Thoroughly enjoyable heist adventure with some excellent twists and turns. Fans of The Inheritance Game and Hunger Games should definitely give this one a go.

This was a fast-paced YA thriller with a cracking plot and a high-stakes competition that keeps the pace propulsive. I particularly loved the diverse cast and the found family aspects. The relationships between the cast - with their many complex, layered interactions - and a protagonist who has difficulty trusting or getting close to others, made for some really fascinating character studies! I had a lot of fun reading this - many thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia for the ARC!

One of my favourite video games I used to play was called Thief. It was awesome, skulking around in a fantasy steampunk world as a master thief. I loved being a first person sneaker, moving around enemies, stealing loot and completing missions without taking life. Which is why I was so enamoured with the premise of Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis. It was more of aa unique story as the protagonist was from the point of view of a young woman, Ross Quest, who had been trained al her life by her mother (and family) to be raised as an expert thief. Ross decided to enter a very dangerous and merciless competition against other young thieves in the making. The prize is one wish and a year working with the competition organisers. Ross’ wish becomes the only way she can save her mother, who is kidnapped in a foiled robbery with ter.

This was an action packed book however there were some moments where the action was on slow-motion speed. The pace of these scenes wasn’t s sharps as I expected them to be for international heists with a clock ticking. Even the travelling between countries seemed to take longer than the actual puzzles and heists themselves. All of the would-be thieves were teenagers or young adults, they all had their crosses to bear and some level of parental influence over them which they used to their advantage. Ross was a thinker, and from ger relationship we see with her mother and Auntie seemed to have to grow up very fast in order to survive the thieving world and howe own sanity. was intelligent and cunning. It was fun seeing how her mind worked and how she went about all the heists. This secondary family theme infiltrated a lot of the book, and it was a nice tough to balance this with the stealing, violence and conniving of all the characters. I am curious to see how this flows into a second book because the ending left me wanting more. It seemed a little predictable and cliched for my liking, and I’m not sure how could this be stretched further than a second book.

This book definitely meets the brief of being a cross between Ocean's Eleven and the Hunger Games. You have to suspend your disbelief a bit to get your head around the capabilities of this group of teenage thieves travelling around the world to pull off heists, and at times there was a lot going on to keep track of, but I enjoyed the fast pace and diverse characters. I guessed what the denouement was going to be quite early one, but that didn't affect my enjoyment when it was all finally revealed. I think it will be a hit with YA readers, and I see from another review that the film rights have already been picked up. It will make a gripping movie. The possibility of more books with these characters is also very exciting. Kayvion Lewis was a new author for me, but certainly one to watch.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

I loved this book. It was a lot of fun and an enjoyable, light hearted read. I found the characters interesting and the tale a little twisty.

I am not one to read pure adventure but this was awesome. The Hunger Games met Oceans Eleven met squid games with less blood shed. All the characters you either love them or hate them as you get to know them. This is due to great character development. The tension in the plot line is gripping making you want to turn the page and willing to put off other tasks just read what happens next.

This was a fun adventure. I did struggle through the first half a bit, but the last 20% flew by and I hope the author is already working on book 2.

Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for the digital copy of Thieves’ Gambit in exchange for an honest review.

This title is perfect for anyone that loves games/twists YA books, and gave me the Heist/Inheritance Games vibes. The characters were described perfectly, and was a really interesting, fast paced read.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this early copy.

This was an okay book. The premise was interesting, but there was a real lack of depth coming from the characters and the tasks were… lacklustre.
It didn’t have the twists and turns the inheritance games had; everything was one note.
I felt like the characters had so much promise but they were largely swept under the rug or ignored.
This book had promised but fell flat.

Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis was an okay book for me. It had its highs with action scenes and the heists but it also had its lows, the dragging out, and sadly I just didn’t connect with characters.

I’m not sure how I feel about the ending, it was a bit of a kick in the guts. Wasn’t expecting it so I guess that was a good thing. 🤷‍♀️

I think YA/teens would love the book more than I did, however I’ll probably read the sequel but only because I want to know how it ends.

Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for the digital copy of Thieves’ Gambit for reviewing purposes.

