Thief of Hope [Paperback]

Cindy Young Turner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2011

Sydney, a street urchin and pickpocket in the town of Last Hope, has managed to evade the oppressive Guild for years, but there is no escaping fate when she's sentenced to death for associating with the resistance. After she's rescued by a wizard, Sydney is forced to accept that magic-long outlawed throughout the Kingdom of Thanumor-still exists, and the Tuatha, a powerful faery folk, are much more than ancient myth and legend. When the wizard offers a chance to fight the Guild and bring Willem, bastard prince and champion of the Tuatha, to the throne, Sydney embraces the cause as a way to find her own redemption. But Sydney's fear of the Guild, distrust of authority, and surprising connection to the Tuatha threaten Willem's success. Can she untangle the strange threads that entwine her life not only to the fate of the kingdom, but also to Willem himself?

Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Crescent Moon Press (May 16, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982820070
• ISBN-13: 978-0982820070
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,879,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cindy has always been an avid reader and became fascinated by mythology and Arthurian legends at an early age. She quickly decided she enjoyed creating her own worlds and characters and set to work writing her own stories. She won her first writing contest at age twelve, a local contest calling for stories written in the style of Edgar Allan Poe.

Cindy believes genre fiction can be just as well written and valuable as literature. The universal themes of love, hate, revenge, and redemption are present regardless of whether the characters live in the distant future, on other planets, or in fantastical realms. Her first novel, Thief of Hope, reflects those themes and shows that even a downtrodden pickpocket can become a leader in the fight against oppression.

Some of her favorite authors/books include (and this is hardly an exhaustive list): JRR Tolkien, Ursula K LeGuin, Octavia Butler, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Jack Kerouac, Diana Gabaldon, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Anne Rice (primarily the first three books of the vampire series), Neil Gaiman (loved the Sandman series and Neverwhere), Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, of course, helped inspire her fascination with pickpockets), and the Harry Potter series.

A native New Englander, she currently lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and dog. Please check out her website at http://www.cindyyoungturner.com for updates on her writing and upcoming events.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a really great story - highly recommended! October 25, 2011

By K. Sozaeva TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

When her guardian, Edgar, is murdered by the Guild when she is 15, Sydney is left to survive however she can in Last Hope, a city at the edges of the kingdom of Thanumor. The Guild has been strangling all independent businesses, and Edgar was trying to organize people to put up a fight against them - he was caught and hung by Schrammig, the executioner and assassin of the Guild. Sydney ends up stealing and occasionally working as a prostitute in order to survive - she also must always be alert for Guild officials, as she believes Schrammig is still after her. However, one night she is unable to resist stealing a couple silver pieces from a Guild official that came into the tavern she was at and he discovered the theft and came after her. When she is taken to the forest and left to die, she meets Oryn - a wizard - who says he has been watching her, and now he wants her to join in to fight against the Guild, and help the illegitimate son of the deceased king, named Willem, to take the throne of Thanumor and get rid of the influence of the Guild. Will she have the courage to stand for what is right, rather than taking the path of what is easy? What part could she possibly play in this game of princes, soldiers and wizards? And will she be able to stay that one step ahead of the Guild if she joins in with the rebels?

I really enjoyed "Thief of Hope." It is fast-paced while still giving good character and plot development, and was a lot of fun to read. It is pretty dark in places, and I wouldn't recommend it for young readers without a parent's vetting it because it has some pretty violent scenes, but I was impressed with its realism and clear-eyed vision of how things would really be in that sort of situation. A lot of fantasies sort of gloss over some of the more unpleasant truths, but "Thief of Hope" told it like it really could be, and provided a great adventure in the process. There are a lot of hidden depths in the characters - some are only hinted at, some are explored fairly thoroughly. The story is told exclusively from Sydney's point-of-view, so we don't know anything until she learns it, which I liked. Nothing against multiple points of view, but it is easier to keep track of things in a complicated plot when you don't have to remember who knows what at any given moment. This is definitely a book I highly recommend to people who like a good story - pick it up and read it right away!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Fantasy Read May 2, 2013

By Momma Says Read

Format:Paperback

Thief of Hope by Cindy Young Turner - Review
By MommaG on May 2, 2013

When I started Thief of Hope, I thought it was going to be typical fantasy genre as the adventuring group quickly shaped up to be fighter, mage, thief, and cleric. The author, Cindy Young - Turner, kept the story from being stale or too cookie - cutter with the character development. Readers discover that the main characters are not predictably one- sided individuals motivated only by virtue or for the greater good.

The heroine, Sydney, is flawed and so more like a real person. Sydney makes both poor choices and honorable ones throughout the story when confronted with issues of love, family, and the corrupt government in her country. She is a compelling character because it is not always easy to anticipate what she will do next and that keeps the reader intrigued and wanting more. There were several nights after my kids were in bed that I kept on reading just one more chapter, then just one more chapter....because I wanted to see what Sydney was going to do when certain plot points unfolded. I winced along with her bad decisions (No, Sydney...he's no good for you!!) and cheered for situations that worked out well for her.

This setting for this novel takes place in a country in which a magic has been outlawed so further interest is added for readers as they discover along with Sydney about magic, exiled wizards, and magical beings all wrapped in a scheme to rebel against the governing council known as "The Guild". There are adult themes so I would suggest you preview the book before passing it on to any young adult readers.
What does Momma G Think?

MommaG gives Thief of Hope by Cindy Young Turner 4 cookies!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Catnip for the Fantasy Reader April 2, 2013

By R. Trogner

Format:Kindle Edition

Cindy Young-Turner has written a book that is catnip to the fantasy lover. I found Thief of Hope intriguing on multiple levels. There is a young woman, Sydney, who is the heroine of the story. She doesn't know who her parents are and has been on her own since Edgar was killed. Edgar is a man who took her in as an infant and raised her as his own. Sydney lives in Last Hope in the Kingdom of Thanumor. Last Hope is where the lowest of the low reside. They are ruthlessly controlled by The Guild who makes the lives of the inhabitants a living hell.

What I loved about Sydney is that she isn't overly strong or have any major superpowers that give her a 'get out of jail free card'. She does have some abilities, which I won't tell you about, but she doesn't have magic hands or anything. What she has is a strong will to survive. She has done things she isn't proud of, but what is a girl of 15 to do left alone with no one and no money?

Instead of letting this crush her spirit, it gives her a steely resolve to avenge the death of Edgar. Schrammig is the big baddy who killed Edgar and I enjoyed how Cindy wrote him. I do love a well written bad guy.

This book is chocked-full of rich characters well drawn that I can't line them all up and tell you how wonderful each of them are. I will say that there are shadow people (interesting), Fae, wizards, and all sorts of magical beings.

The story also has two love interests for Sydney that are believable, each with their own vulnerabilities and character flaws that make them the richer for it.

I didn't want this book to end, BUT Cindy is writing away on a sequel right now called Thief of Destiny. So while I'm sad at the moment, hopefully soon I'll have another wonderful book by Cindy to read.

If you like fantasy then you will love this book.