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Beggar Mage Cycle #1
Thief Mage, Beggar Mage
Tet is no longer a priest-mage; thrown out from his temple and cursed by his gods to return a stolen relic. With every passing year, the curse works deeper into his flesh, breaking and twisting him until finally, driven by pain, Tet makes a drastic play to escape the gods.
His luck turns sour, and the escape costs him his soul, drawing his death even closer when he is captured by the despotic White Prince. In order to escape the prince, retrieve his soul and break the curse, Tet must form a fragile alliance with a man he cannot trust. An alliance made brittle by lies and deception; one that may take his heart as well as his soul.
Thief Mage, Beggar Mage is a lush, queer reimagining of Andersen’s The Tinderbox, embroidered with dreams, secret identities, stolen magic, giant spectral dogs, clockwork monsters, prophetic dragons, and the grand games of gods and humans.
His luck turns sour, and the escape costs him his soul, drawing his death even closer when he is captured by the despotic White Prince. In order to escape the prince, retrieve his soul and break the curse, Tet must form a fragile alliance with a man he cannot trust. An alliance made brittle by lies and deception; one that may take his heart as well as his soul.
Thief Mage, Beggar Mage is a lush, queer reimagining of Andersen’s The Tinderbox, embroidered with dreams, secret identities, stolen magic, giant spectral dogs, clockwork monsters, prophetic dragons, and the grand games of gods and humans.
419 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2022
5 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
Cat Hellisen
45 books277 followersPresumably a person, occasionally a table.
I write stories.
I write stories.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 19, 2023
This book has flown under so many people's radar, and that is a crying shame as it's really, really good.
It's no epic fantasy of swinging swords and gore, but more in the character-focused ways of Robin Hobb and Tanith Lee with exquisite writing to match, and that is one of the books strengths.
The main character, Tet, is no saint, that is for sure, but you can't held but sympathise with somebody who has been shat on from such a heavenly height, even if some of it is his fault. He is charged with an impossible task and racked with ever-growing pain if he doesn't accomplish it - made all the harder by the gods stripping the mage of 99% of his power... I do love cursed people, callous gods, an exploration of ancient magic and clockwork creatures and the middle-eastern setting is rich and full and fills the novel with vibrant life.
It's no epic fantasy of swinging swords and gore, but more in the character-focused ways of Robin Hobb and Tanith Lee with exquisite writing to match, and that is one of the books strengths.
The main character, Tet, is no saint, that is for sure, but you can't held but sympathise with somebody who has been shat on from such a heavenly height, even if some of it is his fault. He is charged with an impossible task and racked with ever-growing pain if he doesn't accomplish it - made all the harder by the gods stripping the mage of 99% of his power... I do love cursed people, callous gods, an exploration of ancient magic and clockwork creatures and the middle-eastern setting is rich and full and fills the novel with vibrant life.
December 25, 2023
Rep: achillean nonbinary mc, bi genderfluid intersex li, nonbinary side characters
CWs: torture, magic requiring self harm
CWs: torture, magic requiring self harm
May 19, 2022
I've edited or seen early drafts of many of Cat Hellisen's novels and short stories, so it was an absolute treat to have a first look at one of their titles that I've *not* worked on, and it is one that I could simply concentrate on reading and enjoying. Thief Mage Beggar Mage is best described as a heady mix of magic, kinda-Asian-inspired fantasy, courtly shenanigans, betrayal, untenable love, and dragons. What's not to love? Okay, so I admit it, this book ticked all the boxes for me right from the start.
We follow the doings of Tet, who's crippled by a curse from the gods unless he can retrieve a magical artefact. In a world where your true name can be the deadliest currency, Tet's problem (apart from the dastardly divine curse that just gets worse by the day) is the fact that he doesn't know his true name. And as the story unfolds, Tet's quest becomes more and more complicated as he crosses paths with the mysterious Dohza, who is beguiling and enshrouded in mystery. Tet knows better than to fall for the one-armed mage, but as we get to know him, we realise that Tet is not exactly known for his good life choices. Especially when those life choices have him entangled in a plot to unseat The White Prince – a despot who rules the empire with an iron fist.
I admit I'm a sucker for stories about the underdog who has lost everything, and somehow has to claw his way back out of the deep hole which, let's be honest, he dug for himself, and Tet fits that mould perfectly for me. He's pitiable, yet has a peculiar kind of magnetism about him that I appreciate. Forever an outsider, he has a unique perspective of the society in which he operates.
Another hallmark of Cat's writing is that there are often echoes of well-known fairy-tales laced with queer themes immersed in their writing, and this story is no exception – Cat pays tribute to Hans Christian Andersen's The Tinderbox, complete with giant magical dogs and fabulous riches, and all the wonder you can ask for. And what I love even more about Tet is that he's most certainly *not* the hero of this tale. I'd describe him more as a catalyst or linchpin for greater events that unfold. No shining, magical swords here, but rather a battered lute and a begging bowl. Oh, yes, and that all-important whiff of dragons.
