High Level Review: I love a good “rebel against the empire” story and I thought this book was worth the read!

Plot: A rag tag team of misfit, skilled thieves put their brains together to do some good. The tyrannical Lord Ruler has been at it long enough and we see the story unfold primarily through the lens of a young FMC, Vin.

Praise: I liked these characters and plot a lot. I also found myself excitedly explaining the very unique magic system to my husband, so that definitely shows that I liked that aspect. The found family and the last fourth of the book were wonderful and I will definitely pick up book two.

Critiques: Some details in the beginning of the book really dragged the story slowly. I think there could have been other ways to tell us the same information while keeping us moving. But maybe this just isn’t my favorite writing style.

CW/TW: Abuse, death, genocide, gore, murder, sex work, mention of sexual assault, slavery, torture, violence