Thieves at Heart (The Valley of Ten Crescents, #1)

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Thieves at Heart (The Valley of Ten Crescents #1)

by Tristan J. Tarwater (Goodreads Author)

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 50 ratings · 21 reviews

Tavera is a half-elf child in a land of humans, an outsider dragged from bad to worse–until Derk whisks her away and adopts her as his own. Tavera soon finds out her new Pa is a master thief, a member of a secret, elite group of professional scoundrels called the Cup of Cream. Outlaws, yes, but they have their pride; thievery is as necessary as any other profession in the...more

Paperback, 249 pages

Published September 28th 2011 by Back That Elf Up (first published March 9th 2011)

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Nov 24, 2011 Ray Bliss rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-first-reads

I received the book for free through Goodreads.com

I love fantasy books and “Thieves at Heart”, by Tristan J. Tarwater, is a good book. However it didn’t engage me enough to be considered as a serious page turner.

“Thieves at Heart” is about a young half-elf girl, Tavara, who gets picked up by elite thieves. There are no vivid descriptions of “jobs” being done except for a shell game and a scene or two of planning jobs. The story mostly meanders from chapter to chapter. There was not much of a p...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Daniel Swensen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, indies

The story of Thieves at Heart revolves around Tavi, a young girl who is adopted by a thief named Derk and is indoctrinated into a group of ne'er do wells known as the Cup of Cream.

I have rather mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I think the story has potential. The author has a good eye for sensory detail and has clearly put a lot of thought into the setting. The prose itself is solid enough, but there's a problem: not much happens.

Thieves at Heart doesn't feel like a complete story....more

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Aug 16, 2012 Majanka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, high-fantasy, read-2012, young-adult

Tavera, or Tavi as most people call her, is a half-elf in a world of humans. When we first meet her, she is hiding in the shadows of her mother’s luxurious chambers. Her mother, or well, the woman Tavi was sold to, works as a prostitute, and whenever she can, Tavi steals money from the customers. Tavi’s thieving actions catch the attention of an elite thief, Derk “The Lurk”. Derk buys Tavi and introduces her to his lifestyle. While taking care of Tavi, Derk soon grows to be a father figure, and...more Tavera, or Tavi as most people call her, is a half-elf in a world of humans. When we first meet her, she is hiding in the shadows of her mother’s luxurious chambers. Her mother, or well, the woman Tavi was sold to, works as a prostitute, and whenever she can, Tavi steals money from the customers. Tavi’s thieving actions catch the attention of an elite thief, Derk “The Lurk”. Derk buys Tavi and introduces her to his lifestyle. While taking care of Tavi, Derk soon grows to be a father figure, and it’s obvious he truly and genuinely cares about Tavi.

The novel starts out strong, and the premise is more than a little intriguing. Unfortunately, that’s when the story falls a little flat. The story lacks a climax. There is no nemesis to fight at the end, no valuable object to steal in the most exciting burglarly of the century, nothing, nada. Tavi steals some things, she has a few moments with Derk, and she spends the rest of the time talking and growing up. I truly enjoy coming of age stories, but here I lacked a certain bit of story. I wanted an epic adventure, or at least an adventure, and this reads more like a memoir. Tavi grows up, meets people, gets her period, and meets some more people. There is no real tension, no real story. This feels like part of a much larger story, but not in a way most first books of a series do. Even though they’re part of a larger story, they do have tension and a climax, both which are lacking in Thieves at Heart. The action does pick up at the end though.

However, I did enjoy the rest of the book as well, although I was a tad bit disappointed there wasn’t more to it. Tristan J. Tarwater creates vibrant, well-rounded characters that could do so much more than what they set out to do in Thieves of Heart. The characters made up for the lack of plot at times. Tavi and Derk were my favorites, but the side characters were intriguing as well, and I loved meeting every single one of them.

The fantasy setting is phenomenal. The world this author has created has everything you’d look for in a fantasy world, and a lot more. The descriptions of the various places Tavi and Derk visit are outstanding as well, and made me feel like I was really there. The setting and characters alone were intriguing enough to keep me reading. The writing itself is solid as well. There were some long, confusing sentences along the way, but nothing that off-putting that it would make me stop reading. I’m known for making long and confusing sentences as well, so I really had no problem with it.

