Betrayal of Thieves

Betrayal of Thieves is the second in a fantasy series by C. Greenwood. I have not read the first book, but had no problems picking up the story line and from the contents inferring things which had occurred in the first.
The author takes the time to delineate the scenes and objects used in the story. From descriptions, the reader can view himself sitting on the river rafts with the people who live their lives on them. The characters are likable and realistic, giving the reader a chance to identify with them. Once I started reading the book I was drawn into it and before I knew it I was at the end, wondering what I had missed. Although I enjoyed reading the story, I felt it was too short and not really a book. I thought it to be a show more portion in the middle of a story. Even though the writing is excellent, had I not received it as a review copy, I would have returned it and expected a refund. When I purchase a book, I expect it to be full and comprehensive, ie Game of Thrones, The Hobbit, Two Graves just to mention a few. show less

I love when an author can build on a series and make the subsequent books even better than the first, and C. Greenwood has done just that. The first book in this series (Magic of Thieves) was good, but Betrayal of Thieves was everything I hoped it would be. The story moved along at a steady clip (though there was one awkward spot in the book where the story advanced by several months in a way that was not entirely clear) and kept me eagerly turning the page (or, taping the screen of my Kindle, to be more accurate). I really enjoyed the character of Fleet, and I have to say, I did not see the Terrac twist coming at all! One thing I would have liked is to have been able to get to know Hadrian a little more--he was present throughout a lot show more of the book, but I don't really feel that I know that much about him yet--but I suppose that is what book 3 is for! Can't wait to read what comes next!

I received a free copy of Betrayal of Thieves in exchange for an honest review. show less

(Disclaimer: Received this ebook free through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway review program)

This ebook, Betrayal of Thieves, Legends of Dimmingwood, Book 2, is pretty much dialogue and narrative based, very low on action. I found this ebook enjoyable, just not quite the same level as Book 1, Magic of Thieves. I'm curious to see where Book 3 may go, someday.

I'm not alway onboard with 1st person narratives, but just like
Book 1 in the Legends of Dimmingwood, Betrayal of Thieves still moves smoothly and I really like the main character, Ilan, an orphaned magicker (race resembling drow, in my opinion) living among humans. She's a bit fiery, but loyal to all she names friend. The book's 1st person viewpoint is hers.

She must rescue a show more friend, Terrac, who's been taken by the forces of the Praetor, the ruler of the lands of which Dimmingwood is a part. But not all is as it seems, as Ilan finds out at the end.

I must say, again, this is a novella (my epub format was 125 pages) and I really feel that I'd love to have experienced the 4 books in the series as one epic several hundred page novel. I'm only guessing that Books 3 & 4 are both like 1 & 2, roughly 100-130 epub pages formatted. Just my belief, because the first two, at least, would have been a great action packed start and then leading into more plot development and furthering Ilan's discovery of the Praetor's secret and also strengthening her innate magical ability.

This book brings in an interesting character only briefly brought forth in Book 1, a tough fighter turned priest named Hadrian. He's a nice, solid balance to Ilan's youth and impulsive reactions. And of course, the new character Fleet, a streetwise thief, will appeal to those who like a brash rogue.

This was a good, solid, piece of light fantasy that I think is a perfectly easy read for anyone to fill an afternoon.

My pet peeves are typos; spelling, missed words, obvious grammar issues, etc. This book had just a very few little things that can be overlooked unless you're a 9th grade English teacher. : )

I'd recommend this ebook for any fantasy reader, even dabblers in the genre. No complex world-building, but perfectly likeable main characters. Just remember it's a novella and you'll probably be tempted to read all 4 books in the series so you get a full appreciation of Ilan's world. show less

I won this book on LibraryThing's Member Giveaway.

Ilan starts to think for herself and tries to help out her friends while trying to reevaluate who she is and what she wants from life.

I thought the story was good fun. It elaborated nicely on the previous story, adding in back stories and whatnot. There were some things that irritated me like, Ilan's random mood swings, her bizarre loyalty to the Hand, Terrec's shift in feelings for Ilan and what caused that. But these are just minor, preference type stuff really.

Overall, a fun read! Probably really good for kids who don't like the idea of reading a long chapter book. Good stuff.

Ilan journeys to Selbius in the hopes of rescuing Terrac from harm. Ilan also hopes to gain some knowledge of how to control the magic within her with Hadrian's help. Ilan finds that life in Selbius is very different from life in Dimmingwood. Ilan hopes to blend in with city folks and not be robbed either. Ilan hopes to meet Hadrian during the festival but she's attacked and misses the meeting. Ilan aids a thief named Fleet in his bid to freedom from the city guards. Ilan demands that Fleet help her find Hadrian to call their debt even. Hadrian is surprised by Ilan's appearance yet pleased all the same. Hadrian plans to teach Ilan to use her magic better but is disturbed by Skeltai bow in Ilan's possession. Hadrian learns the show more whereabouts of Terrac that are full of disturbing news for Ilan. Will Ilan rescue Terrac? Can Hadrian teach Ilan? What disturbing news of Terrac? Your answers await you in Betrayal of Thieves.

Again another fast paced read chalk full of surprises from beginning to end. Ilan keeps surprising me as character which is wonderful. I find that Ilan to be more mature and complex in this book. I love ineractions between Fleet and Hadrian. I can't wait to see what this author will do next in this series. show less

Book 2 picks up right where book one ended. I liked seeing how Ilan seemed to grow up during her search for her friend. Again, I found myself quite disappointed at how abruptly the story ended. I felt like there should have been a bit more in the way of tying up some loose ends, but I'm sure where this one ends, the third will pick up. So Hurry Up and finish book 3!

As usual I paid nothing for this book but instead received it for free as part of a LibraryThing giveaway. It's also worth mentioning that I read only this second book in the series and not the first.

In a nutshell, our protagonist finds herself on a quest across the continent in search of her kidnapped friend. During her journey she finds herself increasingly under the thrall of an ancient artifact that has come into her possession (think "Precciousssss")

From a pure writing standpoint our author does fairly well. She's written a simple and readable story that is quick and easy to consume. It goes down easy. Sadly, I think it goes down almost too easily. The book is listed at 181 pages and in those pages almost nothing of real show more consequence happens. I realize that I'm starting in the middle and this is the second book in the series but it just seems to take a long time to go nowhere.

Typically, in any book, even a middle book in a series there's some 'hook' to keep you coming back for more. Unfortunately, there's no hook. Perhaps it's hidden in the first book. My advice to readers who want to get anything from this is to just buy the whole series. While the author does a reasonable job of 'catching up' newcomers there's not enough there to inspire me to go back and read the first. Perhaps if I'd started there things would have worked out differently.

In summary, sadly, much ado about nothing. Well written but very slow and very drawn out. Luckily it's very readable but when you arrive at the end you rather wonder what you read and why you bothered. show less