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The Master Thief #1
Jack of Thieves
The Thieves Guild is renowned for their ability to steal anything. Its elite members have robbed nobles of wealth, reputation, and even their honor. The Guildmaster rules them with brutality and fear, yet his name and past are a mystery. From the depths of the Evermist swamp he seeks a master thief, one who can help him reclaim his lost power.
Young and brash, Jack Myst has drawn the Guildmaster’s attention. His feats mark his potential, but his audacity and cunning make him dangerous. After years of preparation an invitation from the guild is exactly what he desires. When he gets it his hunt begins, and there is nothing he cannot steal.
Even the Guildmaster’s secret.
Young and brash, Jack Myst has drawn the Guildmaster’s attention. His feats mark his potential, but his audacity and cunning make him dangerous. After years of preparation an invitation from the guild is exactly what he desires. When he gets it his hunt begins, and there is nothing he cannot steal.
Even the Guildmaster’s secret.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2016
171 people are currently reading
578 people want to read
About the author
Ben Hale
50 books352 followersAs an avid snowboarder from Utah, Ben grew up with a passion for learning. This thirst for knowledge led him to sports, music, and academic endeavors. After a year of college, he did volunteer work in Brazil and became fluent in three languages. Graduating from the University of Central Florida, he started and ran several successful businesses before publishing his first novel in June of 2012. By the end of the year he'd sold almost ten thousand copies of The Second Draeken War, and he began writing full-time. Now spanning 10,000 years, ten titles, and two series, The Chronicles of Lumineia represents a sprawling YA series that has sold over fifty thousand copies, and continues to expand its readership across all ages. Each of his books has been inspired by his wonderful wife and five beautiful children.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about upcoming novels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow Ben on twitter @ BenHale8 or on Facebook.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about upcoming novels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow Ben on twitter @ BenHale8 or on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
December 3, 2018
I have a weakness for stories about thieves in the fantasy genre. So I couldn't resist trying out this trilogy with the recent 3-month Kindle Unlimited promotion, to ease myself back into reading fantasy after taking a fairly long break (by my standards).
Jack of Thieves is a fun and decent read, albeit with predictable plotlines and some usual plot devices. There are some irksome repetition of certain words though, as well as some typos which is fairly common for self-published, and even some traditionally-published, books. The main character, Jack Myst, can be quite infuriating in his arrogance, which is compounded by his Gary Stu-ness. While I understand that it was part of his 'persona' that he is portraying to achieve his objectives, it sometimes annoys me as much as it does the other characters in the book. I was also irked that he 'smirked' every so often. I think you can already tell which words in particular I did not enjoy seeing too much of.
Regardless, the pacing of the story and the ease of reading made the book sufficiently engaging for me to finish it within a day. The reveal at the end also intrigued me enough to pick up the sequel. Let's see how this ends, and whether Jack Myst finally endears himself to me.
Jack of Thieves is a fun and decent read, albeit with predictable plotlines and some usual plot devices. There are some irksome repetition of certain words though, as well as some typos which is fairly common for self-published, and even some traditionally-published, books. The main character, Jack Myst, can be quite infuriating in his arrogance, which is compounded by his Gary Stu-ness. While I understand that it was part of his 'persona' that he is portraying to achieve his objectives, it sometimes annoys me as much as it does the other characters in the book. I was also irked that he 'smirked' every so often. I think you can already tell which words in particular I did not enjoy seeing too much of.
Regardless, the pacing of the story and the ease of reading made the book sufficiently engaging for me to finish it within a day. The reveal at the end also intrigued me enough to pick up the sequel. Let's see how this ends, and whether Jack Myst finally endears himself to me.
December 10, 2018
Sadly a very generic thief themed tale , the crossing of thief with a druid was quite badly executed as well with it only serving to drive the story forward when required. Only reason it wasnt a 1 star is because it delivers on the thief story as you would expect. So if you want a generic thief tale without any build up of increase in skill/power , this is for you.
July 26, 2019
Jack of Thieves by Ben Hale is an exciting adventure through the land of Lumineia that follows a young man on his quest to avenge his mother’s death. My husband has been after me for a long time to read these books, and I’m glad I’ve finally started. It’s fast-paced with fantastic characters and an incredible world. I can’t wait to learn more!
Jack is not quite the hero of the tale, but not a bad guy either. He’s a thief with a conscience….kinda. He’s cocky, arrogant, and charming when he wants to be. There are times where you want to smack the smile off his face and others where you’ll want to kiss him. Very confusing!
