February 23, 2020
Highly enjoyable fantasy. With an interesting cast of characters and intriguing world and plot, there's a lot of room to grow! I'm keen to see where this goes in the next book.
May 25, 2019
4.5
It was actually a pretty good book, my er documented frustrations aside, and I'm sure the sequel will be even better.
Review to come
It was actually a pretty good book, my er documented frustrations aside, and I'm sure the sequel will be even better.
Review to come
November 3, 2020
This was a lot of fun. Using Italy and its warring city states as a template, which recalled a pre- Renaissance Italy (Romy mentions a plague devastating the population in the not so distant past), Cate Glass crafts a tale of political intrigue and espionage, anti-magic-based bigotry and violence, and a risky heist with a high stakes outcome if it results in failure.
Romy and her younger brother Neri both have magic, which they have to keep deeply hidden or they'd be killed. After Neri steals something, their father confesses to save Neri's life, and all their lives are radically changed. Romy has been living for years as the trusted companion and courtesan to one of the city's leaders, known as the Shadow Lord, or by his more commonly known name, Alessandro di Gallanos, known as il Padroné. Il Padroné manages to smooth some things over, but releases Romy from his side, threatening her and Neri with imprisonment and death if Neri thieves again.
After her life of ease, being back on the streets she grew up on is a bit of a tough transition, but Romy eventually begins building a life for herself and her brother.
Then her past comes knocking, and we get more deeply into the political intrigue and the threat of war to their city, and the heist planning and execution part of the story.
Romy is smart, and hardworking, and likeable. Neri took a while for me to warm up to, but even he begins to be more interesting as the story progresses. Romy pulls in a swordmaster (that Neri and she are learning from) and a genius metalsmith, who also happens to have a talent reminiscent of the game Portal, to help with their complicated heist.
There's lots of tension as Romy gathers the conspirators together for the theft of a valuable item, and even more as things play out, as magic is at play, and all four conspirators are courting death if they get caught.
I liked the story's fast pace, and the alt-Italy Cate Glass has created, and am eager to get to book two.
Romy and her younger brother Neri both have magic, which they have to keep deeply hidden or they'd be killed. After Neri steals something, their father confesses to save Neri's life, and all their lives are radically changed. Romy has been living for years as the trusted companion and courtesan to one of the city's leaders, known as the Shadow Lord, or by his more commonly known name, Alessandro di Gallanos, known as il Padroné. Il Padroné manages to smooth some things over, but releases Romy from his side, threatening her and Neri with imprisonment and death if Neri thieves again.
After her life of ease, being back on the streets she grew up on is a bit of a tough transition, but Romy eventually begins building a life for herself and her brother.
Then her past comes knocking, and we get more deeply into the political intrigue and the threat of war to their city, and the heist planning and execution part of the story.
Romy is smart, and hardworking, and likeable. Neri took a while for me to warm up to, but even he begins to be more interesting as the story progresses. Romy pulls in a swordmaster (that Neri and she are learning from) and a genius metalsmith, who also happens to have a talent reminiscent of the game Portal, to help with their complicated heist.
There's lots of tension as Romy gathers the conspirators together for the theft of a valuable item, and even more as things play out, as magic is at play, and all four conspirators are courting death if they get caught.
I liked the story's fast pace, and the alt-Italy Cate Glass has created, and am eager to get to book two.
August 25, 2019
2.5/5
This was just a weird book. The structure was weird. The sort of romance was weird. The pacing was weird. The magic was weird. The relationships were weird. The heist was weird.
There's a lot of elements that I liked but they were just so oddly combined and it didn't work for me. The characters were all flat, the plot was flimsy, the pacing was oddly slow. I don't know how to explain it other than I felt uncomfortable for a lot of the book.
It's definitely set up for a sequel but I don't see myself continuing on.
This was just a weird book. The structure was weird. The sort of romance was weird. The pacing was weird. The magic was weird. The relationships were weird. The heist was weird.
There's a lot of elements that I liked but they were just so oddly combined and it didn't work for me. The characters were all flat, the plot was flimsy, the pacing was oddly slow. I don't know how to explain it other than I felt uncomfortable for a lot of the book.
It's definitely set up for a sequel but I don't see myself continuing on.
June 15, 2019
I can see why Carol Berg chose a new pseudonym for this — the tone is very different from all her other books. It’s much less dark and dramatic and angsty than anything I’ve read from her before; and while there is certainly action and tension, there is little of the putting-her-characters-through-hell that she is famous for.