Classifying this book is difficult. It’s obviously fantasy, but I’m not sure if the book is suited for young adults. It’s definitely not suited for younger children, in my opinion, but some young adults could read it properly, at least the older half of the young adult age group. For a debut novel, I do think Thieves at Heart is pretty impressive. The writing is solid, the characters are well-rounded and intriguing, and the setting is just plain awesome. Tristan J. Tarwater is planning to write more books in this fantasy world, and I have to say that’s an excellent choice. I would love to learn more about Tavi and Derk, their world, and some of their adventures. I recommend this books to all fans of fantasy novels, who want to see something different from the epic farmer boy turns into magical hero plot.(less)

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Aug 08, 2012 Annabell rated it 1 of 5 stars

I had been very curious about this book from the moment I read the synopsis. I thought the idea of a girl being raised in a world of thieves would be filled with action and adventure. Thieves at Heart was not that tale which was a big disappointment considering how much I was looking forward to reading about Tavera’s world.

Thieves at Heart starts off in a very interesting place with Tavera acting as a thief for the woman she was sold to who happens to also be a prostitute. Tavera is soon sold t...more

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Apr 27, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 1 of 5 stars

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Annabell

Beware of spoilers!!

I had been very curious about this book from the moment I read the synopsis. I thought the idea of a girl being raised in a world of thieves would be filled with action and adventure. Thieves at Heart was not that tale which was a big disappointment considering how much I was looking forward to reading about Tavera’s world.

Thieves at Heart starts off in a very interesting place with Tavera acting as a thief for the woman she w...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I opened this book, I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of the age group it was meant for but as I got started from the cover into the first chapter , it became apparent . The Thieves at Heart is the perfect novel for those young fantasy readers who are in between the I'm too old to read Junior Fiction and the I'm too young to read Teen Fiction.
Thieves at Heart takes us into the life of Tavera , a half-elf who hasn't had the greatest of upbringings as her father tried to kill her and then...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Literary rated it 5 of 5 stars

From the beginning of the book, Tavera, or Tavi as she is affectionately known, is an endearing character. We first meet her as a young child whose mother is Prisca the Tart - literally - a prostitute. While Tavi's mother is servicing her gentleman callers, Tavi hides in the shadows and pilfers money and valuables from the man's clothing. This doesn't seem like a great upbringing for a child, but Tavi doesn't seem to be suffering or have a bad life.

However, Prisca sells Tavi to a thief, Derk "Th...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Maria Violante rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thieves at Heart, by Tristan J. Tarwater, is a skillfully written, well-pondered fantasy memoir-of-sorts, following the rescue and coming of age of a young female thief by the name of Tavera. Please note that given some of the language and situations involved, it’s not appropriate for children or most young adults.

My complaints with the book were few. At times, the writing gets a little unwieldy – uber-long sentences and the occasional awkward passage. Some of the transitions are clumsy. And yup...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Caytlin Vilbrandt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a fan of traditional fantasy. Elves are usually not my thing, and the plots that tend to come with fantasy bore me. For whatever reason, I just can't often get into a fantasy book.

But I just finished Thieves at Heart and it was the first fantasy book that's held my attention the whole way through. It doesn't exactly have a plot -- that is, external happenings driving the story -- but it holds up very well as a story driven by the characters. Well-- that's no...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Maya Lantz rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was very excited to read Thieves at Heart and find out more about Tavera after reading Little Girl Lost. This book picked up shortly after the prequel ended which was nice, it almost felt like I was still reading the same book, only now it was a full length novel rather than a short story. After reading about all the horrible things that had happened to Tavera in her short little life I kept assuming that Derk had ulterior motives as her new “pa” and it took me about half the book to realize h...more I was very excited to read Thieves at Heart and find out more about Tavera after reading Little Girl Lost. This book picked up shortly after the prequel ended which was nice, it almost felt like I was still reading the same book, only now it was a full length novel rather than a short story. After reading about all the horrible things that had happened to Tavera in her short little life I kept assuming that Derk had ulterior motives as her new “pa” and it took me about half the book to realize he really does think of her as a daughter and care about her wellbeing. I enjoyed the father, daughter dynamic between Derk and Tavi, the conversations and actions between them made it seem as if they had always been together, rather than Tavi kidnapped from her “ma” by Derk early in the book.

Despite this book being about thievery and Derk bringing Tavi up as a thief because she was good at it, I still wanted Derk and Tavi to be the best thieves they could and not get caught. They were easy characters to become attached to (although I was already attached to Tavi after reading the prequel). Anytime they were doing something dangerous I was forced to keep reading until I found out if they were safe or not.

