Child of the Night Guild

Queen of Thieves #1

by Andy Peloquin, Rebecca McKernan (Narrator)

"They killed my parents. They took my name. They imprisoned me in darkness. I would not be broken."

Viola, a child sold to pay her father's debts, has lost everything: her mother, her home, and her identity. Thrown into a life among criminals, she has no time for grief as she endures the brutal training of an apprentice thief. The Night Guild molds an innocent waif into a cunning, agile outlaw skilled in the thieves' trade. She has only one choice: steal enough to pay her debts.

The cutthroat streets of Praamis will test her mettle, and she must learn to dodge the City Guards or swing from a hangman's rope. But a more dangerous foe lurks within the guild walls. A sadistic rival apprentice, threatened by her strength, is out for blood.

What hope does one girl have in a world of ruthless men?

Genres: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Audiobook, Young Adult, Dark, Fiction, Adult

Audible Audio

Published January 10, 2018

About the author

I am, first and foremost, a storyteller and an artist--words are my palette. Fantasy is my genre of choice, and I love to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between. I'm also a freelance writer, a book lover, and a guy who just loves to meet new people and spend hours talking about my fascination for the worlds I encounter in the pages of fantasy novels.

Fantasy provides us with an escape, a way to forget about our mundane problems and step into worlds where anything is possible. It transcends age, gender, religion, race, or lifestyle--it is our way of believing what cannot be, delving into the unknowable, and discovering hidden truths about ourselves and our world in a brand new way. Fiction at its very best!

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Fantasy lovers from Andy Peloquin, to announce the release of CHILD OF THE GUILD, enter to win one of FIVE eCopies of BLADE OF THE DESTROYER - Book 1 of The Last Bucelarii Series
(Another 5 Star Tome Tender Read!) International - Click on Banner to Enter!


Andy Peloquin will leave you breathless! When that last page came, I was set to start over just keep this tale going. Andy Peloquin’s CHILD OF THE NIGHT GUILD is going to rock your world!

Viola was just a small child when she became the fastest way for her father, a broken man, to pay off his debts to THEM. First they took her name, then her dignity and finally, all that made Viola’s soul. After years of torment and training, she is Seven, and she belongs to the Night Guild, lock, stock and soul. The scared and lonely little girl is gone and in her place is a fierce young woman who is skilled in the art of thievery. Now it is time for her to pay her dues and her debts. Agile, formidable and clever, Seven has few friends, has been the object of bullies through her apprenticeship and must work twice as hard as the boys all around her. BUT. THEY. WILL. NOT. BREAK HER.

Graduation from her apprenticeship finds her chosen to go to the house of Hawks where she learns the freedom of traveling high above the streets across the rooftops of Praamis. Life is as good as it can be for the only girl in a male dominated world, but when a brutish nightmare leaves her broken and battered, she will prove to everyone that she is like a Phoenix rising from the ashes of loss and pain. But at what cost?

Andy Peloquin has taken fantasy to a new level. You hear the words, magnetic, non-stop and gut-clenching often, but every one of these words applies in full force to this unforgettable tale of one small girl who beat the odds, and never let anyone break her soul. CHILD OF THE NIGHT GUILD maybe Andy Peloquin’s finest work yet! It takes bold writing to bring life to a bold story of survival and this author has succeeded and then some! No matter what genre you read, this one should be on your MUST READ lists!

I received an ARC edition from Andy Peloquin in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Queen of Thieves - Book 1
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.; 1 edition (January 17, 2017)
Publication Date: January 17, 2017
Genre: Gothic Dark Fantasy
Print Length: 374 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Shauni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was heartwrenching. The main character goes through so much at the hands of supposed teachers and peers, I found myself cheering on her brutal revenge. While I enjoyed the plot and will continue reading the series, it is not for everyone. There are several intense scenes of violence and one scene of sexual assault that were difficult to get through. But throughout the story, there is an overall message of strength and conquering any hardship. The herione wins the reader's love by her unwavering courage and fearless heart. I'm looking forward to learning more of her story.

[Joey, The Dragon Reread · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

When Andy sent me Child of the Night Guild and Darkblade: Assassin he said, "welcome to your new addiction." He freaking meant it.

Let's get down to business.

This book focuses on an 8-year-old girl, Viola, who has been sold to the Night Guild, a group of expert thieves, to pay off her father's debts. Training is brutal and dehumanizing in an effort to break her down and build her up in the image of a member of the Night Guild at which point she'll rob from the rich to pay back her debt.

This is a dark, gritty assassin and coming of age story. A classic story of grit and heart and being strong enough to become unbreakable. And Andy is merciless on this poor girl as we watch her develop into an 18-year-old. A quick side, time transitions like this can be really difficult to do well but Andy nailed this.

This is a bloody, trigger-full book but at the core, there's so much heart and Andy's phenomenal writing makes you care so much for the characters that you're cheering the whole time.

The prose is simple but really clean and allows you to fully engage in the story. Andy has some nice turns of phrase but you can tell he's allowing the prose to tell the story, not getting caught up on unnecessarily flowery phrases. As such, this book flies by in the most enjoyable of ways.

Additionally, this book is in a shared world (though different city) with his Darkblade books (which are now also on my TBR, obviously) and supposedly later on in these series there are some crossovers which I can't wait for. I haven't even read the other series yet and I was already getting excited about mentions of far away Voramis.

