Among thieves is an interesting book. Billed as similar to Six of Crows, this book is about a high-stakes heist carried out by a bunch of thieves, smugglers, and conmen all part of the same gang. The Saints used to be at the top of the pecking order in the Lottery (an area much like the Barrel in SoC), until a recent loss sends them right to the bottom. After learning that the two other gangs have teamed up for a big score, the leader of the Saints assembles a team to beat the others at their own game. Each member has their own agenda, and their own reasons for going on what seems like a suicide mission, and the shifting POV chapters does a decent job of showing the motivations of each character. The characters are all fairly distinct from each other, though there wasn't much deeper sense of their personalities or much character development outside of Ryia and Evelyn. The plot is pretty fast-paced and engaging, but with everyone plotting against each other, the details can get a little lost at times. I really liked the worldbuilding, the author very obviously put a lot of effort into creating this world. I just wish we got to see more of it, the narrative is missing context for a lot of the cultural elements the author has thrown in. I had a hard time rating this one, there's a lot that's great in this book. But, ultimately, I felt that the narrative spends too much time building up to events that'll happen in future books and didn't provide enough context for some of the worldbuilding elements. That being said, the ending was a fantastic cliffhanger and I think the set-up done in this book will payoff in the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good heist. A heist set in a fantasy world with magic and evil, power hungry villains? Even better! I burned through this book. I simply loved the complexity of the characters and I’m a sucker for band of ragtag misfits who are the world’s only hope. Sure, that type of thing has been done before, but Kuhn’s version still managed to be fresh and incredibly entertaining. It certainly seems like it has set everything up for a series and I definitely hope so because I’d love to go back and read more.

This book overall was good. But i found some faults while reading. 1. The plot and pacing was just too slow for me. It was very hard for me to get into it with just something so slow. The world building also could’ve been better

4.5 stars

Okay, this was such an exciting book! The action scenes are intense and keep you guessing what will happen next. The characters are entertaining and I really enjoyed seeing each one's past and motivations. This is being tagged as similar to Six of Crows and it's easy to see why. If you love a heist, an interesting cast, and plenty of fighting, you won't want to miss this!

I love seeing plans come together, fall apart, and somehow work out anyway. Our characters each have their own skills and when they use them together, it's amazing what they can accomplish. There's a forger and master of disguise, a sailor who can weather any storm, a brash con artist, a former captain of the royal guard, and a butcher who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. I love this group and the way they start to trust and depend on each other.

The plot goes all over and I never knew what would happen next. This really kept me invested and after the ending, I can't wait for a sequel!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the copy.

Myth: 3.5/5

A welcome introduction to the gritty dockside city of Carrowwick, definitely sporting Ketterdam vibes with the competing crews of thieves, betrayals and heist plots. There were 5 main perspectives on the crew, lots of intrigue as each character had their own hidden backstory with plenty of conflicting motivations to the crew's overall goal.

There was great banter between the paired off partners within the crew, but the crew overall didn’t really gel for me. Their leader, though absent quite a bit, also didn’t inspire any confidence or loyalty. This was definitely more of a rule by fear group and everyone had their own agenda to try and get themselves out.

Magic: 3/5

The magic in this world revolves around the mysterious Guildmaster and his Adept. It’s definitely something that’s unpacked throughout the course of the story, but I still didn’t feel it was fully explained by the end. That could be very intentional, this was definitely setup for a second book in a series.

Overall: 3.5/5

If you want a good old fashioned heist (maybe multi-level heist?), characters trying to make the best of their bad situations and no idea who to trust, pick this book up.

One big heists and everyone is in it for their own reasons and there really is no loyalty among thieves. Ryia Cautella is hiding a dark secret and is on the run, she’s been running for 6 years and this is finally her chance to be free, that is, if she can complete the heists. Ivan is trying to find a way to free his brother, and if he completes this heists he might finally have the bargaining piece to free his brother. Nash is looking for a payday and if Ivan is going on this journey than so is she. Evelyn is a disgraced captain, but if she completes the heists she might finally be able to regain her honor and her place back with her family. Tristian is hiding a secret identity and has been pretending to be someone else while paying off his debt, but if he completes the heists he might be able to finally pay it all off and maintain his secret. Everyone has their own secret and is willing to betray the other to get what they want. The heists? Steal something known as “the quill” that will make the owner the most powerful person and only Ryia actually knows what the object does. Throw in rival gangs, battles, deceit, betrayal, and surprising friendships and this is the story of people who all have their reasons to betray one another but reluctantly work together...until the time comes to show where their loyalties truly lie. The story ends on a bit of an ope-ending and the author said that though this is a standalone they might revisit it sometime.

This was advertised for being perfect for fans of Six of Crows and I can definitely see it having a sort of similar vibe, that being told through various POVs, people who are all looking to score a big heists, and everyone having their own reason for going on this heists. Overall an okay read.

