Title: Thief of Lies
Author: Brenda Drake
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: eARC from Netgalley
Series: Library Jumpers (#1)
Star Rating: 3 stars

tw: blood (a lot as it’s used by the main character for an ability) , animal attack, parental death, burning, arranged marriages, car accident

A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Entangled Teen for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

To clear up my Kindle and catch up on all super late ARCs, I went all the way to 2016. I received this whole series when I worked with Entangled Teen, back when I first started reviewing. But I never finished the book and series. Some personal things happened and I stepped back from reviewing arcs for a time. But now I’ve decided to get going on all my late ARCs, starting with this one as I don’t love leaving books unfished although I am getting better at it.

I’m not sure if it's because I haven’t read fantasy in a while but this book threw so much information at me. I didn’t understand a lot of the lore or the magic systems so at one point I just kind of gave up understanding and just enjoyed the ride. From there, the book became a lot more enjoyable.

The main character, Gia, was okay. She was kind of bratty at times but all teenagers are. I’m glad she accepted herself and the situation pretty quickly. We didn’t have to deal with the angst and the fighting. Sure, she was pretty bummed out about everything but it didn’t take her long to snap out of it. That was pretty refreshing. But other than that, she was okay. Maybe I will like her in the next book.

Unfortunately one of the tropes in this book is a love triangle. I’ve never been a fan of love triangles. Even in the Hunger Games, I didn’t like them. I have a feeling that this love triangle is going to be very prominent, as I have read the synopsis of the second book, and I’m just not looking forward to that at all. This story doesn’t need one.

Overall, while I didn’t love the book, I’m glad I read it. I’ll most likely continue with the series but I’m not going to rush to read it. I think the biggest problem for me is that I’m too old for this book. 16 year old Lacy would have loved this book but because I’m older, I think that’s why it didn’t resonate with me like I thought it was going to. I think I’ll let this one marinate for a while before I start the next book.

(Source: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, LLC, Teen and Brenda Drake.)

I stared off at the empty field. “No worries. I get it. We’re just friends.”
“Just friends, huh?” He sighed. “Friends don’t think of each other the way I think of you. The danger you face. I feel driven to protect you. Maybe it’s because I admire you so much.”

So where do we start? I loved this book, I rally enjoyed the world-building. The author went all the way in. There were creatures that I tried to google but since could not find any results I had to imagine them, create my own versions based on the description. But most of all I like the relationships and friendships, human aspect of the book. It reminded me of Harry Potter in some way, besides being a YA Fantasy series it taught about the importance of the friendships, families, loyalty, etc., which is really important for me, because these books are mostly read by young-adults, teenagers who have to take something from the books, learn something.

“I’m scared.”
“Never think about the coming fight.”
“No,” I said. “I’m not scared of fighting, I’m afraid of losing who I am.”
“You only lose what you choose to lose.”

I liked how fast paced it was. We never dwelled on anything for too long. If thee was a problem, we just faced it, solved it and moved to the next thing. The fact that the author did not base her story on stupid dramas was appreciated. Another thing that brought pleasure to me as a reader was the romance aspect, yes there was kind of an insta love but it developed organically and did not feel forced, however it was not that present all the time, so we got a really nice kind of tamed romance which did not still the show from the real problems that the story was focused on.

“Friends, right?” The words tasted like metal and regret in my mouth. I wanted to be his everything. But what I wanted more was to make things easier for him.
His sad eyes locked with mine. “Right, then.”

I really liked the characters, and from the beginning till the end you could see the gradual development in them. For instance at first Gia is just this girl who just cares about books and his friends, and you see how reluctant she is to embrace the other side of her life, but gradually she becomes more and more mature, putting aside her own needs and wants for a greater good. She ever becomes 100% selfless, but that is what I liked a lot in her, cause let's be honest, no one is THAT giving, especially when you are just a teen.

“Regardless of the fact that you’re a royal pain in the arse, I fancy you.”