If you're in the mood for a lyrical, textured fantasy novel redolent with rich imagery and intrigue, then this will hit the mark. The conclusion was perfect, bringing equal measures of "Ah, yes" and "Oh, my heart." Have some tissues handy. Or maybe have a quiet place where you can go lie down once you finish the book.
We follow the doings of Tet, who's crippled by a curse from the gods unless he can retrieve a magical artefact. In a world where your true name can be the deadliest currency, Tet's problem (apart from the dastardly divine curse that just gets worse by the day) is the fact that he doesn't know his true name. And as the story unfolds, Tet's quest becomes more and more complicated as he crosses paths with the mysterious Dohza, who is beguiling and enshrouded in mystery. Tet knows better than to fall for the one-armed mage, but as we get to know him, we realise that Tet is not exactly known for his good life choices. Especially when those life choices have him entangled in a plot to unseat The White Prince – a despot who rules the empire with an iron fist.
I admit I'm a sucker for stories about the underdog who has lost everything, and somehow has to claw his way back out of the deep hole which, let's be honest, he dug for himself, and Tet fits that mould perfectly for me. He's pitiable, yet has a peculiar kind of magnetism about him that I appreciate. Forever an outsider, he has a unique perspective of the society in which he operates.
Another hallmark of Cat's writing is that there are often echoes of well-known fairy-tales laced with queer themes immersed in their writing, and this story is no exception – Cat pays tribute to Hans Christian Andersen's The Tinderbox, complete with giant magical dogs and fabulous riches, and all the wonder you can ask for. And what I love even more about Tet is that he's most certainly *not* the hero of this tale. I'd describe him more as a catalyst or linchpin for greater events that unfold. No shining, magical swords here, but rather a battered lute and a begging bowl. Oh, yes, and that all-important whiff of dragons.
If you're in the mood for a lyrical, textured fantasy novel redolent with rich imagery and intrigue, then this will hit the mark. The conclusion was perfect, bringing equal measures of "Ah, yes" and "Oh, my heart." Have some tissues handy. Or maybe have a quiet place where you can go lie down once you finish the book.
January 19, 2023
3.5 stars
To me this was epic fantasy, with Gods and Mages. The pace is very slow, which I didn't mind, as I liked the writing. However I had a hard time with the main plot. It took me a while to figure out why Tet was cursed in the first place. Tet is a crippled Mage who wants to find a solution to his problem, he is in a vulnerable position and everyone is taking advantage of him and using him. And he lets it in hope that the next person may help him find that solution. He keeps making bad choices, keeps hitting roadblocks. His mission was derailed countless times and it felt like he got knocked down continuously.
There's very little help he gets, in the form of another Mage. Dozha shows up early in the book, but for the majority, he is absent, elusive. So the romance is introduced really late in the story, it's not out of the blue, as there are hints along the way.
It's a unique story about a Mage who doesn't want to be a hero, he is just a pawn in the game of the Gods and he suffers for it. It's not a particularly happy book.
To me this was epic fantasy, with Gods and Mages. The pace is very slow, which I didn't mind, as I liked the writing. However I had a hard time with the main plot. It took me a while to figure out why Tet was cursed in the first place. Tet is a crippled Mage who wants to find a solution to his problem, he is in a vulnerable position and everyone is taking advantage of him and using him. And he lets it in hope that the next person may help him find that solution. He keeps making bad choices, keeps hitting roadblocks. His mission was derailed countless times and it felt like he got knocked down continuously.
There's very little help he gets, in the form of another Mage. Dozha shows up early in the book, but for the majority, he is absent, elusive. So the romance is introduced really late in the story, it's not out of the blue, as there are hints along the way.
It's a unique story about a Mage who doesn't want to be a hero, he is just a pawn in the game of the Gods and he suffers for it. It's not a particularly happy book.
August 18, 2022
HIGHLIGHTS
~keep your eye on casual gifts
~clockwork horses
~machinating (not mechanical) dragons
~bugs made of jewels
~an extremely pretty prince of thieves
I knew better than to expect anything specific from Thief Mage Beggar Mage, because if there’s one thing a Hellisen book guarantees (besides fabulous writing), it’s that you are never going to be able to predict what shape the story will take.
You just know it’s going to be amazing.
Thief Mage Beggar Mage kept that promise: nothing went the way I thought it would, and every bit of it was brilliant. Not always comfortable and very often not very happy! But brilliant.
I’ve been a fan of Hellisen for years, but I genuinely think Thief Mage Beggar Mage ratchets it up a notch in terms of prose; lush is not an adequate descriptor for this book, okay? To describe the writing as lush undersells it. This book is sumptuous, and sensual, and simply sublime. And it doesn’t hurt at all that this is a book with a lot of beauty in it; canine gods, silken clothes, clockwork beasties made of gems. I am a shallow creature, all right, I like my fantasy pretty, and Hellisen absolutely delivers with rich, descriptive prose blooming into stunning imagery. This is a book you could get drunk on, a book that so seduces your senses that you can smell the incense clinging to the pages after you’ve closed them. It’s gorgeous.
