Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels-magical knights charged with protecting … humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books-rescue them from a demonic hound.
Jumping into some of the world’s most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik’s world and her own, before both are destroyed.
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I was expecting it to be a lot better and was disappointed. The book became cheesy and clichéd as it progressed, but I did enjoy the romance. Wouldn’t recommend it, though.
What is was expecting from Thief of Lies and what I got are, unfortunately, two very different things. By the halfway point it had become a chore to read.
The story wasn’t awful but it wasn’t well constructed. The author packed some many plot points into this book that it was ridiculous. It was like she couldn’t decide what should go into book one so she just shoved it all in. Every few chapters brought a new reveal and eventually I stopped caring. My reaction become an unimpressed “Of course” instead of one of excitement.
Gia was designed to be the most special butterfly there is. She has all the fancy abilities and two hot guys after her! One of which pouts because he can’t have what he wants and the other that is overwhelmingly persistent. Of course both are also possessive. And if course this is insta-love as well. You people just met and have the personalities of a wet sock, calm your shit down.
After reading the book I’m still not sure how the title “Thief of Lies” even relates to the actual content of the book. Or why I got excited for some kind of library and book based adventure. They use libraries as portals. That is all. I was hoping for the library and book based adventure but got something completely different. I shrugged it off and kept going, figuring it would still be enjoyable. As you can tell by now, it wasn’t. I was all around disappointed in this book. There was unfortunate insta-love, a super special lead character, and all the plot pieces shoved together in a rushed fashion. Two stars because it wasn’t terrible but it did leave a lot to be desired.
——-REREAD ON 11/06/2017——–
MY REVIEW
3.5/5 Stars
I am really glad that I reread this a second time before moving on to the second book of the series. While I remembered the gist of things, I had forgotten many of the details throughout the book.
What I loved most about the book the first time around holds true rereading it two years later, and that is the world that the author has created for this story. It truly is one of the most unique worlds that I have read. There are so many layers and so many different elements. Being a fantasy lover, I appreciate all the different things that make up the world as a whole. Some books can fall kind of flat in the overall world department, but this one is a gem. While I loved the world itself, I felt that the world building could have had a better execution. Things became confusing all too often with all of the information being hauled at us. If the book could use any improvement, it would lie here.
I felt like the writing could have been more fluid. At times the dialogue felt a little too literary, and other times it felt too casual and almost forced. The flow of the writing could have been touched upon a little more.
The characters are very likable. Not only the main characters but the side characters as well. I felt like a little more background or history could have been included for the main characters. While I enjoyed reading about them, I didn’t feel connected to them. That personal connection to them just wasn’t there. This is one of those things can either make a book merely good, or absolutely great.
The plot of the book is strong. I enjoyed finding out what was going to happen at each turn. I really loved the surprises sprinkled throughout the book as well. There were some things that I didn’t see coming, and I love that about a book. If a book can keep me guessing and isn’t predictable then I’m game, and this book was a worthy opponent in this area. Even though, as I stated above, I didn’t feel fully invested in the characters, I still raced through this book to find out what happens next because the plot was so well written.
Overall, I enjoyed rereading this book and I am glad that I did. I remember being excited for the second book after putting this one down, and that remains true after my reread. Even though I had some minor issues with the book, I highly recommend reading this. The author has created an amazing world that any fantasy lover would enjoy.
—–ORIGINAL REVIEW—–
The world that Drake has created in Thief of Lies is very intricate and involved. I love books that have a deep setting and a story and Thief of Lies definitely fits the bill. The world created is original and full of depth. There were so many different levels and layers to this world, which makes it one of my favorite types of fantasy books to read!
What I liked
I loved all of the different characters in this book. There are so many, but not to the point that things get confusing.
I liked the supposed love triangle. I know that many people despise them, but I think that it makes things interesting. I grew to like both of the guys, and I am looking forward to seeing how things play out in the next book.
The world itself is worth mentioning again here because it really was elaborate. There are so many things going on and so much to learn about in this world.
The story had many twists and turns and kept me guessing at what was playing out. There were some in particular that I wasn’t expecting at all, and I loved it!
I really loved how everything came together in the end of the book. Everything was wrapped up nicely, but still left room for the sequel.
What I didn’t like
I did get a vibe of similarity between this book and others that I’ve read. The one that jumped out at me the most was the similarities between Thief of Lies and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. These similarities are mostly towards the beginning of the book, and wane once the story picks up more. I also noticed some similarities to the Harry Potter series. These similarities include: a girl that has no idea that she isn’t human, a girl hidden in the human world by her mother to protect her from something in another mystical world, an elaborate and magical world that goes on without humans knowledge, a search for certain “keys” to stop an evil wizard, a prophecy about a special child, insta-love with a bad boy, forbidden love, a girl that gets sucked into a mystical world where she has to be a bad ass and fight evil, and more. The similarities are there, but it doesn’t exactly take away from the story. The rest of the story is mapped out differently and has its own appeal. However; I can’t deny that the similarities aren’t there. I think that if added to or revised a little then the similarities would dissolve a bit.
There is a lot going on in the story and within the world created that things got a bit confusing at times. I think that more thorough explanations in certain areas would fix this though. I found myself rereading many passages for better clarifications. The world is gorgeous, but it really is a lot to take in.
Would I Recommend It
Yes, yes, and yes! I enjoyed this book very much. If you are a fan of fantasy in the vein of Cassandra Clare then you will love this book as well! And even if you aren’t, this fantasy world is so unique that you will get lost in it and never want to leave. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in this series!
Super fun read. I’m adding the sequel to my list.