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ruckus1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
autumn_sunfire's review against another edition
5.0
I did not have high hopes for this book; mostly because of the cover. Mine was NOT the same cover featured on the Goodreads profile, but a female model dominating the cover in a full-length pose to show off her dress of bygone eras, a coy look in her eye, slapped onto fuzzy background with nothing to catch my interest. Typical YA clickbait cover. I may be the odd one out, but I'm not attracted to that style.
Trash, my brain said.
I was pleasantly surprised.
This book reads like something I would have been assigned for literature in middle school — which is a compliment, since my school curriculum was generally the quality pick of the crop. I would have loved it then, and I love it now.
The Diamond Thief is a steampunk novel set in Victorian London. I found the historical aspect charming and reasonably accurate, and the steampunk element subtle but interesting. Quite honestly, this is my first experience with steampunk, but if they’re all like this book, give me more.
We kick off with Rémy Brunel, a French trapeze artist, and Thaddeus Rec, a young officer of Scotland Yard. At first glance, the lives of these two seem like they should barely touch, much less impact one another. And then you realize that Rémy is the Diamond Thief… and Thaddeus is the Law.
I was in by this point. So in. I wanted to see how Rémy’s survival, street-smart mindset played off Thaddeus’ admirable sense of honor and morality, and how on earth they were going to get a reconciliation, but oh, I was not expecting the next twist.
Two words: false accusation
And it’s not what you think.
I love the characters. Rémy is tough and sweet and genuine, still a girl for all her experience and hard knocks. Her pertness and adorable accent won me over, but her motivations — she wants to do all the wrong things for the right reasons — made me root for her. Thaddeus is precious and I want to hug him. The growing attraction between them starts off a little fast-paced, but it’s balanced out by their personal growth and a few more wrenches thrown in later. Besides, by the end it felt more like platonic affection, with a tinge of uncertain romance, which was fine by me.
Glancing over other reviews, I found people complained about The Diamond Thief being juvenile. But that’s just the appeal of it. It’s not a heavy book — nobody could call it that. It is a fun, adventuresome book where the stakes are clear but not insultingly simple, and the characters are memorable, dynamic people with proper growth arcs. It’s a book you’d pick up if you were feeling like something fast-paced and cozy.
Besides, the ending left me wanting the sequel. Now that’s what I call a good book. I haven’t had the chance to check back at the library yet, but mark my words, it’s going to happen soon.
Trash, my brain said.
I was pleasantly surprised.
This book reads like something I would have been assigned for literature in middle school — which is a compliment, since my school curriculum was generally the quality pick of the crop. I would have loved it then, and I love it now.
The Diamond Thief is a steampunk novel set in Victorian London. I found the historical aspect charming and reasonably accurate, and the steampunk element subtle but interesting. Quite honestly, this is my first experience with steampunk, but if they’re all like this book, give me more.
We kick off with Rémy Brunel, a French trapeze artist, and Thaddeus Rec, a young officer of Scotland Yard. At first glance, the lives of these two seem like they should barely touch, much less impact one another. And then you realize that Rémy is the Diamond Thief… and Thaddeus is the Law.
I was in by this point. So in. I wanted to see how Rémy’s survival, street-smart mindset played off Thaddeus’ admirable sense of honor and morality, and how on earth they were going to get a reconciliation, but oh, I was not expecting the next twist.
Two words: false accusation
And it’s not what you think.
I love the characters. Rémy is tough and sweet and genuine, still a girl for all her experience and hard knocks. Her pertness and adorable accent won me over, but her motivations — she wants to do all the wrong things for the right reasons — made me root for her. Thaddeus is precious and I want to hug him. The growing attraction between them starts off a little fast-paced, but it’s balanced out by their personal growth and a few more wrenches thrown in later. Besides, by the end it felt more like platonic affection, with a tinge of uncertain romance, which was fine by me.
Glancing over other reviews, I found people complained about The Diamond Thief being juvenile. But that’s just the appeal of it. It’s not a heavy book — nobody could call it that. It is a fun, adventuresome book where the stakes are clear but not insultingly simple, and the characters are memorable, dynamic people with proper growth arcs. It’s a book you’d pick up if you were feeling like something fast-paced and cozy.
Besides, the ending left me wanting the sequel. Now that’s what I call a good book. I haven’t had the chance to check back at the library yet, but mark my words, it’s going to happen soon.
ruthalice's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
2.0
A circus performer-come-jewel thief gets tangled in a steampunk-style adventure in Victorian London. It turned out to be very much a child’s book, I had hoped that wouldn’t affect my enjoyment of it, but it did. Despite having the bones of a great adventure, it began to feel very cliche in parts and I was cringing a lot as the story went on - It could. however, be a good choice for 11-14-year-olds.
thechroniclesofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This has been sat on my shelf for 8 years! Glad to have finally read it. The main reasons I still read children and young teen books are 1) because they can be fun 2) I’m a teacher and like to keep updated with books to recommend to my children.
So I would this is a fairly good Victorian mystery (with a slight hint of steampunk and fantasy) for children. I would say it’s on the older side of 9-12 so unfortunately a bit older than the children I teach. So not one that I can recommend to my class. It is a bit cliche with some of the plot but on the whole, a fun little mystery book involving some crazy acrobatics and inventions.
