Review – Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

TITLE: Midnight Thief
AUTHOR: Livia Blackburne
SERIES: Midnight Thief #1
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RATING:

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.

In her arresting debut novel, Livia Blackburne creates a captivating world where intrigue prowls around every corner—and danger is a way of life.

REVIEW: Midnight Thief was a lot more interesting than what I expected from reading its synopsis. I thought it was just going to be sort of like a dystopian, but boy was I wrong – it had some real fantasy in there too. Midnight Thief is told in dual points of view – Kyra and Tristam take turns telling the tale. Even though they share the responsibility, I feel like I read more about Kyra’s story than the story of Kyra and Tristam. I really liked the main character, Kyra. Although she is a thief and possesses skills I probably will never have, I found it quite easy to relate and sympathize with her. She’s a strong character, a bit stubborn, but still, in a way, understandable. The romance is kind of cool in this book because there never really is an outright romance. It’s hinted at, you realize certain characters care for one another beyond simple friendship, but there really is no lovey dovey and kissing or whatever. Another interesting thing about Midnight Thief is the language that is used. You might think that the names are a bit unusual, wait until you get to the vocabulary. Nevertheless, it wasn’t terribly difficult to understand what characters were saying or thinking. In fact, I think the vocab helped enhance the novel.

My only real complaint is that the ending seemed a bit… rushed. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t want the book to end or because what happened was kind of exciting and I read really fast, but it did seem to happen at a faster pace than the rest of the novel. Plus, there is a huge plot twist at the end, one that really blindsided me. Seriously, I did not see this one coming. Still, some nagging questions remain, especially those about Kyra’s past and the twist. Way to leave me hanging, Livia. That being said, I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel. I need to find those answers!

OTHER NOTES: I did not read the prequel Poison Dance before reading this.

RECOMMENDATION: I would recommend this book to fans of Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

Final Rating
Characters
Pacing
Plot
Romance
Writing
Overall:	4.2

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