I liked Arik, I actually liked him a lot, but I just wanted to punch him sometimes so he would let loose. He was too uptight, too much of a rule follower, too goody good. I liked that their romance was forbidden and they fought it, but at the same time I was wonder as sentinels they were betrothed to someone, and we knew that Arik had someone, but we never got Gia's fiancé's name, so I was looking forward to meeting him and see how THIS will develop, and to be honest the second I met Bastien I forgot about everything and everyone. Now, I have a little obsession with arranged marriages IN THE BOOKS AND MOVIES ONLY, NOT IN REAL LIFE. So I just wanted them together, so the second book was the key to this story's development.

“You amaze me, Gianna. How you stand up against a powerful wizard like Conemar, your compassion for others, your intelligence and quick reflexes. Everyone admires you and your strength. As do I. You are meant to be a queen,” he said. “With time, I’ll prove to you we belong together. Go ahead and have your fun with Arik, but it’s my arms you’ll end up in one day.” He kissed my cheek and headed over to the gathering crowd.

Overall, I loved everything about this book, sometimes it was a bit confusing for me, but I enjoyed every second of it, and after finishing could not wait to read the other books.

I had to DNF this book I believe somewhere between 30-40%? It felt way way too similar to the Mortal Instruments series, and while I adore that series I just didn’t need all of that over again.

I also was not pleased with the writing level in this book? I don’t know what it is but something about it just felt very mediocre and unsophisticated. Very bland descriptions, too much dialogue, etc.

The plot also moved in a very awkward, choppy way. Everything was also explained rather than shown, and too much plot and world building was being thrown at you all at once, it was very hard to comprehend.

I do like the creative idea behind the story but felt it wasn’t executed properly between the characters, plot, and world. I appreciate getting the chance to review but I had to pass on this one!

thief of lies introduces us to a world where there are wizards and sentinels who protect the human world for mystical creatures using the libraries of the world to jump between place to place. when gia kearns accidentally opens a portal, she has no idea how drastically her life is going to change.

it turns out that her entire life was sort of a lie. her mother and father are both sentinels and this makes her the child mentioned in a prophecy that foretells the destruction of the world the wizards and sentinels have been protecting for so long.

luckily her friends and family are with her to walk the crazy journey. but as more truths get revealed, and lucky enough gia's magic happens to be a truth serum sphere, things really start to go crazy. while there's no cliffhanger, this is clearly book one in a series. so while some things seeem to be resolved there's a lot going on that makes me happy i can binge-read the whole series. keep an eye out for the review for book 2, guardian of secrets.

**thief of lies published on january 5, 2016. i received an digital copy courtesy of negalley/entangled publishing (entangled teen) in exchange for my honest review.

Not a typical book I would read but I rather did like it! Just not really my type! Author did great with her story

What a fantastic book! It is well written with a great plot and characters. This book is full of action, adventure, magic and romance. It is fast paced and I couldn't put it down. Gia is a great main character she is strong, smart and witty but she is also practical. Drake is very creative I love the whole book jumping concept. Drake's world building is slowly and beautifully done. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

have had this book for a while and with the release of the third novel coming soon, I knew it was the perfect time to dive into it!!

This book was fantastic. I love a good adventure novel, I LOVE books and I love angst. This book has it all.

It also has a main character that I adored. Gia was a girl that rolled with the punches and had so much care for those around her that it is astounding. I admire her page after page.

I can't wait to jump into the next novel. Prophecies and ancient evils thrown in with learning to live a completely new life? Yeah. I am in this for the long haul with these characters. Bring it on.

This one had been on my "really need to read" list for a long time. I finally got to get into the series and wish I would have sooner. I loved the action, the characters, and the story. Gia is very likeable and down to earth even though she is part of a prophecy. The idea of jumping through books into other libraries of the world is fantastic. I liked that it was just libraries and not just anywhere. The legends are interesting and left me wanting more. The relationship, romantic, family, and friends, are well written and varied. Good thing I had Guardian of Secrets next in line to read. I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1)
Brenda Drake
Book Review: ♥ ♥ ♥❣

Secret, magic and libraries.

