Museum of Thieves

Unexpectedly fun, yet solid fantastical adventure. It's creepy, and the fantastic elements are a mixture of a twisted social setting, plus some wondrous magic - none of the standard fantasy elements here. I liked the imaginativeness of what's going on, and the weird Museum is definitely something I feel the urge to explore more. I also enjoyed the characters and their arcs (a bit simplistic, but it IS a children's book!) and found the writing skipped along smoothly and plump with character.

In Museum of Thieves, we meet twelve-year-old Goldie Roth. She's not a bad child, but she chafes at the restrictions placed on her. You see, in the City of Jewel, children are kept safe by being literally attached to an adult at all times -- either a parent, or one of the Blessed Guardians. The practice stems from the early days of the city, when there were dangers like slave traders, stagnant and disease-ridden pools of water, and feral dogs and cats all over the city. Now, hundereds of years after those dangers have been mostly mitigated, the children are still kept safe at the expense of any sort of personal freedom. Goldie looks forward to Separation Day, when she will at last be able to go without the silver chains she has worn all show more her life, and the constant companionship of the Blessed Guardians. But when Goldie's Separation Day is postponed due to a shocking tragedy, Goldie runs away. She manages to evade the Blessed Guardians and finds sanctuary in the Museum of Dunt, a mysterious little building that houses artifacts related to the history of the city, dating back to before the time the city was called Jewel. And, as Goldie will learn, the museum houses much more than just artifacts . . .

This story has mystery and adventure and friendship, fantastical creatures and nefarious plots, music and magic. The writing is good and the audiobook narration is also excellent. I definitely recommend it to fans of juvenile fantasy! show less

The children of Dunt are well protected; too well protected. They all look forward to Separation Day, when they will be separated from the Blessed Guardians. They will be able to make their own way in the world. And no one looks forward to this day more than twelve year old Godlen Roth, who is full of life and boldness. When she makes a grand escape from Separation Day after something goes terribly wrong, she finds herself drawn by shadows to the Museum of Dunt, where she is taken in and promised protection…at least, protection from the Guardians and their evil plans. However, the Museum, as small as it may look on the outside, has much more to it than anyone could ever imagine on the inside. More secrets, more life, more terrifying show more discoveries. And to stay alive, Goldie must join Toadspit, Herro Dan, Olga Ciavolga, and Sinew in their quest to keep this museum under control, and away from prying eyes.

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When I find an original book amongst the many unoriginal books out there (some good, some not), it’s like receiving a trophy. I discovered this one, bought it, and my sister got to it first. It’s so good, Sierra, she kept telling me. It’s so original! Soon after I began reading it, I found that it truly was original. Now, I’ve read similar books, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher being one of them. However, what made it original was the air it gave off. I’ve never felt the way I did while reading it in any other book. Which brings me to my one-word description: strange. Yes, strange. This book is strange, in all the best kinds of ways. Strange ideas, strange buildings, strange world, strange characters – all to carry you away and make you a part of their story.

Speaking of the characters, I do have a favorite character in this story. The Fugleman. But I won’t say anything else or I’ll spoil some surprises! However, while I did love the characters and wish the best for them, some of them, including the lead, were flat. Goldie, Herro Dan, and the Grand Protector lacked the life I wish they had. However, Olga Ciavolga, the Blessed Guardians, Toadspit, Sinew, and of course the Fugleman were all wonderful.

And while I wasn’t as drawn to some of the characters as I’d hoped, it didn’t bother me one bit. I didn’t even notice it until the end, actually. The reason? The writing and story line. They were so amazing that the story didn’t need revolutionary characters to fill in. The story line twisted and turned and led me to exactly where I should be – waiting for the sequal, City of Lies, which I happily plan on reading as soon as it is released. show less

Description: Welcome to the tyrannical city of Jewel, where impatience is a sin and boldness is a crime.

Goldie Roth has lived in Jewel all her life. Like every child in the city, she wears a silver guardchain and is forced to obey the dreaded Blessed Guardians. She has never done anything by herself and won’t be allowed out on the streets unchained until Separation Day.

When Separation Day is canceled, Goldie, who has always been both impatient and bold, runs away, risking not only her own life but also the lives of those she has left behind. In the chaos that follows, she is lured to the mysterious Museum of Dunt, where she meets the boy Toadspit and discovers terrible secrets. Only the cunning mind of a thief can understand the show more museum’s strange, shifting rooms. Fortunately, Goldie has a talent for thieving.

Which is just as well, because the leader of the Blessed Guardians has his own plans for the museum—plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves. And it will take a daring thief to stop him. . . .
Museum of Thieves is a thrilling tale of destiny and danger, and of a courageous girl who has never been allowed to grow up—until now.

Thoughts: There seems to be a new trend in literature where authors are writing about AMAZING buildings, buildings with personality and hidden depths. This year alone I've read A Discovery of Witches that has an amazing house, The Grimm Legacy that is set in the wonderful New York Circulating Material Repository, and I'd even count The Night Circus with it's ever changing tents and exhibits. And now, The Museum of Thieves, which focuses on The Museum of Dunt.

