Book Review: “Thief of Lies” (Library Jumpers #1) by Brenda Drake
Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fiction
Page Length: 378 pages (hardcover edition)
Synopsis:
Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather-clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.
Jumping into some of the world’s most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik’s world and her own, before both are destroyed. (description from Goodreads)
Review:
Thief of Lies is
Throughout the book Gia, our main character, deals with the truth of her magical background and it shatters her world . She is an anxious girl who feels she is not girly enough and struggles with her insecurities. She’s fierce, but vulnerable and that’s what makes her character not only realistic, but likable too. I enjoyed her friends Nick, who is sarcastic and Afton who is a brain both are loyal friends of Gia’s, but they constantly butt heads giving the story some comic relief.
Gia feels very vulnerable but does her best to put up a brave front when training with her new powers even though she feels left-behind because the other Sentinels are more advanced than her. Luckily, she finds new friends that become a shoulder to lean on and trustworthy allies. But she still has to be on her toes as enemies constantly lurk in the shadows.
The story itself moves fast, but the world building was a bit jumbled at some parts, some of the fantasy aspects got a rushed, explanation at the beginning and as a result I was confused while reading the book. The book felt like one big roller coaster to because there where moments where the story was really exciting and other parts that fell flat. I felt that the plot definitely improved in the latter half and the story was a lot smoother.
Overall, I thought this book was entertaining from Gia’s magic training scenes to the library battle scenes, but it just doesn’t have that special spark that I was looking for. I felt like there was too much insta-love in this book. I wanted less love triangles and more focus on building relationships rather than just jumping into them. I also was more interested in the secondary characters than Gia’s narrative. But I did like that the author adds some new fantasy elements that are unique when compared to other books in the same genre.
There’s a 50/50 chance I’ll continue with this series.
Final Verdict:
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