In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people.
In Pitoria, Edyon stands at a crossroads: family and fortune, one way; destruction, the other.
And in the barren northern territories, Tash is facing her demons - literally.
As the kingdoms' alliances shift and shatter, these five young people find their futures inextricably linked by a mysterious bottle of demon smoke, and by the unpredictable tides of war.
Who will rise, who will fall, and who will unlock the secrets of the smoke?
THE SMOKE THIEVES by Sally Green
Published: 2018
Genre: YA Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
My rating: 3.5 stars ⭐
This is another book that's been looking gorgeous on my shelf for years, and has thus far gone un-read. Shame on me, because I loved it. Within moments of finishing it, I'd ordered the second and third novels in the trilogy for next day delivery!
Was it the best YA fantasy I've ever read? No, but it did have a certain charm to it that's made me curious to see how the series unfolds as a whole.
The Smoke Thieves was an easy read and the concept clever without being overly complex. Sure we all love a deeply subversive world creation like Game of Thrones, but this one jumped straight to the point - demon hunting - within the first page.
The story follows five characters, a hunter, a thief, a princess, a soldier and a traitor, flitting between their stories and POV's with each bite-sized chapter, their lives gradually overlapping and colliding.
I confess that for the first half of the book I was more invested in the two female characters, Tash and Catherine, perhaps because they were introduced first, though I think it honestly had more to do with their juxtaposing lifestyles as a demon hunter and a princess. But I have to say, by the end of book one, the three male characters, March, Edyon and Ambrose, had my attention, too.
With such diverse characters and backgrounds, everyone is bound to have a favourite that they relate to, and Tash is definitely mine, but they've all endeared me in some way.
This is quite a character driven YA Fantasy. Although their ages vary they are all quite young and face the trials of a world at war with strength and determination that brings them into their own, as well as bringing them together.
If you're new to the genre of Fantasy, then The Smoke Thieves would be a brilliant book to start with. The politics of the world are clear and uncomplicated, making it easy to follow, and the inhabitancy of the demons that produce smoke that's hunted illegally is enticing.
I love that the author left us on a cliff hanger with a new significance to the demon smoke. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops in book two.
I'll let you know my thoughts on this series as a whole soon enough!
Happy reading!
Zuzu 🖋
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