I happen to really like all of the buildings (or circuses) in each of these books. They are all places that I would readily and eagerly explore. And the descriptions of these places are usually rich and detailed and leave you dying to know more. The problem, however, in every instance- save The Night Circus- is that the stories don't seem to ever really live up to the places.

This is certainly the case in The Museum of Thieves. While the main characters of Goldie and Toadspit, and even Broo, are well fleshed out, the rest of the cast is pretty one dimensional. There are good guys and bad guys and people who are loved and people who are feared/resented but there is no depth at all. There is no explanation as to how The Keepers are, well, the Keepers. The reader has no real reason to like or trust them except that we're told they are the good guys. They have almost no discernible traits. Not that they aren't interesting, because they are, but it just didn't feel like enough to carry a story.

While the world building was intriguing, the overarching plot didn't have enough substance. I finished this one feeling a little flat. The standout character of the museum couldn't hold it all together. And, from what I've read about the next book in the series, the museum isn't really going to be a factor in the story since the action takes place away from the city. Which means I most likely won't be following up.

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I can't tell you how many times I've ordered this book from the library and then ended up returning it without reading a single page. My mom took advantage of how long I've had the Museum of Thieves by reading not only this book but the rest of the trilogy while I hadn't even started the first book. I finally gave this book a chance and it proved to be as amazing as a dystopian could be. The time flew as I became entranced by the museum and its characters. The world in which Goldie lived in was filled with injustice. Children are forced to be chained to their parents or a Blessed Guardian at all times. All Goldie wants is her freedom yet when she takes the chance she places her family in danger. As a fugitive she crosses paths with show more Sinew, a master of concealment, who brings her to the Museum of Dunt where she will learn the secrets of being a thief and what perils the city of Jewel is about to face.

The Museum of Thieves was way better than I expected. It's chalk full of originality. I was irritated whenever the Blessed Guardians appeared - they had chapters dedicated to their POV. I could just hear their smug voices resonating through my head. The whole concept of children being chained up to them for their "protection" was both brilliant and aggravating only because the characters in Goldie's world were ignorant to how wrong they were treating their children. The Museum of Dunt is actually this labyrinth that keeps evil at bay. It's this alive structure that is starting to become infuriated by events unfolding in the city of Jewel. When the Blessed Guardians and the Fugleman start plotting something big it's up to the thieves of the museum to stop him at all costs before they unleash terror to the city streets of Jewel.

Goldie learns everything about how to be a thief from the caretakers of the museum including Toadspit, another runaway who doesn't take too kindly to her presence. She also meets the last brizzlehound a creature that can be a small dog one moment and a huge ferocious animal the next. All the characters have a very distinct personality and most of them being thieves makes them even more interesting. I don't have anything bad to say about any of them or this book. It had a great setting, cast of characters, and I was thoroughly entertained. I'm eager to read the rest of the series. Considering the ending of this story the next book is going to awesome. show less

I really liked this, and am eager to read the next two!

There's a city where they've gone to extensive lengths to protect the children--no animals in the city, the kids have to wear a chain/rope *all the time* in case of kid snatchers, and one girl cut herself at age 6 by accident, and she had a month of bedrest.

There's a corrupt group of kidprotectors, of course.

Man, teaching kids that adults will use "but what about the children!?!?" to justify corruption--this is good stuff.

A new and exciting journey has just begun with Museum of Thieves, first in The Keepers series by Lian Tanner. Goldie lives in Jewel -- a city that is so afraid of anything bad happening to their children that they keep them on leashes until the age of eighteen and shelter them to a ridiculous point. When Goldie (short for Golden) decides to make her escape one day, she ends up hiding in the Museum of Dunt, a magical place where all of the danger and trouble of the town has been secretly hidden. And when corrupt leaders in the city decide to unleash the darkness in order to gain more power, it's up to Goldie and the museum keepers to stop them.

Though it took a while to become oriented in this strange and unpredictable world, this book show more really paid off by the end. Goldie is a great heroine who makes a lot of difficult decisions but gets through tough times by listening to her instincts. She isn't perfect but she is willing to learn. And the supporting characters in the book are quite interesting as well. The museum keepers are a unique bunch of misfits. One small complaint was that the villains were extremely shallow characters. But at the same time, I will admit that they made my heart leap into my throat many times. They were quite scary!

The novel was somewhat obvious in its critique of "helicopter parenting" and I'm sure that there will be some kids who are reading it that will feel a bit of familiarity with Goldie's frustrations at never being allowed off her leash (literally). I wonder if those overprotective parents who read this book with their children will be horrified by the dangerous situations that Goldie and Toadspit (another runaway) get into or if they will realize that children are more capable of bravery, ingenuity and strength when they are given the opportunity to develop these characteristics as they are growing up.

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