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phalgun's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wildfaeriecaps's review
5.0
So grateful to get to read an early copy of this book!
Okay, surface level stuff: the worldbuilding here is phenomenal. There's an intricate mythos and political system. It never felt force-fed, though. Cat has a talent for this. Their work has always drawn me in and told me exactly what I need to know without overwhelming me. It's brilliant. Tet was an easy character to love. He's so human, it hurts. Flawed and angry and resigned and adaptable and just trying to get by. I love him.
I saw the twist coming, not going to lie there. But you know what? It was still very satisfying. Everything lines up exactly as it should and keeps you turning pages. And that end? Loved it.
Deeper level stuff: holy wow, my people. This book spoke to me. Maybe I'm projecting my own thoughts and issues here, but that's what art is for, right? To help us grow as people and see inside ourselves? And sometimes, outside of ourselves as well. Anyway. At its core, I want to say this book was about finding yourself. Accepting the facets of you that are more prickly than others. Shifting them around until they fit snug against other pieces--even if that means grinding down some edges or filling in the gaps like that amazing kintsugi pottery until you are something new and beautiful and intrinsically *you*
Anyone who knows me is well aware that Cat Hellisen is my favorite author of all time. I stand firmly by every book they've ever written and find the world a brighter place because of both them and their work. This book was no exception. It is beautiful and heartbreaking and soul-mending. Which is to say, you should absolutely buy and read this book.
Okay, surface level stuff: the worldbuilding here is phenomenal. There's an intricate mythos and political system. It never felt force-fed, though. Cat has a talent for this. Their work has always drawn me in and told me exactly what I need to know without overwhelming me. It's brilliant. Tet was an easy character to love. He's so human, it hurts. Flawed and angry and resigned and adaptable and just trying to get by. I love him.
I saw the twist coming, not going to lie there. But you know what? It was still very satisfying. Everything lines up exactly as it should and keeps you turning pages. And that end? Loved it.
Deeper level stuff: holy wow, my people. This book spoke to me. Maybe I'm projecting my own thoughts and issues here, but that's what art is for, right? To help us grow as people and see inside ourselves? And sometimes, outside of ourselves as well. Anyway. At its core, I want to say this book was about finding yourself. Accepting the facets of you that are more prickly than others. Shifting them around until they fit snug against other pieces--even if that means grinding down some edges or filling in the gaps like that amazing kintsugi pottery until you are something new and beautiful and intrinsically *you*
Anyone who knows me is well aware that Cat Hellisen is my favorite author of all time. I stand firmly by every book they've ever written and find the world a brighter place because of both them and their work. This book was no exception. It is beautiful and heartbreaking and soul-mending. Which is to say, you should absolutely buy and read this book.
siavahda's review against another edition
4.0
HIGHLIGHTS
~keep your eye on casual gifts
~clockwork horses
~machinating (not mechanical) dragons
~bugs made of jewels
~an extremely pretty prince of thieves
I knew better than to expect anything specific from Thief Mage Beggar Mage, because if there’s one thing a Hellisen book guarantees (besides fabulous writing), it’s that you are never going to be able to predict what shape the story will take.
You just know it’s going to be amazing.
Thief Mage Beggar Mage kept that promise: nothing went the way I thought it would, and every bit of it was brilliant. Not always comfortable and very often not very happy! But brilliant.
I’ve been a fan of Hellisen for years, but I genuinely think Thief Mage Beggar Mage ratchets it up a notch in terms of prose; lush is not an adequate descriptor for this book, okay? To describe the writing as lush undersells it. This book is sumptuous, and sensual, and simply sublime. And it doesn’t hurt at all that this is a book with a lot of beauty in it; canine gods, silken clothes, clockwork beasties made of gems. I am a shallow creature, all right, I like my fantasy pretty, and Hellisen absolutely delivers with rich, descriptive prose blooming into stunning imagery. This is a book you could get drunk on, a book that so seduces your senses that you can smell the incense clinging to the pages after you’ve closed them. It’s gorgeous.
