First of all, I loved, loved, loved Razia's character. I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of a trans character in a fantasy setting. Boyden made it clear that in her fictional world, trans people still face a lot of challenges, as Razia does, but we also get to see trans women being respected and appreciated for who they are. Razia is able to live her truth as a woman, but also maintain her personality and the things she loved from her life as a prince -- riding her rahhak, fighting, and being a trusted voice in war strategy. Her character arc showed that one can identify as a woman without having to fit the oppressive mold expected of that gender.

While I loved what Boyden did with the experience of trans women and politics in this book, the plot left me wanting more. It was a little bare-bones with not a lot of complex action. Interactions between characters were pretty one-dimensional, the plot was repetitive, and the moments of anticipation were predictable. I would like to see what happens later on in this series, as Boyden develops as an author and incorporates stronger storytelling into her already well-imagined world building.

Overall, a good debut from what I'm hoping is an up and coming author and voice in the trans community!

For me, Stealing Thunder was an interesting read, if not an entirely successful one.

The setting is inspired by South Asia and focuses on a main character, Razia, who is a hijra. Hijra are not fictional; they are real people, part of a South Asian transfeminine community that is legally recognized as a third gender in India. The author is a trans American and a cultural anthropologist who has worked with hijra activists. According to the book’s foreword, part of the reason this book exists was that friends of hers who had read it, including Indian trans women, encouraged her to submit it for publication.

So, even though the author is not a hijra herself, her familiarity with their lives gives her story an authentic feel. The hijra have existed for centuries, and they have their own society and traditions, even their own language, details of which are discussed in the book. Their lives are hard, and Razia’s struggles aren’t sugarcoated for an American audience. Many hijra are involved in sex work, just like Razia, and are subject to harassment and assault. Although not described in detail, past sexual violence against a very young Razia is mentioned in the story, which might be problematic for some readers.

My interest in Razia’s life as a hijra kept me reading, but her trans identity overshadows the fantasy more than I expected. The one truly fantastical aspect of the book is the existence of winged dragonlike creatures called zahhaks that are used in battle by nobles like Razia, who was a prince in her former life. (There’s an exciting aerial combat scene near the end where the zahhaks take center stage.) But the real focus is Razia’s status as a former prince and now a hijra, which is commented on over and over again by scornful men throughout the course of the story. Razia overcomes their prejudice by being amazing at everything she does—wrestling, climbing, strategy, zahhak riding, etc. She also wins the heart of the man she loves. It’s satisfying to see her triumph, but at the same time, it’s a bit too much like wish fulfillment to feel truthful to what is otherwise a fairly gritty fantasy world.

Overall, I’m glad I gave this book a try, even if not everything about it worked for me, because of its representation of the hijra community.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I'm choosing to dnf at 30% solely for being the wrong audience for this book. I love Boyden's writing, and the trans representation is so wonderful to see. I'm not a romance reader. I do enjoy it in my genre books if there is *a lot* of conflict. Razia and Arjun have a beautiful relationship, and I don't want to finish reading this just to give it a lower, admittedly subjective rating when this book is not intended for me.

Sometimes books not only provide the chance to reminisce and be nostalgic, stories also have the power to allow us readers to take a deeper look at our emotions and our situations. Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden is a book that took me down such a memory lane and reminded me of my homeland.

This book reminded me how magical India is. It honestly does not take a lot to feel magic in a place that is so rich in culture, colors and history of kings, queens and wars. As I walked with Razia on the streets of Bikampur, it was like being back home. I remembered the narrow alleys, the street markets, the sounds of the busy city… I was home. For once, I knew every reference being made and every food item and drink mentioned. That is what made me savour this world and want to stay in it forever. If you plan to read the book, I would highly recommend referring to the glossary at the back and maybe even google images of the items. It will absolutely enhance your experience.