The story Hellisen spins for us manages to feel both languid and urgent, and no, I can’t tell you exactly how that effect was created, because I don’t understand it myself. Thief Mage Beggar Mage walks the knife-thin, knife-sharp line between beautiful dream and terrible nightmare, weaving sweet lassitude and jewelled wonder with sick dread and terror – because the world Hellisen has created here is as beautiful as it is awful, and poor Tet is caught between too many opposing powers, too many horrible deaths, too many bad options. The story turns like a spiral, first lifting Tet up, then bringing him crashing down, and the tension twists tighter and tighter as the loops of the spiral coil in towards the center – the end of it all.
It’s complicated, and vivid, and twists and turns like a dragon.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
~keep your eye on casual gifts
~clockwork horses
~machinating (not mechanical) dragons
~bugs made of jewels
~an extremely pretty prince of thieves
I knew better than to expect anything specific from Thief Mage Beggar Mage, because if there’s one thing a Hellisen book guarantees (besides fabulous writing), it’s that you are never going to be able to predict what shape the story will take.
You just know it’s going to be amazing.
Thief Mage Beggar Mage kept that promise: nothing went the way I thought it would, and every bit of it was brilliant. Not always comfortable and very often not very happy! But brilliant.
I’ve been a fan of Hellisen for years, but I genuinely think Thief Mage Beggar Mage ratchets it up a notch in terms of prose; lush is not an adequate descriptor for this book, okay? To describe the writing as lush undersells it. This book is sumptuous, and sensual, and simply sublime. And it doesn’t hurt at all that this is a book with a lot of beauty in it; canine gods, silken clothes, clockwork beasties made of gems. I am a shallow creature, all right, I like my fantasy pretty, and Hellisen absolutely delivers with rich, descriptive prose blooming into stunning imagery. This is a book you could get drunk on, a book that so seduces your senses that you can smell the incense clinging to the pages after you’ve closed them. It’s gorgeous.
The story Hellisen spins for us manages to feel both languid and urgent, and no, I can’t tell you exactly how that effect was created, because I don’t understand it myself. Thief Mage Beggar Mage walks the knife-thin, knife-sharp line between beautiful dream and terrible nightmare, weaving sweet lassitude and jewelled wonder with sick dread and terror – because the world Hellisen has created here is as beautiful as it is awful, and poor Tet is caught between too many opposing powers, too many horrible deaths, too many bad options. The story turns like a spiral, first lifting Tet up, then bringing him crashing down, and the tension twists tighter and tighter as the loops of the spiral coil in towards the center – the end of it all.
It’s complicated, and vivid, and twists and turns like a dragon.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
February 5, 2026
Picked up from the library new purchases. In Thief Mage, Beggar Mage, Tet is a nameless mage rejected by his order and cursed by the gods. Suffering from constant pain, he strikes an unwise bargain with a thief lord in the city of the despotic White Prince—risking both his soul and his freedom.
Thief Mage, Beggar Mage is based on Anderson's The Tinderbox, which I would think was an impressively deep cut if there wasn't another book with that premise coming out in June. In the way of the best retellings, some of the elements are familiar—there's a soldier, and a princess, and a tinderbox that summons three dogs—but they're mixed so thoroughly with Hellisen's strikingly original worldbuilding and prose that they're almost unrecognizable. This is not a book that holds your hand as it gallivants through gods and priests, horrible curses, a city held in thrall by mechanical monsters, a thief lord, and secret dragons.
But above all, this is a book about pain. Tet is having a truly horrible time through most of the book: the gods have cursed him with a deteriorating right knee that leaves him in constant, excruciating pain. And THEN the gods appear to him early in the book to give him a task and curse his left knee, too. I don't know how they expect him to get anything done with no legs. Tet's constant agony is a steady presence throughout the book that the reader is never allowed to forget. His options have been cut off, and most of the plot is the deadly consequences of his desperate, pain-clouded decisions slowly unfolding. It's an interesting choice that gives the story the bittersweet tang of a tragedy rather than something brighter.
A striking indie fantasy novel. Hellisen is clearly an author to watch, and I look forward to going through their extensive backlist.
Thief Mage, Beggar Mage is based on Anderson's The Tinderbox, which I would think was an impressively deep cut if there wasn't another book with that premise coming out in June. In the way of the best retellings, some of the elements are familiar—there's a soldier, and a princess, and a tinderbox that summons three dogs—but they're mixed so thoroughly with Hellisen's strikingly original worldbuilding and prose that they're almost unrecognizable. This is not a book that holds your hand as it gallivants through gods and priests, horrible curses, a city held in thrall by mechanical monsters, a thief lord, and secret dragons.
But above all, this is a book about pain. Tet is having a truly horrible time through most of the book: the gods have cursed him with a deteriorating right knee that leaves him in constant, excruciating pain. And THEN the gods appear to him early in the book to give him a task and curse his left knee, too. I don't know how they expect him to get anything done with no legs. Tet's constant agony is a steady presence throughout the book that the reader is never allowed to forget. His options have been cut off, and most of the plot is the deadly consequences of his desperate, pain-clouded decisions slowly unfolding. It's an interesting choice that gives the story the bittersweet tang of a tragedy rather than something brighter.