At the start of the story, Jack has just pulled off stealing from a well-known lord for a maid (See what I mean about not being the bad guy but not good either?) when the Thieves Guild finds him. They invite him to join. He pretends this hasn’t been his plan all along because he doesn’t want them suspicious of his motives. He is after three thieves that killed his mother. He wants revenge and he will have it through the Guild.
I was fascinated with the Guild and its innerworkings. While I enjoyed the story, there really wasn’t much driving the plot. Jack bounces from assignment to assignment and slowly gets his revenge. Despite there not being much to drive the plot, I found myself enjoying it. I loved how Jack could change his persona to fit the assignment and get what he wanted and still complete the job. I also really enjoyed the different magical beings: elves, dwarves, and druids. There is even an encounter with barbarians. I think this is a good introduction to Hale’s Lumineia.
Overall I really enjoyed Jack of Thieves. Jack is a character you can’t help but love. The writing is polished and builds upon other works by the author. I can’t wait to get into this fantastical world. I highly recommend this one for anyone that enjoys adventure with a touch of fantasy.
Jack is not quite the hero of the tale, but not a bad guy either. He’s a thief with a conscience….kinda. He’s cocky, arrogant, and charming when he wants to be. There are times where you want to smack the smile off his face and others where you’ll want to kiss him. Very confusing!
At the start of the story, Jack has just pulled off stealing from a well-known lord for a maid (See what I mean about not being the bad guy but not good either?) when the Thieves Guild finds him. They invite him to join. He pretends this hasn’t been his plan all along because he doesn’t want them suspicious of his motives. He is after three thieves that killed his mother. He wants revenge and he will have it through the Guild.
I was fascinated with the Guild and its innerworkings. While I enjoyed the story, there really wasn’t much driving the plot. Jack bounces from assignment to assignment and slowly gets his revenge. Despite there not being much to drive the plot, I found myself enjoying it. I loved how Jack could change his persona to fit the assignment and get what he wanted and still complete the job. I also really enjoyed the different magical beings: elves, dwarves, and druids. There is even an encounter with barbarians. I think this is a good introduction to Hale’s Lumineia.
Overall I really enjoyed Jack of Thieves. Jack is a character you can’t help but love. The writing is polished and builds upon other works by the author. I can’t wait to get into this fantastical world. I highly recommend this one for anyone that enjoys adventure with a touch of fantasy.
September 4, 2017
The book started off well and I was excited by just the first chapter. However the book quickly fell flat for me. The main character was just awful. I get that he is supposed to be arrogant and cock sure of himself, but he took it to a stupid extreme. When he scoffs at the idea of putting on an elf persona. Or when he refused to put on a persona for the heist on the cliff aide palace. How they went into that job with NO plan. I was astounded by how stupid the characters were and the awful plot. Plus the characters were very one dimensional to me. Sure Jack has a dark back history, witty banter, and an arrogant attitude but I couldn't understand much more of him. I also did not understand how any of the other characters put up with him. It also all read too much like a video game plot to me. There are some good series based off video games or that style but this is not one of them.
March 5, 2025
A fast paced fantasy. It was enjoyable and inevitably led to a sequel.
One deficit was the author utilized the word "Smirk" a thousand times. Everyone was busy smirking at everyone else all through the entire story.
A thesaurus would have enhanced this read.
One deficit was the author utilized the word "Smirk" a thousand times. Everyone was busy smirking at everyone else all through the entire story.
A thesaurus would have enhanced this read.
June 2, 2023
Summary: After the death of his mother by the hands of thieves, Jack Myst wants revenge. He's always been mischievous, but grown now, he's suave and a talented thief. After stealing from the High Lord Saris in the city of Terros and uses that talent to attract the attention of the Thieves Guild. After inviting him to join, Jack hesitantly agrees. Or so he wants them to believe, as it's exactly what he's hoping for. Looming over him is the unnamed and powerful Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild, who want to reclaim his power, and Jack may be just the tool he needs.
Thoughts: It's more of a fast paced thriller, but I found Jack to be an interesting if not super developed character (at least not in this book in the series). He's not a stereotypical good guy, but not quite horrible either. Kind of like a Han Solo type character. His ability to put on a persona to help him in his heists to steal things is interesting and entertaining, but it doesn't do as much to help us understand who jack is a person and how he changes throughout the book. It's good and entertaining writing, and satisfying to read as Jack works with the Guild to get his revenge. The worldbuilding, how the author reveals how the guild works through Jack going on different missions with different guild members (each revealing something about the world and themselves) is interesting, but it definitely has the feel of a book that sets up a larger world and narrative, rather than being totally it's own self contained thing.