What is the fantastical element in this book, you might ask? The answer is zahhaks. They are like dragons but smaller, probably horse size. The royalty in this world is trained to ride zahhaks and every region has its speciality. While Razia’s family had thunder zahhaks (yes, they can summon thunder), Prince Arjun rode fire zahhaks and another Prince had acid zahhaks. These creatures are an important part of military strategy and the story focuses on the human relationships with them as well as their use in war. Razia might be a woman but she grew up a man, learning to ride a zahhak, and receiving strategic training that honed her tactical mind that would be helpful to the lords of Bikampur and their allies.

I really enjoyed Razia as a protagonist. It was easy to follow along her point of view and feel a kinship to her. The story did a great job of highlighting not only the struggles of being a hijra as well as the reasons why she decided to give up her inheritance to embody who she really is. I have read stories about who we really are and roles imposed by society a couple times since I started book blogging but this one offered a perspective I did not have yet – the story of a trans woman.

Overall, Stealing Thunder is engaging and straightforward. I was immersed and lost in it from Page 1 and it felt like home. The author, not being from South Asia, still did an amazing job portraying my home country and giving me that feel of authenticity. At one point in the story, I was acutely aware about certain knowledge I had gained in the West which Razia could not know without that influence. After all the South Asian foods and drinks going unexplained, this conversion stood out to me and led me down a path that I never expected a book would. I disconnected from the world and could no longer perceive it as home again.

Stealing Thunder is a well-researched book and an example of a story done well about a different culture. There are, however, always going to be unspoken cultural nuances that will not be able to be represented if the author is not writing within their own culture, no matter how much research is conducted, and this book is a reminder of that. See full thoughts on that aspect on my book blog, Armed with A Book.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Review: I was so excited to pick this book up, and am glad I had the opportunity to read it early. I was instantly drawn into the world, and fell in love with the characters. I am a big fan of Razia, she is so confident and strong, she is also completely unapologetic for who she is, and I loved it! She has been through the highest of highs and lowest of lows both in emotions and societal class and yet she remains true to herself. Along comes Arjun and oh dear, he is a handsome prince who is kind and strong, a perfect combination to fall for. We also get the zahhaks, which from the description sound like a type of dragon but sound amazing, beautiful, powerful and loyal. I found it interesting the way the character growth was handled in this book, Razia regains some of who she already is, but the people around her seem to be the ones with the most growth throughout the story. I definitely recommend this book to any fantasy romance readers, it is a rich vivid world with characters you can't help but get behind and a full cast of side characters.

My Rating: This book read like a myth or a legend, such vivid characters and world, adventures, romance, it had it all. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I give it a rating of Four Paws!

Stealing Thunder is the amazing debut from Alina Boyden. In the Author’s Notes, Alina states that “Stealing Thunder will be the first adult fantasy novel with a trans woman main character, written by a trans woman, ever to be published by a mainstream press in the United States”. In short, Stealing Thunder will go on to inspire many.
….
Razia was born next in line to the Nazim throne, but she walked away from it and her powerful family to live as her true self. Taking only a few belongings and little money, she arrives on Varsha’s doorstep hoping to start her new life. And that she does - a new home with new sister’s and finally living her life as she was meant to. She was trained as a courtesan and the art of seduction. She learned quickly and was soon seducing influential men of the area. Enter the handsome prince, Arjun. Her enchanting green eyes have the clients curious about her family and background,but this secret she must keep. No one must never find out who she really is and where she comes from, her greatest fear is that her father and his men will find her.

But there’s more to this amazing fantasy.

There’s a talented and elusive thief - one whose bold enough to steal priceless items from under people’s noses. There’s a tense chase scene, one worthy of a James Bond movie. There are dragons, not just any dragons, but aerial masters (complete with an epic battle scene).
In the end we find out that Razia is an amazing woman with beauty and skill. She has her moments of tenderness and vulnerability, but essentially Razia is a seductress, a talented dragon rider, a skilled strategist, and all-around kick-ass princess.

Stealing Thunder is a great fast-paced fantasy, and I look forward the sequel.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book! It has some incredibly strong world-building and characters that really stood out as highlights, but I still struggled with it somewhat.