Plain and simple, if you're looking for a dark, bloody, coming-of-age assassin book, you've just found it. Put down what you're doing and get on the Peloquin train!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what to say about this book.
From beginning to end, it was an emotional rollercoaster. I've had my gut wrenched, my hopes raised, my heart torn, my anger induced... and all because of one small (her actual size - not the size of the part she plays) character who is crafted so simply and yet so thoroughly. If someone told me this story is largely fact, I would believe them.
Book 2 is out later this year... I may just have recovered by then.
Astonishing.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

4/5

CHILD OF THE NIGHT GUILD is the first novel in the Night Guild series by Andy Peloquin. It deals with a concept I've always loved in fantasy: the Thieves Guild. Before the mafia existed, the concept of an organized criminal underworld in Medieval times. Created in fantasy by Fitz Leiber, the Thieves Guild has been a mainstay of fantasy settings influenced by it like Dungeons and Dragons or Skyrim.

There's just something inherently interesting about the professional cut-purse, burglar, pick-pocket, and (sometimes) assassin who deals with all the threats of a world full of the supernatural. The incredibly entertaining Thief games are an example of it. The idea that not only is thievery a profession but it is a codefied one with training, standards, masters, and apprentices. What sort of experience is this for someone growing up in it?

Viola (later Seven and Illanna) is the daughter of a debt-ridden man who ends up sacrificing his daughter to the Night's Guild. Stripped of her identity and trained in the secret arts, she soon finds herself popular with some of her fellow students while dire enemies of others. She is not the first woman in the Night Guild but it is rare enough to be remarked upon.

Andy Pelloquin manages to nicely combine the Young Adult school drama of things like Harry Potter and Divergent with a Medieval crime story. Seven is a flawed heroine who is not the best at her job but gets by on sheer determination. Unfortunately, that very determination and pride invites anger as well as jealousy from her peers.

Much of the book reads like a typical coming of age drama wedded with a fantasy setting, which isn't a bad thing because it's a well-written coming of age drama. Illanna is a wonderfully well-written character who is believable as a child as well as teenage girl. Her interests are believable and make her come off as a sort of roguish Hermione.

Andy Peloquin writes a much darker story than Harry Potter, though. One element I didn't care for in the book is the fact there's a rape scene, which I didn't think was necessary. Nothing is shown on page but it felt like an unneeded addition. Contrasting this, Illanna is a protagonist who takes her lumps and actually has to spend time recovering from serious injury.

I think people will enjoy this book if they want a Medieval fantasy Young Adult drama. The characters are a bit stock but I was entertained by it enough to pick up the second one immediately after.

[Karl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had and interesting concept, and the world it was set within was appealing enough to pique my curiosity as to how it would be developed.

However, the main character was so annoying and the writing was so repetitive (negative experience occurs, character is shocked/hurt/traumatized for a moment, only to resolutely square her jaw, push her shoulders back and tell herself that she'll overcome whatever has happened, repeat every chapter or so.) and the supporting characters ranged from bland to cartoonish.

Everyone who shows her even the slightest bit of kindness is instantly amazing in her eyes, until they do the smallest thing to cause her harm (real or imagined) at which point, she's grievously injured by their actions. Similarly, the 'evil' characters are so evil that it's hard to imagine how any of them would be permitted to exist in this world where it's made clear that killing away ones problems is acceptable.

Finally, the main character swerves between understandably incompetent to ridiculously competent depending on the needs of the narrative, rather than any reasonable growth. One moment, her carefully honed defensive skills are causing heart wrenching (At least, I assume that was the intent.) mishaps, and the next, they don't exist at all, because if they did, she couldn't once more be put into a terrible situation to bemoan and then resolutely overcome.

My overall feeling both throughout the book and ultimately when I reached the last page was annoyance. The entire book could have been a chapter or two told via flashback in the space of a better novel, ideally one that actually shows us a strong and determined character, rather than an impulsive and stubborn child who only manages any growth because the author uses huge timeskips rather than detailing the parts that'd give validity to any of the whining we had to read at length.

My rating: 2/5. I read the first book of this series, and will not be reading any others. An entire star is for the concept of the Night Guild and the world, and the second star is only there because I reserve one star ratings for books I couldn't even be bothered to finish.

[kassbookreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

while slower at certain times, i was still flipping through the pages quickly, curious and anxious to know what would happen next. i enjoyed the coming of age story and the darker tone development as the story progressed. curious to see where this story goes.

[Garrison Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Viola’s father can’t pay off his loan from the Night Guild, he has no choice but to sell her into servitude. Under the tutelage of the insanely cruel Master Velvet, Viola is put through a battery of painful and exhausting tests under the threat of being murdered, starved, and/or tortured for failure. She, along with eleven other child students, are given new names and are told to forget everything about their past, which they do. In this dark fantasy hybrid of Pink Floyd the Wall and Full Metal Jacket, Viola, now named Seven, has only one goal if she wants to see the light of day ever again: survive. There is no turning back for her or anybody else in the Night Guild. They live and die by their abilities to become convincing thieves, an occupation which will repay their families’ debts.

If you’re looking for a tale of darkness and cruelty that rivals any child kidnapping story you hear about in the news, Child of the Night Guild will tear you to shreds. The harsh treatment of Viola/Seven is so consistent and so heartbreaking that you as the reader are convinced that this story will end on a sour note. While I won’t divulge what happens, you can bet your bottom dollar that this would be a scenario no ordinary person would survive. The students of the Night Guild are insulted, humiliated, starved, slashed, and slapped around as a way of stripping them of their individuality (and quite possibly their sanity). You know deep in your heart that there’s no way out, so there really is no praying for the best, because you’ll expect the worst. If you’re a Pink Floyd fan, then you know there’s a meat grinder waiting for these children at the end of the cookie factory maze.