Content Warnings:
Death (Not super explicit)
Mild Violence
Thoughts: It's more of a fast paced thriller, but I found Jack to be an interesting if not super developed character (at least not in this book in the series). He's not a stereotypical good guy, but not quite horrible either. Kind of like a Han Solo type character. His ability to put on a persona to help him in his heists to steal things is interesting and entertaining, but it doesn't do as much to help us understand who jack is a person and how he changes throughout the book. It's good and entertaining writing, and satisfying to read as Jack works with the Guild to get his revenge. The worldbuilding, how the author reveals how the guild works through Jack going on different missions with different guild members (each revealing something about the world and themselves) is interesting, but it definitely has the feel of a book that sets up a larger world and narrative, rather than being totally it's own self contained thing.
Content Warnings:
Death (Not super explicit)
Mild Violence
December 30, 2022
This is a fun book. I've read it before I had good reads, and read it again after getting it. I like the story, the characters, the tools they use, all of it. Definitely makes me think of one of those Dungeons and Dragons series. Already started book 2 which I never got to finish
March 25, 2017
I won this audio book in a give-away. I had entered said give-away because I like fantasy stories, and because I enjoy Derek Perkins' narration. I've listened to many hours of another series narrated by Derek Perkins, and it is like listening to a friend now.
I really enjoyed the story. There are guilds (something I've always been fascinated with), there's magic, there's friendship, and betrayal,and, of course, there is a mystery to solve and probably the world to rescue.
Jack has to learn to work in a team, and at some point, he appreciates that the benefits are greater than his independence as a solo thief.
The characters are likable, the world is fascinating. The story had a nice closure but for the epilogue. Now I have to know how the story goes on. Unfortunately, the sequels aren't available as audio book yet.
I really enjoyed the story. There are guilds (something I've always been fascinated with), there's magic, there's friendship, and betrayal,and, of course, there is a mystery to solve and probably the world to rescue.
Jack has to learn to work in a team, and at some point, he appreciates that the benefits are greater than his independence as a solo thief.
The characters are likable, the world is fascinating. The story had a nice closure but for the epilogue. Now I have to know how the story goes on. Unfortunately, the sequels aren't available as audio book yet.
March 3, 2021
If you want a story where thieves steal stuff, here you go, but if you want MORE
to the story (like not-generic fantasy world, magical weapons, elves, dwarves, and men, etc.). you'll be disappointed.
My main issue with this story was the main character, Jack. He was OVERLY cocky and arrogant, and he showed that through his snarky one-liners, going into missions w/o plans and whatnot, and just being rude. (Scoffing at others' helpful suggestions.) Oh, and smirking... nonstop. I didn't like him, and when you don't like who the story revolves around, you don't like the story.
The other characters weren't much better, IMO. They seemed predictable and lacked mystery/intrigue. Everyone felt flat/one-dimensional to me.
The typos could be irksome, but the lack of commas irritated me more.
to the story (like not-generic fantasy world, magical weapons, elves, dwarves, and men, etc.). you'll be disappointed.
My main issue with this story was the main character, Jack. He was OVERLY cocky and arrogant, and he showed that through his snarky one-liners, going into missions w/o plans and whatnot, and just being rude. (Scoffing at others' helpful suggestions.) Oh, and smirking... nonstop. I didn't like him, and when you don't like who the story revolves around, you don't like the story.
The other characters weren't much better, IMO. They seemed predictable and lacked mystery/intrigue. Everyone felt flat/one-dimensional to me.
The typos could be irksome, but the lack of commas irritated me more.
May 5, 2023
Avrei tanto voluto amare questo libro, anche perché è partito con un buonissimo prologo, finalmente un protagonista ladro competente e che fa il ladro!
Solo che la bellezza è durata molto poco. Francamente non sono riuscita a tollerare Jack, che dopo i primi capitoli è caratterizzato unicamente dall'essere arrogante ai limiti della parodia, e i personaggi che lo seguono non sono diversi. Poi mi ha irritato anche le situazioni che si venivano a creare coi personaggi femminili... Il primo che incontriamo si chiama "Bellezza" (e continuerà ad essere chiamato così per tutto il tempo nonostante venga poi rivelato il suo vero nome) che è il palese interesse amoroso con cui il protagonista flirta dal minuto uno, poi c'è la scena della tribù femminile che si scanna perché il nostro è troppo bello, lui che bacia una tizia per rubarle una collana e questa ovviamente improvvisamente ha una rivelazione sulla sua vita, la tipa ladra che flirta con lui in maniera imbarazzante... non amo molto parlare di gary stu, ma la parola mi è venuta in mente più volte durante la lettura.
