Thief's Magic

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.

6 of 6 people found this review 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.

4 of 4 people found this review 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.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Absolutely fantastic

Would you listen to Thief's Magic again? Why?

I would listen to this story again and again because I liked the magic system and the plot so much.

What did you like best about this story?

The adventure and discovery.

Any additional comments?

The magic system is so similar to the one in 'The Age of Five Trilogy' which although isn't as well known as Trudi Cannavan's other books is my favorite, and it is so easy to imagine that world is a distant world from this trilogy that is although rich in magic is isolated and untraveled to.

If you liked the 'Age of Five Trilogy' you must read/listen to this, and if you liked this one you must read/listen to 'Age of Five'

1 of 1 people found this review 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.

1 of 1 people found this review 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.

3 of 4 people found this review 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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A tale in two halves

Where does Thief's Magic rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I enjoyed it a lot, I like the author, in particular the way she allows you to follow the thought process of the protagonists. It is difficult to rank the first book of a trilogy in comparison to completed trilogies. As a first of three it is not as compelling as the The Magicians Guild or The Priestess of the White, but more promising than The Ambassador's Mission (although the trilogy got better later).

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed the action in the sections where it happens. It is also interesting to see a completely different type of magic, simpler than the one from the other books. It may well develop into something more complex, but all credit to the author to provide a different, fresher, take on it.

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

It is hard to prefer a character, they are both so different and they have been developed in parallel, without crossing paths. Tyen is easier to like because there is a lot of action and movement and you feel you can travel with him. On the other hand, Rielle shapes as an interesting young woman but had little action and a lot of cringe-worthy girlie naivety and sentimentality that was harder to listen to. I think both readers were excellent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moment that Rielle had to be separated from her loved ones. I just hate the idea of leaving Izare behind. He was never quite defined as a character and I would have loved to have got to know more about him.

Any additional comments?

I found Tyen gave me more enjoyment and his story, if you skip Rielle's, is very well paced. You can only get away with the slowness and agonising, excessive repetition of self-doubt that afflicts Rielle by interspersing it with Tyen's. Having said that, I am sure I got to know her better, so that's the pay-off for my patience.

2 of 3 people found this review 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

If you can get passed Hannah’s patronising

I personally told my self she is trying to captivate the difference in accent and speech patterns but later in the trilogy obviously that becomes harder.
In my opinion I feel like she’s reading to a new born or her cat or something.
The story is amazing, the unlimited potential for story telling is easily seen by the end of this book.