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A review by rahul_pati
To Steal the Sun by S.M. Carter
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Disclaimer: I received the e-book from the author as part a giveaway on r/fantasy subreddit.
What's this about:
A proper fantasy heist story about a group of thieves/assassins who are forced by an evil king to steal magical artifacts. There are 3 POV characters - Kahli, a trained assassin, determined to redeem herself and rise among the ranks of her cult; Amara, a trained thief whose compulsive thieving habit has got her into this mess & Raik, the leader of the group, the brains of this operation who hides a mysterious past. We experience the story through the eyes of these 3 characters while learning more about them along the way.
What worked for me:
1) The world building is refreshing and new. It's inspired from Indian culture - names of characters and places, clothes and food. The Canadian author has Indian parentage and has used the Indian influences quite well to give the world an distinct flavor.
2) This is a proper heist story with all the ingredients one expects from it. A group leader with a plan and several back up plans - Check. A group of rogues, each having their own skill set to add to the heist - Check. Bickering and back stabbing within the group - Check. An evil overlord, a tight deadline with deadly consequences on failure - Check. Infiltration, disguise, maps, plans, daredevilry and action - Check. Reminded me of movies like Ocean's series and especially The Italian Job.
3) Action packed climax with explosive showdown between each POV character and their respective opponents. Carter brilliantly weaves the plot threads to set up these direct conflicts and delivers a satisfying payoff.
What didn't:
1) Out of the 3 main characters, only Kahli was fleshed out properly and had a character arc/growth. Amara's character arc was fine, though felt somewhat lacking. Raik's character arc didn't feel much depth to it and I never really cared about him.
2) The use of the 3 POVs felt unnecessary at times, since they spend the majority of the novel together. Kahli's POV chapters have flashbacks which served to flesh out her character. Amara and Raik's chapters didn't really give much depth to their characters and felt mostly used for plot reasons.
3)There was a huge reveal about Raik later in the story which muddled his already underdeveloped characterization. He being the leader and mastermind, I was expecting some charisma/flair/charm from his character, but he felt very bland. Post that reveal, his personality felt even more confusing since we don't have the full insight into his past.
4) Amara has a secret power within herself which she's trying to master and contain. She's always afraid to use that power to it's full potential until the very end (the results of which were spectacular). I'd have liked some more detail behind that power in this world. It's not explained and I had to suspend my disbelief further to accept it.
Final words:
I felt the story a little slow to start off and didn't really connect with any of the characters in the first half. The second half made it up and even exceeded expectations for me, turned it from meh to wow. Overall a solid first entry into this world which really delivers. I hope there are more entries to come and will definitely pick up the next one. Highly recommend this for fans of heist stories and dark, gritty fantasy in a non-European setting. Rated 4/5 on Goodreads and Storygraph.
What's this about:
A proper fantasy heist story about a group of thieves/assassins who are forced by an evil king to steal magical artifacts. There are 3 POV characters - Kahli, a trained assassin, determined to redeem herself and rise among the ranks of her cult; Amara, a trained thief whose compulsive thieving habit has got her into this mess & Raik, the leader of the group, the brains of this operation who hides a mysterious past. We experience the story through the eyes of these 3 characters while learning more about them along the way.
What worked for me:
1) The world building is refreshing and new. It's inspired from Indian culture - names of characters and places, clothes and food. The Canadian author has Indian parentage and has used the Indian influences quite well to give the world an distinct flavor.
2) This is a proper heist story with all the ingredients one expects from it. A group leader with a plan and several back up plans - Check. A group of rogues, each having their own skill set to add to the heist - Check. Bickering and back stabbing within the group - Check. An evil overlord, a tight deadline with deadly consequences on failure - Check. Infiltration, disguise, maps, plans, daredevilry and action - Check. Reminded me of movies like Ocean's series and especially The Italian Job.
3) Action packed climax with explosive showdown between each POV character and their respective opponents. Carter brilliantly weaves the plot threads to set up these direct conflicts and delivers a satisfying payoff.
What didn't:
1) Out of the 3 main characters, only Kahli was fleshed out properly and had a character arc/growth. Amara's character arc was fine, though felt somewhat lacking. Raik's character arc didn't feel much depth to it and I never really cared about him.
2) The use of the 3 POVs felt unnecessary at times, since they spend the majority of the novel together. Kahli's POV chapters have flashbacks which served to flesh out her character. Amara and Raik's chapters didn't really give much depth to their characters and felt mostly used for plot reasons.
3)
4)
Final words:
I felt the story a little slow to start off and didn't really connect with any of the characters in the first half. The second half made it up and even exceeded expectations for me, turned it from meh to wow. Overall a solid first entry into this world which really delivers. I hope there are more entries to come and will definitely pick up the next one. Highly recommend this for fans of heist stories and dark, gritty fantasy in a non-European setting. Rated 4/5 on Goodreads and Storygraph.