What I liked: It was awesome to read a fantasy with a trans main character! There aren't all that many of those in more mainstream publishing, so it's awesome to have some new perspectives flowing into fantasy. Razia is a strong and compelling main character that combines strength, wit, and a compelling personality that made me enjoy following her. The main plot is interesting and I definitely found myself feeling hooked. Also, there are dragons!

What I didn't like: One of the downsides to reading this as an ebook was that there are a lot of new in-world words created for this book and there is also a glossary, but it's nearly impossible to flip back and forth while reading an ebook, so I felt a little lost and frustrated a lot of the time. I also found the writing to be a bit cluttered at times, if that makes any sense. It didn't flow quite as well as it should have and I felt that there were certain things repeated a few too many times.

Note: I don't really have any specific commentary to offer on the trans and desi representation in this book, since I don't really feel qualified to assess it from my perspective. I've heard some mixed things, so I would encourage you to seek out some other reviews from people who can offer more if you are interested in that component.

Overall, I've given Stealing Thunder 3.5 stars! Despite some issues with the plot and writing, I still had a fun time reading this.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Stealing Thunder

Author: Alina Boyden

Book Series: Stealing Thunder Book 1

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Trans woman narrator and trans characters!

Publication Date: May 12, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 17+ (sexual violence TW, psychological violence TW, underage exploitation TW, violence, slight gore, romance)

Publisher: Ace

Pages: 368

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Protecting her identity means life or death in this immersive epic fantasy inspired by the Mughal Empire.

In a different life, under a different name, Razia Khan was raised to be the Crown Prince of Nizam, the most powerful kingdom in Daryastan. Born with the soul of a woman, she ran away at a young age to escape her father’s hatred and live life true to herself.

Amongst the hijras of Bikampur, Razia finds sisterhood and discovers a new purpose in life. By day she’s one of her dera’s finest dancers, and by night its most profitable thief. But when her latest target leads her to cross paths with Arjun Agnivansha, Prince of Bikampur, it is she who has something stolen.

An immediate connection with the prince changes Razia’s life forever, and she finds herself embroiled in a dangerous political war. The stakes are greater than any heist she’s ever performed. When the battle brings her face to face with her father, Razia has the chance to reclaim everything she lost…and save her prince.

Review: I really liked this book for the most part. The characters were engaging and I loved that this book is written by a South Asian trans woman and she writes a narrator who is a trans woman. I loved the world building and the plot was intriguing for me. It was an absolutely beautiful book!

However, I did feel like the ending was obvious (but I guess them easily, it’s my superpower/curse unfortunately. The book also has a lot of violence, sexual and psychological, and it can be disturbing for some readers so please be careful. Also, there was a lot of repetition and it can get a bit annoying, but it was good!

Verdict: Highly recommend!

As the first adult fantasy novel with a trans woman main character, written by a trans woman author, ever to be published by a mainstream press in the United States, I had high hopes for Stealing Thunder. I didn’t just want it to be good, I needed it to be good, to set the example, and to open the shelves for more books like it. Yeah, I put some pretty heavy expectations on Alina Boyden, but she delivered a book I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life to read. This was absolutely amazing.

Born to wealth and power as a Crown Prince, Razia Khan gave up everything to be true to her feminine soul. She ran away from home, away from the scorn and the abuse, to become a hijra. With a social standing below that of the most debased laborer, and a death sentence waiting should her past be revealed, she has still found happiness with her dera (house).

Let me pause there for a moment. Razia, Sakshi, and Lakshmi are women with personalities, backstory, and depth. They are characters you want to read about, people you come to care for very easily, and their found-family dynamic is fantastic. They are all hijra, with their own stories to tell, possessed of a strength that you cannot help but admire. Arjun, the dashing fairy tale Prince who captures Razia’s heart is perhaps a little too perfect, but one can hardly begrudge the Princess her Prince. Even Karim, the cruel, mocking, abusive monster from Razia’s past, proves to have some interesting facets, with a character arc that genuinely surprised me.