**Due to low/negative rating I won’t be posting to socials, only to Goodreads.

Thank you NetGalley, Kayvion Lewis and Simon And Schuster for the eARC.

This book had me on edge the whole time. AND THAT ENDING!!

Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis . When I first saw this book on NetGalley I saw that it was comparable to The Inheritance Games and the Hunger Games and immediately requested it.

Let me tell you, I was hooked from the beginning. The book follows Rosalyn Quest who comes from a family of infamous thieves, one night, during one of their 'easier' job Ross' mother gets caught and in order for Ross to get her back she needs to enter a competition called the Thieves' Gambit, the winner of the games gets to grant one wish, which can be whatever they want.

The ending of this book let me wanting more, I absolutely loved it. I liked how it had so much diversity wth characters, the female MC and love interest are both black, and the are other characters in the books that aren't just white people. The FMC is such a fighter and she does not give up no matter what is thrown at her. Throughout the games there are three phases that you have to pass, and there can only be one winner.

This book is a 4.5 stars for me, the .5 was because I did predict a small part of the ending, but it still managed to shock me which I loved.

The number one rule for Rosalyn throughout the whole book is trust no one.

Read this book if you like high stakes and betrayal.

Overall Notes:
Genre: Mystery Book
Language: None
Romance: Kisses
Violence: Fights, blood (not very descriptive but on page)
Trigger Warnings: Controlling Mother, loss of parent mentioned (past)

A fast paced book with some nail biting moments for Rosalyn and her newest rivals, all aiming for the highest prize, Thieves' Gambit, to get their wish granted.
Forced into the game when her mother is kidnapped, Rosalyn struggles to let go her mistrust of strangers and struggles at times with reading the different dynamics with the other competitors. A chance of letting go and perhaps having a relationship, also gets thrown into the mix.
I found the book to be a great, quick read and any young teenager/adult will enjoy the outcome and hopefully a second book to continue on, where the book left us hanging will be out soon.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for a chance to review this book.

I received an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
In a competition of teenagers, all accomplished thieves, playing for the ultimate prize - a single wish - what could possibly go wrong?
This was a real page turner - it's fast-paced, engaging, with a hint of romance between two main characters. Lots of plot twists and they were ones where I knew something would happen but could not pick what it was.
Overall really enjoyable - some bits a fraction far fetched for me (like the 17yo handling a car like a NASCAR champion) but I suppose thieves learn to drive early 😉

Thank you Netgalley for a sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rosalyn Quest joins the Thieves Gambit, a brutal competition to crown the world's greatest thief. If she wins, the organisers will grant her a wish. She plans to use that wish to save her mother, who was kidnapped.

Things I liked:
The story was pretty cool. There was action, intrigue, and adventure. There was double crossing and hidden plans. There was an ending that I didn't see coming. It was fast-paced and as a reader, I wanted to know what happened next.

Things I didn't like:
The running around famous places, stealing things got old a little fast. I didn't connect with Ross' character and I felt like there were too many side characters to get to know any of them on a likeable basis either. Ross was also meant to be this badass thief, but her instincts seemed a little basic. I guess that leaves room for a bit of character development in the next book.

All in all; it was a good read and I would be interested to see what happens in the next book.

Thieves Gambit by Kayvion Lewis is marketed as The Inheritance Games meets Ocean's Eleven, which is an absolutely killer combo. I was very excited to read this right from the get-go, and it didn't disappoint!

This is a fast paced and highly exciting read, with plenty of action and thrills to keep you eagerly reading. Ross Quest is an absolute badass, and I really enjoyed her thieving skills. The way these little thieves just bump into people and end up with thousand dollar items is downright impressive.

Kayvion Lewis has written an absolute gem, and it is well worth a read. Would love to see this as a movie!

Really enjoyed this heist style story and the character development throughout. I was hooked from the start and would recommend in-store. I'm looking forward to reading more from Kayvion Lewis.

This was a fantastic read from beginning to end. I've never had the pleasure of reading something within the espionage genre, and for an introduction I think this book has great potential. Despite the fast paced nature of the novel, I had minimal issue making sense of the surroundings and actions being conducted by the characters. Personally I would have envisioned this being challenging, but Kayvion does a wonderful job of breaking up the writing to make it suspenseful and easy to follow.

