Angel Thieves goes between multiple perspectives, including two present day teens (Cade and Soleil), two slaves in 1845, a captured ocelot, and a Texas bayou. I really enjoyed parts of this book, particularly the story of Achsah, a the slave struggling to escape to Mexico with her daughters, and Cade's life story.
However, some of the sections (they are usually one to three pages long so they don't feel exactly like chapters) seemed unnecessary and repetitive. The ending in particular was a bit anticlimactic and felt rushed. The wonderful storytelling (in some sections) and unique setup of the book were held back by the repetition and somewhat moralizing tone.
*I received this as a Goodreads giveaway.* ( )

I was provided a copy of the book for review purposes. I gave this book four-and-a-half stars, rounding up to five here.

I honestly don’t know where to begin with author Kathi Appelt’s latest young adult novel Angel Thieves! The structure, the characters, the writing – they all come together to make something magical. This isn’t just one story, but several separate stories that slowly intersect, with the common tie amongst them being Bayou.

This was a book that DEMANDED I sit down and savor it. The synopsis was intriguing but admittedly, going into I could not figure out how the different characters and smaller storylines would relate. The plot unwinds slowly, and Appelt doesn’t divulge much of anything at first. Instead, the details are handed out slowly and carefully, not unlike how my son, as a toddler, would carefully and meticulously share Goldfish crackers from his snack cup, placing each tidbit in your hand with studied intent. The story does jump between points of view, and the timeline does as well (hop around, that is) don’t expect a tidy unfolding of the story.

That said, it’s a book with which you need to be patient and just let the story flow. And flow it does, with language that is simply beautiful and lush. Some of the most beautiful passages belong to her characters which have been anthropomorphized, the Buffalo Bayo and Zorra the ocelot, and the chapters on the marble field and the marble carver.

Give us Georgia after the long march, after the thin boy and his people were forced out of their mountains and all they knew, when the marble lay there untouched, quiet, just as it had when it formed on the bottom of the ancient sea floor, pressed down by water and ice, pressed first into limestone and then into marble. Metamorphic. Silent. Rising up through the receding waters until it sat just beneath the Georgia dirt, waiting. Waiting for a new carver.
– from Angel Thieves by Kathi Appelt

The Bayou’s chapters serve to pull the timelines together, present-day and Achsah’s and the era of slavery in Texas after winning its independence from Mexico. It has a mind of its own, traps things in its depths, spitting them up for others to find when it wills it.

The bayou’s no angel, that’s a fact. But who’s to say she hasn’t seen one or two, their tattered wings, their tangled hair.
– from Angel Thieves by Kathi Appelt

The story was eye-opening from a historical standpoint - I was not aware that one reason behind the Texian fight for independence from Mexico was to allow slavery in Texas, necessary for the success of the wealthy landowners to grow cotton and sugar-cane. (Neither did I realize that slavery was illegal in Mexico). It was also new information to me that the underground railroad also ran south to Mexico, allowing slaves in Texas or Louisiana to flee to freedom.

Needless to say, I love any novel that I can walk away from having learned something new. This book offered the opportunity in multiples all the while entertaining.

The different POV wind around each other and wrap up quickly. I confess I did want a little more from Soleil’s story, particularly as it intersected with Cade’s. Overall, though, this book was a delight (you just have to stop asking “what is going on” and let the stories unfold on their own. Angel Thieves is a novel of what we do for those we love, of what makes a family, and of survival. ( )

dnf

I thought it was fantasy, but up until 20% it's YA contemp. it was too dry and info-dumpy for me ( )

(This review will be on my blog All the Ups and Downs soon.)
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I really enjoyed Kathi Appelt's writing style in her children's picture book Max Attacks, so when the chance to read and review her Young Adult novel Angel Thieves presented itself, I decided to give it a read. I'm really glad I did because I fell head over heels in love with this book!

I very much enjoyed the plot of Angel Thieves and found myself immersed in the story from the very first page. It is told from different perspectives including humans, an ocelot, and a bayou which definitely made this book even more interesting! The narrative is told from 1845 through to present time. It all takes place in Houston, Texas. Every perspective is interwoven with each other. We learn about a teenage crush, a father and son duo who steal marble angel statues to make a living, an ocelot who was poached from her home and caught in a hurricane where she's left starving and unable to escape from her cage, a former slave who is trying to help her young daughters escape from being slaves themselves, a bayou who has seen it all, and some other points of view from others throughout Angel Thieves. I was constantly memorized by each chapter, and I was on pins and needles wondering what would happen next. It also helps that the author, Kathi Appelt, is such a fabulous writer who makes all her words come to life with her extraordinary talent! There weren't any major plot twists, but this isn't a book that needs to rely on plot twists to keep it interesting. The writing itself is strong enough to hold its own. There are no cliff hangers, but I would have liked to know a little more about Achsah and her children. There is some mention of them at the end, but I was heavily invested in Achsah's story where I really wanted to know more. However, this doesn't take away from the appeal of the book by no means. Because the prose is so beautifully written, the pacing flows very well. The chapters are mostly all short as well, so it's easy to read this book in one sitting. The world building was done fantastically, and it was obvious that Kathi Appelt had done her research when it came to the plot of her story. In fact, I even learned something when it came to Texas history! I'm also grateful that Kathi Appelt included an author's note at the end of Angel Thieves. It's definitely worth reading even if you don't normally read author's notes. This will give you more of an insight about the real life history that her book is based upon.

I felt like the characters in Angel Thieves were well written and fleshed out perfectly. Kathi Appelt even made a bayou feel like a real person which goes to show how much of a talented writer she really is! I felt Soleil's frustrations with trying to get Cade's attention and her hurt when it came to losing someone close to her. I felt her joy when she was happy. Cade was a great character too. I loved his relationship with his dad. It was obvious how close the two were. It was interesting to see Cade's conflicting emotions when it came to stealing marble angels. One one hand, he wanted to make his dad happy, but he also knew that what they were doing wasn't right. I enjoyed reading about how he dealt with his feelings about that. Zorra, I absolutely loved. My heart went out to this lovely little ocelot who was helpless and taken from everything she'd ever known. I was always hoping she'd be rescued when her next chapter was up. Out of all the characters, my favorite to read about was Achsah. As a mother, I could relate to wanting to keep her children safe no matter what. As a former slave, she had her freedom when her master died, but her daughters were to become slaves to her master's friend. Achsah couldn't and wouldn't let this happen, so she risked everything to keep her girls safe. I felt like Achsah had the most interesting story to tell. I was constantly wishing good things for Achsah and her two little girls. Unfortunately, Achsah's story is based in truth on what happened with a lot of slaves during that horrible period in American history.

Trigger warnings for Angel Thieves include slavery, minor profanity, stealing, a mention of child rape (although not graphic), and some violence (nothing too graphic).

All in all, Angel Thieves is highly interesting read that is also partly educational. It definitely taught me things about Texas that I didn't even know, and I grew up in Texas! Angel Thieves also has such strong characters, and Kathi Appelt's love for this story is apparent on each page. I would definitely recommend Angel Thieves by Kathi Appelt to those aged 14 and older who love getting lost in a good book. This is one book that's very easy to get lost in! An easy 5 out of 5 stars for Angel Thieves!
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(A special thank you to Kathi Appelt for providing me with a hardback of Angel Thieves in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.) ( )