*Thanks Netgalley and Gallery Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

My thanks to Gallery/Saga Press, M.J. Kuhn and Netgalley.
If you love fantasy where the lines are a bit smudged between good and bad, then this is your book!
I loved most of the main characters, and may have given the "heck yes," fist pump a time or two.
Thing is that the magic and how it's controlled are clever. Really clever!
You think you know, or at least I thought I did! But, out of the blue you learn the true extent of the quill, and it's like a sucker punch!
I can't recommend this story enough. It is the start of a series, but it did have a definitive end.
I can't wait for more!

I was really excited for this book because, well, I do love fantasy heist books with found family tropes and I was told there's a sapphic romance as an extra treat. Sadly, "Among Thieves" turned out to just not be for me.

The writing is well done and fits the dark, gritty world the story is set in. To me, the grittiness and edginess of this world, especially concerning the characters, felt a little forced at times, though. It read less like an actual dark gritty story than a story that just really wanted to be dark and gritty. The magic system is interesting though very simple (which isn't a bad thing!), and I like the heist story in itself.
The twists and reveals of the story are mostly very predictable (Tristan's identity and the Quill secret especially) so I wasn't surprised by anything, but it's still well-written and structured.
The ending was a little disappointing because there are so many things that simply didn't get resolved in a satisfying way, or at all really, which would be fine if "Among Thieves" were the first book in at least a duology, but apparently it's a standalone so it really left me hanging.

The character concepts are interesting but the characters never managed to make me feel anything for them. They don't feel as fleshed out as they should be to make the reader care about them. What I really missed was the real honest found family feel of it all. They never really seemed to develop actual bonds, and the relationships that do develop are still pretty superficial by the end of the book. I did like that they were all planning on backstabbing each other because that's actually fun! But because I didn't feel connected to any of the characters and their motives were mostly entirely tell-don't-show so I didn't care about those either, I was just... meh. The villains aren't really fleshed out either so I never felt threatened by them.
Oh, and the romance? Basically nonexistent. Riya's way of flirting made me a little uncomfortable at times, too. I think she was supposed to come off as one of those flirty, promiscuous charmer kind of characters but she made me cringe more than once instead. But I personally don't like the "turn absolutely everything into a sexual thing even if it doesn't fit the situation at all" type of flirting in any character, so there's that. It has to be written really really well to be sexy and not just kinda creepy. Also, personally just not a fan of this new character trend that is "stone-cold killer but has to end every sentence with some quip because they're so snarky and witty" because the snark is rarely done well.

A very subjective and super personal minor issue I had was with Ivan's language, because Kuhn uses quite a few German words (like "verdammte") and mixes them with non-German words. Also, there are some words like "stehlen" that have a meaning in German (in this case, "to steal") but are given just an entirely new meaning in Ivan's language. Basing a fantasy language on an existing language is all perfectly fine, but this kind of thing just completely breaks immersion for me.

In the end, this just wasn't the book for me but I can still appreciate M.J. Kuhn's writing and the exciting storytelling. I'm absolutely in the minority here so I still recommend fans of fantasy heist stories give this one a try.

DNF

I've tried multiple times to pick this book up again and I just have no desire to. I don't remember exactly why I didn't like it as it's been awhile since my last attempt. I just know I didn't really like the writing and the story didn't hold my attention. Please stop comping books to Six of Crows. My mood reader heart can't take it any more.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to review Among Thieves. I hope it finds readers who do enjoy it. I recommend for Fantasy fans.

I've tried to start this book a few times and I just can't get into it. I'm not sure if it's the multiple POV or what but I just felt a little lost and I wasn't feeling any connection to the characters.

Heist meets high fantasy in this well-written debut novel that may interest fans of Six of Crows. It begins as one might expect a heist novel to - a ne'er do well mastermind puts together a motley crew of thieves with specialized skills in order to break into a secure facility and steal an object of great worth. But just like any heist, nothing goes exactly to plan... Half the crew is some sort of chosen one in disguise, almost all of them are planning to backstab one another, and the mastermind is actually left behind as they set out on their heist, with no method of communicating the master plan to them. In fact, the crew knows nothing of the plan and also have no supplies. But the quest must continue! And depending on which crew member succeeds in their conflicting quests, they will either end up broke or end up breaking the world.

For fans of high fantasy, this will be a great read and the start of a great series. Fans looking for more traditional heist tropes have been warned! But it's still a good read.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisber.

Wow! This book was really good. I really enjoyed all of the characters PoV chapters. I'm not one to really care for more than 2 or 3 PoVs but each character kept me interested and I wanted to read every one's part.

This book gave me Six of Crows vibes but I think I enjoyed this one alot more. Each character was written well and the author kept you entertained with banter. I really hope there is another because of the way it ended. Note to author: please don't leave us hanging with that ending!

Overall, this book was enjoyable and quick to read. I'd recommend it and would love a hard copy for my shelves.

