Name: Elemental Thief
Rating: 4.25 (4 reviews)
ISBN: 9780639943633

Rachel Morgan

In a near-future world ravaged by magic, seventeen-year-old Ridley steals from the wealthy and secretly gives to those in need-until the night someone follows her home after a heist and ends up murdered outside her apartment.

Elemental Thief

A young thief. Outlawed magic. A heist that's about to change everything. In a near-future city shielded from the destructive elemental magic that rages through the wastelands, seventeen-year-old Ridley steals from the wealthy and secretly gives to those in need--which is far less of a crime than the other thing she spends her free time doing: using magic. When the stranger who follows her home after her latest heist ends up murdered in the alley behind her apartment, everything starts going wrong. Her best friend is accused of the crime, and the guy who set him up is someone Ridley would rather stay far away from. Archer Davenport is heir to the city's largest fortune. He represents everything Ridley hates--and that was before he landed her best friend in prison. He's also the guy she just stole from. Though Ridley would prefer to keep her distance, she's about to find herself spending a whole lot more time with Archer. Because that ancient artifact she just stole? Turns out it could unlock secrets that will put many lives in danger. Now Ridley and Archer will have to put their differences aside in order to uncover their true enemy and keep that information from winding up in the wrong hands. A brand new urban fantasy series with a dystopian flavor!

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Actual Rating: 4.5 

 *I was sent an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review* 

Happy Relase Day to Elemental Thief!

I discovered Rachel Morgan thanks to my Soulmate and I’ve read all of her  Creepy Hollow books, finding it was a very enjoyable series, perfect especially if you’re looking to pause massive series that are hundreds of pages long. So obviously when Rachel announced this new series, set in a completely new world, my friend and I were super excited for it! Knowing how much I’ve enjoyed Creepy Hollow, I knew I was going to enjoy this book too. 

Well, I freaking loved it!

The story is very original, the setting unlike anything I’ve read. The fact that wild, unstable magic surrounds the city and risks of striking people through like lightning is cool, as is the ability people had of pulling magic from their surroundings before it was banned for reasons I will not explain because you have to read this book. When urban fantasy is done right, it’s such a joy to read!

The protagonist, Ridley Kayne, is not unlike other Rachel Morgan heroines: brave, selfless, willing to do anything for the people they care about, unafraid to do the wrong thing for the right reasons—within limits, obviously. Yet I found Ridley to be darker than Violet, Calla or even Emerson. Perhaps it is because the book is set in Lumina City and not in Creepy Hollow, the fact that it is a city making it feel more real and dangerous; perhaps it is because she is shunned by her former friends once magic is outlawed and she’s had to start from the bottom, working her way towards a good school, living in a beaten down neighborhood with her father, running an antique shop that barely earns enough to keep them going. Or maybe it’s the fact that the first thing we see her doing is stealing a priceless figurine. She does it to help two people in need in a very Robin Hood maneuver, but still decidedly more rogue than any of the other heroines so far. 

And don’t get me started on Archer Davenport! *giggles uncontrollably* This guy is the kind of tall, dark and mysterious I like, changed since his year away from Lumina City. We still don’t know  what happened that transformed him from the selfish rich brat he was to the dangerously handsome hero, but I am very much looking forward to discovering more about him. 

As expected from Rachel Morgan, there was a plot twist at the end of the book that I didn’t see coming and a cliffhanger that has you begging for more. The only reason I’m not giving it a full five star rating is that the resolution of the final two chapters felt a little bit rushed, as if too much was happening all at once. But it did its job: I’m excited and I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING! Dare I say it, but I liked it even more than my favorite Creepy Hollow books!

She's a thief with forbidden magic. He's the guy she just stole from. Now they'll have to work together. In a city where magic is outlawed, teenage thief Ridley uses her special powers to steal from the rich and give to those in need—until the night someone follows her home after a heist and ends up murdered outside her apartment. When her best friend is accused of the crime, Ridley is determined to prove his innocence. But things get messy when the artifact Ridley stole turns out to contain secrets that could endanger many lives. Forced to team up with wealthy Archer—the guy she stole from—Ridley must hunt down the artifact before it winds up in deadly hands. Which means following a trail into the hidden parts of the city ... ... and hopefully not winding up dead. - - - "OH MY GOSH THIS WAS SO GOOD!" ~ Caitlin ★★★★★ "A real page-turner, couldn't put it down." ~ Lisa K. ★★★★★ "... mesmerizing from the word go!" ~ Angie T. ★★★★★ "Love, love, LOVE this!!!!" ~ Lil'n ★★★★★ - - - THE COMPLETE RIDLEY KAYNE CHRONICLES: 1. Elemental Thief 2. Elemental Power 3. Elemental Heir

Elemental Thief

Reviews

Highlights