On a somewhat lighter note, every time I read an Andy Peloquin novel, he comes off as an expert on whatever it is his story entails. In this case, the children are training to be cunning thieves, which requires a great deal of dexterity, cleverness, and thousands of hours of practice. When someone balances across a thin beam, pickpockets an unsuspecting sod, or searches for treasure in the most unlikely of places, you are convinced that these methods are the right way to get the job done. That’s not to say that Andy is an expert thief or a violent sociopath, but it tells you a lot about how much research he put into this novel. Everybody loves an intelligently-written novel and this one is no exception. Andy Peloquin is a scholar in every sense of the word.

Another likeable trait about Mr. Peloquin’s novels is his writing style. You’re not just watching a movie unfold before your eyes; you’re feeling every burning pain that Viola goes through. Whether it’s hunger pains, burning muscles, slashed fingers, or the general anxiety of being put through serious torture, it adds to this scenario of there being no way out for these children. These agonizing descriptions slowly transform Viola into Seven and Seven into the shadowy thief known as Ilanna. Any shred of innocence she once had will be lost because of the pain she feels throughout the story. We as readers get to feel everything. If you want to cry or listen to Linkin Park songs afterwards, I won’t blame you one bit.

For all intents and purposes, this should be the perfect novel for anybody who loves a good dystopian nightmare. For me personally, I love darkness, but I feel like this is too much darkness for me to handle. Maybe I’ve gotten soft and sensitive over the years, but when I read this novel, it reminds me too much of the Jaycee Dugard story on the news. She was kidnapped at the age of eleven and was raped and molested repeatedly by her captor until she was rescued at age of twenty-nine. It might seem like I’m comparing apples to oranges, but that’s just what I think of whenever I see so much darkness in one place. Nevertheless, this book receives a passing grade because it’s that damn good.

[Tay · Rating 1 out of 5]

My god, am (was) I reading the same book everyone else was? First, the language. This book has some of the most stilted language I've ever read. People DO NOT TALK LIKE THIS. Example, when the main character asks another why a member of his clan within the thieves guild trains with another clain:
"But what about you? Why are you, a Scorpion, training with the Hounds." Say that out loud. Yeah, not how people talk.

Or the section where a crow flew into a nearby tree and "mocking voice shattered the fragile calm that had filled the garden" so one of the characters, a child of like 8? 9? 10? took out a sling and immediately killed the crow.

I could go on, but I won't. Did not finish at about 45%

[Siddharth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced and the thief guild was a novel setting.
It was a bit repetitive though and felt like it set up the rest of the series more than anything else. It doesn't stand up as a great story on it's own.

[C.J. Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author very kindly sent me a copy of the book, and then with everything that happened with my quick move, I misplaced it. It’s definitely somewhere in my storage unit, which sadly houses my entire book collection, but I grabbed the audiobook to ensure I did get to it.

And DAMN! Peloquin is a solid storyteller. This is a grimdark tale that brought to mind notes of academia (with the Night Guild’s houses and names), the Thieves Guild from Skyrim, and Assassin’s Creed. A world where children are not useless but rather seen as a harnessable commodity, trainable income from the streets of Praamis. Produce of be disposed of.

A debt-ridden father, haunted by the loss of his wife and youngest daughter, offers his oldest, Viola, as a way to cover the debt. The Night Guild agrees, and just like that Viola’s world completely crumbles. As a young girl, and a small one at that, she must struggle through trials unimaginable, swallowing her grief, and working thrice as hard as the others just to get by. While teaming up with another scrawny trainee, she vows to do whatever it takes to survive, to prove everyone wrong.

Viola/Seven/Ilanna was a well crafted main character. Her stubbornness, perseverance, and hope (no matter how small) kept the reader’s eye on the horizon. I’d say it’s the biggest thing that kept much of this novel from feeling too grim. There is lightness in her will to not be extinguished, there is hope in how strong she holds herself. With that said, wow! I have seen reviews/comments of people saying I must hate my main characters, but holy moly this author just keeps the brutality coming. This is a coming of age story that could make just about anyone pessimistic or defeatist…not our main though! The integration of kindness when she finally gets mixed in with the other apprentices of House Hawk was a nice addition. The fact that she wasn’t sure if she should believe it or trust them even more deft.

The psychological torture displayed by Master Velvet to his tyros felt well researched (and heinous). These poor children being forced into hours of work before receiving water, the low protein, high sugar diet, the loss of their names and pasts, the fact that if they messed up or failed they went to bed hungry. Can’t forget the fact that they aren’t allowed outside either, no sun whatsoever. I appreciated the way this was all layered in, creating heavy believability. I did wonder though, how after so much trauma at the hands of those that had taken them in that more of them are not looking for revenge after they receive a modicum of freedom as apprentices or journeymen. But maybe some deep rooted Stockholm syndrome?

While much of this is training, which can be repetitive, the author show’s his strength by keeping the reader entwined with the hint of danger around every corner, and there is a lot of it. You really do go through each of the coming of age tropes, and with the attempted thieveries, this even feels like some “leveling up” tropes coming into play. Any time an author meshes genres or tropes of any kind, I feel like that’s when things truly shine. And this one did.

The ending, which I have seen some mixed reception of, I think was the final hammering to remind us all of how grim the world really is. While I am not a fan of SA scenes of any kind, the author did do well in skirting the “showing” while still delivering the harshness and hurt of the violation itself. And that I can accept for what it is. Ilanna’s quick revenge also offers a payoff that I feel was necessary, and it’s a reminder that if something is continuously coming for you in the city of Praamis, the only way for it to end is the removal of the obstacle wholly.

