The tale itself feels a tad disjointed until partway through.

Good job they were the stakes, otherwise the book might have been Kinch sitting around, drinking and playing cards. Not the kind of mission you’d agree to unless your life, and that of everyone you care about, would be snuffed out were you to refuse. He’ll find out when he gets there apparently. Our thief, who seems talented in the ways of getting on the wrong side of everyone he shouldn’t, is forced into a suicidal mission of travelling to a city under siege.

The Blacktongue Thief, through the medium of first person narrative, is told in a very distinctive voice (that of Kinch Na Shannack). What do a thief, a mercenary and a blind cat have in common? It might sound like the start of a bad joke, but it’s the meat of a good book. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My Rating of ‘The Blacktongue Thief’: 4 out of 5 Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honour is a luxury few can afford. Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva’s. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants. Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.īut today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.

Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics.

The blacktongue thief book 2