I once thought that I enjoyed reading epic fantasies - you know books with characters (like sorcerer, priests, and thieves) and storylines that could be pulled from a game of Dungeons and Dragons. But the more I read the more I find them seeming all too much the same, as if they were, well, characters and storylines pulled from a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

In Trudi Canavan's Thief's Magic, the first book in a series, we find a world just entering its industrial revolution and, like most fantasy books, this revolution is powered by magic. Here we meet Tyen, an archaeology student who uncovers a special book.  Special because it's a living, intelligent item.

Here in this world we also meet Rielle, raised in a community run by priests. Rielle is taught to wield magic. She is aware that she has the ability to steal from the Angels, and there is someone willing to teach her how to do this, but she's not certain she wants to risk the wrath of the Angels.

These two come together and ... no, wait ... these two don't come together! These are two separate stories. Canavan seems to be setting up the reader by showing different looks at how magic is seen and used in this world.  Why?  Perhaps that's addressed in another book.

Aside from the fact that the two storylines don't merge, which is unique, this is a very unremarkable book. In a library full of fantasies there isn't anything here to make it stand out. It wasn't a terrible book, it wasn't a great book.  It's just yet another fantasy.

I don't read a lot of epic fantasies like this anymore, though I do have a few in my ARC queue, and this is part of the reason for that. These characters are only slightly unique (an archaeology student was kind of a nice twist) and the world itself could be pulled from or dropped into any one of a dozen similar books and you wouldn't notice the difference.

Looking for a good book? Trudy Canavan's Thief's Magic is a fantasy that reads like many other epic fantasy adventure books and unless you are a fan of Canavan's other books, there's nothing here to recommend.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Thief's Magic

author: Trudi Canavan

series: Millennium’s Rule #1

publisher: Orbit

ISBN: 0316209279

hardcover, 553 pages

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