The Magic Thief - Book Review

The Magic Thief
By Sarah Prineas
HarperCollins Publishers
2008
Illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo

Dedication: To Maud, who laughed in all the right places

Target Age Group: Boys or Girls, ages 10 to 14

Must Read
Good Read
Should Read

Synopsis

Someone is stealing all the magic from the town of Wellmet. Nevery, a magician banished from Wellmet 20 years ago, has been called back to solve the mystery.

Enter Conn, a boy between 12 and 14 years old, orphaned, hungry and a thief. When he hears a cane tapping on a dark rainy night, he figures the old man’s purse will pay for his dinner. But what he steals isn’t money – it’s Nevery's locus magicalicus, a stone that helps a magician focus his spells.

Conn knows he’s in big trouble, he just doesn’t realize how much trouble. But from that moment on, his life will never be the same.

Book Review

After a summer of reading more than one disappointing book (none of which will be reviewed here), The Magic Thief was a delightful surprise. It was fun, creative and engaging.

Told in first person from Conn’s point of view, the author give us other characters’ perspectives by using letters and a diary. This technique is very effective.

But Conn’s journey is the main reason to read this book. He’s a wonderful character you’d love to have pick your pocket.

This is Sarah Prineas's debut novel. Her second novel in this series, The Magic Thief: Lost, has recently been released.

Amazon Links

The Magic Thief (Book 1 in Paperback)
The Magic Thief: Lost (Book 2 of The Magic Thief) - Hardback

Characters

Connwaer – Our hero, he goes by the nickname, Conn. He doesn't really know how old he is, but we're guessing he's between 12 and 14. He’s lived on the streets for a long time, and has quick hands for pick-pocketing, and at least one set of lock-pick wires with him at all times.

Nevery Flinglas – The crusty old wizard whose locus magicalicus Conn stole. Nevery has returned to Wellmet after 20 years' banishment to help the other wizards discover what is happening to Wellmet’s slowly disappearing magic.

Benet – A tall brutish fellow hired by Nevery as "muscle." But he has several other talents that would surprise you.

Brumbee – A fat man, Brubmee is a wizard and the Master of Wellmet Academicos. He is also the person who asked Nevery to come back to Wellmet to help solve the problem of the disappearing magic.

Rowan Forestal – A tall girl, 15 year old, without any magical powers sitting in on the magician’s apprentice classes at Wellmet Academicos. She’s been assigned as Conn’s tutor.

Keeston – The best apprentice at Wellmet Academicos, he’s big and proud, and doesn’t think that Conn should be anyone’s apprentice.

Underlord Crowe – The villain of our story. As Conn says, "Only one thing ever happened to anybody who crossed the Underlord. And it involved weights and chains and the river on a dark night.”