Peggio, ma di gran lunga, dei protagonisti di "The Queen's Thief" e "The Ascendance Prince", almeno loro erano meglio caratterizzati.
Anche la trama alla fine della fiera non è niente di che, una serie continua di furti nemmeno particolarmente avvincenti, legati da un minimo punto in comune. C'è un piccolo colpo di scena interessante, che assieme al prologo lo salva dall'essere tutto da buttare, ma non da farmi venire voglia di leggere i seguiti.
Questo non è decisamente un libro per ragazzi che può essere letto anche da adulti.
Solo che la bellezza è durata molto poco. Francamente non sono riuscita a tollerare Jack, che dopo i primi capitoli è caratterizzato unicamente dall'essere arrogante ai limiti della parodia, e i personaggi che lo seguono non sono diversi. Poi mi ha irritato anche le situazioni che si venivano a creare coi personaggi femminili... Il primo che incontriamo si chiama "Bellezza" (e continuerà ad essere chiamato così per tutto il tempo nonostante venga poi rivelato il suo vero nome) che è il palese interesse amoroso con cui il protagonista flirta dal minuto uno, poi c'è la scena della tribù femminile che si scanna perché il nostro è troppo bello, lui che bacia una tizia per rubarle una collana e questa ovviamente improvvisamente ha una rivelazione sulla sua vita, la tipa ladra che flirta con lui in maniera imbarazzante... non amo molto parlare di gary stu, ma la parola mi è venuta in mente più volte durante la lettura.
Peggio, ma di gran lunga, dei protagonisti di "The Queen's Thief" e "The Ascendance Prince", almeno loro erano meglio caratterizzati.
Anche la trama alla fine della fiera non è niente di che, una serie continua di furti nemmeno particolarmente avvincenti, legati da un minimo punto in comune. C'è un piccolo colpo di scena interessante, che assieme al prologo lo salva dall'essere tutto da buttare, ma non da farmi venire voglia di leggere i seguiti.
Questo non è decisamente un libro per ragazzi che può essere letto anche da adulti.
December 27, 2016
Jack. How to describe Jack? Right away I got the idea that Jack was young, full of himself, and had something to prove. As it turns out he has his reasons.
Jack has a list of people he has to deal with and the only way to get close to them is to become a member of the thieves guild. He's playing a dangerous game and the penalty for failure can be pretty swift (if he's lucky). Gaining access to the guild, picking up some sidekicks, plus a love interest; it's an adventure. It's lot of fun too.
I didn't know anything about the world of Lumineia going in to this book, thankfully I didn't need to. It didn't take me long to know that the "world" was more rich and fleshed out and than described and it pulled me right in. There's a ton of books on my plate right now but I WILL be continuing the series.
Jack has a list of people he has to deal with and the only way to get close to them is to become a member of the thieves guild. He's playing a dangerous game and the penalty for failure can be pretty swift (if he's lucky). Gaining access to the guild, picking up some sidekicks, plus a love interest; it's an adventure. It's lot of fun too.
I didn't know anything about the world of Lumineia going in to this book, thankfully I didn't need to. It didn't take me long to know that the "world" was more rich and fleshed out and than described and it pulled me right in. There's a ton of books on my plate right now but I WILL be continuing the series.
March 26, 2017
Hands down one of my all time favorite authors.
Ben Hale has very entertaining, clean writing. Great world building, FANTASTIC characters. They feel real! You will miss reading them!!! Yes that is how awesome.
When I think of some of the best fantasy authors ever, I think Ben could get there. Like he would be the author to write some books and then boom! His books sell out everywhere from some absolute awesome series he puts out.
Jack of Thieves is everything you want in an adventure/fantasy series. We are still dealing with young male protagonists etc...but his story lines are unique and entertaining.
Where are all the HBO and movie producers? They should stop on over here and start making Ben Hales books come alive on the screen.
One last thing, whomever is choosing the narrators for the audiobooks is doing a stellar job. Totally happy with the choices!
Ben Hale has very entertaining, clean writing. Great world building, FANTASTIC characters. They feel real! You will miss reading them!!! Yes that is how awesome.
