Customer Reviews

Thief With No Shadow

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm going to warn you right now - I do not include plot spoilers in this review, but I do mention character-based facts (such as the identity of the main couple; not that it should come as a surprise, as the man is basically the only viable option for the girl) repeatedly throughout. I do not believe these constitute real spoilers, to me at any rate, but I thought I ought to mention it all the same.

Now, the review:

This is a good book. Not surprising in any way (I saw all the 'twists' in the narrative coming), but still a GOOD book. It's a romance novel done up in fantasy novel trappings - the heroine and her love interest are established from the beginning, with the typical angsty, hate-at-first-sight attached. And, as is typical in romance novels, no matter how justified (or not) the love interest is in his distrust or hatred of the female lead, he is so pigheaded about it that he loses all of the readers' sympathy.

At first, Bastian was so aggressive and arrogant that I truly wished him nothing but ill. (He's one of the main reasons I gave this book four stars instead of five, as I truly believe his character could have been handled much better.) By the end of the book, I still thoroughly disliked him, but it did not tarnish my enjoyment of the story nearly as much as I expected it to. I would not invite him to tea, nor do I understand Melke's eventual feelings towards him, but that's pretty typical of a romance novel, as I understand it. I've yet to meet a romance novel leading man who wasn't arrogant, aggressive, and an insult to the males of the world who try to engage their brains and emotions other than anger when dealing with people. If this is other women's ideal man, then I'm a tad ashamed of my gender.

That said (and with tongue firmly in cheek, mind; I wasn't being serious) Melke is a compelling leading lady; she has issues, and honor, and she tries to do the right thing even at great personal risk. She wasn't my favorite character (and I do find her leading man a grave injustice to men everywhere, which slightly lessens my understanding of her), but I still love her dearly.

In fact, my favorite characters were the side characters - Melke's brother Hantje and Bastian's sister Liana. They're well-drawn and interesting; and Hantje's presence alone was a relief from Bastian's overbearing masculinity. If there was any issue I had with them, it's a scene over halfway through the book, where Liana is thinking about her brother, how kind he is, how honorable, etc. I found myself thinking 'and what? We're just supposed to believe you?' Because nothing up to then had shown Bastian being any of those things. It's her word against ours, and I always trust myself over a fictional character.

It was a symptom of a larger problem - I could see where the author was leading the story, what tricks were used. Bastian's dog Endal is another example of this. When Bastian can't see Melke as anything other than scum, Endal (who speaks with perfect English in Bastian's head, and can tell when people are lying - a trait discovered through the course of the book, presumably because no one had ever lied in front of the dog before) is the one to tell Bastian all her good qualities. A nice way to get around a main character who's so stubborn; he won't believe his sister (he idolizes her, but not enough to value her opinion), but he'll believe his dog.

I still really liked Endal, however. But then, I'm a dog lover. I really liked the side character puppy, too.

And for those who care about such things (I certainly do), the writing here is quite good. It's quick reading, not dense or flowery, but it fits the story well.

I would not recommend this book to lovers of epic fantasy, such as diehard Tolkien fans. There are no elves, no dwarves, no huge magic battles; instead of the fate of the world hanging in the balance, it was the fate of one long-suffering family. I rather enjoyed the switch. It wasn't about kings or glory or war; it was about people. People who suffered, and sacrificed, and loved. I may not have liked all of them, but I certainly enjoyed their tale.

If you are familiar with romance, you're unlikely to be surprised by anything in this novel - but even if you aren't surprised, if you like character driven stories, dogs (hard to be a fan of this book if you hate them, I'd think, but honestly; who hates *dogs*?), and a few scenes of disturbing, heart-wrenching pain, you'll love this book. My sister did. And, despite the problems I know I've gone on at length about, so did I.

I loved the character development in this book. Emily Gee takes us right into the characters' minds and shows us who they are with all their imperfections. As an added plus, the writing is beautiful. We get all the right details, and it doesn't fall into the trap of being overly spare.

The story and the romance worked for me. The romance wasn't the primary focus, which I was glad of, but it felt natural when it came into play. You have to get around one small unbelievability toward the beginning, an action Bastian (the male main character) could have taken to prevent most of the trouble that followed, but if you can just skip over that the rest of the tale works and is enjoyable. However, the characters and writing are the reason I'll reread this book.

Easily the best book I read in 2007.

I initially bought this book because it was by a New Zealand author and I want to show my support for writers in NZ that do get published internationally but I was absolutely blown away by how good this book is and how much I enjoyed it. I am fairly well read in this genre and can say that this is an excellent read, a compelling read and is very different to what else is out there at the moment. Firstly, I haven't come across a wraith as a heroine before and the fact that the entire story takes place over just a few short weeks but is so compelling and beautifully written that you are completely hooked. Would definitely appeal to fans of romantic fantasy, but if you are a pure fantasy reader, don't let the romantic elements stop you from reading this as it is worth it.

