Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2024, Thieves' Gambit is a fast paced action adventure filled with daring challenges, driven by emotion, carried by a well written cast and heightened by shock plot twists which will leave readers wanting more from Kayvion Lewis.
From the blurb;
'A deadly heist. A dangerous love. Would you play the Thieves' Gambit?
'Rosalyn Quest was raised by a legendary family of thieves with one rule: trust no one. She plans to escape the glamorous world of heists and double-corsses, when a kidnapping leaves her mother's life hanging in the balance.
'In a desperate bid to save her family, Ross enters the Thieves' Gambit, a cut-throat international competition to crown the world's greatest thief. To win, she must outwit her backstabbing competitors, including her long-time arch nemesis. But can she steal victory from the handsome boy who makes a play for her heart, and who might be hiding the most dangerous secret of all?'
Lewis's debut is fast paced and quick witted, swiftly carrying readers into this complex world of thievery and secrets, and introducing us to our marvellously written and impressive main character Rosalyn Quest.
With the sequel set to release November 2024 now is the best time to dive into the high adrenaline world of Thieves' Quest, as you won't want to have to wait around to find out what happens next after this jaw dropping ending.
Lewis carries the motivation of this novel through emotion, the need to save Rosalyn's mother a ticking clock throughout the novel, pushing her on wards despite multiple opportunities to end it and near constant moral dilemma's forcing her to question her choices. Driving the story further is the mystery of the Thieves' Gambit games, the people behind them and the past that everyone but Rosalyn seems to know about. Throw in a spatter of possible romance and an arch-nemesis who isn't entirely what they seem and you have a novel that you can't put down. While the action of the games, and the various heists therein, keep us occupied Lewis is busy setting up plot twists which will shock readers and leave them desperate for more. As Rosalyn finds her footing in the high stakes competition of the games she's also forced to do something she's never done before, trust people who aren't related to her. As Rosalyn begins to break down the walls her family have built so firmly around her, friendships bloom to life, and we can truly appreciate the finesse of Lewis's international cast. As Rosalyn makes life long friendships the readers are gifted with marvellous characters we hope to see again in Lewis's next novel, each fully realized and well considered, Lewis leaves no character to the side-lines in her considerate portrayal.
A resounding success Lewis has confirmed her place as an author to watch with Thieves' Gambit and we look forward to seeing what more she will bring to the shelves in the years to come.
We give Thieves' Gambit Four Stars
ISBN - 978-1-3985-2212-1 Cover Price - £8.99 First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
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