Overall, this book is very exciting. It flows really well until about half way through and while it stays exciting it becomes a bit choppy to the point where you don’t realize that Tavi has aged anywhere from several months to several years between and within chapters until you’ve read for a few minutes. This choppiness along with some awkwardly worded sections became rather annoying by the end but it was ended on a cliffhanger and a great story so I am still really looking forward to the next book in the series to find out what happens to Tavi and Derk.

(On a side note, I would say this book is probably not a great read for a guy as it has a lot of woman coming of age situations in it that might not make it so exciting for a guy to read. Then again I’m not an expert so you never know.)
(less)

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Oct 30, 2011 Darlene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, kindle, young-adult

An interesting read. Is my universe rocked by this novel? No. But it was nice to not have a lot of suspense while peeking into this young half-elf's life.

While full in description of the place and physical characteristics of the populace, I felt I wasn't given enough emotional flesh to understand the main character. I was glad to see that certain topics avoided by most authors were presented here, i.e. menstruation, and others.

I have to agree with Caytlin Vilbrandt in her assessment of the book....more

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Feb 06, 2012 Lauren Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, indie

Tavera, affectionately known as Tavi, is a young half-elf with a talent for theft. She’s been working for Prisca the Tart but then gets recruited by Derk the Lurk – a career thief and a member of The Cup of Cream, an elite club of thieves. Derk takes Tavi under his wing, caring for her as a father would a daughter and teaching her to steal in the hope that she will one day earn a position in The Cup of Cream as well. In Derk’s company, Tavi grows from a scruffy, cowering little girl into a smart...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Splash Of Our Worlds *Yiota* rated it 4 of 5 stars

Can you believe a book with such a well done cover is from an indie author? And wait to have it at your hands! It's definitely one of the best books in a matter of a creation i had in hands. It's so well done and i just had to mention it. I know we should not judge a book by its cover, but for first impression i was just so extremely excited to read it because i felt like the inside will be the same as good.

And to talk about the inside, yes it was as good. Simple and light writing which keep you...more Can you believe a book with such a well done cover is from an indie author? And wait to have it at your hands! It's definitely one of the best books in a matter of a creation i had in hands. It's so well done and i just had to mention it. I know we should not judge a book by its cover, but for first impression i was just so extremely excited to read it because i felt like the inside will be the same as good.

And to talk about the inside, yes it was as good. Simple and light writing which keep you in with the right amount of details a story need so you can have a good image in your head. My favorite part were the description of the characters, which made them really real. On the story side, it's captivating. It's interesting and gets you in from the first moment. Instead of following a high class person or a prophecy girl, you get to follow an outcast in a fantasy world. And not only outcast because Tavera is a thief but also because she is also half-elf, a race which you don't really call a favorite in this world. The story contains action, relationship matters, mystery, mission, killing and it keeps you interested at the whole part.

Laslty, we have Tavera and Derk. Tavera is our main character. A half-elf thief and Derk is her mentor and an elite thief. Now, Tavera is an unique girl. For her age (because she is young) is quite clever. Later she becomes a very nice thief too. I could sympathize with her most of the time. The only negative i have to say about (and in general for the book) is how sometimes she was thinking so much about boys, kissing and at some point sex that she was becoming annoying. It's not weird to thing about those things, not only because she starts to becomes a woman but also because of her back story...but sometimes it was so concentrated on that matter and i just wanted to go on with the story, that it got impatient in a bad way. But except that, i can't say something else bothered me.
And Derk....well he is my favorite character. Mentor, mysterious, nice guy,protective etc...you can't really say no to him :P He was by far the most interesting person of all and i loved each one of his scenes no matter how small they were! I want a mentor like him too!

Thieves at Heart was a great start of a series! It was fast and different and i totally enjoyed it. Tavera might annoyed me at some points, but heck! The concept is original and i liked it! It was a good break from the romance of YA.(less)

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Jun 02, 2011 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A vivid world, interesting characters, no boring passages, I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to read more from this author!

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Oct 23, 2011 Terry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This was a great first offering from Tristan J. Tarwater, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. This was an enjoyable fantasy, a fun read.
I have to know what the future holds for Tavera, the protagonist. My heart went out to little Tavi. I wanted to adopt her and take her out of her circumstances.
Fun, interesting characters. This book was good for laying the foundation and backgrounds for the adventures which are yet to come. Hope to get to meet Tavi again soon.

*Disclosure...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Kristi (Books N Beans) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: about-kids, fantasy, free, friendship, paranormal, family, requested-review

What is it about some books that make them great? What elusive element exists within their written word that makes them stand out amongst so many others out there?