Gia and her friends are going to visit a lush library, Boston Athenaeum. Every reader's dream, right? Little does she know, she is about to uncover a hidden deadly secret. She sees an interesting character in the library that seems to just disappear. Gia can't help herself and goes to check out the book he's been reading. Before she knows it she has discovered the truth behind her family, and the world she didn't know existed. She and her friends are sucked into the book and find themselves in a different library. Now the clock is ticking as not everyone is happy with their discovery. They meet some new friends, explore the unknown, find out all about magic and a potential prophesy.

Thief of lies is the first book in a trilogy. It's the setup novel and it has quite a bit of ground to cover. I liked the idea of the book more than the execution. Now we know the characters, and the scene is set I'm hoping book two will be so much more.

3.5 so it of 5. A good starting point.

*ARC


Kindle Edition £4.48, 400 pages
Published January 5th 2016 by Entangled Teen

Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake is the first book in the Library Jumpers young adult fantasy series. The title of the series is completely accurate in describing what to expect when picking this one up, Gia Kearns is with her friends in a library when she spies a cute boy and while watching him he suddenly disappears. When Gia and her friends go looking they find a book the boy left behind of libraries from around the world and when Gia accidentally speaks a phrase she finds she and her friends are pulled through the book and find themselves in a library in Paris.

After finding themselves halfway around the world and not sure how they got there things suddenly get worse when a demonic hound attacks. But the boy that Gia had followed comes to the rescue. Arik explains that he and his friends are Sentinals charged with protecting humans and the gateways in the libraries. After learning of the strange world from which Arik came from Gia finds that she herself has ties to that world that she never knew existed.

Starting out reading Thief of Lies it reminded me strongly of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books which I absolutely love so I was hoping for a great read right from the opening pages. Thankfully when done I was not disappointed in the least and found this book quickly formed an identity of it’s own and pulled me into it’s fantasy world much the same way the Shadowhunter series books tend to do.

This series may not be for everyone as I think it does end up covering a lot of the old young adult tropes that I see other readers often complaining about but for me this one would be the example of how to add those in and do it well. We have Gia who finds that the reason she’s been awkward all her life is that she doesn’t belong in our world but in this new fantasy one. We have the oh it’s a cute boy so I must drool. We have a bit of a love triangle in play. But no matter what was thrown in I found it all blended into the story seamlessly and kept my attention and interest so in the end I found myself a fan of this series and glad that I gave it a read.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: The thing that drew me in first was the cover!This cover is just outstanding!

Check out author's other books? Yes
Recommend this book? Yes

Notes and Opinions: I got this yesterday and I just couldn't stop reading it. This was a great fast paced story about magic that I haven't seen before and it worked out very well. The story was a great blend of characters, magic, and magical creatures. I really loved the concept of being able to jump into stories to go other places. The writing style makes this a very magical book. The characters made this one flourish into a great read. The only issue I had was the dialogue which was slightly choppy in parts. Almost every aspect of this story makes it unforgettable.

Go Into This One Knowing: Very Unique

This book was reviewed by Lauren

DNF. I couldn't get into this series, better luck next time...

Okay, so first things first. Who wouldn’t want to jump through a portal that takes you to different libraries?! Sign me up please! And then if Arik (pronounced Ah-ric, in case you were wondering) just happens to show his hot face and “rock hard arms” I’ll be even more ecstatic, especially since he quotes books!

"He held the book out to me. “Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” He’d quoted a verse from The Secret Garden with a sexy accent that tickled my ears."

Yes, he can whisper sweet nothings in my ear and have them tickling as much as he’d like! haha. Sorry, not sorry. 🙂 But I really loved him as a character and he is definitely going on my list of book boyfriends!