A striking indie fantasy novel. Hellisen is clearly an author to watch, and I look forward to going through their extensive backlist.
April 15, 2022
So grateful to get to read an early copy of this book!
Okay, surface level stuff: the worldbuilding here is phenomenal. There's an intricate mythos and political system. It never felt force-fed, though. Cat has a talent for this. Their work has always drawn me in and told me exactly what I need to know without overwhelming me. It's brilliant. Tet was an easy character to love. He's so human, it hurts. Flawed and angry and resigned and adaptable and just trying to get by. I love him.
I saw the twist coming, not going to lie there. But you know what? It was still very satisfying. Everything lines up exactly as it should and keeps you turning pages. And that end? Loved it.
Deeper level stuff: holy wow, my people. This book spoke to me. Maybe I'm projecting my own thoughts and issues here, but that's what art is for, right? To help us grow as people and see inside ourselves? And sometimes, outside of ourselves as well. Anyway. At its core, I want to say this book was about finding yourself. Accepting the facets of you that are more prickly than others. Shifting them around until they fit snug against other pieces--even if that means grinding down some edges or filling in the gaps like that amazing kintsugi pottery until you are something new and beautiful and intrinsically *you*
Anyone who knows me is well aware that Cat Hellisen is my favorite author of all time. I stand firmly by every book they've ever written and find the world a brighter place because of both them and their work. This book was no exception. It is beautiful and heartbreaking and soul-mending. Which is to say, you should absolutely buy and read this book.
Okay, surface level stuff: the worldbuilding here is phenomenal. There's an intricate mythos and political system. It never felt force-fed, though. Cat has a talent for this. Their work has always drawn me in and told me exactly what I need to know without overwhelming me. It's brilliant. Tet was an easy character to love. He's so human, it hurts. Flawed and angry and resigned and adaptable and just trying to get by. I love him.
I saw the twist coming, not going to lie there. But you know what? It was still very satisfying. Everything lines up exactly as it should and keeps you turning pages. And that end? Loved it.
Deeper level stuff: holy wow, my people. This book spoke to me. Maybe I'm projecting my own thoughts and issues here, but that's what art is for, right? To help us grow as people and see inside ourselves? And sometimes, outside of ourselves as well. Anyway. At its core, I want to say this book was about finding yourself. Accepting the facets of you that are more prickly than others. Shifting them around until they fit snug against other pieces--even if that means grinding down some edges or filling in the gaps like that amazing kintsugi pottery until you are something new and beautiful and intrinsically *you*
Anyone who knows me is well aware that Cat Hellisen is my favorite author of all time. I stand firmly by every book they've ever written and find the world a brighter place because of both them and their work. This book was no exception. It is beautiful and heartbreaking and soul-mending. Which is to say, you should absolutely buy and read this book.
April 18, 2023
DNF after 180 pages. 2.4
Unkept promises
Going into this novel, many interesting details are hinting at a complex story: one of the possible end of the world thanks to some dark thing inside the main character, one of beating the gods at their own game, one of political intrigue against the brutal ruler of the country, one of potential romance between two men living at the fringes of society. Mostly, one with a proactive character at its centre: Tet is an exceptionally skilled mage but down on his luck. He has already taken on several different disguises to fulfil an impossible task, worked as soldier-spy even. Wow - what will he decide to do next?!
-Nothing, it turns out. Tet does not make decisions in the first 180 pages of this book. He only does what other people tell him to do. (Okay, he decides to buy a clockwork horse. I don't understand why that is necessary though, since he doesn't like it to begin with and it isn't attached to a specific detailed plan the reader is made aware of.)
This lack of planning is one of the issues I have with him: the details about his past tell me that he is clever and will come up with interesting ways to do the seemingly impossible. Surely, further try-fail cycles will follow that will be fun because he's such a clever guy. But he's not. He can alter the weather with his supposedly waning magic but he lives as a beggar. Tet has a meeting with a mysterious mage that surely wants something from him and claims in advance that he won't become one of the pets of this person, but he does nothing to ensure that. If he made a clever plan, one the reader can appreciate based on the inner logic of this world as clever, and that failed in a surprising way - that would be a good story. But he doesn't. The story continues on in this fashion with Tet only ever seeing one step ahead but never even planning anything interesting for that one step. The promise of a clever, resourceful mage? -Broken.
But there are people and relationships that also do not work.
Additionally, why does Tet not have a single friend? Why does he not try to make one? E.g. out of Laketri? Why does no one in the whole book seem to like connecting meaningfully with other people? Everyone seems to be a lone wolf, working with others only because they're forced to. I understand that a fantasy story needs some schemers, some driven people. But you need some contrast. Some warmth to highlight the cold people.
The lack of contrast permeates the book: I never felt Tet is doing anything clever to improve his situation, I never rooted for a plan, never was given much reason to be confident in his skills, so I was never surprised when it didn't succeed. Tet is low, he sells himself cheap, never works around obvious traps or problems, and then halfway through the book, he hits rock bottom. Which I wasn't emotionally impacted by. Tet values himself so little (e.g. pining after some mysterious man who has only ever been rude to him) that I cannot value him either. And nothing in the first half of the book gave me confidence that he will learn to take better care of himself, that the author sets this up as a problem. I became too frustrated with his lack of personal strength to want to continue, sadly.