I did enjoy the book — it had interesting characters, interesting magical talents, and some fun action. OTOH, I though it spent way too much time on setup, even granting that it’s book 1 of a series; and it didn’t really make much of an impact on me compared to her other books, since none of her characters really did much suffering (show me those thumb screws, baby!).
Over all, I didn’t like it nearly as much as her previous stuff. But I’ll still be reading book 2 to see what happens. If anyone wants to try out more typical Carol Berg, though, try something like the Rai-Kirah, Bridge of D’Arnath, or Lighthouse series instead.
I did enjoy the book — it had interesting characters, interesting magical talents, and some fun action. OTOH, I though it spent way too much time on setup, even granting that it’s book 1 of a series; and it didn’t really make much of an impact on me compared to her other books, since none of her characters really did much suffering (show me those thumb screws, baby!).
Over all, I didn’t like it nearly as much as her previous stuff. But I’ll still be reading book 2 to see what happens. If anyone wants to try out more typical Carol Berg, though, try something like the Rai-Kirah, Bridge of D’Arnath, or Lighthouse series instead.
November 14, 2018
I very much enjoyed this book, and am eagerly looking forward to the next installment. Don't worry this book wont leave you hanging, but it does give a great set up for the next book. I won't give any spoilers here, Im just going to say that you should read this book if you are into fantasy, magic or intrigue, and if you like all of that? I'd slide this to a must read.
February 23, 2020
Q:
My education had been extensive—history, music, languages. Dancing and logic. Enough blade-work to defend my owner or myself. Even now, I pursued art and philosophy, the divine study. Sandro called me his chimera—the impossible made flesh—a fantastical creature who mirrored every part of his own soul. (c)
My education had been extensive—history, music, languages. Dancing and logic. Enough blade-work to defend my owner or myself. Even now, I pursued art and philosophy, the divine study. Sandro called me his chimera—the impossible made flesh—a fantastical creature who mirrored every part of his own soul. (c)
November 6, 2020
3.5🌟
Full review to come. Again this year (for the THIRD TIME) I find myself wishing for half stars really, really bad. Know that I rounded the rating at four just because I think this book is very valid and needs more audience.
Full review to come. Again this year (for the THIRD TIME) I find myself wishing for half stars really, really bad. Know that I rounded the rating at four just because I think this book is very valid and needs more audience.
June 5, 2021
"Where did the true evil lie? In the intent, or in the magic itself, or in the soul that made use of magic?"
TRUFFE E FURTI IN AMICIZIA
Quando mi sono interessata a questo libro speravo di scoprire una hidden gem, e a lettura ultimata posso dire che le cose sono andate un po' diversamente: "An Illusion of Thieves" non si è rivelato essere un capolavoro letterario, ma è comunque un'avventura fantasy valida e ingiustamente misconosciuta, forse a causa della tremenda sinossi che da un lato suona alquanto banale e dall'altro spoilera al povero lettore oltre metà del libro. Ma state tranquilli, perché in questo commento non vi verrà anticipato nulla che possa rovinarvi la lettura o inficiare il vostro interesse per la serie.
Primo capitolo in una trilogia fantasy per adulti, questo romanzo comincia scalzando un tropo molto popolare nel genere, ossia "seducing the dark lord", infatti la protagonista Romy è da anni la favorita del signore di Cantagna, la città-stato in cui vive; la vicenda ha inizio quando un'azione sconsiderata del fratello minore Neri fa perdere alla donna il suo ruolo e distrugge la loro famiglia. Con una disponibilità economica decisamente limitata ed un fratello troppo impulsivo da gestire, Romy deve dar fondo a tutte le sue capacità per garantire loro una vita dignitosa e nascondere al meglio le loro abilità segrete.
Pur presentando una storia incentrata su un'avventura che comprende anche diverse scene d'azione, ci troviamo di fronte ad un fantasy molto cozy, dove l'attenzione è focalizzata sulla scoperta delle capacità magiche e sui rapporti tra i personaggi principali, che andranno poi a formare un gruppo affiatato e dal quale mi aspetto ancor più sviluppo nei volumi successivi. Vista l'assenza di elementi dark o splatter, se i grimdark tanto in voga negli ultimi anni vi mettono a disagio questa serie potrebbe fare proprio al caso vostro.
Oltre alla creazione di legami tra i personaggi, ho apprezzato molto la caratterizzazione della protagonista. Romy è una donna risoluta ed intelligente, che sfrutta al meglio le sue risorse; durante il corso della storia la vediamo instaurare un rapporto genuino con il fratello e prendere maggior consapevolezza del ruolo della magia, che fin dall'infanzia le hanno insegnato a temere a priori. Trovo molto positivo anche il modo in cui l'autrice ha gestito il suo passato come sex worker, non mettendo mai in una luce negativa questa attività tranne nel caso di chi vende i propri figli ai bordelli.