Now, the main character in this book is Gia. And I actually really liked her! She was super awkward at the girly kind of stuff but she could totally kick your ass in kickboxing or fencing. I thought it was really cool for her to have those kind of hobbies/interests. And let’s not forget, she is also a girl who loves libraries and books. A girl after my own heart!

“Gia, you can never be lonely in the company of books.”

I loved getting to know Gia and her history and what she is. I think it’d be a lot of fun to be a Sentinel! I’d just have to beef up my fighting skills.

I had a lot of fun reading this story and am super stoked for the second installment, Guardian of Secrets! If you’re someone who wants to read a book about jumping through portals through different libraries, Sentinels, and some asskicking, then you should really take a shot with this book! 🙂

When Gia and her friends go to an old library, all they were hoping to find was old books and some research for their summer projects. Instead, they found a book full of portals to libraries around the world and to the Mystik world. Now they have a boatload of problems, beginning with a Hunter trying to murder them and ending with an apocalyptic prophecy. At least there’s a hot guy involved?

Thief of Lies is the first book in the Library Jumpers series by Brenda Drake. The entire story was tied up in some of my favorite things, which originally drew me to read it. It was a little different than I expected, but not in a bad way. The alternate realities, full of magic and mystical creatures were fascinating to read about. The foreshadowing was great, not that I caught most of it until after the fact … but still. The sparks between Gia and Arik was instantaneous though it took them some time to actually get together, being a bit star-crossed from arranged betrothals and another woman. If only I could decide whether I like Arik or Sebastian better! The romances with some of the more minor characters were fun to read about as well. Which brings me to the other characters. There were so many of them! But the author did a great job of writing in a way that kept them all straight in my mind. Near the end of the book, the plot sort of evolved from a girl trying to figure out her way to a group, a village really, living and fighting together for good. The story slowed a little because of that, but it was still interesting.

One note I have is that Gia confounded me sometimes. She had qualities of a quiet, introverted, type, such as being afraid to cross the street and loving libraries as her favorite place in the world. And then she had the opposite characteristics as well, being a bit fiery and loving martial arts and self-defense even before it became her lifestyle. So I’m not sure if that means she breaks stereotypes or if her character doesn’t line up with itself. I’m leaning toward the latter, but you are free to have your own opinion.

This book was somehow cleaner than I thought it would be. Not to say it was clean, exactly—it had its share of swearing, crude jokes, and heart-stopping kisses—but that was all. I would give a minor warning about some of the magic and fighting, if that touches on your sensibilities, but how can you have a good fantasy without them?

I enjoyed Thief of Lies and recommend it to fans of urban portal fantasy—and libraries, lots and lots of libraries.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are entirely my own.

This book just reminded my how awesome it is to hang out in libraries. I remember I just made my bookworm bucket list last month. Most of the items there were to visit famous and beautiful libraries around the world. And this book just made that bucket list right on the dot.

If I could have a superpower or any powers at all it would be a book jumper. I want it for two things. One is to just open a book and jump right into the place and era that was in the book. It would be like a no-expense-paid-time-travel. I have gotten this idea from Fleur Camacho's The Last Seeker. The other one is to jump from one library to another through a book gateway which was what this book is about. Isn't that power amazing or is it amazing?

Yes, this story is about a group of people who have magical powers and can jump from one library to another. This group includes wizards, mythical creatures, faeries, witches, and magical knights called sentinels. The main character in this story, Gia, is a lost sentinel. She accidentally finds out about her true heritage by reading an Italian praise and got transported into another library through a book.

The libraries in this book are not at all that quiet because these are where the fights and all the interesting happenings are. And how great it would be to meet a cute guy right in the library? I would want that to happen to me, too. Well, lucky for Gia, that was how she met Arik. I want her and Arik together. I was disappointed and I felt bad when someone got in between these two.

It felt like I have been to these famous libraries mentioned in this book. It just strengthened my desire to visits them. Someday. It would be awesome if in real life I could just jump from one library to the next. No need for passports, visas and plane tickets. No need for accommodations too since I could just go back home within the day or sleep in the library. It's just like going to the library, only it's not the nearest library in the area but a library somewhere in the world. Bad ass, right?

