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jlreadstoperpetuity's review
5.0
I love a good fantasy book and this book just covers most of the things I love about a good fantasy story. First of all, the premise is just
stxrlight's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Church of Thieves is a NA historical fiction about morally grey characters who are acolytes of the Church, but in order to get funding for the church to help the citizens of Arremendia, they steal from the rich. It was described as a NA fantasy but it's more of a historical fiction then a fantasy, the only fantasy element is in the prospect of Cuvar being real through the Living Saint, as well as other Gods.
There's found family, political intrique, mysteries and suspense as well as diverse characters and cultures. While religion is a part of the book, as the title probably gives away, most are non-believers despite being acolytes of the Church, and the plot is really interesting so the religious side isn't a bother in the story.
At times I would have liked more inner thoughts and personal values to be described to give the characters more depth and a way to connect with them, while they are each unique in their own ways and we eventually do get to know them better, inner thoughts and such would have given a better feeling of them much sooner, even before background informations were brought in.
The book is slow-paced which is personally not my preference, so while it was too slow for me and took me out of the book because of the slow pace and dual pov switching, I did adore the plot and eventually also grew to adore the diverse characters. There's a nice twist in there, one I saw coming but others might not.
For those of you who are very picky with covers, this is definitely a case of 'don't judge a book by it's cover', the description of the book pulled me in and after reading the book I can definitely say it's a great storyline with diverse characters that will have you rooting for them! For those of you who loved Warrior Nun and Six of Crows and love slow-paced books, this is definitely something you'll love to read.
There's found family, political intrique, mysteries and suspense as well as diverse characters and cultures. While religion is a part of the book, as the title probably gives away, most are non-believers despite being acolytes of the Church, and the plot is really interesting so the religious side isn't a bother in the story.
At times I would have liked more inner thoughts and personal values to be described to give the characters more depth and a way to connect with them, while they are each unique in their own ways and we eventually do get to know them better, inner thoughts and such would have given a better feeling of them much sooner, even before background informations were brought in.
The book is slow-paced which is personally not my preference, so while it was too slow for me and took me out of the book because of the slow pace and dual pov switching, I did adore the plot and eventually also grew to adore the diverse characters. There's a nice twist in there, one I saw coming but others might not.
For those of you who are very picky with covers, this is definitely a case of 'don't judge a book by it's cover', the description of the book pulled me in and after reading the book I can definitely say it's a great storyline with diverse characters that will have you rooting for them! For those of you who loved Warrior Nun and Six of Crows and love slow-paced books, this is definitely something you'll love to read.
bookishlyrhi's review
4.0
I received this book as an eARC and honestly really enjoyed it!
The writing can be a bit fast paced along with the adventure storyline but overall I felt the emotions that the author was trying to pull from the reader with each character. I thought the twists incorporated weren’t too cliche and added depth to the story and the found family trope to be heartwarming.
The world building is pretty original which I like because I read a lot of fantasy and it can get pretty repetitive. The ending left on a cliffhanger so I would definitely like to read the next one, overall a good read!
The writing can be a bit fast paced along with the adventure storyline but overall I felt the emotions that the author was trying to pull from the reader with each character. I thought the twists incorporated weren’t too cliche and added depth to the story and the found family trope to be heartwarming.
The world building is pretty original which I like because I read a lot of fantasy and it can get pretty repetitive. The ending left on a cliffhanger so I would definitely like to read the next one, overall a good read!
dfbballinger's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A good read, and I did enjoy it. However, I felt like it could have used one more edit. There were places where word choices should have been tweaked for clarity, and the transgender plot felt like an after-thought. I also wish it was told from the point of view of all of the characters, instead of the 2 the author had chosen.
stephnm26's review
4.0
I did not know what to expect but I was happy I read it! Fast paced when Nerea (FMC) makes a deal which seems too good to be true (hi.. it definitely is). Tallis is just trying to make everything right when his family is taken from him. Enter found family to help with REVENGE!! I’m a sucker for revenge stories and how one decision (or lie) can change a lot.
venomis's review
4.0
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This was a very nice read! There was rich world-building, the characters were interesting and they had nice dynamics. It did take a while for me to get into the story, but toward the ending, there were cool plot twists and the suspense was built up very well. Furthermore, the writing style was also really captivating; with beautiful sentences, the author managed to increase the reading pleasure. I am looking forward to the next book!
This was a very nice read! There was rich world-building, the characters were interesting and they had nice dynamics. It did take a while for me to get into the story, but toward the ending, there were cool plot twists and the suspense was built up very well. Furthermore, the writing style was also really captivating; with beautiful sentences, the author managed to increase the reading pleasure. I am looking forward to the next book!
litkituni's review
4.0
✦ no spoiler review ✦
▸stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
▸spice: 🌶️/5 (nothing to barely anything)
▸genre: fiction, adventure.
▸key descriptions: multiple pov, found family, robin hood retelling, murder mystery, LGBTQ rep, adventure.
▸notes: check trigger warnings (ex: murder, torture, violence, mild language, sexual references), received as eARC.
▸longer, personal thoughts below:
As an overall story, I liked it. I liked that the beginning started off with action to reel you in. The beginning also had a lot of movement between what was going on and different people's perspectives so it kept it interesting and you were slowly learning about each character and the environment.
The plot was interesting, but I felt like it could have had more depth and subplots to make it more intriguing. There were some details that I questioned while reading, but brushed past it as I'm not a picky reader.
The general feeling I got by the end of the book was that it was: good plot (could have been better with more intricacy), easy to read, simple, fast/good pace, and pretty straightforward.
▸stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
▸spice: 🌶️/5 (nothing to barely anything)
▸genre: fiction, adventure.
▸key descriptions: multiple pov, found family, robin hood retelling, murder mystery, LGBTQ rep, adventure.
▸notes: check trigger warnings (ex: murder, torture, violence, mild language, sexual references), received as eARC.
▸longer, personal thoughts below:
As an overall story, I liked it. I liked that the beginning started off with action to reel you in. The beginning also had a lot of movement between what was going on and different people's perspectives so it kept it interesting and you were slowly learning about each character and the environment.
The plot was interesting, but I felt like it could have had more depth and subplots to make it more intriguing. There were some details that I questioned while reading, but brushed past it as I'm not a picky reader.
The general feeling I got by the end of the book was that it was: good plot (could have been better with more intricacy), easy to read, simple, fast/good pace, and pretty straightforward.
darrahsteffenwrites's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookish_growler's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
glfowler's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I really enjoyed the story & characters of this story and will definitely be reading the sequel! I especially hope to get to read more from the perspectives of the members of the group who weren’t narrators this go around.
The pacing and some of the dialogue/writing did make it hard for me to stay in the story at times.
Huge thanks to the author for a digital ARC of this book!
The pacing and some of the dialogue/writing did make it hard for me to stay in the story at times.
Huge thanks to the author for a digital ARC of this book!