Review: Thief’s Covenant Thief’s Covenant (A Widdershins Adventure) by Ari Marmell Hardcover: 273 pages Publisher: Pyr (February 14, 201...

Review: Thief’s Covenant

Thief’s Covenant (A Widdershins Adventure)
by Ari Marmell
Hardcover: 273 pages
Publisher: Pyr (February 14, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1616145471
ISBN-13: 978-1616145477

Product description:

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:

While “Thief’s Covenant” is written for the YA crowd, I have to admit that this 53 year-old enjoyed this novel. I admit that I was a little concerned with the structure of the book. The novel began with a double flashback, first two years in the epilogue then eight years in Chapter one.  In time, I slipped into the story and anticipated the multiple chapters of flashbacks.
The pace of the book was great and I really had empathy for the main character. The Renaissance-like setting was a nice change. The minor deity tagging along with Widdershins was handled very well.
There is something very nostalgic about reading High Fantasy fiction. I couldn’t help but think of my Dragonlance books and my old Dungeon and Dragons days. I can certainly feel a Dungeons and Dragons vibe in Marmell’s work.
All in all, I highly recommend “Thief’s Covenant” for the YA (young adult) crowd. Having said that, I have no problem recommending this book for those who want to tackle something a little different.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Pyr. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”