mary_r_m's review
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.
momoclouds's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
anniedelsignore's review against another edition
3.0
Review at Books, A Novel Idea
*I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Okay, so this book has a lot of my favorite things: Victorian circuses, thievery, diamonds, and curses. Add on an adorable all-about-the-law police officer and I'm immediately hooked. So basically, premise-wise, I loved this book from the beginning, but unfortunately, it didn't really live up to my expectations.
What I liked: The story. Like I said, many of my favorite story tropes in one book is like a dream come true. It was fast paced and action packed and I loved seeing Rémy use her circus training to beat up on the bad guys. I also really liked her hesitation to fall in love and lack of hesitation in being fiercely independent and (not in a bad way) self-centered. Now, I think my absolute favorite thing about this book was little J. Can I get a J spin-off or novela or something pretty please? He's the perfect sidekick and I'm ready for him to have his own plot now.
What I didn't like: There was something about the way The Diamond Thief was written that kind of bothered me. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was, but it was there. I wanted to see more of the circus, more of the magic and mystery and romanticism that surrounds it (or maybe The Night Circus set my expectations too high). I also thought that there were some times when the plot was confusing and seemed a bit too much. There were times when it was super unrealistic (nobody can almost die that many times and not actually die), and the plot holes distracted from an interesting story. It was like everything was a bit too convenient and solved with ease.
It's worth a read, especially if you're into steampunk, historical, or fantasy. And the setting is vivid and there's magic that shows up every once in a while. Basically, it's pretty fun and fast once you can get over all the other problems.
*I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Okay, so this book has a lot of my favorite things: Victorian circuses, thievery, diamonds, and curses. Add on an adorable all-about-the-law police officer and I'm immediately hooked. So basically, premise-wise, I loved this book from the beginning, but unfortunately, it didn't really live up to my expectations.
What I liked: The story. Like I said, many of my favorite story tropes in one book is like a dream come true. It was fast paced and action packed and I loved seeing Rémy use her circus training to beat up on the bad guys. I also really liked her hesitation to fall in love and lack of hesitation in being fiercely independent and (not in a bad way) self-centered. Now, I think my absolute favorite thing about this book was little J. Can I get a J spin-off or novela or something pretty please? He's the perfect sidekick and I'm ready for him to have his own plot now.
What I didn't like: There was something about the way The Diamond Thief was written that kind of bothered me. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was, but it was there. I wanted to see more of the circus, more of the magic and mystery and romanticism that surrounds it (or maybe The Night Circus set my expectations too high). I also thought that there were some times when the plot was confusing and seemed a bit too much. There were times when it was super unrealistic (nobody can almost die that many times and not actually die), and the plot holes distracted from an interesting story. It was like everything was a bit too convenient and solved with ease.
It's worth a read, especially if you're into steampunk, historical, or fantasy. And the setting is vivid and there's magic that shows up every once in a while. Basically, it's pretty fun and fast once you can get over all the other problems.
fredicia's review against another edition
4.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
If you liked The Friday Society, then you'll like this book. Or if you like books with clever thieves, honourable men and adventurous girls, then give this book a try.
Remy is a trapeze artist by day and a jewel thief by night. She is sent by her boss to steal a prized gem from the Tower of London, but is thwarted by another aiming to snatch the gem for himself. In her haste, she accidentally swipes a copy-cat diamond from the coat of a new detective.
The detective, Thaddeus Rec, is subsequently accused of stealing the gem himself, loses his job but manages to escape. He reluctantly teams up with Remy to find the real culprit and clear his name.
Gosling wrote a lovely tale. We have our plucky heroine, Remy, who has a heart of gold but was raised in bad circumstances. We also have our uprising police officer Thad, who insists on sticking to the moral code and is determined to prove his worthiness despite him being born in the worst neighbourhood of Victorian England.
Victorian England! The churning of the Thames and smoke of factories and the beggars in the streets. Of course, no modern adaptation is complete without fashionable steampunk inventions for the ladies and gents. Despite the lady not being a lady and is actually using these tools to break into a highly secure mansion and not, you know, entertaining house guests. But no matter!
What I like about The Diamond Thief is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a fun book, readers know it's a fun book, Gosling clearly wrote it as a fun book, basically, you get what you expect. It's straightforward and an absolute enjoyment to read.
If you liked The Friday Society, then you'll like this book. Or if you like books with clever thieves, honourable men and adventurous girls, then give this book a try.
Remy is a trapeze artist by day and a jewel thief by night. She is sent by her boss to steal a prized gem from the Tower of London, but is thwarted by another aiming to snatch the gem for himself. In her haste, she accidentally swipes a copy-cat diamond from the coat of a new detective.