The characters were all great to encounter. I am hoping they make an appearance in the next volume as I felt that some of them deserved more time in the limelight. Mylo and Noelia especially intrigued me and I would love to have them further explored.

Our main heroine, Ross, was fun to journey with and the story opened a can of worms within her life which I did not see coming. I pride myself normally guessing the ending of mystery style novels and I can say for certainty I did not expect what I had read.

I definitely look forward to more of what Kayvion has to offer and what is in store for Ross in her series. I can see this becoming an awesome series and I really hope the momentum carries on.

This is a really enjoyable young adult novel – it presents a little as though it’s a fantasy novel, but in fact it’s essentially a heist novel with young protagonists.

Rosalyn Quest is 17, and like many teenagers, she’s chafing under her mother’s rules and restrictions. Perhaps the hardest is “trust no-one”, because Rosalyn would actually quite like a few friends. Or even just one.

Rosalyn and her mother live an isolated life on an island, leaving only to carry out the thefts the Quest family is famous for. Although Rosalyn has a truly impressive array of skills, they’ve all been honed in the direction of illegal activity. Still, these can’t help her when her mother is kidnapped. Rosalyn discovers that the only way to get her back is to enter the competition known as the Thieves’ Gambit.

A mysterious organization runs the Gambit every year. It’s essentially a competition for young thieves, to see who is the best. The prize? The organization will grant a wish. Any wish. Many of the entrants have desperate reasons for needing that wish, quite apart from the sheer competitiveness most display.

Rosalyn finds that her competition includes Noelia, with whom she’s nursed a bitter rivalry for nearly a decade. It also includes Devroe Kenzie, who may or may not be an ally – and a love interest.

There are some elements of the world building which present as a fantasy: the mysterious Organisation, and the famed families of thieves, for example. However, these are really only traces in a classic heist plot. It’s also a young adult novel, but apart from the youth and relative inexperience of the characters, it doesn’t have strong markers of this either. It’s just a really enjoyable, well written crime novel.

The success of this novel – and it does succeed – is largely down to the plot and characters.

The plot is a lively and inventive heist novel, with the competitors needing to pull off multiple thefts with increasing degrees of difficulty. Each is well depicted, with both clever plans and exciting action sequences. I read quite a bit of crime, and enjoyed this a great deal.

The plot is reasonably self contained, although loose ends are left for a (presumed) sequel. Although I generally prefer to know before I start if a novel is part of a series, in this case there is enough of a conclusion for the pacing and rhythm of the novel to still work well.

The characters were strong and vivid. Lewis does a particularly good job of depicting confusion and suspicion mixed with growing trust as it becomes clear that alliances are essential to succeed. These are young people, with limited experience, but they’re neither naïve or stupid, and their behaviour reflects this.

I found this a really fun read. I was urging characters on during some of the action, I was caring what happened to them in the quieter bits, I was impressed by their dastardly plans. It catches you up and keeps you thoroughly absorbed. A great diversion.

I will publish this review closer to the book's publication date, and will return then to add links to those posts.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this arc.

4 stars / 5 stars

Things I loved:
This book was soo much fun to read, like seriously a global competition
Hooked from the beginning
Couldn’t put it down at all
The ending was so shocking!!!

Really hoping there will be a sequel!!!

This book was well out of my comfort zone, but it was worth it!

Ross was definitely a likeable main character, and it was really interesting following Ross' perspective as she met, and they grew closer to Devroe. He was a very charming, loveable guy, and I honestly really liked how his character developed throughout the book.

The other characters all have very distinctive personalities, too, and some really progress throughout the story. It was interesting to see them change so subtly but in such impactful ways.

The plot was well written and well thought out, but I will say the ending was a little predictable. The plot armour for Ross was quite obvious as well. I was never actually worried that she wouldn't succeed in her plans throughout the story. There was a bit of a twist at the end that wasn't as predictable, though, and that really brought it back for me.

Honestly, I adored this. It was different. It had loveable and not so loveable characters that all had personality to them. It had great writing that was descriptive but not too descriptive. The author clearly had an end goal in mind from the start, and I'd happily read more from them!

➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯 & 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘒𝘢𝘺𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴. 𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.