E ora veniamo ai motivi per cui questo titolo non si è rivelato il tesoro nascosto in cui speravo. Il problema principale è la trama: non ha nulla di troppo originale, presenta diverse ingenuità narrative (come la scena in cui Romy consegna il ciondolo a Gilliette) e diventa interessante solo nelle ultime cento pagine, dopo essersi presa parecchio spazio per illustrare i personaggi e l'ambientazione. Il risultato è di dare al lettore la sensazione di non aver letto un libro vero e proprio ma soltanto un lungo prologo; questo ha anche un risvolto positivo, perché nel mio caso ha fatto crescere l'interesse per i volumi successivi.
Per quanto riguarda il sistema magico non so ancora come valutarlo: ci vengono forniti pochissimi chiarimenti in merito, ma questo è motivato dal POV di Romy che della magia sa ben poco. Tutto considerato, per questo aspetto voglio dare il beneficio del dubbio a Glass; peccato non poterlo dare anche per l'assurda scelta di mescolare senza criterio parole italiane e spagnole in un world building che ricorda principalmente la Grecia antica. Quello che per un americano risulterà magari esotico ed intrigante, per un italiano è soltanto cringe.
TRUFFE E FURTI IN AMICIZIA
Quando mi sono interessata a questo libro speravo di scoprire una hidden gem, e a lettura ultimata posso dire che le cose sono andate un po' diversamente: "An Illusion of Thieves" non si è rivelato essere un capolavoro letterario, ma è comunque un'avventura fantasy valida e ingiustamente misconosciuta, forse a causa della tremenda sinossi che da un lato suona alquanto banale e dall'altro spoilera al povero lettore oltre metà del libro. Ma state tranquilli, perché in questo commento non vi verrà anticipato nulla che possa rovinarvi la lettura o inficiare il vostro interesse per la serie.
Primo capitolo in una trilogia fantasy per adulti, questo romanzo comincia scalzando un tropo molto popolare nel genere, ossia "seducing the dark lord", infatti la protagonista Romy è da anni la favorita del signore di Cantagna, la città-stato in cui vive; la vicenda ha inizio quando un'azione sconsiderata del fratello minore Neri fa perdere alla donna il suo ruolo e distrugge la loro famiglia. Con una disponibilità economica decisamente limitata ed un fratello troppo impulsivo da gestire, Romy deve dar fondo a tutte le sue capacità per garantire loro una vita dignitosa e nascondere al meglio le loro abilità segrete.
Pur presentando una storia incentrata su un'avventura che comprende anche diverse scene d'azione, ci troviamo di fronte ad un fantasy molto cozy, dove l'attenzione è focalizzata sulla scoperta delle capacità magiche e sui rapporti tra i personaggi principali, che andranno poi a formare un gruppo affiatato e dal quale mi aspetto ancor più sviluppo nei volumi successivi. Vista l'assenza di elementi dark o splatter, se i grimdark tanto in voga negli ultimi anni vi mettono a disagio questa serie potrebbe fare proprio al caso vostro.
Oltre alla creazione di legami tra i personaggi, ho apprezzato molto la caratterizzazione della protagonista. Romy è una donna risoluta ed intelligente, che sfrutta al meglio le sue risorse; durante il corso della storia la vediamo instaurare un rapporto genuino con il fratello e prendere maggior consapevolezza del ruolo della magia, che fin dall'infanzia le hanno insegnato a temere a priori. Trovo molto positivo anche il modo in cui l'autrice ha gestito il suo passato come sex worker, non mettendo mai in una luce negativa questa attività tranne nel caso di chi vende i propri figli ai bordelli.
E ora veniamo ai motivi per cui questo titolo non si è rivelato il tesoro nascosto in cui speravo. Il problema principale è la trama: non ha nulla di troppo originale, presenta diverse ingenuità narrative (come la scena in cui Romy consegna il ciondolo a Gilliette) e diventa interessante solo nelle ultime cento pagine, dopo essersi presa parecchio spazio per illustrare i personaggi e l'ambientazione. Il risultato è di dare al lettore la sensazione di non aver letto un libro vero e proprio ma soltanto un lungo prologo; questo ha anche un risvolto positivo, perché nel mio caso ha fatto crescere l'interesse per i volumi successivi.
