Midnight Thief Review

Title: Midnight Thief

Author:  Livia Blackburne 

Genre: High-Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance  

Published July 8th 2014 by Disney-Hyperion

Read from September 18 to 19, 2015

Synopsis: 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

This was the second book into my Young Adult Journey and man what a rush!  From the very beginning I was pulled into Kyra’s world. I felt her struggles in the slums stealing from the rich and ducking the Red Shields to make ends meet, to keep the two girls who are like sisters to her from starving or worse.

James. Oh I liked him right from the start. He was intimidating but he saw potential in Kyra and I wanted her to learn from him, to hone her skills and grow. I see him as an Anti-Hero. Being asked to join an Assassin’s Guild is not something that falls from the sky. And of course being the only female  in the guild she has to fight harder than the boys. And when she does, when she scales those walls and shows why James asked her to join, oh it makes the boys stand at attention and be weary. That put a grin on my face.

Then we have our solider, Tristam, who I keep calling Tristan in my head I’m so sorry Livia. I wasn’t sure how he would fit in at first, as I thought James would be the main romantic interest but I kept an eye on him.

Now the Demon Riders, they were a mystery and I didn’t understand where they could fall in this by that little nugget of foreshadowing involving Kyra, a rock, a chase and a scratch? Yeah I had a feeling that was important and OMG I was not expecting the paranormal twist towards the end! I got serous chills and had to re-read that chapter again. Twice 

By the end of Midnight Thief I was in love with Kyra, Tristam and the Demon Riders and hated James with a passion. Made the fight oh so satisfying, and I wanted to read more.

About the Author

From her website (http://liviablackburne.com/)

10 Things About Me:

1. I write fantasy.  Most often YA fantasy, but sometimes I branch out.
2. I was born in Taiwan, raised in Albuqurque, and spent my twenties in Boston, where I earned an A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard and PhD in cognitive neuroscience from MIT.
3. I started my debut novel Midnight Thief in high school, because writing a novel was the only way I could get out of the mandatory camping requirement.  I finished about 60 pages.  They were 60 awful, awful pages.
4. I finished Midnight Thief 12 years later, because writing a novel was the only way I could keep my sanity while conducting my doctoral research.  This time, I got to 370 pages, and they were much less awful than the initial 60.
5. I write a blog about psychology and neuroscience for writers.  You can check it out here.
6. Like every good Asian kid, I played the piano as a child.  I don’t do that as much anymore, but I still love to sing and dance.
7. I’m horrible at any sports that involve fast moving projectiles, and I dislike most sports that involve highly repetitive movements (running, swimming, biking, etc.).  This leaves basically dancing and martial arts.
8. When I wanted sweets as a child, my mother would give me one M&M.  I thought that was normal, and to this day, have very low tolerance for sweets.  One bite of chocolate bar, half a scoop of ice cream is about all I can take.
9. If I had to choose one author with the biggest influence on my reading and writing development, it would be Tamora Pierce.
10. Some of my favorite books:  The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner, Plain Kate by Erin Bow, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.