Review: THE MIDNIGHT THIEF by Livia Blackburne

Title: Midnight Thief
Author: Livia Blackburne
Publication date: July 8, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: an ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review

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.

If you missed it a couple weeks ago, I interviewed Livia, pumping her for information and answers. And if you read it, you'd get the gist that I absolutely loved it. It's also her debut so I'm even more impressed with it. 

Reasons why I loved this: 

1. Characters. Was there a character I didn't like? Um, no. Although there were characters I didn't root for, that doesn't mean I didn't like them. They were diverse and contributed to the story in their own way. I instantly felt connected with Kyra, which deserves an award on its own considering it's third person. Third person POVs can be a hit or miss, but Midnight Thief hit a bullseye from the start. Have you ever read a book that involved a character you didn't mind if you never read about again because you felt like they just wasted space? For me, all the characters—Flick, Bella, the sisters, James, Tristam—made me love the story a little bit more.

2. Illegal doings. That sounds so wrong, but it's so true. There's thievery! Kyra is a thief and has been for most of her life just so that she can survive. Because of her natural talent to climb things, she's recruited by James to help the Assassin's Guild. More illegal doings! I hate to say it, but it makes fiction (and fantasy fiction) more exciting. 

3. FANTASY. Because of the obvious. 

In case you don't know the obvious, fantasy has been rockin' for me so far this year, especially this summer. Interesting new worlds, a whole new and exciting set of problems, great world building, and magical elements. I can't get enough of it and Midnight Thief definitely kept the fire going.

4. Hook, line, and sinker. We meet Kyra. We meet the people close to her. We follow her as she helps the Assassin's Guild. Something happens. She doubts. We care about Tristam. We care about Kyra. We go on an adventure! We meet new people. We discover things. We're left hungrily waiting for more. Livia needs to hurry up with that sequel, ya'll. 

5. The history. In my interview, I asked about how her background influences her writing and the names she chose for the book. I won't repeat what was said (you can click here to read it), but knowing the history behind her decisions and influences made me love the book even more. Then I found out that there is NO love triangle in the works and that made me appreciate her so much. 

Verdict: A book that made me stay up late to finish it and made me think about it a long time after would be considered a win for me. 

Review: SIX MONTHS LATER by Natalie D. Richards

Title: Six Months Later

Author: Natalie D. Richards

Publication date: October 1, 2013

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: an ARC provided by the author for an honest review

Chloe didn't think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can't remember the last six months of her life. Before, she'd been a mediocre student. Now, she's on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he's her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won't speak to her.

What happened to her? 

And why can't she remember?

Review: 

First line: I'm sitting next to the fire alarm, and my best friend is going down in flames. 

Apparently, I've been on a twisted book kick, gravitating more towards books that have a "figure me out" synopsis. I still started this one with trepidation, but there was no need, I didn't suddenly grow immune to twisting plots or mysteries. 

Imagine it's late May, junior year is ending, and you decide to take a quick nap in the library. What's the harm? Of course, you can see the harm when you wake up and it's snowing outside. Additionally, when you wake up, you suddenly realize that there's a lot that's happened in those six months. Oh, like, your best friend hates you, your parents think you're an amazing student, you're dating the guy you've had a crush on for forever, and you have this mysterious relationship with the "bad boy" in school. Bye, bye, sanity. 

The Good: 

• The writing. Natalie Richards does a great job of conveying Chloe's panic without being over the top or annoying. I didn't feel as if the plot started veering off to a subplot, like romance, but I felt like Richards made Chloe realistic with her reactions.
• The mystery. There were a few things I guessed at in the beginning, but for the majority of my questions, I was mainly left in the dark until the end. We're given a few answers to satisfy us, but enough mystery is left to keep us coming back for more. 
• The flashbacks. When they're not overdone, I personally love flashbacks. As she's regaining her memory, and spending more time with Adam, she has flashbacks, showing her a little peek into the forgotten six months. They didn't overwhelm the story nor were they useless, making it exciting when she had another flash. 
• Chloe. While I didn't fall in love with all the characters, I do have to give props to Chloe. She wasn't a whiny, annoying girl who makes your head throb, which can be the possibility in these kind of stories. She was resourceful and determined to uncover the truth, not being naive in who to trust as so many YA main characters typically do. I easily could imagine myself doing the same things to find out what happened to me in the last six months. 

The Meh: 

• The romance. Right off the bat, I had a bad feeling about Blake, a feeling I think everyone who has read this book had. However, while I wanted to like and cheer for Adam, I couldn't. He was okay and definitely the better choice between the two, but did I like him? No. Did I hate him? No. He was meh. Personally, their whole romance was meh. While I really can't say anything more about either "love" interest, I do have to give at least one point in favor for Adam being the "bad boy" because that alone gives the possibility of swooning. Note: Anyone else think of the "I'd like it if he could be wicked, but wouldn't" Anne Shirley quote? 
• Maggie. Another character I really wanted to like, but she fell too short for me to do so. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to explain why because that would involve me revealing spoilers. But I felt Maggie was unjustified in her actions and was too unforgiving considering the circumstances. 

Verdict: A suspenseful, keeps-you-guessing debut that didn't disappoint and it had a really amazing concept. 

Note: Blogger keeps messing up my fonts/spacing. Please excuse this. Does anyone know how to change the line spacing?