If you love a great heist story, then look no further than Thieves’ Gambit. This young adult thriller hits all the notes: eclectic characters, international venues, intrigue, impossible targets, and non-stop action. All those elements make for an engaging and fun read. The emphasis of the novel is the heists and action; however, the author does include a romantic interest, a smidgeon of character internal conflict, and some reasonably plausible motivations for the various characters. The protagonist, Ross, is a spunky and resourceful young woman with serious trust issues. This leaves her and the reader always guessing about the other characters. Although the pacing at times felt almost rushed and some things were quickly glossed over, this was one of the more enjoyable young adult reads I have had in a while–partly because the author knew exactly what she wanted to deliver. Be warned that although this book doesn’t technically end in a cliffhanger, it leaves a lot open-ended. It is perfectly poised for a sequel and hopefully we will get one.
Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy Provided by the Publisher
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 24 religious exclamations; 62 mild obscenities; 2 derogatory names; 14 scatological words; 3 anatomical terms; 2 offensive hand gestures.
Violence/Gore: Characters carry weapons including knife, syringes with sedatives, meteor bracelet; report that a competition is bloody; statement that someone died years ago, no details; gunshots fired at character; sound of a slap, metal on skin; several verbal threats of harm and death; character wants to break someone’s jaw; character deliberately trips another; rules of a game allow for deadly force; characters fight with sharp objects, kicking, hitting; character cuts another, drawing blood; confrontation using a projectile, character shot, many separate mentions of the amount of blood, blood on clothing, etc.; character chokes another; character has urge to uppercut someone; character seriously fears for life at the hands of other characters; characters struggle (kicking, twisting, slamming to ground); character draws gun and threatens others; characters detained by being tied up; character shoved out of a vehicle (no injuries); character kidnapped; character is bleeding after escape; chase scene involving an accident, implied that someone is severely injured; gun raised to someone’s head; offer to kill certain individuals.
Sex/Nudity: Character’s father was an unknown sperm donor; male quips that the last time a guy looked that closely at him, he got laid; several instances of flirtatious behavior/dialogue; male and female character are attracted to each other; several instances where a female thinks about how attractive a male is; male character tells character she is beautiful; male asks a female if she has a boyfriend or a girlfriend (she has neither); girl tells a woman that she saw a red spot on her clothing (implied menstruation); characters dance (romantic tension); male buttons females dress up the back (romantic tension); character thinks about kissing another; characters embrace; female and male embrace in bed and then fall asleep (no sexual activity); male and female characters kiss passionately; kiss on cheek; passing comment that a friend’s moms are divorced.
Mature Subject Matter:
Parent manipulation of a child, crime/theft, kidnapping, death of a parent, using racial prejudices to advantage, blackmail.
Alcohol/Drug Use:
Characters are drugged so they will sleep; drugs are used to wake characters; teenage character drinks an alcoholic drink from the mini-bar; champagne order via room service (some teenagers drink and some choose not to); characters practice adding a drug to a drink; character is drugged.