The story Hellisen spins for us manages to feel both languid and urgent, and no, I can’t tell you exactly how that effect was created, because I don’t understand it myself. Thief Mage Beggar Mage walks the knife-thin, knife-sharp line between beautiful dream and terrible nightmare, weaving sweet lassitude and jewelled wonder with sick dread and terror – because the world Hellisen has created here is as beautiful as it is awful, and poor Tet is caught between too many opposing powers, too many horrible deaths, too many bad options. The story turns like a spiral, first lifting Tet up, then bringing him crashing down, and the tension twists tighter and tighter as the loops of the spiral coil in towards the center – the end of it all.
It’s complicated, and vivid, and twists and turns like a dragon.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
~keep your eye on casual gifts
~clockwork horses
~machinating (not mechanical) dragons
~bugs made of jewels
~an extremely pretty prince of thieves
I knew better than to expect anything specific from Thief Mage Beggar Mage, because if there’s one thing a Hellisen book guarantees (besides fabulous writing), it’s that you are never going to be able to predict what shape the story will take.
You just know it’s going to be amazing.
Thief Mage Beggar Mage kept that promise: nothing went the way I thought it would, and every bit of it was brilliant. Not always comfortable and very often not very happy! But brilliant.
I’ve been a fan of Hellisen for years, but I genuinely think Thief Mage Beggar Mage ratchets it up a notch in terms of prose; lush is not an adequate descriptor for this book, okay? To describe the writing as lush undersells it. This book is sumptuous, and sensual, and simply sublime. And it doesn’t hurt at all that this is a book with a lot of beauty in it; canine gods, silken clothes, clockwork beasties made of gems. I am a shallow creature, all right, I like my fantasy pretty, and Hellisen absolutely delivers with rich, descriptive prose blooming into stunning imagery. This is a book you could get drunk on, a book that so seduces your senses that you can smell the incense clinging to the pages after you’ve closed them. It’s gorgeous.
The story Hellisen spins for us manages to feel both languid and urgent, and no, I can’t tell you exactly how that effect was created, because I don’t understand it myself. Thief Mage Beggar Mage walks the knife-thin, knife-sharp line between beautiful dream and terrible nightmare, weaving sweet lassitude and jewelled wonder with sick dread and terror – because the world Hellisen has created here is as beautiful as it is awful, and poor Tet is caught between too many opposing powers, too many horrible deaths, too many bad options. The story turns like a spiral, first lifting Tet up, then bringing him crashing down, and the tension twists tighter and tighter as the loops of the spiral coil in towards the center – the end of it all.
It’s complicated, and vivid, and twists and turns like a dragon.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
brimmsy's review
1.5
A strange book, and not at all what I expected. It’s all very slow and abstract, and riddled with some truly bizarre analogies. Here’s an example:
He smoked leisurely, the water pipe bubbling like the lungs of a dying child. The sound was soothing, and Tet’s insides relaxed. He hadn’t realized how much he missed that sound.
I’m sorry, what? 😦
Something compelled me to finish, but it was a very awkward, jarring reading experience and there just wasn’t much about it that I actually enjoyed.
justgeekingby's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thief Mage Beggar Mage tells the story of Tet, a former priest-mage who through no fault of his own ends up cursed by the gods following the events of a relic being stolen from his temple. Over the course of the novel his story unwinds, and we learn that there is more to Tet than even he knows. What is clear is that he has angered the gods, and they have taken it out on his flesh. They have carved it into his body, leaving him with terrible chronic pain.
Other disabled readers may be thinking that this is beginning to sound awfully familiar right about now and to begin with that was my concern as well. But Hellisen has not used disability has a plot device. Instead, she has written a diverse fantasy novel with an LGBTQIA+ disabled protagonist and secondary character. At every stage Tet’s pain is recognised and described accurately, including how someone with chronic pain and problems with their knees would move and navigate the world around them.