Per quanto riguarda il sistema magico non so ancora come valutarlo: ci vengono forniti pochissimi chiarimenti in merito, ma questo è motivato dal POV di Romy che della magia sa ben poco. Tutto considerato, per questo aspetto voglio dare il beneficio del dubbio a Glass; peccato non poterlo dare anche per l'assurda scelta di mescolare senza criterio parole italiane e spagnole in un world building che ricorda principalmente la Grecia antica. Quello che per un americano risulterà magari esotico ed intrigante, per un italiano è soltanto cringe.
July 2, 2019
Just to get this out of the way: it's EXTREMELY funny that her name is Catiline. I don't think it's intentional; I was on the lookout for parallels. But either way, I laughed a Lot. Anyway.
I think the thing that is so frustrating to me about this book is that a lot of it is really good!! I like the characters and I like their relationships; the relationship between the protagonist and her brother is especially well done. The world is well-developed; the magic is mysterious and intriguing; I really like a story that takes place over a year or more. The heisting was interesting and fun and not super stressful for me.
Unfortunately, that's probably because I didn't care much for Romy. I wanted to like her for most of the book!! But unfortunately the beginning sucked so bad. I'm just Really not into a tortured king who's so much smarter and better than everyone else and rules over a super stratified society but he's making it better! Really I promise; now there's a water source in the bad part of town!! His benevolence knows no bounds. And as he does all this for everyone around him, he is losing himself in the Persona of a tyrant; which is tragic for HIM, not the people he's tyrant to. I hated him so much immediately, and maybe that's intentional, but Romy loves him so much the whole time and he's really never criticized for anything and I'm just not interested in a book that ultimately feels like. Royalist propaganda.
ALSO HE OWNS HER!!! SHE IS HIS SLAVE!!! This sucks so hard and the fact that we're stuck in her head while she justifies all of this to herself sucks More.
It wouldn't have bothered me so much except that the book seems to be trying to be socially aware? And it's just that it's Necessary for a handful of aristocratic families to rule over an entire city state. That's just the best system!! Have you read the Republic??
Ultimately: you either believe that a hereditary monarchy is a good system of governance or you don't. I don't, this book does, and so this book was not for me.
I am giving it 4 stars anyway because the rest of it was good!! Fun!! It was very heterosexual, but there wasn't really much romance to speak of [except the terrible stuff I've already talked about]. I was queerbaited at one point, but that might honestly have been my fault for jumping to conclusions. So I dunno. If you have other books to read, don't rush out to get this one. I'm certainly not going to read any further sequels.
I think the thing that is so frustrating to me about this book is that a lot of it is really good!! I like the characters and I like their relationships; the relationship between the protagonist and her brother is especially well done. The world is well-developed; the magic is mysterious and intriguing; I really like a story that takes place over a year or more. The heisting was interesting and fun and not super stressful for me.
Unfortunately, that's probably because I didn't care much for Romy. I wanted to like her for most of the book!! But unfortunately the beginning sucked so bad. I'm just Really not into a tortured king who's so much smarter and better than everyone else and rules over a super stratified society but he's making it better! Really I promise; now there's a water source in the bad part of town!! His benevolence knows no bounds. And as he does all this for everyone around him, he is losing himself in the Persona of a tyrant; which is tragic for HIM, not the people he's tyrant to. I hated him so much immediately, and maybe that's intentional, but Romy loves him so much the whole time and he's really never criticized for anything and I'm just not interested in a book that ultimately feels like. Royalist propaganda.
ALSO HE OWNS HER!!! SHE IS HIS SLAVE!!! This sucks so hard and the fact that we're stuck in her head while she justifies all of this to herself sucks More.
It wouldn't have bothered me so much except that the book seems to be trying to be socially aware? And it's just that it's Necessary for a handful of aristocratic families to rule over an entire city state. That's just the best system!! Have you read the Republic??
Ultimately: you either believe that a hereditary monarchy is a good system of governance or you don't. I don't, this book does, and so this book was not for me.
I am giving it 4 stars anyway because the rest of it was good!! Fun!! It was very heterosexual, but there wasn't really much romance to speak of [except the terrible stuff I've already talked about]. I was queerbaited at one point, but that might honestly have been my fault for jumping to conclusions. So I dunno. If you have other books to read, don't rush out to get this one. I'm certainly not going to read any further sequels.
January 26, 2020
Wow! This is one of those books you just can't put down! I hadn't intended to read it in just one weekend, but ended up doing so regardless! I can't wait for the next book! (Assuming there will be one.)
September 19, 2019
4.5 stars it wasn't bad but I'm not really looking forward to the next book? Its much more, sherlock than I thought it was going to be lol
June 1, 2020
Good read! Like cold maple syrup, the story is slow but delicious. Not spicy enough for my taste but I still relished the Italian flavor. Looking forward to the second course.
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