Review: Midnight Thief

Author: Livia Blackburne
Series: Midnight Thief, #1
Released: July 8th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Format: Hardcover, 368 pgs
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

Completely unexpectedly, Midnight Thief was an excellent read for me. It came at a time when I had a hard time focusing on any book and I really needed something different and well done to pull me in. In many ways, The Midnight Thief was both those things.

This book is told from two perspectives, that of Kyra, a skilled thief, and a young knight named Tristam. Tristam’s point of view came as a surprise somewhat late in the story, just when I was starting to get comfortable with Kyra’s voice. Aside from the poor timing, his POV was a welcome addition – in the end, he was my favorite character, the one that showed consistent integrity, intelligence and strength.

Throughout the novel, Kyra makes many mistakes. She is a flawed character with good intentions. She tends to take the path of least resistance, and it’s very hard to blame her for it after the childhood she had. She always comes to her senses, no matter how long it takes, and she does whatever is needed to correct her mistakes. I loved that she was always ready to take responsibility for her actions, it made me respect her all the more.

Midnight Thief is full of exciting twists and turns, with betrayals and surprises around every corner. Aside from the two POV characters, it’s very hard to know who to trust when even those closest to them have some kind of hidden agenda.

After listing all the advantages, I should mention what I thought was Midnight Thief’s biggest flaw. As much as I liked the characters, I thought the worldbuilding was sadly lacking. The world wasn’t nearly detailed enough, which made me feel disconnected at times. Perhaps more details were given in the prequel, but I shouldn’t be obligated to read it in order to enjoy the full length novel. I wanted to know more about absolutely everything, and yet details on this world were few and far between.

All things considered, though, Midnight Thief is a very strong debut and Livia Blackburne an author to watch. I can’t wait for more of this story, there is so much more to learn.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.