Intisar managed to write an absolutely perfect sequel to Thorn. Whilst it can be read as a standalone, the story is much better with the background in place from the first book. Seeing my favourite characters from book 1 was amazing and I cannot wait for more.

I loved seeing Rae work through her disability as opposed to against it. Although there were times where she was limited in what she could do, she always found ways to tackle it and work around the issue.

This was a great book. It's the first in a companion duology to Thorn, which I loved.

The main character is Rae. When her best friend's sister is caught by the snatchers, Rae will do anything to help to free her, including travelling to the city and becoming the Princess (Thorn's) attendant. Here Rae begins her new role as Detective Rae.

I loved it. I really like a main character with a disability and her connection to her family. I enjoyed being a detective and socialising with thieves and nobles, she had a hand in every world. I loved meeting Alyrra again and seeing her embrace her new role. I enjoyed the comeuppance of her brother, although I don't think we've seen the end of him! I really enjoyed the side characters of the fae and Bren!

Things I disliked were the length. It was very, very detailed (too detailed?) on Rae's thought processes. There was a lot of down time and relaying information to the Princess when I'd just read through the action. I did see the twist coming (which is unusual for me!) and it ends of a cliff hanger... NOOOOOOOO!!! I hope the author can get book two published soon because I NEED to know what happens!!

I love Intisar writing, but ending like that was confusing and abrupt. Nonetheless, Intisar Khanani always delivers an amazing story, can’t wait for what’s to come and experience all of Rae’s adventures.

A beautiful, sweeping narrative. It pulls in elements of fairy tales, certainly, but builds a world and plot all it's own. With a cast of complex characters and a constantly twisting plot, it's compelling in a way that keeps you reading through the long descriptive passages.

"The Theft of Sunlight" by Intisar Khanani is a captivating fantasy novel that continues the gripping journey started in "Thorn." In this sequel, the author masterfully expands the world she created, introducing new characters and delving deeper into the magical elements that define the series. The protagonist, Rae, faces even more complex challenges as she navigates political intrigue, magical mysteries, and her own inner struggles. Khanani's writing is immersive, drawing readers into a world rich with detail and nuance. With its engaging plot, well-developed characters, and exploration of themes like power, justice, and identity, "The Theft of Sunlight" solidifies Khanani's place as a talented storyteller in the realm of YA fantasy.

I absolutely loved all three books in this series! I purchased Thorn because I loved the cover art and I really enjoy fairytale retellings (Goose Girl!). Theft of Sunlight has such awesome female representation of sisterhood, disabilities, bravery, strength, and friendship. It ends on a cliff hanger but The Dauntless Path is already published!

Intisar Khanani is such a fantatsic author, she never dissapoints with her fantatsic storytelling. The Theft of Sunlight is no exception to this rule. It is a truly wonderful read that I will recommend to friends and followers alike. Thank you for the oppotunity to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I love how this book drew me in and captured my attention! The characters were well thought out and easy to root for.

I love the main character, Rae, so much. She is loyal, brave, smart (so smart!), and someone I would be honored to have in my corner.

I love the disability representation – Rae has a clubfoot that’s been present since birth and has been teased and treated differently because of it. In the book, she goes on a journey with it and I saw a lot of character growth and change in Rae – especially with having more faith and trust in herself. She came to a realization about herself and how she felt about her body that I loved to see.

I did read the first book in The Dauntless Path series, Thorn, and I do have to say that I really missed Thorn a lot. She was still in the second book, but more in the background, as Rae is in the main character. I just loved Thorn so much that I missed those characters and knowing her point of view. I very much appreciate how the book features an abused woman taking back her power – very inspiring.

Rae is such a strong character. She never wavers from her core, from what’s important to her. She always tries to approach things as carefully and conscientiously as possible, keeping a clear head in the most dire of circumstances.

The book ends on a cliffhanger and I am definitely reading the next one. Fantasy lovers, lovers of strong characters, people who want more disability representation in books, lovers of fairy tales… you will not regret picking up this series.

This book is perfect for you if you love:

🌻 Fierce and brave girls that will move mountains for those they love and innocent children preyed by the darkness that has fallen over their land;
🌻 Mysterious thieves with a touch of mischief;
🌻 Darkness looms in the shadows, waiting to consume a whole political and magical system;
🌻 A fantasy world inspired by Muslim culture;
🌻 Companion novels that give you a glimpse of the characters you left behind -- I love Alyrra and Kestrin sooooo much! I wish there was another book about them (or a short story).

I’ve always loved fierce and brave girls, who have a gentle side to them when they’re with their loved ones. Rae from A Theft of Sunlight is particularly one of my favourites: a female warrior with compassion, ready to sacrifice anything for her beloved sisters.

Despite having a disability, she never allow it to diminish herself, and simply let the fire in her heart continue burning as she fights to save those she cared for. Her feistiness can sometimes be worrisome, but leave it to Rae to survive two thief lords at the same time and a lot more dangers all by herself.

I may have loved Thorn more than anything in the Dauntless Path series, but A Theft of Sunlight owns a huge chunk of my heart too. With a relentless heroine like Rae, politics in court, an imperfect justice system, a certain handsome thief with soft hair, and a long wonderful royal wedding, what else can I ask for? This book is a literal perfection!

I love Thorn, and I was delighted to read the sequel! The story is very beautiful! I love how it takes place in a Muslim culture! The story is also evenly paced! Thus, this is a must read for fans of Shannon Hale, Jessica Day George, and Gail Carson Levine!

