Just didn't take off

I really enjoyed this author's 'Black Magician' trilogy and was looking forward to something with a steampunk edge from her. She seemed like someone who did lightweight, pacey fantasy right.

But I just had to give up on this one. Despite the narrator gamely doing his best, he couldn't get any personality out of the robotic lead, or excitement out of the functional prose. There's some neat ideas but it reminded me of the old Truman Capote quote, "this isn't writing, it's typing." Could just be me but this felt dead.

14 people found this helpful

Expectations Unmet

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Had been waiting for this book to come out. Trudi Canavan's characters and plots really draw you in. I would recommend you get this book, but I would suggest you wait till the second book is released as I feel this is mostly character introductions and does not feel like a complete book that can stand on its own. If you are not a follower of Trudi's previous book you will probably be left feeling dissatisfied with the incomplete storyline.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Thief's Magic?

Hard to say without revealing any of the main story.

Have you listened to any of Grant Cartwright and Hannah Norris ’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No this narrators are new to me. I do feel they compliment each other very we'll.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

They characters are quite compelling but have not experienced anything to bet you emotional.

Any additional comments?

Use a credit not really worth spending extra cash on. Think it needs to be listened to with the future books waiting to be released.

6 people found this helpful

Two characters, only 1 interesting

The story jumps between two main characters, with the narrator changing as well. Tian's narrator is good and has a good range, however the narrator for Rielle is quite weak.

Tian's story is also far more interesting gripping than Rielles. a shame, as I was excited for this book as Trudi's other works have been fantastic. Took me a month and a half to get through this because of the lack of gripping factor other series such as The Black Magician Trilogy

3 people found this helpful

What did I just buy?

This is just about 2 characters and their backgrounds.
A whole book. Save yourself time and just go straight to book 2 as this is set 5 years after book one ends and it gives you a quick catch up on events as it goes along.

The book is about magic and how they are using it all up. (You could replace the word “magic” with “Oil” out of our world now)

Poor story lines (have listened to book 2 will not be getting book 3).

Would recommend Trudi “Magician” trilogy 100% just not this.

3 people found this helpful

Story of two halves: good and bad

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone looking for a romance novel with a bit of spice and fantasy thrown in.

What could Trudi Canavan have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Written a proper narrative that went somewhere for the girls part. The story is written at the level of a child. For example, the girl drifts through following the rules and superstitions of her culture - forever the victim. She thinks like an uneducated idiot. This is at odds with her initial actions to get away from her captor, later from her family and near the finish. I can feel no sympathy for this victim who is more interested in the object of her desires than pushing back against her mistreatment.

At times I felt the two parts were written by two different people.

What didn’t you like about Grant Cartwright and Hannah Norris ’s performance?

Grant's performance was good and provided good characterisation. Hannah's performance used voices that sounded like joke accents - not good or consistent. It was not necessary. The girl has lived in the same place for all her life so would not speak in one language with the accentuations of another - as implied by the performance.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The boy's story was good, though the end was a bit nothing. A shame it was cut short by having to fit the girl's story in to the book.

3 people found this helpful

Beautifully narrated, slow burner.

What made the experience of listening to Thief's Magic the most enjoyable?

Hats off to the Narrators, they really made this audiobook immersive, with seamless reading and great accents.

What did you like best about this story?

Although it's not a wild ride of a book, it has great ideas and is beautifully written. I was a little disappointed that I'll have to wait till next year to find out what happens next!

Which character – as performed by Grant Cartwright and Hannah Norris – was your favourite?

I think both Tyen and Rielle were excellent, although, especially initially I was more gripped by Tyen's storyline; Rielle's took a bit longer to really get going.

Any additional comments?

Thus far I think it's been my favorite of Trudi Canavan's books in audiobook format - a big part of this is definitely due to the narration - I hope Grant Cartwright and Hannah Norris will be narrating the next one when it comes out.

3 people found this helpful

Poor show

What would have made Thief's Magic better?

The two worlds in the book have almost nothing to do with each other, making it a toil to switch between characters. There is far too much focus on the female point of view and physical relationships - its not meant to be 50 Shades! I've loved Trudi Canavan's other works but this was an epic let down.

What will your next listen be?

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

What about Grant Cartwright and Hannah Norris ’s performance did you like?

The performances were fine, it was the characters that let them down.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Thief's Magic?

I would leave the book in Tyen's point of view, develop him as a character and his story and get rid of Rielle.

Any additional comments?

As I said before I loved The Black Magician Trilogy, The Traitor Spy trilogy and The Age of Five, but this really was a disappointment.

5 people found this helpful

Let down!

Any additional comments?

Being a Trudi Canavan fan I purchased this audiobook looking forward to another great journey into the fantasy. How let down I felt having only listened to a quater of the title. For a Trudi Canavan novel it had very little atmosphere about it; the plot lacked the drive and direction associated with her writings, giving it a stalling stop start about it. The characters too were weak and lifeless, this quality made all the poorer by the narrators. Whether I'm comparing this novel to one of Canavan's other more successful books such as the Novice, or Magicians Guild.

2 people found this helpful

Couldn't finish it

Very uninteresting story with simple characters. I didn't finish it because I just couldn't listen to the accents of the female narrator anymore for another twelve hours. Nothing compared to Trudi's other series.

1 person found this helpful

One part is great, other part is boring

I'll update this after if it changes, but I'm just under halfway through the book.
As some of this type of books go, There have been 2 'Stories' - One is the boy side - Tyen (Mentioned in the synopsis) and a Girl side - Rielle (Again, mentioned in the Synopsis)
The boy side has been great. Story moved along at a decent pace, a unique concept and some suspense.
The girl side has been a struggle to get through. After the first part above, the book turns into a 'teenage girl awkwardly crushing on a guy' story that happens to take place in the same universe.
The magic system seems like it's gonna be fun to explore (Like the Black Magician or Age Of The Five), but it's barely mentioned on the girls story other than 'It's forbidden' (again, thats in the synopsis).
I get that romance and love interest is staple of many stories, but If I wanted to read a romance novel, I would have bought one. The description of this one promised magic, adventure and intrigue but instead I'm listening to a long-winded version of a girls attempt to justify getting off with some guy.

1 person found this helpful