Thief's Covenant

Thief’s Covenant is an extremely fun ride. Marmell knows exactly how to set the scene with wonderfully vivid descriptions. There’s a number of very gory, creepy parts, and lots of characters die horrible, bloody deaths. At times, the bloodshed seems pointless; why kill off such great supporting characters? But it does raise the stakes and make the story that much more heartbreaking. I also love the banter between Widdershins and her divine companion Olgun. Overall, Thief’s Covenant is a highly entertaining read. To me, the book seems more adult-oriented than young adult, so I'd recommend it for either audience.

Our protagonist in Thief's Covenant is a young woman who wears many masks and goes by many different names. Once she was Adrienne Satti, an orphan taken off the streets to be raised as an aristocrat's ward, but then was forced to shed her old life to escape arrest for a savage crime she didn't commit. And now, she is known simply as Widdershins the wily thief.

And really, how could I not be drawn to a book starring a character with a name like Widdershins? Along with its impishly clever cover (I kept thinking I was holding the book upside down), it made me believe I was going to be settling down to a cute young adult novel, but to my delight it ended up being something so much more than that. It's true Thief's Covenant could be light and show more funny at times, but at others it was also quite dark, grim and heavy.

For instance, the book opens on page one with a scene following a bloody and brutal massacre, which instantly dispelled any sort of preconceived notions on my part. But this I considered to be a point in the book's favor, along with the fact that it doesn't seem to fall prey to typical Young Adult genre conventions (I for one thought the decision to forgo a romantic arc was brave but ultimately wise).

As such, I really think a wider audience can enjoy this without being worried about it feeling "too YA". In fact, I couldn't help but keep comparing this to Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, not only for the obvious similarities like the subject of the orphaned thief and the past-present format of the novel, but because Thief's Covenant also contains the kind of unexpected plot twists and gut-wrenching story developments that are so characteristic of the Gentleman Bastard books.

Being such a slim volume, I was also pleasantly surprised at the richness of the setting and how layered the story is. This book takes place in a world where every person, from the wealthiest noble to the grimy street urchin, worships one of the dozens of gods approved by the Hallowed Pact. Widdershins, however, is a follower of the almost-forgotten minor deity Olgun, but their worshipper-worshipped relationship is one that is unlike any other. Olgun is in fact a major presence in Widdershins' life, or more accurately, a rather major one in her head. Like I said, there's plenty of cheer in this book too, and the playful banter between the two of them is a very good example of the humor you will find to break up the tension.

I only wish the story had been better paced; part of this is due to the aforementioned time jumps which occur quite frequently, with flashbacks to an earlier part of Widdershins' life almost every other chapter. On the one hand this was a very good way to give us a better idea of her character, and I find I really enjoyed her back story. On the other hand, it made the plot feel disjointed and gave the book a slow start.

And yet, one thing I did notice was the carefully planned and measured way the chapters were laid out, done with such a subtle elegance that the events told in the flashback chapters would always relate to what was happening to Widdershins in the present. In this way, all the questions you'll have about her character and her history will eventually be answered. The steady doling out of details admittedly made this book a little tough to get through for the first half, but the rewarding second half made picking this book up well worth it in the end. show less

Intriguingly witty and fantastic read. Marmell did an excellent job of creating a sly but intelligent character in Adrienne Satti/Widdershins. She may be a thief but she is a righteous one, who just happens to talk to a god, Olgun, that is currently inhabiting her head. It's great to experience a story that is not about romance between two or more characters but rather building a relationship with the reader to want to envelop and invest themselves in the story. I loved experiencing the world through Adrienne's eyes because she has an innocence about her that's....inviting for a lack of better word, though this is not what I'm thinking. She is curious and reckless at times when she should just sit herself down somewhere. Now, this book show more is not all light and fluffy as it contains murder, mayhem, and lots of deception. However, it has many witty and comical moments as well. The plot was set in the present and would go back in the past to give background on how Widdershins got that point or how this character relates to a current event that is taking place in the now moment. Some people may not like this aspect of this book but personally it works fine and doesn't take away from the story at all. The characters are well detailed and developed effectively to bring this story to life. I like that Marmell has no qualms about killing off his characters, so don't get too attached, someone may go before you know it. But who is the question?I think this will be a great book for those that are into action-packed science fiction and fantasy novels with strong-willed female leads. show less

Abandoned about a quarter of the way through. There isn't really anything wrong with it - in fact, the prose is often very deftly turned and there's a lot going on - but for me right now it's too glib, too Thieves-Guild-fantasy, too jumping around the place with its episodes and too ostentatiously raising questions. There's nothing strong and unique about it, for me, and it wasn't holding my interest. (And, to be quite honest, in a story that starts with a room full of brutally dismembered corpses, I don't expect the heroine to be having a cutesy pet-name bantery relationship with the god in her head. Either is great. Both together just doesn't work for me.)

have read other books by Marmell, and even though this one is YA it's still bloody, but not that violent. How to explain, people die, a lot, but it's not shown as it would be in an adult book. Still, poor Widdershins.

At first I was not sure if I would like how it jumped in time, but it worked perfectly. Because each flashback showed me something new. First we got Widdershins as she is now, a young thief with few friends. Then there is poor Adrienne, alone on the streets, a pick-pocket among others. Then there is Adrienne, a young woman of means (and it sure made me wonder how she got there, but I found out.) Things that happened two years ago made Adrienne stop being Adrienne, and Widdershins was born. I liked her, she was tough and she show more has the best sidekick. A God who she can hear, but that the reader can't hear. But I could still see him in my mind and he was too funny.

The story is about a lot of people hunting Widdershins, for different reasons. But it is all connected, even if I will not say how and why. The story worked so well and there was even a surprise gasp from me, oh I loved that surprise. Bravo. But I am being tease now since I will not tell you what that was.

Being the girl I am I am hoping for a romance to blossom, how it would work I do not know, but it is there ;) I am looking forward to book 2 to see if anything happens.

Conclusion:
The ever so cool Widdershins made this my fav Marmell book to date. I liked that the book was dark, yet light and it did not end with a cliffie either which is always appreciated. But still I do want to know what happens next, because things are far from over. I would recommend this one to fantasy lovers, young and old. show less

I was really disappointed in this one. I SO wanted to like it. The premise was interesting, the setting was fabulous, the main character sounded interesting... but it all just fell flat to me. The time jumps made no sense and it made it hard to follow the story line. I think it could have been done in a more linear fashion and would have been so much better. I don't normally mind the time jumps in fiction, but here they just seemed forced and annoying. The setting, when it was described was fabulous, but I kept feeling like there should be more, that I was deprived. I also couldn't find it in myself to really like any of the characters. Or respect them, or feel much of anything really.
Overall, I though the book had fabulous potential show more but just didn't live up to it. show less

Not sure how "YA" this book is, but thoroughly enjoyed the witty descriptions scattered through the story. I did wish it had a 'cast of characters' page to help me keep all the players straight for the first half or more of the book, but very solid overall.