The detective, Thaddeus Rec, is subsequently accused of stealing the gem himself, loses his job but manages to escape. He reluctantly teams up with Remy to find the real culprit and clear his name.
Gosling wrote a lovely tale. We have our plucky heroine, Remy, who has a heart of gold but was raised in bad circumstances. We also have our uprising police officer Thad, who insists on sticking to the moral code and is determined to prove his worthiness despite him being born in the worst neighbourhood of Victorian England.
Victorian England! The churning of the Thames and smoke of factories and the beggars in the streets. Of course, no modern adaptation is complete without fashionable steampunk inventions for the ladies and gents. Despite the lady not being a lady and is actually using these tools to break into a highly secure mansion and not, you know, entertaining house guests. But no matter!
What I like about The Diamond Thief is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a fun book, readers know it's a fun book, Gosling clearly wrote it as a fun book, basically, you get what you expect. It's straightforward and an absolute enjoyment to read.
felinity's review
4.0
A great adventure! Once I started reading I couldn't bear to stop!
Rémy, trapeze artiste and jewel thief, finds herself allied with a young policeman after an attempted heist unexpectedly falls through and their futures - or at least, their careers - become entwined. Through their eyes we see the disadvantaged and marginalised in society as issues of social justice begin to raise their heads.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rémy, trapeze artiste and jewel thief, finds herself allied with a young policeman after an attempted heist unexpectedly falls through and their futures - or at least, their careers - become entwined. Through their eyes we see the disadvantaged and marginalised in society as issues of social justice begin to raise their heads.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
katsmiao's review against another edition
2.0
I was a little disappointed by this book.
I loved the premise and couldn't wait to start the book, but then I had a hard time finishing it. The plot was ok, for the most part. There were some parts that were hard to follow or didn't make sense to me. But more than that I was distracted by something in the writing style.
The book started off with a huge BANG, with an extremely fast paced first chapter. After that the pace would slow right down, and then you would get another part where it was hard to keep up with the fast pace. It's an ok book, but I think it could have been better.
I loved the premise and couldn't wait to start the book, but then I had a hard time finishing it. The plot was ok, for the most part. There were some parts that were hard to follow or didn't make sense to me. But more than that I was distracted by something in the writing style.
The book started off with a huge BANG, with an extremely fast paced first chapter. After that the pace would slow right down, and then you would get another part where it was hard to keep up with the fast pace. It's an ok book, but I think it could have been better.
erinmcgawley's review against another edition
3.0
Eh. The only reason I read this is because I bought it at a Scholastic book fair when I was 8 and never managed to get through it when I was a ✨child✨. But, I found it on my shelf the other day and decided to go through it - just to see what it was actually like. And there was actually good reason for me not being able to get through it as a child; there was far too much happening at all given times. It felt rushed and the ‘plot twists’ were forced and clichéd. It was a cool concept but not particularly well written. I can see why it was marketed to kids, but by the same token it wasn’t coherent enough to make enough sense to eight year old me who just got too bored/confused of it to keep going. I sort of liked it? But wouldn’t read again due to the lack of structure it had. It honestly felt like the writer didn’t know what was going to happen next either and thus something got made up that didn’t completely make sense.
limabean74's review
4.0
My Review:
I received this book last year at BEA and I am not sure what took me so long to read it. This was a really good story with very likable characters. I even read most of the book with a french accent, I was totally unaware I could even do a french accent so it was a surprise when I realized it.
Remy and Thaddeus are great characters. Thaddeus was a little frustrating because he was a policeman and he wanted to do things by the book but really Thaddeus give the girl a break and his listening skills I want to bop him in the nose. Remy was a strong female character this girl could do anything and I loved when she put her knowledge of the circus to use in the cave. So intense but I also felt for her being stuck in a situation that wasn’t her fault. I do wish they had a little more depth to them and also their relationship wasn’t as strong as I thought it could be however once I got to the end I realized these two have a lot of growing with each other to do and I think in that perspective it works out a lot better.
I found the story to be really interesting with lots of action, adventure and a bit of suspense. I loved the twists with in the book and I thought they other characters made this a very enjoyable read. The end really blew me away since I thought like a typical romance YA this would have a predictable ending but I honestly like it the way it was done and look forward to reading the next one to see how the characters grow.
I enjoyed both characters and look forward to watching their relationship blossom more in the next book. I am going to have to brush up on my French accent.
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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.
erin7's review
5.0
This was the first book that truly made me love reading. The slow burn romance between the two main characters is so perfect and the ending still makes me smile whenever I think about it.
I will never stop recommending this book!
I will never stop recommending this book!