In terms of setting and world-building, this is very much a desert fantasy, inspired by the history and culture of South Asia. That means there’s a learning curve with the language and terminology, but I found it very easy to pick up on (there is a Glossary at the back). What shifts it from historical fantasy to epic fantasy, however, is the colorful dragons – or, more properly, the zahhaks. These are fantastic creatures, with the different breeds having the power of fire, ice, or acid. Sultana, the zahhak that Razia had to leave behind, is a character herself, and watching these magnificent beasts being flown in battle is simply breathtaking.

The romance between Razia and Arjun is definitely a major part of the story, and the way in which he loves her as a woman, accepts her as hijra, and defends her as a Princess is glorious. While he has a lot to do with creating the opportunity, Razia deserves the credit for empowering herself and standing up to those who would ignore her, shun her, and discard her. She repeatedly proves herself, demonstrating incredible bravery, and manages to become a true heroine, a warrior Princess, even while still being a proud hijra. Her story arc takes her from daring scenes of thievery, to tense scenes of politics and strategy, to exhilarating scenes of battle.

The worst part of Stealing Thunder was that it had to end. I kept looking at the page numbers left, knowing Razia’s story was almost done, and I didn’t want to leave her or her world. Fortunately, there is a very brief tease of a sequel at the end, and that makes me very happy indeed.

Razia Khan has found a place where she can finally be herself. Unfortunately, the price of freedom is that she steals of the guru of her dera, a house for hijra courtesans. Not only does Razia have to steal from clients, she has to do it with a smile on her face, beautiful dancing, and negotiable affection. Stealing Thunder, by Alina Boyden, is the electrifying beginning of a series featuring Razia, a trans woman who was born as the crown prince of one of the most powerful empires in an Indian-inspired fantasy world.

We meet Razia on a typical night. She and her sister have been hired to entertain for one of the wealthiest men of the city. Officially, Razia is there to dance and catch the eye of rich men. Unofficially, she’s there to steal a gaudy golden peacock statue for her guru. The theft of the peacock and similar objets is the price the guru charges for keeping Razia’s identity secret. If word got out, Razia’s father would send assassins to kill her. The emperor of Nizam will not stand for the humiliation of having a transgender child. Razia has managed to keep herself free and safe for four years. But on the night that we meet Razia, everything is about to change. The night we meet her, Razia meets the love of her life, who turns out to be the local prince—and finds out that he’s been dispatched to find out who has been stealing from his wealthy citizens.

Razia turns out to live a charmed life. Even though the stakes keep rising throughout the novel, Razia’s prince and his money smooth a lot of paths. Arjun is a dream man. He is kind and he falls deeply in love with Razia, so much so that he stands up for her against his initially prejudiced father. All he asks of Razia is her love and devotion. Razia, for her part, falls as much in love with Arjun as he is with her, and is happy to pay this new price for freedom and safety. Their relationship is so perfect that I had to roll my eyes a couple of times, even as I cheered them on.

I’m not sure which half of Stealing Thunder I liked more. In the first half-ish of the novel, we see Razia’s life in the precarious world of a hijra courtesan. Their clients aren’t always kind, and the hijras frequently face scorn and spite when they go outside of the dera. Razia’s guru is greedy and more than willing to dangle Razia’s secret to keep her golden goose producing treasure. In the second half of the book, after Arjun sweeps his lover off her feet, we land in more traditional fantasy fare. Razia gets to reclaim skills she thought she’d never use again once she ran away. Before long, Razia has a reputation for her brilliant strategic mind and daring plans. Again, Razia’s success had me rolling my eyes a bit while still cheering her on.

I had forgotten that I’d requested Stealing Thunder and why when the titled came up on my reading schedule. I started reading it because it was short and would help me keep up my numbers while I read the gargantuan novel, The Eighth Life, by Nino Haratischwili. I feel like I’ve unintentionally insulted the novel by using it that way because this book was a great escape from the news and from heavy (but still interesting!) historical fiction. I enjoyed every page of this imaginative, beautiful ride of a novel and I plan to recommend it to all my reader friends who like adventurous and original fantasy.

I am glad this book exists. I appreciate what the author was trying to do. It is a good book, but it was not as wonderful as I was expecting it to be. I would recommend it. It was a fast read. If I had to slog through it, I would have put it down. The characters were almost interesting, but it was predictable.

Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden is the first book in her new fantasy series with the same title. When I started reading this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but upon completion of this story, I am happy to say Stealing Thunder was an excellent read. The story did start a bit slow, which is normal for any worldbuilding in fantasy; but the second half was very exciting and awesome.

Razia Khan is our heroine throughout the entire book, and she is a trans gender woman, who gave up life as a crown prince to live her life as a woman. Razia escaped from her evil father, to become a hijras in Bikampur, where she lives with other girls who are dancers, some also being transgenders. She is one of the finest dancers, a courtesan, as well as being a thief to help her leader pay bills. Over time, Razia has become the best at everything she does.

During one of her performances, Razia meets Prince Arjun and both become attracted to each other, as they begin to spend a lot of time together. He also discovers that she is stealing expensive items for her leader, and arranges for her to leave her dera, bringing along two of her ‘sisters’ to become his concubine. When Razia left her family, she missed her zahhak (dragon) and Arjun allows her to ride his zahhak, bringing back her memories of her long lost dragon, Sultana. When Razia goes to live with Arjun’s family, his father puts her down, even though his son cares for her, but with war on the horizon against a powerful enemy, Arjun’s father will quickly change his tune. Razia’s background as the young heir to the family throne, gives her amazing knowledge and skills that will push her into the forefront of this war. Those who look down on her, such as Arjun’s father, her cousin, and others, will begin to see how smart she is, as well as being able to know how to stop and defeat their enemies.

I loved how Razia finds her lost dragon, Sultana, and uses her abilities to climb a mountain, and get the help they need to defeat the enemy. But that will bring her face to face with her father, who is determined to kill her. Can Razia be able to use her savvy, smarts and Sultana to help her win the battle for her life? To tell too much more would be spoilers, and you really need to read and enjoy the wild and climatic ending.

The last half of Stealing Thunder was very exciting, nonstop action, with flying dragons, aerial battles, and a heroine who stood up to the challenge. This was also a sweet romance, as I did like Razia and Arjun together. Alina Boyden did a great job writing this wonderful fantasy, and I for one cannot wait for the next book.

I'm going to start off with the fact that it's nice to have a trans character in a fantasy book. It's nice to have a WELL WRITTEN trans character in a fantasy book. I think that sort of representation is important. Moreover, the main character and supporting/background characters were great. I felt like I knew them. I was invested in them Razia and her story.

The Mughal empire makes for a lush setting for this fantasy and I liked the world building. Alina Boyden's writing will be on my radar from now on.

Even as the crown prince of one of the most powerful kingdoms, Razia didn’t feel right in his own skin. He was meant to be a woman and stole away from the life that was never meant for her, leaving behind the wealth and privilege for a clandestine life as a consort. That she was good as a thief, as well as a seductress, made her even more valuable to her “handler.”

Razia never expected to find a man who would love her for herself, or that she would love in return. Acceptance was far from what she grew up with. It would be that relationship that would change her life in ways she could never have imagined and bring her a true joy for living while validating her existence.

STEALING THUNDER by Alina Boyden is a tale of being true to oneself, of acceptance and finding strength from within. Not a rapid-fire read, there is a beauty to the writing, although at times, things fell almost too easily into place. Wonderful descriptions bring the setting to life and the magical touch of dragons adds a sense of power to this tale.

An intriguing way to portray a transgender woman struggling to gain acceptance from both within and from those around her.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Ace/Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Content Warning: Rape, Transgender Violence, Deadnaming

Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden is an is an upcoming high-fantasy novel published by Ace, an imprint of Berkley Books (Penguin Random House). Razia Khan was once the Crown Prince of Nizam, until she ran away to live her life truly, away from the scorn of her disapproving father. Life, though finally free to live honestly as a hijra in her guru Ammia's dera, is not easy. Ammi is not always kind and she is very demanding of Razia, making her steal from the rich men she is hired to perform for and sleep with. Everything begins to change for Razia though when she meets Arjun Agnivansha, the Prince of Bikampur. She can see a future for the first time, but getting there will be harder than anything Ammi.

