TITLE: Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1)
AUTHOR: Brenda Drake
PUBLISHER: Entangled Teen
PUBLISHING DATE: January 5, 2016
FROM GOODREADS: 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.
MY THOUGHTS:
This
is the second book which has been sent to me by Entangled Teen in
exchange for an honest review and I can say that so far I am impressed.
This book has been highly anticipated in the blogging/booktube community
for months, primarily because everyone sees the plot centers around
"library jumping" and let's get real, most book lovers love books about
books.
Suddenly one day Gia learns she is a "sentinel." In other
words, it is basically her duty to travel to an magical universe where
she plays a huge part in saving the land since she is allegedly the key
to some ancient prophecy. The Sentinels' mode of transportation is
though various books in libraries scattered all over the world, which is
a unique and not always easy way to travel. Throughout the book Gia
discovers that she is not an average teen and learns more than she ever
wanted to know about family and other long-lost relatives.
I
liked Gia, but didn't love her. It is nice have a MC who is a teen who
is witty, snarky and stronger than she believes. Gia is also a smart
individual and it is fun for the reader to travel alongside of her as
she learns about her history, a new magical land, and her abilities. The
main problem I have with the book is the love triangle. I have come to
expect them with many YA books and while they don't stop me from picking
a book up, they do somewhat hinder my reading enjoyment. I will add
though that while Gia tends to be torn between two guys - Arik and
Bastien - in this setting, Sentinels are betrothed to the noble class
and have no choice when it comes to matters of the heart, which is where
Bastien enters. Making the reason for the triangle part of the plot was
a smart move by Drake and in my honest opinion, lessens Gia's
fickleness to some degree.
There is plenty to like about this
book including wonderful side characters, an interesting magical system,
unique supernatural/magical species and don't forget, libraries and
books. I am definitely interested to see what happens in the next
installment and this is a fast-paced,action book which I think many
people will enjoy.
As mentioned, a review copy was provided by
Entangled Teen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Since I
have really good look with their titles, I am definitely curious to see
what else Entangled Teen offers in the future.
RATING: 4 PAWS
This does sound like a solid teen read, Barb. I get that a love triangle can be irritating but it seems like Drake did it pretty well. And you're absolutely right about we book lovers loving books about books. That part, along with the magic of traveling 'via' books, has me really interested in this one! Nice review! :)
ReplyDeleteI read this one as well and I thought the library jumping aspect was pretty cool. Just like you I liked Gia, but didn't love her. I did think she acted realistic, I just felt a bit distanced from her thoughts and emotions at times.
ReplyDeleteI liked how the author handled the love triangle so far, Gia strongly chooses one side and while I think that might change later I did like how she so strongly picked a side now. Great review!
I have enjoyed a lot of Entangled books. This one sounds interesting. :)
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