Thief's Covenant by Ari Marmell

Release Date: February 21, 2012
Publisher: Pyr
Pages: 240
Series: Widdershins Adventures #1
Review Source: For review from Pyr

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Once she was Adrienne Satti. An orphan of Davillon, she had somehow escaped destitution and climbed to the ranks of the city’s aristocracy in a rags-to-riches story straight from an ancient fairy tale. Until one horrid night, when a conspiracy of forces—human and other—stole it all away in a flurry of blood and murder.

Today she is Widdershins, a thief making her way through Davillon’s underbelly with a sharp blade, a sharper wit, and the mystical aid of Olgun, a foreign god with no other worshippers but Widdershins herself. It’s not a great life, certainly nothing compared to the one she once had, but it’s hers.

But now, in the midst of Davillon’s political turmoil, an array of hands are once again rising up against her, prepared to tear down all that she’s built. The City Guard wants her in prison. Members of her own Guild want her dead. And something horrid, something dark, something ancient is reaching out for her, a past that refuses to let her go. Widdershins and Olgun are going to find answers, and justice, for what happened to her—but only if those who almost destroyed her in those years gone by don’t finish the job first.

My Thoughts:
‘Thief’s Covenant’ was one of those books that it took me a little while to get into. The pacing was a bit slow to start with, and I found it difficult to adjust to the narration which flips back and forth being different time settings (such as “Now”, “Four Years Ago”, “Eight Years Ago”, etc.). However once the main story had been set up, and once I was used to the writing style, I was definitely hooked.

I loved how impish Adrienne/Widdershins was, despite her having been through so much. I also loved her back and forth banter with Olgun. At first it was strange to read about, but I grew to really enjoy how Olgun was a consistent presence. It felt like such a unique concept to have a god as a real part of a character, one who aided Widdershins while also depending on her.

What I appreciated most about this book is that the setting felt real. You could actually believe in this world with its religion and mythology, because there was so much depth to it. The only thing that could’ve made the book better in this regard is a map. Maps in fantasy books are almost a given, so it was too bad that there wasn’t one here; I would’ve enjoyed seeing the different locations in relation to one another. Another addition that would’ve benefitted the book is a glossy of characters. There were so many characters in ‘Thief’s Covenant’ that they were hard to keep track of. Each of them played an interesting and integral part of the story, but I kept getting frustrated when I couldn’t remember their exact role.

Despite these small reservations I truly enjoyed this book. The mystery was interesting, and I’m quite smitten with Widdershins. I loved how she was an incredibly tough character who also had a great personality. I definitely can’t wait to see what adventure awaits her in ‘False Covenant.’

The Cover:
I like it! It's tough to make illustration look more YA and edgy, and this really succeeds.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Thief's Covenant by Ari Marmell on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.