REVIEW | Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne
July 8, 2014
Disney-Hyperion
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* ARC borrowed from My Friends Are Fiction (Thanks, Kristen! :D)

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.

First sentence: “This job could kill her.”

A thief, an Assassins Guild, and “a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats”? Midnight Thief should be a book I’d love to pieces, right?

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I thought it was okay. I didn’t love it as much as the people who raved about its awesomeness. I think the only thing I truly loved was the Demon Riders. Other than that, I was incredibly disappointed because it was dull and slow-paced, and I couldn’t connect with Kyra or Tristam. It took me a long while to warm up to it. The twists were a bit predictable and it only satisfied me for a while, but I still enjoyed the things Kyra, the main character, overcame and learned as a result. I wasn’t a fan of the romance. Also, I was expecting a big emphasis on the friendships (and a group working together), but I didn’t get that. My expectations for this book weren’t met at all.

Regardless of my lack of love for Midnight Thief, it had really good world-building in it and lots of twists, albeit predictable, that kept me interested in what would happen next for Kyra.

IF YOU LIKE THESE THINGS, YOU SHOULD READ MIDNIGHT THIEF:

• Thieves

Thieves are cool, and what Kyra can do is really amazing. She is an incredibly gifted thief, having honed her skills to make ends meet and survive. She can scale walls, pick locks, memorize layouts, and avoid detection. Her skills are employed by various people throughout the course of book for certain things that Kyra is forced to do as a means to stay alive.

• Assassins

A whole guild of them! All skilled in the art of killing. They have ulterior motives for asking Kyra to join their guild, and they are exceptionally deceptive. Their goals aren’t what they say it is, and that’s not at all surprising. (Assassins, guys. C’mon.) Let’s just say, if Kyra knew what they were doing, she would have no part in it.

• Unlikely alliances

If I had to graph the alliances that occurred in this book, the line would curve up to show the many people Kyra aligned herself with in order to survive. You see Kyra joining the Assassins Guild, then you see her team up with Tristam who’s a Palace Knight, and then you see Kyra with [spoiler]the Demon Riders (though technically she doesn’t really ally herself with them)[/spoiler]. It may not be ideal for Kyra to ally herself with any of these people, but if her life or her loved ones’s are threatened, she’d do whatever to keep her (and them) safe.

• Twists and hidden agendas

Although the twists are a bit predictable, they will keep you on your toes! I found myself muttering, “oh shit, oh shit, oh shit” because everybody in the book has a not-so hidden agenda for employing Kyra, and I was feeling frantic to see how Kyra was going to pull herself out from the many twists in the book.

• Found family

Kyra grew up without a family, but she makes one of her own with Flick, Bella, Lettie, and Idalee. I love seeing how devoted she is to them and how she would do anything even if it means doing something she wouldn’t want to do for their safety. Though, I wish the relationships were developed more.

• Demon Riders with wild cats

C’mon, guys. Demon Riders with wild cats are so badass! They are the definite highlight of the book. I was completely fascinated with this, and whenever I got to the parts about them, I couldn’t put down the book. There’s something special about the Demon Riders and their wild cats. I can’t say what without spoiling anything, but let’s just say, there’s more to them than meets the eyes and that a ‘shift’ happens. (See what I did there? ;D) I just wanted to see more of them.