Unforgiveable betrayals, devious motives, and forbidden love collide in the first installment of internationally bestselling author Sally Green's epic new fantasy series, perfect for Game of Thrones fans.
In a land tinged with magic and a bustling trade in an illicit supernatural substance, destiny will intertwine the fates of five players:
A visionary princess determined to forge her own path.
An idealistic solider whose heart is at odds with his duty.
A streetwise hunter tracking the most dangerous prey.
A charming thief with a powerful hidden identity.
A loyal servant on a quest to avenge his kingdom.
Their lives intersect with a stolen bottle of demon smoke. As war approaches, they must navigate a tangled web of political intrigue, shifting alliances, and forbidden love in order to uncover the dangerous truth about the strangely powerful smoke that interwines their fates.
Initial thoughts: Given the title, I expected more smoke thieves and less court politics. Out of the five points-of-view, only Tash was fully involved with demon smoke. At least Catherine was consumed with learning its significance. Edyon and March got involved by accident, though smoke only mattered peripherally. To Ambrose, whether or not this smoke existed was no matter. So yeah, all in all, demons, smoke and demon smoke just wasn't as integral to the book, which was a bit a let-down. It seems it'll be more central to the sequel but I'm not sure if I'm wholly interested in what I know will happen.
I also thought that the perspectives were spread so thin across the book that the depth of individual characters suffered. Their lives didn't intertwine all too much. Instead, The Smoke Thieves was a lead-up to their meetings to set up a common conflict. Edyon's storyline could've easily been summarised upon meeting the rest, in favour of greater exploration of Catherine and Tash's lives. I don't even know why Ambrose and March needed their own perspectives to tell the bigger story beyond demonstrating how vast their medieval world was with all these kingdoms, towns and villages.
While it seems like I've had a lot of grief with The Smoke Thieves, I didn't hate it. I liked the setting, Catherine and Tash, and also Gravell intrigued me. The premise with the demon smoke was engaging too. I just didn't get the angle and approach taken to actually convey the story, especially since three out of five characters could've easily taken on minor roles without detracting from the overarching plot.