When I think of some of the best fantasy authors ever, I think Ben could get there. Like he would be the author to write some books and then boom! His books sell out everywhere from some absolute awesome series he puts out.
Jack of Thieves is everything you want in an adventure/fantasy series. We are still dealing with young male protagonists etc...but his story lines are unique and entertaining.
Where are all the HBO and movie producers? They should stop on over here and start making Ben Hales books come alive on the screen.
One last thing, whomever is choosing the narrators for the audiobooks is doing a stellar job. Totally happy with the choices!
August 6, 2022
I'm not really sure what to think about this one. I might keep reading at some point later, but right now, after finishing part one, I don't really feel it.
On one hand, it was enjoyable enough, in a lighthearted kind of way - which was exactly what I was looking for (book 2 will go far more in the usual direction of saving the world though, if the cliffhanger ending of book 1 is to be believed). On the other hand, the writing just didn't work for me.
The dialog feels a bit stiff and awkward at times. Sometimes the characters laugh at things that shouldn't be all that funny, or just react in ways that I don't feel make all that much sense. The characters - especially the protagonists - never felt fully human to me in a way. Something about the way they talk to each other just doesn't feel entirely natural.
There are a lot of filler parts in Jack of Thieves; Some of the missions don't seem to serve a purpose. I would've accepted them as a means for the characters to get to know each other, but again: the dialog feels awkward. I don't think the characters have any reason to like each other yet, and they definitely aren't (or shouldn't be) friends - much less anything else.
My biggest gripe though: the antagonist is genuinely bad. And I don't mean bad in the way an antagonist should be. I think he was just conceptually a bad idea (more in the spoiler bit).
Jack's arrogance can be fun at times until you realize it's his only character trait. The book is pretty explicit about the fact that his arrogance is supposed to cover up a more complex character. That's all fine and good, but in the entire book we never really get to look beyond this persona, and therefore Jack just feels... kind of boring. It's really hard to immerse yourself into a character who feels just a bit too much like a polished archetypal thief. The only times when we get to look beyond his arrogance is when he acts like a literal child, but that just makes things worse. Oh, and he smirks... a lot. He pretty much never stops smirking. If a real person smirked that often, I would wonder if it was some kind of tick.
There is a romance sub plot (I think?), but that really fell kind of flat for me. It might again be Jack's lack of character traits apart from being arrogant, or it might again be something about the dialog. I can't put into words exactly what's bothering me.
Maybe it's that Beauty (seriously, "Beauty"? ugh) is just kind of forgettable. It's really weird, because she does have her own plot line - kind of (mostly her motivation is a carbon copy of Jack's). Other than that, she just doesn't seem to have all that much depth to her. She feels a bit like a very convenient tacked on love interest, and that's really her entire purpose.
Mind experiment to explain my issue with Beauty: if you removed her from the book entirely, would that have an impact? I don't think so. I can't really think of an occasion where her absence would've changed anything. The few parts where her skills are required to further the story, she could've been replaced with any other thief.
* Major Spoilers: *
Making your antagonist something resembling a god is never a good idea. It takes the clichée of the onmiscient, omnipotent unkillable antagonist to the next level, and it feels cheap. Making your antagonist omnipotent/omniscient (except when it's convenient, obviously) is an easy way to keep them alive through anything and everything.
The issue is just: at that point, should that antagonist really remain alive for multiple books? Is he really interesting enough? In the case of Jack of Thieves, I rolled my eyes when it was revealed the antagonist is still alive at the end. It kind of feels like recycling... now the character can be reused and we can have another boss fight eventually... great. Everybody likes repetition. Especially when the first iteration was already kind of generic and uninspired.
Why is a demigod from a mysterious and superior race a bad antagonist? Example 1: Jack is the only person who has the information of a magical map (which is still not explained at the end of book 1 - the cliffhanger ending is another issue entirely), but no problem at all: because the antagonist is pretty much a living god, he can just go into the next room and quickly pull out a Deus Ex Machina... sorry, I mean a totally reasonable magical dagger that... retrieves memories. Great. How convenient.
The entire memory alteration thing is entirely too convenient in general. It avoids having to come up with proper motivation for *any* of the antagonists. It's also a way too convenient Deus Ex Machina the author uses way too often. Most mysteries in the book are explained away by people having their memories magically erased on various occasions. Except the protagonist of course, because he can obviously resist memory alteration - again, how convenient. It just felt kind of disappointing when pretty much every single mystery in the book was revealed to be a result of very convenient memory magic.
