Initial Impressions 6/7/17: 3.5 - 4 stars 
 THE THIEF was not at all the book I expected it to be, though not in a bad way. I had many incorrect assumptions about it based on appearance and general reading experience (it is not, in fact, a book about a female thief and it is not a light and snarky read). These weren't bad things but due to the fact that I like going into books blind, I didn't re-read the synopsis before I started so I was surprised! 
 I really enjoyed THE THIEF and not in the way that I expected. It did get a little slow with a lot of uneventful traveling (we all know how much I get bored with travel stories) but I loved the little bits of mythology to break it up and those were actually my favorite parts. The creation stories were really interesting, vivid, and created a solid foundation for this world. 
 THE THIEF is also a fantasy world that is fantasy but without magic, similar to books like THE WINNER'S CURSE. There is a presence of religion/mythology and part of the plot does deal directly with the gods so there's the concept of the involvement of gods but it's more deities and less magic system. I know this book was written before the majority of the YA fiction out there but since I'm only reading this for the first time, I found the change in pace in fantasy refreshing. I liked the blend of mythology and politics and how they played their roles within the plot. 
 The characters became more and more interesting as the book went on. Gen got more personable, we see the true colors of Sophos and Ambiades, and the Magus gets really fleshed out and I actually thought his character development was the most interesting of all. At first he's played out to be the villain (and even has a villain voice, as voiced by Steve West. For those of you who are avid Steve West audio fans, it's along the lines of Benjamin Malvern in THE SCORPIO RACES so you just know he's a snooty bad guy) but the more he gets to know Gen, the more you see of his true character and how he treats people. I actually loved it and thought it was wonderful to see something that was much less black and white, good vs evil. 
 The beginning and middle were a little slow because a lot of it was working up to the big finale, which was definitely big! Megan Whelan Turner did a fantastic job of sneaking in little details that the reader doesn't know are important until you realize what all has been going on and I loved the surprises in the end. 
 I also really loved Gen's voice and his narration throughout the book. I always love listening to Steve West narrate and it feels especially personal to hear his narration in first person, I think in part because of my love for THE SCORPIO RACES. Although it was a bit slow for a while, by the time the book ended, I was ready for more! I received the entire series for review on audio from HarperCollins so I immediately jumped into book two upon completion of THE THIEF!