Grim, dark, and even shockingly brutal. Peloquin offers readers more than a glimpse at the depravity of his world, and yet there are still characters here to root for.

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Peloquin’s Child of the Night Guild is like a gritty Robin Hood filled with action and feeling. A girl is sold into slavery, forced to join the Night Guild and become a master thief, but she is destined to become so much more. This book was beautifully emotional and didn’t pull any punches. I can’t wait to see where the series goes next!

[Jordy Rousse · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 star read!! Wow! This story DESTROYED me. I could not get enough and cannot wait to continue this series. This will be one of my top reads of the year!

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book one sets the stage and it’s a heavy one, full of horrendous life situations a child should never be exposed to. On the streets , it’s about survival, and majority of the time, it’s about choosing the lesser of two evils. Be prepared, this tale is truly not for the weak of heart! If you are not easily offended, then this tale will grab you and hold you hostage. Iliana’s fate will stay in your mind until her life story is complete. And then you will want yo read it again and again! All my reviews are always voluntarily written.

[Russell Proctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Peloquin isn’t afraid of a challenge. He likes his fantasy to explore the darker side of human nature, and with his book Child of the Night Guild (Book One in the Queen of Thieves series), he has certainly done that. His story about an innocent girl transformed through brutal training into a thief and killer is a gripping read all the way. This is partly because it’s a damn good story. The other reason is that, like his heroine, Peloquin successfully tackles a number of challenges many authors would quail at. In the hands of a lesser writer, much of this story could have gone tragically wrong.
The first of these challenges is the fact that his protagonist is a thief. She steals without remorse or compunction in order to survive. We like to think of our heroes as the good guys, but this girl is no noble-hearted Robin Hood, robbing people for a higher cause; she’s a crook. Making a criminal into someone we admire is a hard ask for a writer.
Secondly, he writes from the point of view of a pre-teen, and later teenage, girl. From Peloquin’s promotional photograph, I assume he isn’t one (the beard is a bit of a giveaway). As a writer of female protagonists myself, I understand how hard it is for an adult man to think like an 8 to 18 year old girl.
The final challenge he sets himself is that the premise of the book is based on child abuse. There’s no polite way of saying this. The dark side of humanity that he chose to write about in this book is the brutal, unforgiving—and unforgiveable—abuse of innocent children. There are publishers out there who refuse to deal with such stories, and so basing an entire series of novels on the idea takes guts. At times reading the book was a little disturbing, even for a seasoned horror and fantasy writer like myself.
Fortunately, Peloquin comes out on top with all three challenges.
The book is a bildungsroman, the story of an individual’s growth physically, mentally, morally and emotionally. We follow the heroine as she learns about the world in which she lives. There is no long introductory world-building in this book. Our view is as limited as the lead character’s for most of the first half. It is only later that the view opens out and we find out more about the world of the book. We adapt with her, suffer, eat, train, win and lose with her. I found within a few pages of the book that I desperately wanted to know more about her, empathised with her, cried for her. The reader learns along with her to hate the Night Guild as much as she depends on it to survive.
Peloquin has done his homework. The detailed descriptions of how to pick pockets, how to fight, how to climb walls, how to acquire other people’s property without their knowing add verisimilitude to this already character-rich book. I’d love to have dinner with the man sometime to find out more about him.
I look forward to the second book in the series, Thief of the Night Guild, out in mid-2017. I also will avail myself of Peloquin’s other books.
So I conclude with a heartfelt thank you to Andy Peloquin for writing probably the best story I have read in the last year.

[Toneye Eyenot · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 out of 5 stars – Andy Peloquin is Master
This was a reading experience like no other. After reading his Last of the Bucelarii books, it was clear to me that Andy Peloquin is a master of his craft, and then came this. Set in the same world, Child of the Night Guild is the beginning of a new series and oh what a way to kick it off! A frail and helpless young girl, sold to the Night Guild by her father at the tender age of eight, Viola loses her identity from the start. Thrust into a world where she is forced to face and overcome insurmountable challenge after challenge to prove herself a worthy ‘investment’ to her new masters. The writing for this story is pure genius. Master Peloquin immerses the reader so thoroughly into this miserable life, you feel every word strike at your very soul. Every sense is awakened, every character is so well crafted, every trial our young protagonist goes through is so meticulously thought out. You can see that he has really done his homework in every aspect of describing her years of brutal training, from her terrifying beginnings as a ‘tyro’, to the years as an apprentice and finally to her accomplishment as a ‘Journeyman’ of the Night Guild. It is a tragic tale, filled with sadness, terror, and great loss but Viola, who goes through a series of name changes as her training progresses, faces each trial with a grim determination that captures your heart. This is Fantasy at its absolute finest. At story’s end, we are treated to a teaser from the next instalment in what is to be a series which will earn Master Peloquin his place among the greats. To hells with the ratings rules – this book gets ten stars out of five from me. Yes, Andy Peloquin is Master.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

4/5

CHILD OF THE NIGHT GUILD is the first novel in the Night Guild series by Andy Peloquin. It deals with a concept I've always loved in fantasy: the Thieves Guild. Before the mafia existed, the concept of an organized criminal underworld in Medieval times. Created in fantasy by Fitz Leiber, the Thieves Guild has been a mainstay of fantasy settings influenced by it like Dungeons and Dragons or Skyrim.