I liked the representation of chronic pain and how it can make you desperate for a remedy, even if the price is high (I just wish Tet had openly said it's worth it instead of regretting his decision to accept the Monkey's help).
Unkept promises
Going into this novel, many interesting details are hinting at a complex story: one of the possible end of the world thanks to some dark thing inside the main character, one of beating the gods at their own game, one of political intrigue against the brutal ruler of the country, one of potential romance between two men living at the fringes of society. Mostly, one with a proactive character at its centre: Tet is an exceptionally skilled mage but down on his luck. He has already taken on several different disguises to fulfil an impossible task, worked as soldier-spy even. Wow - what will he decide to do next?!
-Nothing, it turns out. Tet does not make decisions in the first 180 pages of this book. He only does what other people tell him to do. (Okay, he decides to buy a clockwork horse. I don't understand why that is necessary though, since he doesn't like it to begin with and it isn't attached to a specific detailed plan the reader is made aware of.)
This lack of planning is one of the issues I have with him: the details about his past tell me that he is clever and will come up with interesting ways to do the seemingly impossible. Surely, further try-fail cycles will follow that will be fun because he's such a clever guy. But he's not. He can alter the weather with his supposedly waning magic but he lives as a beggar. Tet has a meeting with a mysterious mage that surely wants something from him and claims in advance that he won't become one of the pets of this person, but he does nothing to ensure that. If he made a clever plan, one the reader can appreciate based on the inner logic of this world as clever, and that failed in a surprising way - that would be a good story. But he doesn't. The story continues on in this fashion with Tet only ever seeing one step ahead but never even planning anything interesting for that one step. The promise of a clever, resourceful mage? -Broken.
But there are people and relationships that also do not work.
Additionally, why does Tet not have a single friend? Why does he not try to make one? E.g. out of Laketri? Why does no one in the whole book seem to like connecting meaningfully with other people? Everyone seems to be a lone wolf, working with others only because they're forced to. I understand that a fantasy story needs some schemers, some driven people. But you need some contrast. Some warmth to highlight the cold people.
The lack of contrast permeates the book: I never felt Tet is doing anything clever to improve his situation, I never rooted for a plan, never was given much reason to be confident in his skills, so I was never surprised when it didn't succeed. Tet is low, he sells himself cheap, never works around obvious traps or problems, and then halfway through the book, he hits rock bottom. Which I wasn't emotionally impacted by. Tet values himself so little (e.g. pining after some mysterious man who has only ever been rude to him) that I cannot value him either. And nothing in the first half of the book gave me confidence that he will learn to take better care of himself, that the author sets this up as a problem. I became too frustrated with his lack of personal strength to want to continue, sadly.
I liked the representation of chronic pain and how it can make you desperate for a remedy, even if the price is high (I just wish Tet had openly said it's worth it instead of regretting his decision to accept the Monkey's help).
September 11, 2023
This book and I had a turbulent relationship. Part of it must be that I read it very slowly over the course of the month (we can thank the release of baldur's gate for that) so I had a lot of time to think about things. But I think the bigger thing was just that there was so much I really liked, but is was parred with a main character I found thoroughly unlikeable, and not in a fun kind of way.
Tet is such an unpleasant mix of self-pity and arrogance, and I did not enjoy sharing his brain at all. He's constantly throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks and when something actually does he acts like some kind of 3D chess master. His superiority complex is visible from space, he's constantly thinking about/trying to get his hands on his favourite drug, he's unpleasantly gleeful any time he thinks he's got his hands on some power and look I just didn't like him.
I did really like everything else though, and I do feel bad for the book being read a few pages at a time before bed each night, so I have rounded up to four stars.
Tet is such an unpleasant mix of self-pity and arrogance, and I did not enjoy sharing his brain at all. He's constantly throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks and when something actually does he acts like some kind of 3D chess master. His superiority complex is visible from space, he's constantly thinking about/trying to get his hands on his favourite drug, he's unpleasantly gleeful any time he thinks he's got his hands on some power and look I just didn't like him.
I did really like everything else though, and I do feel bad for the book being read a few pages at a time before bed each night, so I have rounded up to four stars.
April 20, 2022
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
All the happy gleeful squees. I don't have the right words for just how much I enjoyed this read. First off, we know I love Cat's words - they are some of the very best words everywhere. This read, just dang Cat has knocked it out of the atmosphere.
Tet is just... Tet could very easily have been this annoying pitifully character - especially when we meet him. Tet is feeling most sorry for himself, and admittedly things are quite shitty for him. But the magic that is Cat's words has you not getting annoyed with him or feeling pity...Tet has just lived an interesting life. The becoming and unbecoming and becoming of Tet has just been a wonderful thing to read. And let's not forget Dohza, just *all the heart eyes* If you don't love Dohza, we're going to have words.
Ps. I think is is the least angst filled happy ending for the couple I've read from Cat.
