I received this book (in an ebook format) in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I love fairytale retellings so I was really excited to read the Thief of Cahraman. Throw in the gender-swapping roles (women who take charge and save themselves!), the faire elements, and interconnecting fairy tale characters (we meet what I believe will eventually be Bell and Cinderella within the first chapter or two of the book) and I was beyond thrilled with the premise. With such radical changes to the Aladdin story (Disney or Arabian Nights), I was not sure about how sustainable the story itself would be. But the main character, Adelaide, made an excellent main character with a heartbreaking backstory. She has been on her own for years, working and stealing to get enough food to eat (and for a little vengeance when the gods don’t punish those who deserve it). The constant moving and keeping to herself has made for a lonely life until she makes it to a small northern town and meets Bonnie and her father. They insist she stay with them and she has a family for the first time in years. She could not be more content and does not understand why Bonnie would ever wish to leave to see the world.
A witch (though it's unclear who she is in book one, I’m sure we’ll find out more about her in the rest of the trilogy), kidnaps Bonnie and her father and holds them as ransom to ensure that the talented young thief will attempt to pull off the biggest heist she’s ever attempted. Adelaide makes for the palace only to find out that she has been “invited” to take part in finding the prince a worthy wife. The story then switches to a Selection type tale where Adelaide attempts to remain at the palace long enough to find the witch’s item. She is the only non-elite girl there and quite a lot of hilarity ensues between the 50 girls. She makes unlikely friends along the way and finds fellow thieves who are willing to help her make her score. Though readers will likely see the end of the story coming, it still made for an enjoyable read! Tempest’s main characters were interesting and dynamic, the plot moved at a good pace, and I liked the direction of the story.
I would recommend this for people who like fairy tale retellings, the Selection, or fantasy in general. I do not have any trigger warnings that I would attach to the book (the only real violence- sword fighting mostly - is against ghouls, so a warning if one is against ghoul violence). I hope this encourages others to read it! I really enjoyed it and hope others do as well!
**And Lucy Tempest just added these to Kindle Unlimited! This allowed me to get the following two books in the trilogy for free since I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited (the best thing I have ever done). Book 3 was released February 2, so all three are ready!
****I probably will not do seperate reviews for the the Cahraman trilogy, but I just finished the third book and I loved all three of them. I'll review her next trilogy in the Fairytales of Folkshore when they come out later this year. I think we are being treated to a retelling of Beauty in the Beast. And I just realized yesterday that I think one of the girls in the selection process is going to be Persephone in a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. I might be off, but that feels right to me! This is another myth that has hardly any retellings!
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