Boyden does well making the world feel alive. She uses many words and phrases native to the places the story draws its inspiration from, which can be a tad tough to follow at first. But, between the glossary in the back and the repeated use of many of these terms, it's easy to catch on. The same is not true though for the names of places. They are not quite as fleshed out as unique places from one another. Amap, or even just a sense of geography and more distinction between places would help. There are certain details that are repeated ad nauseam throughout Stealing Thunder, spending more time detailing the peoples and places of the book's world would have enriched it even further.

The premise of Stealing Thunder is awesome with a completely non-archetypical hero and the zahhaks, elemental dragons, the make the world unique. Additionally, it's a clearly very personal story for the author, as she describes in a forward that this book is the story of a transgender princess she wishes she could have grown up with. In a lot of ways, Stealing Thunder does just that, but unfortunately, the book is also mired with troubling characterizations and plot for the first two-thirds.

A significant percentage of Razia's personality and motivation for much of the book revolves around the secret fact she was once the Crown Prince of Nizam and the son of the most powerful man around. This fixation is reiterated over and over, especially as we see Razia interacting with Arjun and the other members of his father, Udai, the local maharaja's court. Centering the plot on the fact that Razia was once a man only serves to define Razia by what she isn't. The story would have felt more empowering the whole way through, not just in the final 40 pages, had it grappled with those intense fears while also showing who Razia is now.

Razia's pain and trauma are well expressed by the narrator and her mantra that she was born with a woman's soul and can help it no more than anybody else can is perfect. Unfortunately, any other development for her character besides pain and trauma are constantly overshadowed by other characters' fixations on her past. The worst repeated instance of this problem is the overwhelming fixation on revealing her deadname.

Over at least 100 pages, more and more characters come along trying to force Razia to divulge what her name was in her former life. Refusing to call people by their chosen names and fixating on who they used to be can be supremely traumatizing. Having to read Razia go through that over and over was hard enough as it is. The fact that Arjun is the first culprit of this transgression is even more upsetting. Arjun essentially pressures Razia into a situation where he guesses and she is forced to confirm her deadname. Arjun is a wonderful person in literally every other way, which only makes this transgression more hurtful. By discovering who Razia used to be, Arjun begins their relationship with a dangerous and traumatic power imbalance.

Razia is also concerningly quick to forgive all of the men who treat her so terribly. Nobody ever shows real remorse for having misjudged or underestimated her. There's no implication either that Razia makes her own choice to move on. One of these men raped Razia as a child and by the end of the book, she is counting him among her "friends" without him having ever apologized or reconciled. It's all just swept under the rug like none of it ever happened. It makes it feel like Razia only gains respect because she was special all along.

Fortunately, the end is perfectly satisfying, despite everything it takes getting there. A result of her newfound external validation is that Razia does eventually get to be the fierce and independent person she always should have been. Gets to have the fairytale ending of living a new life free to be who she wants to be while still getting to keep nearly everything she lost after running away to become a hijra. Satisfying and cathartic the conclusion feels like it was torn straight out of the author's still-beating, ever-dreaming heart and laid raw onto the page, which I'm totally here for.

Ultimately, Stealing Thunder is powerful but imperfect. But, so is any story and so is real life. So much of what this story does so well gets canceled out by aspects I could not get past. For all of the problems I have with it and the anguish it took to get through the first 200 pages, I finished the book longing for a sequel that takes all of what the book does well and runs with it now that the Boyden has this first fiction experience under her belt. Hopefully she picks up the pen again and continues to bring empowering stories of transgender princesses to people's lives.

Review will be on butwhythopodcast.com on April 11th

3.5

This fantasy is written by a trans woman, with a trans woman as narrator, and it’s set in a fantasy version of the Mughul Empire. As such I was really looking forward to it.

And to a certain extent it pleases—the world building is full of vivid detail, especially the dragon-like critters that our heroine and hero ride at breakneck speed through the skies.