*I'm a veery lucky fish and received an ARC of this awesome*
All the happy gleeful squees. I don't have the right words for just how much I enjoyed this read. First off, we know I love Cat's words - they are some of the very best words everywhere. This read, just dang Cat has knocked it out of the atmosphere.
Tet is just... Tet could very easily have been this annoying pitifully character - especially when we meet him. Tet is feeling most sorry for himself, and admittedly things are quite shitty for him. But the magic that is Cat's words has you not getting annoyed with him or feeling pity...Tet has just lived an interesting life. The becoming and unbecoming and becoming of Tet has just been a wonderful thing to read. And let's not forget Dohza, just *all the heart eyes* If you don't love Dohza, we're going to have words.
Ps. I think is is the least angst filled happy ending for the couple I've read from Cat.
*I'm a veery lucky fish and received an ARC of this awesome*
May 28, 2022
28-May-2022: Upping to 5 stars coz I'm still thinking about Tet and Dozha. :)
***I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review ***
This is the first book I've read by this author. It is beautifully written—unhurried, vivid and atmospheric. The rich and layered world-building was subtly and artfully dribbled throughout the narrative.
The story is told from Tet's perspective, and most of what I learned about Tet came from Tet's internal monologue: details of his life, his powers, his curses, his maladies and the attendant backstory.
Main pairing:
Tet's interplay with the other MC (Dozha), when it does occur, is delicious. I would have loved a lot more of that to see the relationship build gradually. D only really features in the first 10%, wanders off-page for a long time and returns in earnest in the last 25% of the book. So for an MC and love interest, he spent less time on-page than I expected. However, towards the end, once D starts to stick around, things get interesting between him and Tet and the plot and pace pick up.
D had a physical flaw and unless I missed some plot point, it didn't seem relevant to the story. But it offered a good balance to Tet's own physicality, so there's that.
Supporting Cast:
The supporting cast was well-developed and diverse—men, women, dragons, hounds, gods, mages. No one's really good or bad and all except the main villain were shades of gray, showing both cruelty & consideration in equal measure. I didn't really get a good feel of the main villain, probably because I was so eager for D's return.
Writing:
This book has been marketed as lush and ABSOLUTELY delivers. Once in a while, I re-read paragraphs just to enjoy the beautiful turns of phrase.
Although I could do with a little less description and telling (I'm a fan of tight and 'invisible' writing), I do admire the author's vast repertoire of figures of speech and hyphenated descriptors because they never got repetitive.
Editing
I reviewed an ARC, so the handful of typos and missing periods will probably be fixed in the final publication.
In summary:
I read half the book yesterday, went to bed dreaming about Tet's past and woke up today eager to see how his story would end. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Thank you to Ghost Moth Press for the ARC.
***I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review ***
This is the first book I've read by this author. It is beautifully written—unhurried, vivid and atmospheric. The rich and layered world-building was subtly and artfully dribbled throughout the narrative.
The story is told from Tet's perspective, and most of what I learned about Tet came from Tet's internal monologue: details of his life, his powers, his curses, his maladies and the attendant backstory.
Main pairing:
Tet's interplay with the other MC (Dozha), when it does occur, is delicious. I would have loved a lot more of that to see the relationship build gradually. D only really features in the first 10%, wanders off-page for a long time and returns in earnest in the last 25% of the book. So for an MC and love interest, he spent less time on-page than I expected. However, towards the end, once D starts to stick around, things get interesting between him and Tet and the plot and pace pick up.
D had a physical flaw and unless I missed some plot point, it didn't seem relevant to the story. But it offered a good balance to Tet's own physicality, so there's that.
Supporting Cast:
The supporting cast was well-developed and diverse—men, women, dragons, hounds, gods, mages. No one's really good or bad and all except the main villain were shades of gray, showing both cruelty & consideration in equal measure. I didn't really get a good feel of the main villain, probably because I was so eager for D's return.
Writing:
This book has been marketed as lush and ABSOLUTELY delivers. Once in a while, I re-read paragraphs just to enjoy the beautiful turns of phrase.
Although I could do with a little less description and telling (I'm a fan of tight and 'invisible' writing), I do admire the author's vast repertoire of figures of speech and hyphenated descriptors because they never got repetitive.
Editing
I reviewed an ARC, so the handful of typos and missing periods will probably be fixed in the final publication.
In summary:
I read half the book yesterday, went to bed dreaming about Tet's past and woke up today eager to see how his story would end. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Thank you to Ghost Moth Press for the ARC.
Read
July 19, 2022~It had been so long since he'd played anything but what he'd been told to play.~
~These were the dreams of a dead man.~
~'Your legs'
'What about them?'...
'I hadn't realised they pained you so much.'...
'I am good at pretending they don't.~
~Dragons did not tell jokes.~
~Oh, they twisted the truth to amuse themselves, but actual humour was beyond them.~
~How do you kill gods, if they could even die?~
~Perhaps, like you, I should also accept defeat. Be quiet and small and live out the life allotted to me.~
~He was not a god, and time was not something men were meant to bring into their own skin.~
~These were the dreams of a dead man.~
~'Your legs'
'What about them?'...