Tet is the beggar mage mentioned in the title, and Dohza, a wonderful character I dare you not to fall in love with, is the thief mage and a below-the-elbow amputee. While Tet’s chronic pain has limitations for him, neither character lets their disability stop them from doing things. This is especially true for Dohza who is the greatest thief in the kingdom, and it was brilliant to see this in a fantasy novel where usually disabled characters are relegated to the realms of topes, that’s if they exist at all!
The world building of Thief Mage Beggar Mage is very clever and intricate, and I enjoyed following the story as it unwove. I am not familiar with The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen, so many aspects of the story were a surprise to me. While I did overall enjoy this novel I found that the pacing and the feel of Thief Mage Beggar Mage was not quite to my liking. It is more akin to epic fantasy and that can be a hit or a miss for me. This is a personal preference and not a criticism of the book or the author.
Other disabled readers may be thinking that this is beginning to sound awfully familiar right about now and to begin with that was my concern as well. But Hellisen has not used disability has a plot device. Instead, she has written a diverse fantasy novel with an LGBTQIA+ disabled protagonist and secondary character. At every stage Tet’s pain is recognised and described accurately, including how someone with chronic pain and problems with their knees would move and navigate the world around them.
Tet is the beggar mage mentioned in the title, and Dohza, a wonderful character I dare you not to fall in love with, is the thief mage and a below-the-elbow amputee. While Tet’s chronic pain has limitations for him, neither character lets their disability stop them from doing things. This is especially true for Dohza who is the greatest thief in the kingdom, and it was brilliant to see this in a fantasy novel where usually disabled characters are relegated to the realms of topes, that’s if they exist at all!
The world building of Thief Mage Beggar Mage is very clever and intricate, and I enjoyed following the story as it unwove. I am not familiar with The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen, so many aspects of the story were a surprise to me. While I did overall enjoy this novel I found that the pacing and the feel of Thief Mage Beggar Mage was not quite to my liking. It is more akin to epic fantasy and that can be a hit or a miss for me. This is a personal preference and not a criticism of the book or the author.
Content Warnings
jamielikestoread's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
jamesnotlatimer's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Beautifully told, wonderfully inventive; a gem.
casseyt's review
5.0
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
All the happy gleeful squees. I don't have the right words for just how much I enjoyed this read. First off, we know I love Cat's words - they are some of the very best words everywhere. This read, just dang Cat has knocked it out of the atmosphere.
Tet is just... Tet could very easily have been this annoying pitifully character - especially when we meet him. Tet is feeling most sorry for himself, and admittedly things are quite shitty for him. But the magic that is Cat's words has you not getting annoyed with him or feeling pity...Tet has just lived an interesting life. The becoming and unbecoming and becoming of Tet has just been a wonderful thing to read. And let's not forget Dohza, just *all the heart eyes* If you don't love Dohza, we're going to have words.
Ps. I think is is the least angst filled happy ending for the couple I've read from Cat.
*I'm a veery lucky fish and received an ARC of this awesome*
All the happy gleeful squees. I don't have the right words for just how much I enjoyed this read. First off, we know I love Cat's words - they are some of the very best words everywhere. This read, just dang Cat has knocked it out of the atmosphere.
Tet is just... Tet could very easily have been this annoying pitifully character - especially when we meet him. Tet is feeling most sorry for himself, and admittedly things are quite shitty for him. But the magic that is Cat's words has you not getting annoyed with him or feeling pity...Tet has just lived an interesting life. The becoming and unbecoming and becoming of Tet has just been a wonderful thing to read. And let's not forget Dohza, just *all the heart eyes* If you don't love Dohza, we're going to have words.
Ps. I think is is the least angst filled happy ending for the couple I've read from Cat.
*I'm a veery lucky fish and received an ARC of this awesome*
acatwithabook's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0