Take Jack of Thieves, completely replace the antagonist, take some of the filler out and rework the dialog and character relationships a bit (give them proper opportunity to get to know each other beyond a surface level for example - and get the dialog to sound more natural), and it could be great. The way things stand, I think book one was okay but doesn't really motivate me to keep reading.
On one hand, it was enjoyable enough, in a lighthearted kind of way - which was exactly what I was looking for (book 2 will go far more in the usual direction of saving the world though, if the cliffhanger ending of book 1 is to be believed). On the other hand, the writing just didn't work for me.
The dialog feels a bit stiff and awkward at times. Sometimes the characters laugh at things that shouldn't be all that funny, or just react in ways that I don't feel make all that much sense. The characters - especially the protagonists - never felt fully human to me in a way. Something about the way they talk to each other just doesn't feel entirely natural.
There are a lot of filler parts in Jack of Thieves; Some of the missions don't seem to serve a purpose. I would've accepted them as a means for the characters to get to know each other, but again: the dialog feels awkward. I don't think the characters have any reason to like each other yet, and they definitely aren't (or shouldn't be) friends - much less anything else.
My biggest gripe though: the antagonist is genuinely bad. And I don't mean bad in the way an antagonist should be. I think he was just conceptually a bad idea (more in the spoiler bit).
Jack's arrogance can be fun at times until you realize it's his only character trait. The book is pretty explicit about the fact that his arrogance is supposed to cover up a more complex character. That's all fine and good, but in the entire book we never really get to look beyond this persona, and therefore Jack just feels... kind of boring. It's really hard to immerse yourself into a character who feels just a bit too much like a polished archetypal thief. The only times when we get to look beyond his arrogance is when he acts like a literal child, but that just makes things worse. Oh, and he smirks... a lot. He pretty much never stops smirking. If a real person smirked that often, I would wonder if it was some kind of tick.
There is a romance sub plot (I think?), but that really fell kind of flat for me. It might again be Jack's lack of character traits apart from being arrogant, or it might again be something about the dialog. I can't put into words exactly what's bothering me.
Maybe it's that Beauty (seriously, "Beauty"? ugh) is just kind of forgettable. It's really weird, because she does have her own plot line - kind of (mostly her motivation is a carbon copy of Jack's). Other than that, she just doesn't seem to have all that much depth to her. She feels a bit like a very convenient tacked on love interest, and that's really her entire purpose.
Mind experiment to explain my issue with Beauty: if you removed her from the book entirely, would that have an impact? I don't think so. I can't really think of an occasion where her absence would've changed anything. The few parts where her skills are required to further the story, she could've been replaced with any other thief.
* Major Spoilers: *
Making your antagonist something resembling a god is never a good idea. It takes the clichée of the onmiscient, omnipotent unkillable antagonist to the next level, and it feels cheap. Making your antagonist omnipotent/omniscient (except when it's convenient, obviously) is an easy way to keep them alive through anything and everything.
The issue is just: at that point, should that antagonist really remain alive for multiple books? Is he really interesting enough? In the case of Jack of Thieves, I rolled my eyes when it was revealed the antagonist is still alive at the end. It kind of feels like recycling... now the character can be reused and we can have another boss fight eventually... great. Everybody likes repetition. Especially when the first iteration was already kind of generic and uninspired.
Why is a demigod from a mysterious and superior race a bad antagonist? Example 1: Jack is the only person who has the information of a magical map (which is still not explained at the end of book 1 - the cliffhanger ending is another issue entirely), but no problem at all: because the antagonist is pretty much a living god, he can just go into the next room and quickly pull out a Deus Ex Machina... sorry, I mean a totally reasonable magical dagger that... retrieves memories. Great. How convenient.
The entire memory alteration thing is entirely too convenient in general. It avoids having to come up with proper motivation for *any* of the antagonists. It's also a way too convenient Deus Ex Machina the author uses way too often. Most mysteries in the book are explained away by people having their memories magically erased on various occasions. Except the protagonist of course, because he can obviously resist memory alteration - again, how convenient. It just felt kind of disappointing when pretty much every single mystery in the book was revealed to be a result of very convenient memory magic.
Take Jack of Thieves, completely replace the antagonist, take some of the filler out and rework the dialog and character relationships a bit (give them proper opportunity to get to know each other beyond a surface level for example - and get the dialog to sound more natural), and it could be great. The way things stand, I think book one was okay but doesn't really motivate me to keep reading.
