The Magic Thief

This book was a short quick read, and filled with action to keep you turning page after page. What I really liked is the really neat illustrations that comes with each chapter. Also in between chapters, is pages that looks like it's from Nevery's journal in his writing and in his point of view which adds a little bit more to the plot to round it out evenly. This was also nice to read and it was a nice addition to the book. What I also enjoyed were the names of the places and setting of the book: City of Wellmet, and within the city there are districts like: The Twilight (bad area!) or The Sunrise (rich area), Heartsease (where Conn and Nevery live). Places like these make the setting more magical and fantastical, but I like it as it adds more feeling to the setting. What's also a neat little add on to the book is at the end you'll find two recipes for biscuits. You'll find in the novel, the significance of them and how they're a very common object in the novel. There is also a glossary and a few extras at the back of the book which is also a nice add on.

Conn sort of reminds me of Oliver Twist a little, he's a thief and a street orphan who managed to survive for all this time before he met Nevery. He's very brave and reckless and his curiosity and stubbornness does get the best out of him, but since the book is in his point of view his thoughts were very amusing and sometimes funny to read, especially when he meets with the Duchess and with the incident with the truth serum and the guards (a funny moment in the book). He's a great character, and an exciting one who's not afraid of going out there in the city all by himself which always creates some form of trouble or excitement.

However, I wish there was more to Nevery. Hopefully in the next book there will be a little more background information about him. It's certainly not necessary but it's always nice to read about it to give the character a more "rounded" out feel and not be so two dimensional. Another character I am curious about is Benet. I'd like to know more about him as well. It seems at times that background information might be helpful or perhaps would have helped in making the plot and its' characters have more depth but then again, it's not necessary and perhaps it will all be explained in the next books to come.

Overall a great page turner with plenty of action, comedy, and fantasy. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Think of Oliver Twist in a fantastical setting. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series it's certainly well worth it!

Conn is a thief who lives in Twilight. One night, he picks the pocket of an old man who turns out to be a wizard. When the "locus magicalicus" stone he stole doesn't immediately kill him, the wizard takes an interest in Conn and takes him on as an apprentice.

Sarah Prineas has a great voice for youth fantasy. Unlike some children's fantasy novels, there is no modern slang - her characters speak as if they lived centuries ago. At first, I thought Conn's narrative voice was too simple and straightforward; it made the book sound like it was aimed at a younger audience. The wizard Nevery's journal entries give a great contrast, though - he is sharp and insensitive, but a few of his observations made me laugh out loud.

Conn himself doesn't know his own age and I originally thought he was around ten or so. By the end, he acts much more mature than I would have expected. He knows what he believes in and he does what needs doing, even when no one else believes in him.

The book may be over 400 pages, but the type is fairly large and the pages are smaller than the average youth novel. In fact, there are only about 200 words per page and each chapter begins with an illustration. This would be a great read for Guides (9-11), but older Pathfinders and Rangers (12-17) may find it a bit too easy. This would be a good book for Brownie-aged girls (7-8) who read at an advanced level.