I love that the story is set in Boston. I have been to Boston and it's full of history. I remember we took the Boston Freedom Trail walk and visited famous historical sites. I have been to the Granary Burying Ground, a cemetery mentioned in this book. The one that was right next to the library. I may have passed the Boston Athenaeum when we were there. I know the Boston Commons and the Quincy Market. I was reliving my Boston experience while reading this book. I had rained also when I was there and I had to trudge thru the pouring rain with only my hooded jacket as protection.

I think open sesame is out. The new magic word is aprire la porta. I think this book just confirmed that those who love to read are kick ass. I am pretty sure, the author also wished she could be a library jumper.

I give the book 5/5 open books ready for the next jump. I had a great time jumping from the library in Boston to England, to France, and in Russia. How I wish it could also be real life. I can't wait to continue this adventure in the next book. If library jumping were a real job, I would want to be a professional and an expert in it. Thank you, Brenda Drake, for this amazing book. You just wrote the story which every bookworm would want to be the hero.

Have your noticed the girl in the cover looks like Aria (Lucy Hale) in Pretty Little Liars?


... you can love many people.. Love isn't jealous.
- Brenda Drake, Thief of Lies -



Thank you, MaryAnn of Chapter by Chapter and Netgalley for the review copy.

Who doesn’t love a story that revolves around libraries?? Well Thief of Lives does just that. This is a great Urban Fantasy, mixing our world with a mystical one.

Gia and her friends stumble into a world where magical creatures and being preside. Finding out that she is a baby that has been missing since her birth. I loved the way the two worlds are parallel, connected only through the libraries that are gateways. I really liked the magic system and the political setup of the Mystik world. As Gia explores this new world, we find more about not only Gia’s powers but that of the other sentinels (the gateway protectors), wizards and Fey. I found the world to be really fascinating.

A romance develops between Gia and Arik as they come to rely on each other as they fight against the bad guys.

The plot is really interesting. Gia is often guided by spirits of the past that allow her to see history as if she is there. I really liked being able to know the world before in this manner.

I really liked Library Jumpers and it’s a series that I will enjoy continuing.

When Gia and her friends visit a library, she finds herself drawn to a book she sees a mysterious handsome stranger reading. The book is magical, and pulls her and her friends to Paris. Soon they uncover the truth about the world of the sentinels and Gia finds herself torn between Arik, the handsome stranger and Bastien, a wizard.

Fun read.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for review!

The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful purple cover, and I was sold when the synopsis talked about jumping to different libraries. As a reader, the thought of being able to visit all of the different libraries around the world fascinated me, and I wanted to read more about Gia and her library jumping world immediately!

The last thing Gia Kearns wants to do is kiss a boy- she'd rather fight one. That is, until she bumps into the mysterious, leather-clad Arik in the Boston Atheneaeum. When she flips through a book of libraries of the world that he left behind, Gia accidentally speaks the key that transports her and her two friends, Nick and Afton, to a library in Paris. Turns out that Arik is a Sentinel, a protector of humans from the creatures that travel between gateway books. Now, Gia is caught up in a battle that will decide the fate of both the human world and the Mystik world, and a battle between following her heart or her destiny.

This was a book that I was on the fence about while I was reading but finally decided that it was alright by the end. I had trouble really getting into this world for a large portion of my reading experience. I found myself simply reading, but not understanding and enjoying it as much as I had hoped I would. There were parts that I enjoyed, such as the fight scenes and learning more about the Mystik world and their magic system, but I spent a while trying to really dive into Gia's world and understand what all was happening. On some level, I got the gist of the plot and what was going on, but I didn't really feel as if I was as immersed as I wanted to be. I definitely enjoyed the ending much more than everything before it and I'm actually quite eager to see what happens in the sequel! The book itself was written very well, so my inability to get into a large majority of the book is certainly through no fault of the author, I just don't think I was in the right mindset while I was reading. Just as a side note, I actually adore Brenda Drake and her writing and I did enjoy this book, I just preferred the ending to the beginning and middle!