June 11, 2021
Really a 3.5 star book. I was able to enjoy this book and it is well above average with one problem: The MC should have lost. The MC is a really good thief, NOT THE BEST THIEF, but well above average. The bad guy is essentially a god in that he is thousands of years old and significantly stronger, faster and more durable than everyone else in the world. The bad guy is so impressive that pretty much everyone but the MC thinks he is a god. The book ends with a set up for further conflict between MC and the bad guy and all I could think is that the MC will die soon.
What is really sad is that this is completely unneccessary. The author could have just had a powerful but less than god-like bad guy who died at the end of this book. The MC would then discover another aspect to the central mystery to take him off on another adventure in book 2. But that's just not how current fantasy authors think, is it? MCs have to fight gods these days for some reason that escapes me which makes for worse story telling over all. See Joe Abercrombie's First Law series for evidence of what fantasy can be.
Bottom line: Could have been truly good without a god-like bad guy but still worth the read.
What is really sad is that this is completely unneccessary. The author could have just had a powerful but less than god-like bad guy who died at the end of this book. The MC would then discover another aspect to the central mystery to take him off on another adventure in book 2. But that's just not how current fantasy authors think, is it? MCs have to fight gods these days for some reason that escapes me which makes for worse story telling over all. See Joe Abercrombie's First Law series for evidence of what fantasy can be.
Bottom line: Could have been truly good without a god-like bad guy but still worth the read.
May 29, 2018
Jack is a little annoying
It’s a very surface level book. This is a nice quick read with very one-dimensional characters. The pace is very quick, which isn’t a bad thing, but it would be nice if some action scenes were more in-depth. Lastly, Jack, as a character is super annoying. His only attitude is sarcastic smart-ass and then he’s this super amazing thief. I wish the author showed Jack with some more non-smart ass dimension. It became a bit off putting at times.
All that being said, the plot is interesting, but it’s quick. I will read the other books in the series for the fact that I’m looking for some quick reads at the moment.
Overall, not bad, but definitely not great.
It’s a very surface level book. This is a nice quick read with very one-dimensional characters. The pace is very quick, which isn’t a bad thing, but it would be nice if some action scenes were more in-depth. Lastly, Jack, as a character is super annoying. His only attitude is sarcastic smart-ass and then he’s this super amazing thief. I wish the author showed Jack with some more non-smart ass dimension. It became a bit off putting at times.
All that being said, the plot is interesting, but it’s quick. I will read the other books in the series for the fact that I’m looking for some quick reads at the moment.
Overall, not bad, but definitely not great.
August 12, 2020
I think thieves are underutilized in the fantasy genre. We get plenty of assassins, but a good thief is hard to find. This book filled that niche perfectly. Its plot flowed very nicely and was filled with all the action you would expect to find in a good swashbuckling story. I was highly satisfied that most set ups were paid off with anything that wasn't addressed in this book clearly being set up for the next. I am confident that anyone who loves rogues or plays one in D&D will love this book.
The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is because of a personal peeve I have with fantasy worlds that feel like homebrew D&D campaign settings. If this isn't an issue for you, then this book is easily 5 star worthy. I'm certain the second book will not disappoint.
The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is because of a personal peeve I have with fantasy worlds that feel like homebrew D&D campaign settings. If this isn't an issue for you, then this book is easily 5 star worthy. I'm certain the second book will not disappoint.
August 23, 2018
Had read an earlier book by this author which I enjoyed but this was disappointing. The narrative is fine so I did read to the end but the characters are undeveloped and the hero, Jack is thoroughly irritating. Suspect he is supposed to be a sort of 'Jack Sparrow' character but instead he's just bumptious and rude, couldn't see anything endearing about him at all. The fact that the author repetitiously uses 'he smirked' when Jack speaks sums him up really. It looks as if it's the first of a series which I shall avoid.
May 5, 2020
Such a weird combination of unique and cliche. I felt like the map/world was something sampled from the author's world of warcraft-playing days. The pacing was quite choppy.
What I did like were the characters. The characters acted the way people would. They were consistent to themselves. They weren't predictable, they didn't act in a way that made the story easier - but they were each unique and memorable.
So the author is better at writing people than he is at describing an elven city. I'll probably give his next book a try.
What I did like were the characters. The characters acted the way people would. They were consistent to themselves. They weren't predictable, they didn't act in a way that made the story easier - but they were each unique and memorable.
So the author is better at writing people than he is at describing an elven city. I'll probably give his next book a try.