So I would this is a fairly good Victorian mystery (with a slight hint of steampunk and fantasy) for children. I would say it’s on the older side of 9-12 so unfortunately a bit older than the children I teach. So not one that I can recommend to my class. It is a bit cliche with some of the plot but on the whole, a fun little mystery book involving some crazy acrobatics and inventions.
melissasbookshelf's review
3.0
Fun steampunk novel set in England in the late 1800's. A thief and inspector have to work to recover a lost diamond and stop a madman. This is full of plenty of action, steampunk machines, and a light romance. A pretty good YA read. I'd probably read the next book in the series.
nadyapont's review against another edition
3.0
kind of hard to get through the middle
okay storyline
more adventure than mystery
okay storyline
more adventure than mystery
_camk_'s review against another edition
2.0
In regards to this book - another review by a Goodreader called Krishna sums up all that is wrong with this book. I found myself picking at flaws on every page. The plot is boringly far fetched and evident.
The main point of irritation for me was the love story - boy admits after one week of knowing girl, he loves her. Gosling even writes in the book how silly it is. It is super silly, especially since Remy and Thaddeaus didn't even have one meaningful conversation to get to know each other in book.
Spoiler
Also, where did the fire magic come from?The main point of irritation for me was the love story - boy admits after one week of knowing girl, he loves her. Gosling even writes in the book how silly it is. It is super silly, especially since Remy and Thaddeaus didn't even have one meaningful conversation to get to know each other in book.
kpeet's review against another edition
2.0
**I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
**2.5 stars**
Gosling is gifted in her world-building. Vivid descriptions abound of places, people, and events. Everything is imaginable with crystal-clear quality...almost to a fault. In a few instances I found the descriptions tiresome and boring. However! The story itself is far from boring. Reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes (perhaps because of the similar time period), the plot is full of intrigue. Not to Doyle's standard but a great effort nonetheless.
Thaddeus also made for a strong supportive character, if not misguided by a forced romance. In the beginning he was marked by sound moral character and conviction...by the end, he was flimsy like plastic wrap, bent to Rémy's wishes.
One of the biggest problems is that the romance felt very inauthentic. Rémy wants nothing to do with love but mere pages later she is casting furtive glances in Thaddeus's direction and he was telling her he loved her. I didn't buy it.
Other problems were more minor. J's voice was awful. There is a line between authentic and overdone and Gosling landed far on the latter side. The Professor, Thaddeus, and Desai all lacked any real backstory and seemed to me to merely serve a function and be done with it. The traitor, the lover, and the sage. How did Desai get his powers? That was never explained, and all the characters seemed to accept that. Another issue was that I often felt like I was being told what to feel or think instead of being shown, something universally frowned upon in literature.
I also didn't buy the ending. Everything wrapped up really nicely and way too cleanly with too little effort for my taste. How did Rémy and Thaddeus escape? They just happened to be on the shore? The mute just happened to tell everyone where Rémy was taken to after someone guessed where she was at and took her home?
Abernathy wasn't a believable villain. Because his plans were rejected by his peers, he suddenly turns mad and decides to take down the entire government of the British Empire. That's convenient. He never scared or shocked me. Most of the time I thought he was a bit silly and I was waiting for the real villain to appear.
Summary
This book was just okay for me. It had a lot of potential but fell short when it really mattered. Superficial characters, a too-perfect ending, and a weak villain made this book suffer. Not an awful read, but not anything to get overly excited about. A good read if you don't expect too much.
**2.5 stars**
Gosling is gifted in her world-building. Vivid descriptions abound of places, people, and events. Everything is imaginable with crystal-clear quality...almost to a fault. In a few instances I found the descriptions tiresome and boring. However! The story itself is far from boring. Reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes (perhaps because of the similar time period), the plot is full of intrigue. Not to Doyle's standard but a great effort nonetheless.
Thaddeus also made for a strong supportive character, if not misguided by a forced romance. In the beginning he was marked by sound moral character and conviction...by the end, he was flimsy like plastic wrap, bent to Rémy's wishes.
One of the biggest problems is that the romance felt very inauthentic. Rémy wants nothing to do with love but mere pages later she is casting furtive glances in Thaddeus's direction and he was telling her he loved her. I didn't buy it.
Other problems were more minor. J's voice was awful. There is a line between authentic and overdone and Gosling landed far on the latter side. The Professor, Thaddeus, and Desai all lacked any real backstory and seemed to me to merely serve a function and be done with it. The traitor, the lover, and the sage. How did Desai get his powers? That was never explained, and all the characters seemed to accept that. Another issue was that I often felt like I was being told what to feel or think instead of being shown, something universally frowned upon in literature.
I also didn't buy the ending. Everything wrapped up really nicely and way too cleanly with too little effort for my taste. How did Rémy and Thaddeus escape? They just happened to be on the shore? The mute just happened to tell everyone where Rémy was taken to after someone guessed where she was at and took her home?
Abernathy wasn't a believable villain. Because his plans were rejected by his peers, he suddenly turns mad and decides to take down the entire government of the British Empire. That's convenient. He never scared or shocked me. Most of the time I thought he was a bit silly and I was waiting for the real villain to appear.
Summary
This book was just okay for me. It had a lot of potential but fell short when it really mattered. Superficial characters, a too-perfect ending, and a weak villain made this book suffer. Not an awful read, but not anything to get overly excited about. A good read if you don't expect too much.
mary_r_m's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to netgalley.com and Capstone for allowing me access to this title.
A delightful read. It had a bit of everything: a great heist, mystery, and a bit of romance. Very endearing charaters.
A delightful read. It had a bit of everything: a great heist, mystery, and a bit of romance. Very endearing charaters.