There's just something inherently interesting about the professional cut-purse, burglar, pick-pocket, and (sometimes) assassin who deals with all the threats of a world full of the supernatural. The incredibly entertaining Thief games are an example of it. The idea that not only is thievery a profession but it is a codefied one with training, standards, masters, and apprentices. What sort of experience is this for someone growing up in it?

Viola (later Seven and Illanna) is the daughter of a debt-ridden man who ends up sacrificing his daughter to the Night's Guild. Stripped of her identity and trained in the secret arts, she soon finds herself popular with some of her fellow students while dire enemies of others. She is not the first woman in the Night Guild but it is rare enough to be remarked upon.

Andy Pelloquin manages to nicely combine the Young Adult school drama of things like Harry Potter and Divergent with a Medieval crime story. Seven is a flawed heroine who is not the best at her job but gets by on sheer determination. Unfortunately, that very determination and pride invites anger as well as jealousy from her peers.

Much of the book reads like a typical coming of age drama wedded with a fantasy setting, which isn't a bad thing because it's a well-written coming of age drama. Illanna is a wonderfully well-written character who is believable as a child as well as teenage girl. Her interests are believable and make her come off as a sort of roguish Hermione.

Andy Peloquin writes a much darker story than Harry Potter, though. One element I didn't care for in the book is the fact there's a rape scene, which I didn't think was necessary. Nothing is shown on page but it felt like an unneeded addition. Contrasting this, Illanna is a protagonist who takes her lumps and actually has to spend time recovering from serious injury.

I think people will enjoy this book if they want a Medieval fantasy Young Adult drama. The characters are a bit stock but I was entertained by it enough to pick up the second one immediately after.

[H.M.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listening on Audible as part of the Queen of Thieves trilogy. Narrated by Rebecca McKernan.

I’ve been watching this author for a while now, but this is my first book. I’m already listening to book #2, but wanted to share a few thoughts here first. This book covers the childhood Viola and her entry into and initial training of the Night Guild. The Night Guild is a thieves guild in the city of Praamis. Children are brought there – for whatever reasons, (orphans, children sold by parents to pay debts, etc) and are trained to forget their former lives as well as to be pick pockets. Training is based on sensory deprivation and other cruelty, their only comfort coming from each other through that shared experience.

Once finishing the initial “training” the children are tested and chosen by houses within the Guild to learn their specific skill set as apprentices. As Viola learns her new skills, she makes new friends / allies in her house and becomes quite skilled. Throughout the book she learns new skills, gets to better know the other thieves in her house and has to continue dealing with the bully from her original training group.

The book ends when Viola, now Ilanna, does the Undertaking – a self-chosen challenge to “graduate” her apprenticeship and become a Journeyman. It involved a very steep climb that made me, the reader, incredibly nervous as I listened! At one point, I hit pause just to calm my nerves!

Side observations:

• The title of the book seemed to have been yelled, but once the actual story started, that wasn’t the case. Just the title.
• I found it confusing from time to time not really able to gauge how old she was. Time passed and occasionally someone’s name day would be mentioned, but she was 8 at the beginning and I’m guessing late teens at the end. In between – it was a little hard to gauge.
• The narrator was terrific. I really enjoyed listening to her. I have no idea how she kept track of all the voices, but she did a fantastic job with them. Rebecca McKernan did a great job and I look forward to listening to her in the next two books of the trilogy.

Trigger Warning: The story includes a violent sexual assault towards the end of the book. (Admittedly, using both violent and assault in the same sentence is redundant) While it is intensely-written, it is not gratuitously described.

Audio Book was sent to me as an ARC for which I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Peloquin presents us with another epic grimdark fantasy series to which this book is the first, and in which we are introduced to our heroine, who we get to meet as a vulnerable puny child who has just lost her beloved mother and baby sister, and been betrayed and sold off by her father, in order to pay his debts to the night guild. She is forced to suffer deprivation and abuse for many years as she is trained to forget who she ever was, and to be prepared to be forged into a night guild apprentice. She was lucky to be chosen by house hawk but her training into this house is also terrifying and very demanding, however llanna swears to herself that she will not be broken but that she would rise to become the best thief of the night guild. She is hated for being a female amongst men and bullied and abused until everything she ever cared for is taken from her and the abuser is allowed to get away with his crimes. The final straw is what breaks the camel's back and this is what made llanna see red and she was out for vengeance. This is a great read from start to finish, a great part of which I read with trepidation and fear for our heroine and her friends. This is not a book for the faint of heart but it is a book worth reading and I cannot wait to read about further exploits of Llanna in the next books in the series Queen of Thieves.

[Donna Capodelupo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time I have been so enthralled by a character as I am with Viola/Seven/Ilanna.
Andy Peloquin's Child of the Night Guild grabbed me by the throat and the heart and wouldn't let go.
Viola's growth as a character, the tension and suspense in the story and the compelling world that the author creates combine to make this an unforgettable read.
My heart sank when I came to the last page, then soared again when I discovered Ilanna's story will continue in Books 2 and 3.
Just one warning: Don't get too attached to any of the characters. Peloquin's devious plot twists leave no one safe.

[Mx_Virg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. A kick-ass thief, part of a guild, has some allies, some enemies, a test coming up... Yes, please!

But for a big part of the book I felt mislead and bored. I just thought "Well I'm not sure it's for me, but I'm curious and like to read new things, might only be a three star read". And when things started to get interesting and became the story I expected, it took a turn for the worse. I'm still giving this two stars because I really liked the world building and some of the characters, but I'm just over books, especially fantasy books, using sexism and sexual assaults for *drama* when it isn't needed in the story. With no content warnings to boot.