'I hadn't realised they pained you so much.'...
'I am good at pretending they don't.~
~Dragons did not tell jokes.~
~Oh, they twisted the truth to amuse themselves, but actual humour was beyond them.~
~How do you kill gods, if they could even die?~
~Perhaps, like you, I should also accept defeat. Be quiet and small and live out the life allotted to me.~
~He was not a god, and time was not something men were meant to bring into their own skin.~
April 17, 2022
Well, I got to read an advance copy of this and had the honour of providing a blurb for the cover.
With Thief Mage Beggar Mage, Hellisen once again weaves together a tapestry of rich world-building, and profound character development with absolutely sumptuous prose that never feels overwrought.
This queer retelling of the Tinder Box is a masterpiece and I cannot recommend this book enough, but be warned for this book will stick a knife in your heart and make you grateful for the wound even while you lie there bleeding out. This is fierce and exquisite and I cannot wait for the sequel.
With Thief Mage Beggar Mage, Hellisen once again weaves together a tapestry of rich world-building, and profound character development with absolutely sumptuous prose that never feels overwrought.
This queer retelling of the Tinder Box is a masterpiece and I cannot recommend this book enough, but be warned for this book will stick a knife in your heart and make you grateful for the wound even while you lie there bleeding out. This is fierce and exquisite and I cannot wait for the sequel.
November 17, 2022
I'd describe the pace of this book as stately, and that's a good thing because you get to wrap yourself up in it. Every word of this book is so well-placed and every moment shows us some new facet of the story. By the end you don't want it to stop. You fall into the characters' world and inhabit it with them as disaster and hope, desire and pain, surprises and terrible choices chase each other across the page. And that's not even to get into the sensory detail. This is a world you can hear, see, and even taste.
There's a sequel, I hope, because I'm not done with Tet and Dohza.
There's a sequel, I hope, because I'm not done with Tet and Dohza.
April 12, 2023
This is my first book by this author and it was lovely, with lush and atmospheric prose that drew me into a rich and layered word of mages, gods, dragons, men and women.
Tet is the PoV character. He’s a mage with some powers, a number of curses, and no name. Or rather, he doesn’t know his name. Nice! His interactions with the other MC, Dozha, were the highlight of the book for me. Dozha disappears for a big part of the book and returns towards the end, so I missed him, even though he was kinda there but I didn’t pick up on that until it was made clearer at the end.
The other characters were diverse, well-developed and all shades of gray.
This has an HFN ending, sort of, so I’m looking forward to reading the second book in which we’ll hopefully get more of Dozha.
Tet is the PoV character. He’s a mage with some powers, a number of curses, and no name. Or rather, he doesn’t know his name. Nice! His interactions with the other MC, Dozha, were the highlight of the book for me. Dozha disappears for a big part of the book and returns towards the end, so I missed him, even though he was kinda there but I didn’t pick up on that until it was made clearer at the end.
The other characters were diverse, well-developed and all shades of gray.
This has an HFN ending, sort of, so I’m looking forward to reading the second book in which we’ll hopefully get more of Dozha.
Read
September 20, 2022I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Thief Mage Begger Mage from the publishers for an honest review.
Want to read
September 21, 2022
well, hello there
February 24, 2023
Beautifully told, wonderfully inventive, tender and brutal, dark and brilliant: a multi-faceted gem.
December 29, 2023
That was fun, had some unexpected twists at the end. Hoping for a sequel!
April 28, 2025
3.75 ⭐
listening to 'if its true' from the musical hadestown especially near the end really elevated the book.
listening to 'if its true' from the musical hadestown especially near the end really elevated the book.
December 31, 2025
Complex
This story is so complex, with strings linking so many different and convoluted elements together, I had no idea where it was going. Brilliantly kept together. Fabulous.
This story is so complex, with strings linking so many different and convoluted elements together, I had no idea where it was going. Brilliantly kept together. Fabulous.
July 17, 2023
Thanks to the person who reported my placeholder review, I didn't realise I'd not posted the full review here.
Originally posted on Just Geeking by.
Content warnings:
Thief Mage Beggar Mage tells the story of Tet, a former priest-mage who through no fault of his own ends up cursed by the gods following the events of a relic being stolen from his temple. Over the course of the novel his story unwinds, and we learn that there is more to Tet than even he knows. What is clear is that he has angered the gods, and they have taken it out on his flesh. They have carved it into his body, leaving him with terrible chronic pain.
Other disabled readers may be thinking that this is beginning to sound awfully familiar right about now and to begin with that was my concern as well. But Hellisen has not used disability has a plot device. Instead, she has written a diverse fantasy novel with an LGBTQIA+ disabled protagonist and secondary character. At every stage Tet’s pain is recognised and described accurately, including how someone with chronic pain and problems with their knees would move and navigate the world around them.
Tet is the beggar mage mentioned in the title, and Dohza, a wonderful character I dare you not to fall in love with, is the thief mage and a below-the-elbow amputee. While Tet’s chronic pain has limitations for him, neither character lets their disability stop them from doing things. This is especially true for Dohza who is the greatest thief in the kingdom, and it was brilliant to see this in a fantasy novel where usually disabled characters are relegated to the realms of topes, that’s if they exist at all!