It's obviously the talent of the author, but there's lots of talented authors who can't quite seem to enchant the mind quite like Tristan J. Tarwater does in Thieves at Heart: The Valley of Ten Crescents. Unfortunately for reviewers it's a certain something that defies explanation. If it was explainable every author out there would be...more What is it about some books that make them great? What elusive element exists within their written word that makes them stand out amongst so many others out there?

It's obviously the talent of the author, but there's lots of talented authors who can't quite seem to enchant the mind quite like Tristan J. Tarwater does in Thieves at Heart: The Valley of Ten Crescents. Unfortunately for reviewers it's a certain something that defies explanation. If it was explainable every author out there would be lined up for the course teaching it.

Luckily for readers and reviewers alike, every so often a gem such as this comes along. It is these books that created our love of reading, and feed our obsessive need to find the next one. Books like Thieves are the best kind. They offer the chance to be utterly absorbed into the pages of the story, an escape from our world into the world of another for however brief the time.

Tarwater has successfully constructed a story that is magical in its ability mesmerize you while you watch little Tavera grow from a waif of a child into a lovely young woman. Of course, she also becomes a very accomplished thief along the way, but a girl has to survive, right? Besides, she's always had a fascination with taking things, so learning at the knee of a master certainly seems the next logical step. Don't just be good at what you do, be great!

As you follow along with the twists and turns of Tavera's life, be prepared to sacrifice a few things such as your time and your connection to what's going on around you. Once Tarwater has your mind engrossed in Tavera's world all else falls to the side, to include your bladder and that of your dog's. Don't be surprised to find yourself crossing your legs, and that insistent whining you've been hearing for the last 1/2 hour is not a background sound to the book. That is your dog telling you it's bedtime and it needs to go outside again. It will be tough to set Thieves at Heart down long enough to take care of this business, but things could get really messy, really quickly if you don't.

Not to worry though, Thieves is only Book 1. So there's hope that Tarwater will continue the series. Of course, that requires people like us going out there and acquiring her books. You're already online, get yourself a copy of Thieves at Heart: The Valley of Ten Crescents, and let Tarwater know you're interested enough to keep reading!

*Disclosures*
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for a review. (less)

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Jan 24, 2012 Tressa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: purchased-e-books

Thieves at Heart is a young thief's coming of age story.

Not something I would pick out in a million years, but it's a light-hearted read to break the monotony of so many cookie-cutter fantasy novels of which this is not. My issues with this book are the same as in some other reviews (elsewhere), so I'm not really wanting to beat a dead horse by rehashing them (here). I hope the next book brings a little more true depth of character, (not just the icks of growing up with no real emotional umph to...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Pete rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really cared about the main character. I immediately bought the short story prequel after finishing it.

I am anxious for the Google Hangout On-Air book club featuring Tristan and this book: March 2.

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Jul 12, 2012 Lan Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nice story, not really my cup of tea. The story of a half elven girl growing up in a thieves guild like group is a bit scattered. I'm more into swashbuckling adventures.
Read as Kindle eBook.

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Nov 11, 2011 Alyssa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

This book needs a LOT of editing in terms of typo's, run-on-sentences, and sometimes it just doesn't make sense. There's not much of a plot, and the timeline is really vague and unclear. That being said, it was still interesting to see the main character Tavi grow up, and the cliffhanger at the end leaves you wanting more.

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Mar 31, 2011 "Chaos" Mandy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

I really enjoyed this book. It had interesting characters and was set in an interesting world. I can't wait to read more of Tavi's adventures. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy.

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Apr 25, 2011 Hybridhopes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Hybridhopes by: Friend and cousin

Shelves: fantasy, humor, ebooks

Good enough to want to read more by this author!

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May 14, 2013 Stephanie marked it as to-read

May 03, 2013 Adriana marked it as purchased · review of another edition

Apr 23, 2013 Bkepub added it

Shelves: fantasy, young, adult

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Mar 30, 2013 Stephanie marked it as to-read

Mar 19, 2013 Victoria marked it as to-read

Mar 13, 2013 Donna Allen added it · review of another edition

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About Tristan J. Tarwater

Tristan J Tarwater is the author of The Valley of Ten Crescents series, as well as several other stories that hope to see the light of day. Born and raised in New York City she remembers reading a lot, visiting Museums and the Aquarium frequently and wanting to be a writer from a very early age. Her love of fantasy and sci-fi spills over into what she reads and watches in her free time as well as...more

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Books by Tristan J. Tarwater

Self-Made Scoundrel (The Valley of Ten Crescents, #2)

Little Girl Lost (The Valley of Ten Crescents, #0.5)

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