Seeing the cover, reading the blurp, you'd think this is about a young woman who has been training in a cut-throat guild and has to face some challenges, prove her worth, etc. You wouldn't expect to see her actual training from the time she's 8. For almost the whole book. At least I didn't expect to spend 3/4 of the book with a prebuscent girl being abused and brain-washed, basically seeing the process of how mercenary guilds train their employees. So yes, in a sense, it is about that young woman, but it's also very much not.

Already that's not what I had signed up for. I have zero interest in reading about kids being abused. I thought this would only be for a few chapters, to give us some background info on her, but no, you get to see Ilana slowly go up the ranks. And that's fine, not what I expected or enjoyed, but ok.

Or maybe I would have liked that kind of story better if it was written with that little girl in mind. Because I had to remind myself she was 8, 9, 10, and not 15 or 16, because she didn't read like a pre-teen. Neither did her interactions with the almost all-male older cast. It also doesn't help that the image on the cover is of a woman, so personally that's the image that I had in mind. It was weird, and I couldn't stay immersed in the story.

And then there's the sexism and sexual assaults. Because of course there is. How else can we give a woman some character and show how though she is. And it's not that there is sexism or sexual assault at all that bothers me, it's how it's treated in the story that is very lacking. It's done so casually. And sexual assault is just used for the shock value (and because, again, it's a very common way to give some tragic backstory to a woman, because losing your parents, being abused, trained to kill, and then some other tragic losses, is not enough apparently).

Let's take that last scene. It wasn't necessary. Not at all. Ethen's death was more than enough to sign Sabat's death warrant. Him raping her is just there to add something graphic to the story, and I'm sick and tired to see rape seen as a fun little plot device to spice things up in fantasy stories.

[Patrick Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I read a lot of YA, and I like it when the heroines are strong and tough, and they don't come much tougher than the main character of this book, who after several name changes is known as Ilanna. Of course, few heroines' stories start as early in life as hers does.

After the death of her mother, Ilanna's drunken father sells her to the Night Guild, where she is rigorously (and brutally) trained from the age of eight to become a thief. Surrounded at all times by boys and grown men who question her abilities, Ilanna must prove herself at every turn, fighting her own doubts and demons and the leers and machinations of those who refuse to see her as equal.

I'll be honest, this book took me a long time to get through. Very few characters I've read had as much to endure through the course of one book as Ilanna (the story spans ten years of her life). Every single time she was dealt a horrible setback, using her inner strength, grit and determination to power through and achieve some small measure of triumph, something else would happen - usually at the hands of one particularly loathsome character - to send her tumbling back down to the mud. Time and again, this happened. I'm glad I took my sweet time reading this story, because there were several events that literally hurt to read.

If you're reading this, take note: though most of the characters in this book are teens or younger, it is NOT a suitable read for young children. There are scenes of brutality that many would find disturbing.

The good news is, the book is so masterfully written and engaging that despite my reservations, I found myself drawn back to the book, aching to see how Ilanna's story ended. (Well, not ended, because two more books in the series are due out soon.) I know that Mr. Peloquin is going to put my guts in a paint shaker and set it on "high" before it's done, but I welcome it.

[Tiffany Landers · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a rarity that a book leaves me speechless, unsure if I'll be able to give the story its proper and most deserving credit. Child of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin has done just that to me. I've been ruminating over how to give this beyond phenomenal story its due. Child of the Night Guild took me completely by surprise. This is the first book I've read by Andy Peloquin and it most definitely will not be my last. I will read everything he publishes in the future. The reason I picked up this book is that I noticed how Andy Peloquin wrote when he did takeovers. I am very impressed when I see amazing writing skills by an author, and Andy Peloquin is creative writing at its finest!! Believe his statement when he writes, "I am an artist. Words are my palette." It's true. This author has a way with words that is extremely rare, and most struggle to find this level of quality in writing, including me.

Child of the Night Guild was full of surprises, twists, turns-things I didn't see coming at all. The story of a young girl who is determined to survive no matter the cost. And survive she does. Not only that, she refuses to let anyone else be better at what they do than she. Back alleys, abuse, thievery, tragedies, successes … it's all there. This is one story you do not want to miss.

This is not your typical story of romance, HEAs, erotica; nope, none of that exists in this book. Still, there is love of the best kind. Are you scrolling through your Kindle in hopes of finding that next, DIFFERENT story? Look no further. You'll find everything you're seeking in Child of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin. I don't know how I'm going to make it until book two is released in June. I'm so thankful I found this author's work.

~Have You Heard? Book Blog

[Bethany Hoeflich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve learned a lot from books over the years.

How to string a bow, what to do if I find myself trapped in a fairy circle, how to escape a conversation with someone I don’t want to talk to...

I never expected a book to teach me how to climb a damn rope, but here we are. It’s almost enough to make me want to go back to middle school gym class and try it again.

Almost.

So, there’s something I find immensely satisfying about a slow progression/coming-of-age story, even if this one is a bit darker than my usual reads. It reminded me a lot of Zero in Sara King’s Finding Zero, and Aedan from Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw.

When the MC is eight, she’s sold to the Night Guild, an organization of thieves and cutthroats, to pay off her father’s debts (real class act, this guy). There, she’s stripped of her identity and given a number rather than a name—Seven. As a Tyro (lower than an apprentice), she’s broken and reforged, again and again, until the day when she can be tested and claimed by a House.