The world building of Thief Mage Beggar Mage is very clever and intricate, and I enjoyed following the story as it unwove. I am not familiar with The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen, so many aspects of the story were a surprise to me. While I did overall enjoy this novel I found that the pacing and the feel of Thief Mage Beggar Mage was not quite to my liking. It is more akin to epic fantasy and that can be a hit or a miss for me. This is a personal preference and not a criticism of the book or the author.
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Originally posted on Just Geeking by.
Content warnings:
Thief Mage Beggar Mage tells the story of Tet, a former priest-mage who through no fault of his own ends up cursed by the gods following the events of a relic being stolen from his temple. Over the course of the novel his story unwinds, and we learn that there is more to Tet than even he knows. What is clear is that he has angered the gods, and they have taken it out on his flesh. They have carved it into his body, leaving him with terrible chronic pain.
Other disabled readers may be thinking that this is beginning to sound awfully familiar right about now and to begin with that was my concern as well. But Hellisen has not used disability has a plot device. Instead, she has written a diverse fantasy novel with an LGBTQIA+ disabled protagonist and secondary character. At every stage Tet’s pain is recognised and described accurately, including how someone with chronic pain and problems with their knees would move and navigate the world around them.
Tet is the beggar mage mentioned in the title, and Dohza, a wonderful character I dare you not to fall in love with, is the thief mage and a below-the-elbow amputee. While Tet’s chronic pain has limitations for him, neither character lets their disability stop them from doing things. This is especially true for Dohza who is the greatest thief in the kingdom, and it was brilliant to see this in a fantasy novel where usually disabled characters are relegated to the realms of topes, that’s if they exist at all!
The world building of Thief Mage Beggar Mage is very clever and intricate, and I enjoyed following the story as it unwove. I am not familiar with The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen, so many aspects of the story were a surprise to me. While I did overall enjoy this novel I found that the pacing and the feel of Thief Mage Beggar Mage was not quite to my liking. It is more akin to epic fantasy and that can be a hit or a miss for me. This is a personal preference and not a criticism of the book or the author.
BLOG | REVIEWS | REVIEW SCHEDULE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST |
October 14, 2025
This book is so underrated it hurts! From time to time I wonder what this author is up to because I used to really enjoy her books.
I'd love to reread this one but for now here’s my 2022 review in spanish:
-
Elegí este libro al azar entre mi lista para leer porque recordaba que otras obras de esta autora me habían gustado, y me sorprendió positivamente, resultó ser justo lo que necesitaba leer en este momento!
La ambientación con referencias egipcias me resultó atractiva y diferente al común de las historias de fantasía, con otro folklore y otras reglas.
La historia se vuelve un poco aburrida pasada la mitad, sólo por eso mi puntaje es de 4 estrellas, pero hacia el final vuelve a repuntar.
Algunas de las acciones o poderes de los personajes me hubiera gustado que estén un poco mejor explicados, me dio la sensación que por momentos todo les resultaba extremadamente difícil de lograr y de repente todo les salía bien.
El final es extraño pero interesante, y no me queda claro si va a haber una continuación o la historia finaliza en este libro, pero de todas formas lo disfruté muchísimo.
I'd love to reread this one but for now here’s my 2022 review in spanish:
-
Elegí este libro al azar entre mi lista para leer porque recordaba que otras obras de esta autora me habían gustado, y me sorprendió positivamente, resultó ser justo lo que necesitaba leer en este momento!
La ambientación con referencias egipcias me resultó atractiva y diferente al común de las historias de fantasía, con otro folklore y otras reglas.
La historia se vuelve un poco aburrida pasada la mitad, sólo por eso mi puntaje es de 4 estrellas, pero hacia el final vuelve a repuntar.
Algunas de las acciones o poderes de los personajes me hubiera gustado que estén un poco mejor explicados, me dio la sensación que por momentos todo les resultaba extremadamente difícil de lograr y de repente todo les salía bien.
El final es extraño pero interesante, y no me queda claro si va a haber una continuación o la historia finaliza en este libro, pero de todas formas lo disfruté muchísimo.
April 4, 2025
Oh, I loved this book though it was a bit of a wait. A pleasant one but still a wait nonetheless. During most of the book it felt like the relevant plot points had been spoiled already but the writing style and the overall feeling of mystery of the world kept me transfixed. Then towards the end it was like being smacked in the face with all that was happening. I was swept away by the revelation of all the secrets that had been keeping me perplexed throughout the whole novel. The overall feeling was like this was almost like a prologue to the bigger story.
The only problem I really had was with couple of the characters who I felt like deserved a deeper look. The "thief mage" mostly. The novel did end in a place where it would be easy to continue. Also easy for me to feel hooked and be left craving for the next book.
Hopefully there is a next book.
The only problem I really had was with couple of the characters who I felt like deserved a deeper look. The "thief mage" mostly. The novel did end in a place where it would be easy to continue. Also easy for me to feel hooked and be left craving for the next book.
Hopefully there is a next book.
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