As far as characters go, I really liked Gia, and surprisingly I liked Arik as well. Gia was very independent and strong and definitely not afraid to show it. Arik was the typical bad boy character that attracts the main character, but his sass was just so great and really made the book a lot of fun to read. With Gia's stubbornness and Arik's sass, the two of them made a great duo. I did find their romance a bit hard to believe, though, and even more so when a third party was introduced about 75% into the book. When it came to the other characters like Nick, Afton, Nana, and even Faith, I thought they were pretty well-written for side characters. There were a lot of other characters that showed up as the book went on, and there were numerous times when I would forget who was who, simply because there were just so many characters. The ones most important to the story stood out very well, so I think that's really what matters. By the end, I found myself liking Nick and being very interested in where his story was going to go in the next book, and I'm also very curious as to what is going to happen with Gia, Arik, and Bastien.

The writing of this book was enjoyable and it really picked up for me towards the end, however I found myself slightly lost through much of the beginning. There were several times where Gia would reference something from her past and I had absolutely no clue what she was talking about, which lead me to be frustrated because I didn't understand anything. At one point, she references her experience with magic seemingly out of the blue, and something about running away from the "bad people"despite her never having seen this thing before, but she just somehow knew he was part of the "bad people." While I understood that things were being set up and would hopefully be explained later on in the book, I just really felt like it was thrown at the reader with no context at all and I found myself feeling very lost. Things were definitely explained later on in the book, I just didn't enjoy having those things kind of just thrown at me. Once everything was explained and Gia learned about her past, the things that felt thrown at me made a lot more sense, and I even found myself more interested in learning about Gia and her world. I do feel like there were a lot of different ideas being introduced as I continued to read, and it felt somewhat cluttered for a large portion of the book. There are way too many things that get brought in the further you get in this book, so many that I'm having trouble really remembering everything, and I did find myself confused and lost for quite a while, unfortunately. I think that the idea of library jumping was a very cool concept, but it wasn't really executed in the way that I had hoped it would be. Despite that, Brenda Drake's writing is descriptive and beautiful, and really paints a picture of the Mystik world and its inhabitants, of which there are a ton. As I stated before, I really enjoyed the ending of this book and it has me interested for what happens in the sequel!

If you're looking for a new and exciting fantasy book that has magic, a bit of complicated and rule-breaking romance, and an ending that will leave you eager for the sequel, then Thief of Lies is one book you don't want to miss out on!

I been wanting to read this book for a long time the synopsis jumping into the worlds most famous libraries, a bad ass girl with powers no one seen in a long time, and a couple of hots guys usually makes for a great story and this one was awesome.

The book was done at the perfect pace slow build up to a action packed ending that left me ready to jump into book two which you will see up for review next month as i am a book blog tour for it. I excited to see where Gia goes as she learns more about this world she accidentally jumped into and how her unsuspecting family and friends will play into and oh what she going to do about the guy she suppose to marry -- according to a long standing tradition

Imagine being able to visit any library in the world with just a key phrase… pretty cool, right? This becomes a reality for Gia. She doesn’t know she do it until quite possibly the most handsome guy she’s ever seen vanishes. This starts a journey she couldn’t even dream of, but was destined for! One wizard wants total control and revenge, however there’s a prophecy claiming a child born to two Sentinels will be the one to stop him. Is Gia the child of the prophecy? If so, will she be brave enough to stop the horrible wizard?

This was an action packed story that flowed quite well. That being said, there was so much going on that at times it was just too much. The world building was a bit slow, but if you’ve ever been to Boston you will have a few points of references. What I found fascinating was the world building of the mystical world and the magic within it. The bravery of Gia and the sincerity of Arik made this an interesting story. The slow build of their romance was perfect. This is set up to be an amazing series and I can’t wait to follow and see where it leads!