I really struggled to keep my focus on this. The premise caught my attention, but the writing style didn't really resonated with me. I can see it being something enjoyed by those that follow me, but this definitely isn't a palate cleanser.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. It was extremely slow paced and hard to get through, despite having a pretty short page count. I didnt have any real connection to any of the characters and the language got a bit beyond me.

Well-researched and thoroughly written, this novel is truly transporting to medieval times and the monks that populated them. Strange and funny, this book had me looking up definitions of archaic words every other page which I enjoy. Some passages are so beautiful and others so bizarrely entertaining. Definitely an original read!

I’ll be honest, I really wasn’t totally sure what to expect when I started reading this. The end result surprisingly was the most fun and unique historical fantasy novel I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

The beginning of the book was rather slow and confusing to me, which had me rethinking my choice in reading it. It did take a little bit to get accustomed to the writing style, as it’s a bit dry. However, it quickly became clear to me than my first impressions were way off base and the story took a turn for the better. I found myself quickly becoming engrossed in the characters and their quirky adventure.

This is definitely all historical and no fantasy, which normally I would consider a point lost but not in this case. The history and the religious aspects were delivered with excitement and intrigue and had me guessing what was going to happen next. I loved the different locations they traveled to and marveled at how wild of an adventure took place is such a short amount of time.

My feeling regarding queer literature is the more queer the better. This was no exception to that!! The slow burn was perfect, and the interactions were tooth-achingly sweet and made me wish for more.

Loved this. It was so weird and so funny and so dark. Also gay. Can't wait to read more of MT's adult work.

I featured this book in a new release video prior to publication and was very excited to read this. This description is such a romp, I love a quest story, I love a rapscallion type of character. Plus I'm so sure this is queer af and I LIVE for it. Will update when final review posts, but I'm expecting 5 stars!

I didn't like this one personally. I felt very lost and there wasn't much to hold onto that kept me interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Nicephorus had a dream. A dream that he thought meant nothing but after sharing his dream with others it was believed to be prophecy. Due to this “misunderstanding” Nicephorus went from being a simple monk with a dream to a monk who is part of a heist! What are these characters trying to steal? Just the bones of the late Saint Nicholas.

This book seemed so interesting to me. I wanted to love it so bad but I just can’t seem to make it through. The book is not structured in chapters per se. it’s like really long parts. I made it 25% of the way through the book and I am only to part 2! The structure of this book is the largest part of why I can’t see myself finishing the book. The other part is the language. I don’t feel it’s accessible to those who aren’t in the history books. I wish I liked it more to continue but I find it tedious and unenthusiastic. Maybe I will try it again in the future!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This was not for me. While the writing was technically impressive, the pacing and tone were off. It felt like I was both dropped into the middle of a story and like the story was dragging along. There were too many mentions of characters that played little to no part in the story and I did not feel any sort of chemistry, relationship, or tension between the two LIs.

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

I love a good fairytale retelling. And I loved how good it did at it. The story was awesome. I read the audiobook too and the accents were amazing.

i am officially giving up historical fiction lol. this just wasn't for me at all. overall the plot was interesting but the characters were so one dimensional that i couldn't latch onto any of their stories for the life of me. i didn't care for any of them. and there were so many side characters that i barely kept up! i'm disappointed because i love a good heist story, but maybe not set in 1087.

“Sometimes life serves me shit on a trencher, but today Fortune hands me a fucking dumpling.”

Well. Unfortunately for me this one didn’t work and is going to end up being my first NetGalley DNf. It isn’t a super long book, and while the premise sounded interesting, it just wasn’t holding my attention. It was kind of funny but also had a serious tone to the point that I kept trying to figure out what the mood was supposed to be. I wouldn’t say what I read was horrible or badly written, it was just confusing and a little droney.

I really enjoyed Feed by MT Anderson, but I also read that back in high school and it has a very different premise. I might try it again someday, but for now, it’s one that will stay in the very back of my TBR.

I don’t like to star rate books I haven’t finished because you just never know how the ending could turn it around. Because NetGalley requires one, I’ll give it an average 3. I think it had potential, so much potential, but just wasn’t living up to my expectation. Amazing cover, though.

One of the best books I have read all year. Humor, spirituality, existential wanderings like Good Omens and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, surprisingly sweet moments, adventure, well-written and complex characters. This book had it all.

(3.5/5 stars)

Nicked by M.T. Anderson is a a queer historical fiction featuring the true story of a quest to steal the bones of a long-dead saint.

This book is marketed as the author's adult debut, but I think it could also be appropriate for older teens. Interspersed within the quest to gather the bones are interstitial stories from the life of Saint Nicholas, and I think the author's writing really shines in those moments.

While there was a bit of a queer love story here, it was severely underbaked. It definitely needed more development; more show rather than tell. The book is a little on the shorter side--under 250 pages--so the author definitely had more canvas on which they could have painted that story. Alas.

If you liked Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lenon or the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters, you should give this one a try!

I enjoyed the book very much. I really appreciated the humorous tone of the story and the atmosphere. My only complaint is the rhythm. Not much happens plot wise: a group of very diverse people goes on a journey with the mission of bringing back the bones of Saint Nicholas to the city of Bari, in a world and time (1087) punished by hunger and illness. But the cast of characters is interesting and some of them truly adorable.
A good read, overall.

NICKED by @_mtanderson is an enchanting romp through an Italy of yore blended with the promise of magical powers. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @pantheonbooks for the e-ARC.

💀💀💀

Based on true events that took place during 1087 of a heist operation where the city of Bari plotted an expedition to steal the bones of St. Nicholas, this historical fiction story blends with folklore and fantasy. After a monk named, Brother Nicephorus has a dream that St. Nicholas is not happy with his current resting place, a fellowship of thieves, dog-headed men, and pirate merchants are contracted to execute a heist of epic proportions in order to have the supposed healing powers of St. Nicholas's blood in their covetous hands as it is said to be the only cure to the plague currently ravaging Europe.

Legend has it that once a year, the patrons that protect the body of St Nicholas still extract liquid from his bones each year and use it in holy water to bless pilgrims. I freaking love a good legend!!

Read this one if you like:

⚰️Historical fantasy rooted in historical fact
⚰️A secret quest
⚰️An epic heist
⚰️A rag-tag cast of memorable characters
⚰️A blend of myth and reality

Thank you Pantheon and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The concept for Nicked sounded delightful, and while sometimes heist stories make me a little nervous by getting my hopes too high, I think this was pretty successful. I really enjoyed the setting and atmosphere, and Anderson’s humor worked well for me. The balance between the humor and more serious beats felt like a good mix to me. I personally enjoyed the prose and I found the overall story to be quite fun, though somewhere towards the back half of the book I did have to check a couple of times to see how far along I really was in the story. I do think it leans a little towards the drier side, though, and I admit there were times where the religious parts of the book went a bit over my head, but that’s more because of my understanding of religion than the author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

WHEW. I adored this book. It's difficult to find novels that speak to my varied interests in ecclesiastical history, horror, and queer literature, but this one DID IT. Nicephorus and Tyun are such lovable characters, and their banter is so well written.

The setting, the writing style, the weird medieval shit, the VIBES... absolutely perfect. This one joins Brian Catling's Hollow and the game Blasphemous as a piece of media that fits the very niche religious horror vibe that I constantly long for.

For this creation, bless you, M. T. Anderson. BLESS YOU.

Publication date: 23 July 2024

interesting thriller/romance/theft set in middle ages monasteries with some gorgeous vibes. would recommend a lot