Some of the scenes are difficult to stomach, but Andy does a magnificent job at toning down the graphicness... at least while she’s a child. There’re no holds barred when she gets older. We see her accepted by House Hawk and follow her for ten years as she faces training, trials, and heartbreaking setbacks, culminating in the ultimate test, the Undertaking, when she must prove worthy of earning her place as a Journeyman in the Guild.

But every story needs a villain.

Look, I don’t consider myself to be a particularly violent person, but he makes me... Well, let’s just say I’m having gleeful fantasies of stringing him up by his toes and slowly dipping him face-first into a vat of boiling acid filled with robotic piranhas.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The characters (EXCEPT ONE) were great, the world was fleshed out enough to make it feel real, and the details and slow progression really made it pop.

My only bone of contention is, incidentally, the rape scene (Oh yeah, trigger warning for a rape scene). It left me with a sickly, slimy feeling that soured the ending.

To be honest, I feel a bit betrayed because I don’t see why it was necessary.
The bad guy had already done enough, taken enough, to deserve her revenge without having to violate her that way.

That being said, it still gets five stars because I read it cover-to-cover in one sitting and stayed up until 3am to finish it.

[The Reading Ruru (Kerry) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ilanna (Violet/Seven) in all the stages of the early years of her life. For all the hardships and loss she suffers from an extremely early age - from her father, her early years of forced training as a thief under a hard and uncaring taskmaster and learning the harsh violent structure and strictures of the street, her constant will to survive is admirable. Joining the Hawks, the Guild of Thieves that run the rooftops of the city is her chance of freedom.
Ilanna is not a character who takes it all on the chin though; we see her weaknesses, her anger and her sorrow; we get to see through her eyes the ugliness of her existence but also the moments of joy, the growing friendship which become like family and tiny moments like watching a garden grow.
This is not always an easy read, the streets of the city are often depraved and violent and Ilanna experiences this first hand on numerous occasions especially whilst undergoing the most dangerous undertaking of her life. Will she survive it or will the hatred and jealously of rivals from other guilds be her demise?

CW: graphic sexual assault in one scene, violence against a woman with intent.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is emotional in many parts and it does play with your heart. The author certainly isn't afraid of killing off favourite characters, so be prepared. Love the main character Ilanna, though for such a young thing she certainly goes through a lot. Hope she gets a break in the next book.

The story development is good, there are twists and turns and some interesting characters. A little more character development might help.

Certainly recommend this story. Go for it.

4.25 stars

[Petey Karalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm blown away by how much I enjoyed reading this book.

As a long time follower of Andy, I'm embarrassed to admit that until now I hadn't actually read any of his books!

Now that I've seen just how much I'm missing out on, I'm so excited to continue this series and to jump into the other books in this world!

[Eileen Dandashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Read of Suspense, Fear, Grit and the Will to Survive

Okay.  This read is not for the weak of heart.  I’ve got to tell you, it was time I retired for the evening and the last hour of the read is upon me. I lay in bed for one hour, trying to figure out how this story would end.  I really tried to sleep, but crawled out of bed at 12:45 a.m., wrapped myself in a blanket and finished the book!  I just had to do it.  I couldn’t sleep otherwise, and then I still had a time of it, since this book does not have a happy ever after ending—propelling me to the sequel. 

You are forewarned.  If you like this kind of read, then it is right up your alley. Scared shitless, I was.  The whole setting is so fantastic, the characters so mesmerizing, that is, those left living, I cannot walk away.

Viola was her name.  She then became number Seven.  That is, seven of twelve total.  And finally, she became Ilanna.  Her life is hell from the beginning to the end.  In the beginning, she is the innocent, the one whose life is determined by her parents.  Circumstances find her without mother. Her father, a drunken man who has no questions and wants no answers, gave her to The Guild—The Night Guild.  He was free of her, but not free of his guilt, his pain, his anguish, and…, but I get ahead of myself.

The Guild took Viola in – no longer owning a name, she became number Seven.  Through psychological and body deprivation, she no longer remembers who she is.  Her friends were few.  Her best friend and kindest peer is number Three. After many months of existing, the group are picked through by the Guild Masters.  Three became a member of the Serpent Guild and Seven became a member of the Hawk Guild.  Depending on their qualifications through a testing by the Guild, they are chosen.

The little girl, Viola, never forgot, although she didn’t remember her family, that she needed to stand tall, with chin up.  Her determination to succeed did her in good stead.  Through the years until her seventeenth birthday, she learned much.  She learned to depend on herself. By the very cruelty she experienced, she is honed into a weapon, highly prized by the Head Master of the entire Guild. 

I don’t normally read such a fantasy as this.  Mine are usually the lighter version, the ones which make me smile.  This one did not.  It is well written, grips my emotions, scaring the bejeebers out of me! I secretly cheer Illana to succeed in her challenges, her quest.  The author, Andy Peloquin, accomplished what he set out to do.  I must be careful.  There are forces around, even darker than
the ones I’ve experienced with Illana by my side. Tread lightly, reader. Don’t be trapped—don’t be taken.

If you like to lose sleep, cringe when you hear a soft voice behind you, yet fly soaring over the streets of a city, feeling the freedom which will somehow later elude you, begin this series and may the gods protect your heart!

Book is provided to me by the publisher and in no way influences my feelings about the book, nor the contents of my review.

Note:  This whole scenario by the author is very similar to what presently happens in parts of the world today.  Children are brain-washed to be the fingers of those who want a deed done.

