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Intricate tale of thrones, families and feuds
The Smoke Thieves
Sally Green
512pp, £7.99, paperback
ISBN: 0425290212
I'm not a Game of Thrones addict - I tried reading the George RR Martin series and made it only to book two before I got totally confused with the multitude of characters. So, hurrah for The Smoke Thieves, with clearly defined families and countries, and short, punchy chapters headed with the individuals' names, which leave you in no doubt where you are and who you're reading about. The five protagonists are young (and therefore resonate with my readers) and very different. The females are strong - Catherine, in particular, is clever and powerful - and the males quite fascinating. There is a clear delineation between good and evil, and the "baddies" are worthy of booing and hissing. Towards the end of the book, they begin to interact, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next in the series.
Gill Ward is senior librarian at Fortismere School, London
Pupil reviews Fantastic fantasy
'Pages of sheer elation'
The Smoke Thieves is a well-written page-turner. The characters have clearly defined personalities and the world is complex,...