Book Review – Among Thieves

From Goodreads:

A high-stakes heist novel set in a gritty world of magic and malice.

WHO NEEDS FRIENDS WHEN YOU HAVE AXES?

Ryia ‘the Butcher’ Cautella has earned her reputation as the quickest, deadliest blade in the city – not to mention the sharpest tongue. But Ryia Cautella is not her real name.

A deadly secret has kept Ryia in hiding, running from city to city, doing whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of the formidable Guildmaster – sovereign ruler of the five kingdoms. But even the most powerful men can be defeated.

One last impossible job is all that stands between Ryia and her freedom – but even the Butcher can’t do it alone. She teams up with the Saints, a crew of uniquely skilled miscreants, smugglers and thieves, to carry off a death-defying heist into the most tightly guarded island in the kingdoms – the Guildmaster’s stronghold.

Unfortunately for Ryia, her new allies are nearly as selfish as she is, and they all have plans of their own . . .

I really liked this. The Pacing of how we got to know each of the gang, their personalities, backgrounds and how they contribute overall to the Heist. We got lots of little jobs to ease us in and let us get familiar with the world and how it runs. The characters were brilliant. The story is told in multiple perspectives and I feel we get to know those characters well. I really liked they dynamic between them and how we get to see the F/F romance build from both perspectives.

The romance is really slow burn in such a subtle way. Its also an enemies to lovers. It builds so slowly and its fun watching all the little glances, the noticing of various things, the slow grow in friendship, trust and attraction it is just so fun to read. The fact that we get both perspectives with such different outlooks and personalities it made it a very unique romance.

I really liked the premise of this world there was lots of interesting details and aspects that I wish we had got to explore a bit more. I felt that we only really got a little peak at it. We never scratched the surface of what was really happening and because some of those elements were so integral to the plot I just felt I was missing a lot of information.

I love a good Heist! I love all the planning and plotting, when the plan we are fed initially goes wrong and then watching as the plan B is revealed to us and is all played out. While this had fun caper-esque feel of a Heist novel it lacked a lot of the detail that draws the reader into the heist. We don’t get to see much of the plan, and cant spot when it is going wrong and therefore the twist doesn’t really land for me. It just overall left me a little disappointed, even though it is a really entertaining story.