We were promised a gritty heist and that is exactly what we got! AMONG THIEVES is perfect for fantasy fans, and features everything you want in a heist: terrible odds, a dysfunctional crew, and secrets, secrets everywhere.

In this book, a group of criminals are forced to team up to Steal The Magical Object. They all supposedly work for the same person, but each of them has their own hidden agenda which was so fun to read. I was instantly captivated, and the fast-paced plot kept me glued. I flew through the second half of the book in a day! The characters are all brilliantly written, if ruthless and mercenary to the core (or so they seem). We change between POV characters each chapter, and in novels like this it is often easy to lose track of whose POV you are reading. Not in AMONG THIEVES - each character has such a distinctive voice that I always knew whose POV I was in. As I grew to learn more about each character, I truly didn't know who to root for at the end!

I also have to say - Ryia is one of my favorite protagonists of the year. She knows she's a bloody terrible person, but her sarcasm, attitude, and bad-assery made me love her so very much.

I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this book, and highly recommend!

You've probably read this book before. Not literally, but if you're a fan of the genre, then you read this book before. A group of misfits must band together to work towards a common goal (staying alive). That's not a criticism though. There's a reason you've probably read similar books, because they're damn good. And this book is no exception. I enjoyed the characters and their banter. I enjoyed the world building and the fast pace. It was a quick and fun read and I'm happy to say there were even a few surprises along the way. It didn't reinvent the wheel and that's ok. This book was comfort food, and you can't go wrong with comfort food.

I had a really good time reading this book. The main character was a blast, complete with warts and all. She's not nice, which is fitting for a thief. The secondary characters were individuals, well-drawn and complete in and of themselves. The villain's motivations were easy to understand and made complete sense. The writing was quick and easy, which was perfect for the story. I completely recommend this book.

This is a really fun, well written debut! It definitely gave me Six of Crows vibe but different enough to appreciate both.

One of the main characters, Ryia, the Butcher of Carrowick, also gave me Mia from Nevernight vibes at times which was awesome. Ryia's got sharp blades and a sharp tongue to match!!


This high stakes heist novel is fast paced and the story told from different points of view has me invested in each character from the start.

Ryia has a secret that has kept her on the run from the Guildmaster, sovereign ruler of the five kingdoms of Thamoor, for years. He and his men have tracked her down eventually no matter where she goes or who she becomes.

She is forced to team up with a bunch of miscreants in order to steal something that unbeknownst to the others, can mean freedom for Ryia but it soon becomes clear that this crazy crew all has selfish ambitions of their own.

Oh boy!! That ending....their has to be a sequel right???

I'm not the biggest fantasy reader, but the cover and description of this book called to me. And I was not disappointed. This book has so much of what I look for: secrets, misfits, great world building, and a gripping plotline. The humorous dialogue and compelling storyline kept me engaged, and I'm hoping for a sequel!

You had me at "fantasy heist where all the characters are planning to betray each other." This book was so much fun, and most importantly the reasons for said characters all wanting to betray each other are believable and sympathetic. I didn't know which of them I even wanted to "win" the magical heist item in the end. And I LOVED that about the book.

All in all, this was such a ride and there was never a dull moment, and I loved how neatly everything unfolded in the end. I felt like there is still so much of this world to explore, and I really hope this gets a sequel! (Please give me Ryia/Evelyn! PLEASE, I NEED IT)

Among Thieves is a solid debut fantasy, without ever being particularly remarkable (which sounds harsh, but I don’t remember a whole lot about it, and that’s not a great sign while you’re trying to write a review). But. It’s a good read and I do want to read the sequel, so that’s got to count for something.

(At this point I have to skip any form of plot summary because of the aforementioned nothing-really-stuck-in-my-mind. But there’s a putative found family forming in the midst of a heist, although at this point they’re all out for themselves and only themselves.)

What I can say about this book, though, is that it’s very readable. There’s a fair few POVs, so you’re never really stuck for something happening. At the start, those POVs are a little many, perhaps, but overall they give distinct voices to each of the characters, and you will find yourself loving them.

I also did enjoy the worldbuilding, for the most part. Some of it was a bit generic fantasy worldbuilding, in parts, but the whole Adept system added an intriguing dimension. I sometimes wished it had been explored, or expanded on, just a bit more than it was, but I imagine that’s gonna be a large part of book two, given how this one ended.

So if you’re looking for another fantasy heist novel to read, with a cast of characters you can love, then let it be this one.

Ryia Cautella Has been in hiding the past sux years.... A deadly secret has kept her running! She can run but she can't hide from the Guildmaster...... the sovereign ruler of the five kingdoms of Thamorr.
Ryia is forced to team up with a crew of assorted miscreants, smugglers, and thieves, Ryia must plan her next moves very carefully.
She has to succeeded if she wants her freedom. But her new group they have plans of their own.

This was a wonderful story! I was honestly shocked that I enjoyed this genre but I was hooked!
Great story telling. Plot building. Awesome characters!