If you do, then you won't be disappointed in this book. If, on the other hand, you want to dissect every aspect of the tale you're being told, then perhaps you're better off reading something else. I, for one, enjoyed the read immensely, for the most part because Gee is an excellent storyteller. Reading this book put me in mind of the ancient gift of storytelling itself - when people gathered around and listened, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, to find out the answer to the simple question of "What happened next?" Epics and heroes, Odysseus and Ulysses, Jason and the Golden Fleece - tales of courage and honor, as flawed as the heroes themselves, thank the heavens.

I've read the earlier reviews, so I'm not spoiling anything when I say that some aspects of this tale could be considered unbelievable to the cynical reader: a dog and his owner speaking through mental telepathy, mythical creatures who crave sex with humans, a curse that spans generations, magical gifts that magically solve all-too-human problems. But as I said earlier, that's exactly what I liked about it! I couldn't wait to find out how Melke fixed the problems that her theft of a necklace caused, how the characters would develop, how they would suffer, how they would grow, and how they would change.

The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is because Bastien, the male lead, was difficult to like until far into the tale, and my modern brain wanted to like him much earlier! He did, however, ultimately win me over, and the overall storytelling trumped his stubborn, misguided, flawed character. I greatly enjoyed this read, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, out-of-the-ordinary tale of adventure and redemption.

I picked this up for a weekend read thinking "Interesting it has salamanders!"

When I started reading I pretty much had it all figured out by the first chapter and by the second I was getting tired of the characters. The premise is nothing new. Big Miss Understanding happens, people act stupid, girl attempts heroic move and mucks it up, people have overblown hatred, etc.

It wasn't bad perse. Which is why I gave it 3 stars. But it left something to be desired. The world descriptions lacked ALOT. Not to mention that I just couldn't believe the turn around by Bastian at the end. So he suddenly realizes she's a girl and he likes girls, so what? How would that stop the BLAZING hatred he was spewing at the beginning.

The set up was very tired, boy meets girl, boy's sister heals girls brothers, set up complete.

I feel this author has a lot of potential. She's got some good concepts (all the magical creatures being very nasty and ripping apart the humans is awesome) but the execution needs a bit more for THIS reader to not think "Oh another fluffy romance novel cross over."

Also, if you're not interested in rape/animalistic sex/scat don't get this. It may squick you out a bit.

A wraith named Melke steals a necklace from what she perceives to be a rich family. What she doesn't know is that the vast land that she views during the night is in the midst of a magical drought. By stealing (to save her brother from Salamanders) Melke goes against her morals and unintentionally condemns Bastian and his sister to a life full of despair and possibly death.

Bastian, a seemingly normal man who is capable of talking to dogs, tries to save his sister from the life of misery that Melke has unknowingly promised. By doing so, he challenges his every way of life.

This book is full of magic and unforseen twists. It gives a new meaning to not judging people until you get to know them. I started off disliking the characters due to their "I'm better than you" personalities, but by the end their true personas were revealed and I fell in love. Bastian's dog, Endal, is my favorite character due to his loyal and protective nature. He plays a major part of this story and never seems to be far from either Melke or Bastian. All of the characters are constantly facing dire decisions and battling their ways of life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy novels.

At some point, you need to decide, make a stand, declare yourself to be animal, vegetable or mineral. Because romances blend well into other genres, this author tried to do a fantasy/paranormal/romance combo, that while nicely written, doesn't really do a service to any category. The heroine is a fantasmical critter--not much to care about there--the male lead is more of an oaf with a cruel streak and everything is just so SERIOUS! If you're looking for something different--give it a try. However, a committed reader of any of the three genres would do better spending time and $$$ elsewhere.

This book is very good. Easy to read and a book you wont put down. Interesting and different

Melke is a wraith, a young woman with the gift of invisibility. When she steals a necklace in exchange for her brother's freedom, Melke unknowingly brings disaster to the family from whom she robbed. In exchange for healing her brother, Melke agrees to steal back the necklace so that a curse can be broken.

This is a very dark and disturbing story of love, hate, and forgiveness. With elements of fantasy, fair tale, and romance, every character must go through hardship before they can find happiness. This book is not for the faint of heart, expecting just a light-hearted fantasy. The story is slow-paced, giving way to character development and focusing on the relationships between the two families. Though the plot is predictable, I was immediately drawn to the characters, especially that of Melke. She is complex, with a strong will and a selfless nature.

Since I can't recall having read any other gothic romance of this kind, it's hard for me to compare Thief with No Shadow to other novels. Also, I'll give a warning that there are some disturbing allusions to a sort of bestiality (though the animals have human characteristics) and rape, though (thankfully) nothing extremely descriptive.

I absolutely loved this book from page 1. All the primary characters are beautifully drawn, and I loved and sympathized with them even when I wanted to smack them upside the head. Part of the magic of this book for me was how deeply flawed the characters were, and how brilliantly Gee made me love them despite the flaws. There are some very dark moments in this book, but the payoff was well worth it. I closed it with a happy sigh and have a feeling I'll be reading it again in the relatively near future.