The guys over at Self Published Fantasy Month organized a read-along for The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids for September. And though I did not take part in that it was still a good excuse to finally get to this book. I’ve been eyeing it for ages and after reading the 5th book last summer, The Thief Who Went to War, I knew I had to start from the beginning.
My life was a bit of a whirlwind at the time I’ve read this book, so I’m not quite sure my review will make it justice, but I’ll try anyway.
| Series: Amra Thetys #1 | Genre: Fantasy |
| Date of Publishing: October 8th 2012 | Publisher: Self-published |
Amra Thetys lives by two simple rules—take care of business, and never let it get personal. Thieves don’t last long in Lucernis otherwise. But when a fellow rogue and good friend is butchered on the street in a deal gone wrong, she turns her back on burglary and goes after something more precious than treasure: Revenge.
Revenge, however, might be hard to come by. A nightmare assortment of enemies, including an immortal assassin and a mad sorcerer, believe Amra is in possession of The Blade That Whispers Hate—the legendary, powerful artifact her friend was murdered for—and they’ll do anything to take it from her. Trouble is, Amra hasn’t got the least clue where the Blade might be.
She needs to find the Blade, and soon, or she’ll be joining her colleague in a cold grave instead of avenging his death. Time is running out for the small, scarred thief.
“I know a secret or two as well,” I told him through clenched teeth. “Secrets have no power. Not by themselves. It’s the control of secrets that’s power.”
Not quite the feel I was going for but at the moment I don’t have a better pick than Black Vultures by Halestorm.
Firstly, I propose a showdown between Benedict Patrick and Michael McClung so we can decide who is the true king of “Oh My God Why Is This Title So Long” competition. I take bets.
Anyway. I’m not completely new to the Amra Thetys series as I had the pleasure to read the 5th book, The Thief Who Went to War before anything else – which in itself was an interesting experience. At that point I already had The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids on my TBR for a while. Which, in case you didn’t know, was the first winner of SPFBO. And deservedly so.
The plot of The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids is not very complicated – a thief gets killed, Amra gets in the thick of it against her wishes and what starts as a murder mystery quickly becomes something more complex as the supernatural gets involved. And boy they do get involved. One thing I like about the world of Amra is that the deities aren’t only passive bystanders. Sure, they have their limitation and they are present in different ways than their human counterparts. That being said, I would have liked to learn a bit more about the world itself, about the gods, but since the book is just about 208 pages long and it’s filled to the brim with action, there wasn’t enough space for that too – which is not saying that the world is lacking. Because it’s not, it’s just me nitpicking here.
If one thing can be said about The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids, is that it’s definitely character-driven. First, we have Amra, a well-accomplished thief who seems to find trouble wherever she goes. She doesn’t seem to have many filters between her brain and mouth and pretty much says what she thinks. Behind the tough facade, she has a softer side too. She is not one for trusting anyone easily and Holgren is not an exception – even though they worked together in the past. By the way, I liked that they didn’t partner up out of the blue but they had some history and that their friendship builds slowly without rushing anything. It has a more natural feel than many more in-story friendships. Plus, I love their banter. You know what? I love the humor in this book, period.
“Good. I want to be around to see what’s inside, Kerf knows why. But I have some errands to run. You sure this bracelet is good for another day or so?”
“If any knives sprout from your back I’ll give you a full refund.”
“Comforting.”
Though a minor character, but I definitely have to mention Lhiewyn, the priest of Lagna, the God of Knowledge. A grumpy old man who is just a pure joy to read about. I love everything about his interactions with Amra and I was really happy to find out he already makes an appearance in book one of the series. I really, really have to read The Last God featuring him.
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids will take you to a fun rollercoaster ride. McClung created a world brimming with magic, gods and highly entertaining characters you’d love to hang out with in real life. You really shouldn’t miss this series as I know it only gets better and better and OMG I can’t wait to follow these characters as they keep pulling on trouble’s braids.
“I know a secret or two as well,” I told him through clenched teeth. “Secrets have no power. Not by themselves. It’s the control of secrets that’s power.” – Very inspiring quote, this kind of thing makes for great reading. =D -S.D.
Absolutely! I really liked this qoute that’s why I picked it ?