[E.M. Whittaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve reviewed Peloquin’s novels before when he wrote the Hunter, but Child of the Night Guild was the only book that my partner read of Peloquin’s. When he took it off my bookshelf eleven times to look at the cover and the back, I had a feeling it was one book he would read.

And I was right. He did read it - even if it took M a month to finish. So, today’s book review will be told in two parts - one with my perspective and one with M’s.

Note: One major spoiler will be revealed in this review, since M questioned reading any more of Peloquin’s books in the future. In addition, mentioning feedback for this spoiler will also give Peloquin feedback regarding a set of scenes we discussed when he was drafting the novel.

Without further ado, I give you Child of the Night Guild, book one in the Queen of Thieves series.


Cover art

Both of us agreed that the cover art was beautifully done. This is a feat because M is particular about women and children are pictured in the media, including anime, video games and novels. I’d say it did its job if he snagged it based on looks and blurb alone.

This is crisp enough to view as a thumbnail, but has enough detail that it doesn’t take away the most important message. Even the logo for the series fits in conjunction with the cover.


Characterization

The characterization of most of the characters was superb. I liked learning about the people Seven associated with and the relationships she cultivated, despite being reshaped into a tool for the Night Guild rather than as an individual.

On a side note: One thing I appreciated about Peloquin’s newest piece was asking the community for feedback in regards to certain actions inside the novel. Not only did he employ beta readers, but he asked individuals personally how they felt about one particular action in the book. Peloquin was professional in his discussion with me and understood the possibility of alienating readers if he executed certain scenes wrong. He also took from real experiences with PTSD and rape trauma to show this in the character, and I felt this was accurately portrayed within the novel.

And yes - Peloquin did so well that he upset M with how long this happened. However, this was the emotion I felt Peloquin wanted to portray so people would sympathize with Seven instead of seeing her as a helpless victim.


Plot

Here is where our differences in opinion started. I will share M's feedback first here, since his is not as critical as mine :)


Reader's feedback

I found Child of the Night Guild to be full of treasured moments. You really had to feel for this young girl in her struggle to find her place with in the Night Guild.

The book's opening was heart wrenching. Along the way there were many plots and twists, but there were many rewarding moments as well. As the main heroine grew and adapted to her new surroundings, I felt myself hoping she would make it through the darkness.

This story will grip you and make you feel something inside of yourself. But be warned - this story reflects upon the darker natures of humanity. I hope you enjoy Seven's journey into finding herself. The perfect analogy to describe this book was "an eerie calm before plunging back into the storm".

As you can see, M's is from a reader's perspective, but he left out one part, which I will detail below.


Reader/Author's perspective

From my perspective, I thought the plot was well done. It started a little slow in the beginning, but readers needed to see Illana’s evolution from helpless Viola to nameless Seven, and then again from Seven to Illana. Another reason I agree with the somewhat slow start was because of several plotpoints that needed to be staged. If Peloquin just launched into his ending for this book without careful staging, reviewers would argue he overused one key trope in fantasy genres for “a cool plotpoint”.

Here is where the spoiler comes into play.

Personally, I knew where the book was going to end up because of how it was staged. Anyone who read it could put two + two other between two certain characters. When we discussed his issue, he was debating on if he should use those set of scenes, so I wasn’t sure if they were included.

I’m on the side of the fence that thinks everything should be accurately portrayed. If you stage the book properly, you don’t need to include a sticker label “trigger warning”. In this case, Peloquin’s lack of trigger warning did not effect my enjoyment of the book because it was staged properly. Readers would expect this outcome and could opt out earlier if they felt the need to.

For M, the ending of the book left a sour taste in his mouth, despite Peloquin staging the end between Seven and Nine. His feedback to me was this: “If he hadn’t hinted at the end result before I read it, I wouldn’t be reading any more of his novels. But since the animosity was clear, I saw where it was going from when Nine was introduced. I really need to know if there’s anymore sexual assault scenes before taking a chance with book two.”

However, M agreed that Peloquin staged the novel well, and liked seeing the progression of Seven’s character. Each time he read, he would talk about his excitement at where he left off, and kept wondering how she would deal with each new circumstance. So, M was interested in Seven from the beginning. This vested interest is what saved him from putting the book down completely.

Nonetheless, I did have a conversation with Peloquin about M’s feedback.

Peloquin handled the issue with grace. He offered to M read several chapters of book two to see if he would read the rest of the series. Because I’ve read the rest of Peloquin’s books, I did decline the offer. (They’ll just get stolen off my bookshelf again anyway.)


Wrap-up

Peloquin’s newest novel highlights his increased skill as a writer and the female perspective gives it a nice touch. Unlike the Hunter of Voramis, the Child of the Night Guild tugs more at your heartstrings and is a bit easier to digest. I enjoyed reading a book similar to Brent Weeks and look forward to the second book, Thief of the Night Guild.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning, this review discusses sexual assault.

So beginning of this book was fine. Over the top edge, I like that shit, it rolls that back pretty quickly but doesn't really help much. For most of the book, MC is under 12. That makes a lot of the character interactions hilarious in a bad way, but whatever its alright, average book rating so far. Then we get to the last quarter of the book and things go down hill fast. There are two rapes in this book. The second one is bad, it's uncomfortable. It and the events that followed felt too much. The first was worse however. Not because it was more graphic, or emotional, but because it didn't matter in the author's eyes. right before she begins her test to become a journeyman, it mentions, offhandedly, that one of her friends attempted to force himself on her, after turning down his advances. This seems to do no more than make their continued friendship a bit awkward! That encounter was described in a total of two paragraphs, and then never comes up again. Words cannot express everything that is wrong with this.