REVIEW: The Thief Taker's Apprentice by Stephen Deas

I picked up this one after having loved Deas' A Memory of Flames series and it's been on my shelf for some time now. At a short 282 pages it was a nice quick read.

As a YA read I give this one top marks. For my personal tastes it was a little too shallow and simplified, but I'm definitely not complaining as this was definitely the aim of the novel - something I think many people tend to forget when reviewing.

Great traditional fantasy; medieval setting, taverns, street urchins, sword fights and some mysterious magic to boot. Berren plays the young male protagonist, but unlike many fantasy tropes, his abilities and maturity are very realistic when considering his age. He is no Kvothe, but instead a very ordinary street boy who has been swept up into a new and exciting life. Syannis is a little unpredictable and temperamental, but in a way that is just a little annoying and leads me to not actually care about him and his mysterious past.

There is some good foreshadowing and a few good puzzles throughout, but as I mentioned, none were really complex enough to enrapture me. It's an entertaining read and the kind of great writing we can expect from Deas, but it's not going to have to on the edge of your seat. I'll definitely be purchasing and reading the following sequels to see where it will all go.