March 7, 2021
This was good, but the pacing was off. Everything seemed rushed, and glossed over, like it was a summary of the events leading to the climax. Everything from his trial to get into the guild, to his 5 seconds of training, to every mission leading to the big event was all barely discussed. He went from "I only work alone" to leader of a loyal crew in no time flat. He went from "my secrets are my own" to spilling his plans for retribution without a moment's hesitation. I guess I just wanted this to be more. I felt like a good outline to what would be an epic story, when finished.
January 13, 2019
An OK read in a fantasy world. Jack, bent on revenge for the death of his mother, passes the dangerous entry trial into a band of thieves then sets out to find and kill his mother's murders. Along the way he makes cautious friends and allies and discovers his mother's death and his own heritage is far more complex than he expected.
I enjoyed this but tale but it didn't have me sitting on the edge of my seat. Perhaps because the narration was a little too even and lacked a sense of tension.
I enjoyed this but tale but it didn't have me sitting on the edge of my seat. Perhaps because the narration was a little too even and lacked a sense of tension.
August 3, 2024
4.5 stars
Pick up on a whim and wow, this is pretty good. Good pacing, decent characters, exciting, and engaging storyline. It's what you want in a fantasy novel with different races, magic, fancy weapons, etc... yet, the author doesn't overdo it. I enjoyed that as I felt more engaged in the story
Shockingly, not a lot of ratings so don't let that scare you off. If you are looking for a good read, pick this one up. ...and it's a trilogy. Fingers crossed the whole series follows suit.
Pick up on a whim and wow, this is pretty good. Good pacing, decent characters, exciting, and engaging storyline. It's what you want in a fantasy novel with different races, magic, fancy weapons, etc... yet, the author doesn't overdo it. I enjoyed that as I felt more engaged in the story
Shockingly, not a lot of ratings so don't let that scare you off. If you are looking for a good read, pick this one up. ...and it's a trilogy. Fingers crossed the whole series follows suit.
October 8, 2024
Pretty disappointing. The world building is conventional and unimaginative. I was holding on until the "Amazonian tribes" episode then boredom veered into dislike. Jack is extremely arrogant, that's his whole personality, and the story doesn't even justify his arrogance in any way. That's the main character and he is that one dimensional. His relationships and interactions with other characters are so bland. It's all very flat.
September 29, 2017
I picked up The Second Draeken War Big Boxed Set on KU, and this was the first book in it. I have to say I really like the world building and love the characters, especially how they mostly all seem to exhibit different kinds of magic. I'm very much looking forward to seeing where this series goes.
January 20, 2018
The Master Thief series has shot to the top of the list for my favorite books. The vast majority of the chapters throughout these books have caused me to grin ear to ear. The motivation for a lot of what Jack does is, well, fun. That's true in more ways than one. He likes to taunt his enemies and tease his friends. Even his flirting is entertaining. Highly recommended!
March 29, 2018
I really like thieves (reluctant thieves or thieves with ulterior motives are even better). One thing I didn't like was how sometimes the characters seemed like middle school students just goofing off when other times they were their age or older and I never knew which kind of reactions to expect; it wasn't just a character or two, it seemed like all the characters.
March 21, 2022
Very predictable plot and character. I don't think I am the target audience for this book and that is very clear. I got the trilogy on audible.
The story is fun and fast paced and easy to read/listen. It is very repetative where arrogance always works and every single female character is lusting for the main character.
The story is fun and fast paced and easy to read/listen. It is very repetative where arrogance always works and every single female character is lusting for the main character.
April 13, 2022
This was a great book! Honestly I can't understand why this book has so many negative reviews. I loved Jack's character. He was a breath of fresh air. Very funny and charismatic. The ending reveal was also unexpected and fairly well done. Overall I quite enjoyed this book. And I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
September 19, 2017
This was fun, but shallow. The adventure was fast-paced and the world is an exciting one to play in. But the characters were simple and the writing was "on the nose" (telling you exactly what they were feeling and saying exactly what they wanted). I won't continue the series.
September 27, 2017
Not bad for fluff. It's not deep or epic in any way, just a pleasant easy read if you put your belief systems on hold. I won't hurry to the next book but will pick it up if I come across it at the library.
September 21, 2019
Jack is such an amazing character and has "stolen" a place in my heart!
The narraratar definitely Brings this book to Life! Full of action, mystery, Love, and the perfect amount of drama to make this book perfect for all ages!
The narraratar definitely Brings this book to Life! Full of action, mystery, Love, and the perfect amount of drama to make this book perfect for all ages!
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