The Theft of Sunlight picks up almost where Thorn leaves off. Rae has come to court to figure out why children are getting snatched off of the street. While at court. Rae because a lady in wait for the Princess Alyrra. She meet other court members and guards who help her (and hinder her) quest for answers. There is a lot of maneuvering. You can tell Instisar put a lot of work into Rae's story. Great character development, lovable characters and a lot of determination!

It ends on a cliff hanger so be prepared!

I read the little novella and then dived into this one and I was hooked from page one. I love how Khanani's stories just pull you into from the very start. I loved every pages of this story and I can not wait to see what else this author has in store!

Intisar Khanani's writing gets more and more polished with each publication. I love the way she brings fantasy worlds to life and enjoy her compelling characters.

This is a beautiful fairytale fantasy read! As someone who reads a ton of fantasy novels I can truly say this one was great! It was beautifully written and very different from other fantasy books!

The Theft of Sunlight is a delight of a book. Khanani's thoughtful attention to critical social and cultural issues shines through on each page, beckoning the reader to re-examine systems of oppression and injustice wherever they may be found. Reading Khanani's prose was like watching a beautiful tapestry unfurl--so many glimmering threads woven into one piece. Rae was an implacable heroine, utterly believable in her authenticity and resourcefulness. At times, I was laughing out loud at her bravery and grit. Like the heroine, Khanani is unafraid to expose the institutions of greed and injustice that shadow our world, from the horror of human-trafficking to the cruelty of ableism. Similar to Thorn, the slow-burn romance of Theft is somewhat muted, but not insignificant. It would have been fulfilling to see the two express their affection more directly, but I have high hopes for a sequel. And what a high-stakes cliffhanger! I am eager to get the next book in my hands as quickly as possible!

Thank you for writing this book, I will be recommending it to future students who are of appropriate age.

This is a beautifully written story! I loved the characters, plots, and hard topics it addressed throughout. Rae is such a fierce heroine, and despite her own challenges, endlessly defends those who can't defend themselves. I loved watching her character grow through the book, especially as she learns to love and appreciate herself too. I was not expecting the cliffhanger ending and I'm not sure how I'm going to wait until next July until it comes out, but I really enjoyed this one! Fantastic YA that had great content while also maintaining a prose that made it hard to put down!

I adored Intisar Khanani’s Thorn, so I was super excited for the start of a new duology set in the same world – and I think I might have loved this even more?

The Theft of Sunlight is set a little while after the events of Thorn, and althought you don’t need to have read Thorn to jump straight in here as this is a new story with a new heroine, you will get a lot more out of a couple of the subplots if you are familiar with Thorn’s characters, as they form a significant part of the supporting cast. I definitely recommend at least reading the prequel short story The Bone Knife, which is in the back of the UK edition of Thorn – I think some aspects of the set up might be a little opaque without knowing Rae’s backstory and I really wish that story had been included here rather than in a different book. Anyway, it’s worth tracking down if you find the opening to The Theft of Sunlight a little confusing (and you’ll only benefit from reading Thorn if you haven’t already – you can see my review of that here!). Where Thorn was a reworking of The Goose Girl fairytale, this is not a retelling, but an expansion of the world that really adds depth to an already interesting setting.

Regardless of whether you’ve read anything else in this world, it’s easy to fall in love with Rae’s practical, go-getting attitude, and her determination to help everyone. She’s a little naive about the courtly world and the realities of city life, which leads to some sticky situations, but I think anyone who loves a fiercely kind and principled Tamora Pierce-ish heroine will find plenty to like about Rae. I loved her friendship with cheeky thief Bren, and it was great to see Alyrra, the heroine of Thorn, again – in fact, I don’t think there was a single character here I didn’t find compelling, even the ones I didn’t like!

I adore a court-adjacent fantasy, and this is a great one – I loved Rae’s fish-out-of-water view of all the decadence and plotting. But as well as all the glamour, this story does tackle some dark subjects, with Rae’s main quest being tracking down the perpetrators of a human trafficking operation, and the contrast works really well to highlight what’s wrong with both the court and the city. I loved how Rae’s investigations involved so much actual work – so often a main character can stumble across things by coincidence to further the plot, but Rae actually has to use her brain here, and I really enjoyed her smarts and the glimpses into the way the kingdom is run (you know I’m a sucker for some good statecraft).

The pace is nice and quick, and there’s always something going on even when Rae’s hit a block in her investigations, so even though this is over 500 pages, it was a really fast read for me as I was just so engrossed. I read it for the first time in a sleep-deprived haze in the middle of the night when my baby was a few weeks old, and because I was reading the ebook I didn’t notice the end of the book creeping nearer; when I hit the phenomenal cliffhanger, it took everything I had not to shout ‘NO’ aloud and wake the baby. I am desperate for the next book! And I’m so glad that Hot Key have picked it up in the UK – I’m keeping my fingers crossed for those of you elsewhere that the sequel will be available for you soon.

Intisar Khanani is fast becoming one of my favourite YA writers. Her work is so intelligent and kind, and she has a real knack for drawing a living, breathing society. I’ve mentioned Tamora Pierce in this review already, but if you’re looking for more court fantasy in that line, books that centre justice and humanity amidst their adventure, you really need to read this (and Thorn too). Five out of five cats!