The problem is that Razia repeatedly hits the same note, explaining how important it was to become a hijra, a courtesan, and how miserable her life had been as a prince under a vindictive father. Once or twice would have been all right, but we get the same point over and over, in between which Razia proves to be amazing at whatever she does, whether it’s working as a thief, or being lover to the ultra-perfect, rich, handsome, and devoted Arjun. Oh yes, wrestling and strategy are also among her superlative skills.

The second half is more exciting than the first, once the plot gets going. And the dragon critters are very, very cool.

This book was okay.

I appreciated the opportunity to read a character that was southeast Asian, which is rare in the genre, and trans which is even rarer.

The worldbuilding was good enough that I would be interested in reading additional books in this series. I think my major issue with the book was that the character was just too good at everything she tried to do. There never seemed to be any really significant danger or risk of failure. It just sort of diminished any tension that should have been in the book.

Recommended if you're looking for a light adventure tale with good worldbuilding with a unique cultural perspective.

A strong debut. Terrific world-building and Razia is a compelling character. I especially loved her growing confidence in her strategic skills, her relationships with her sister friends, and the romance. The book did sometimes feel repetitive in Razia retelling her story, and I felt that some of the relationship developments didn't make sense organically, such as how Razia speaks so highly of her hirja mother and then rather abruptly sees her as greedy and not caring, and the cousin who was one of the only people who was kind to her in her former life becoming essentially the secondary villain. The other character change that I really struggled with and didn't feel was earned was Karim, who had assaulted Razia in her past life when she was quite young and put all the blame on her to her father and who became such a major character and ally.

What the blurb from the publisher fails to mention is that there's also feathered zahhaks, large flying quadrupeds that breath thunder, fire, acid, or ice. So, close enough to dragons for the imagination (hopefully there will be official artwork closer to the publication date), and large enough to be ridden by royalty. While dragon riders as a trope has been around for decades, the author consulted with a USAF Lt. Colonel for the aerial battle scenes and it shows. The action scenes are engaging and unmuddled.

The publisher's blurb, also, in my opinion, focuses a little too much on the romance aspect of the book. While the relationship between Razia and Arjun is a major plot point, there is also such a focus on being true to oneself and dreaming of reclaiming what has been lost, while struggling with surviving day to day and daring to plan for the future. Romance as a genre isn't my cup of tea, but this book is epic fantasy, just with a romance subplot.

I enjoyed this book immensely, and am very much looking forward to the sequel. It's nice to get away from a generic European setting for epic fantasy, and I look forward to reading more books like Stealing Thunder and Hunted by the Sky. Throughout the book, I was able to parse most of the unfamiliar terms through context, and there was a glossary in the back. At times, Razia's internal monologue could be a bit repetitious, and overall the story could do with a bit of tightening. There may be some times when things may work out a bit too simply or neatly for some readers, but I personally prefer my recreational reading to fall more on the happy ending side than gritty realism.

The author's note states: 'Now, I'm proud to say that Stealing Thunder will be the first adult fantasy novel with a trans woman main character, written by a trans woman, ever to be published by a mainstream press in the United States'. Author and trans activist Alina Boyden wrote Stealing Thunder while working on her PhD in cultural anthropology, focusing working with the hijra communities of India and Pakistan. Representation matters, and I hope Stealing Thunder will encourage publishers to bring us more voices to listen to.

I read an uncorrected proof of Stealing Thunder. It is scheduled to be published in May of 2020 and will be available in print at the Galesburg Public Library.

Razia was born a prince with the soul of a woman. Considered a disgrace by her father and beaten after being raped at the age of 11, she ran away and changed her identity. She was taken in and groomed to be a prostitute and thief, becoming part of a sisterhood that nurtured her. When she met Prince Arjun during one of her boldest thefts, she entered a relationship of trust, respect, and romance that she could hardly believe. In this kingdom created by the author, the mystical flying creatures, the zahhaks, are all-important, both as military weapons and as personal support for their handlers. A strong part of this story is the relationship between Razia and her childhood zahhak Sultana whom she had mourned after leaving her behind. In the ultimate battle of the novel, Sultana and the other zahhaks played an instrumental role. There will be more stories about Razia, and they will be welcome.