Name: Alissa Kirchner's review of City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson
Item: City of Saints & Thieves
Rating: 2
Author: Alissa Kirchner

Natalie C. Anderson

The Hunger Games meets The Thief Lord in this enthralling murder mystery set in Kenya. In the shadows of Sangui City, a street-thief called Tina patiently plots her revenge. Her mother has been shot dead at the home of one of Kenya’s richest businessmen, and Tina is sure she knows who’s to blame. When a local gang asks her to steal from his home, it’s the chance Tina has been waiting for. But as she steps inside, old wounds resurface and she is caught red-handed by his son, Michael. The pair set in motion a cascade of dangerous events that could, at any moment, cost Tina her life. The desire to uncover the incredible truth about who killed her mother — and why — keeps her holding on in this fast-paced, nail-biting thriller.

City of Saints & Thieves

Alissa Kirchner

Sixteen-year-old Tina and two friends leave Kenya and slip into the Congo, from where she and her mother fled years before, seeking revenge for her mother's murder but uncovering startling secrets.

jess

I received an ARC of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. 

This was a brutal and engaging ride about topics that don't get mentioned nearly enough. I was excited for this book, so when I won it I was pretty happy. This focuses mostly on the story of one girl, Tina, through her life as an orphaned thief in a Kenyan gang wishing to exact revenge on the man who killed her mother. I loved the setting and Anderson's writing made the city come alive. 

Tina is such a wonderful character. She's brutal, but has compassion, and she's strong, but she has moments of weakness that make her real. The dynamics between her sister, Michael, and Boyboy really made the story - you see them really starting to care about each other throughout the story (well, Michael anyway). She acts like a teenage girl, too - albeit a teenage girl who has been toughened by the streets. 

All the other characters were quite developed except for Boyboy. I wish we knew more about him; his defining characteristic seemed to be a) good at tech and b) gay, which was mildly disappointing. The contrast between Tina, Michael, and Boyboy were really interesting, though - street kids, poor kid, rich kid. 

As for pacing - I found it to be a bit slow at the start but by a third into the book I was hooked. Anderson keeps you guessing at the mysteries present and when they come out it's shocking and heartbreaking. I wish Tina's story felt concluded at the end though; all the other characters's stories were, and I felt like we were left hanging with Tina.

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Excellent YA thriller. We listened to half the book, the narrator was amazing, and then had to buy the hardcover and finish it as fast as possible as the tension mounted.

Highly recommended for readers ages 14 and up.

Toni Turner

Very fun read! 
A bit sad that the author is not own voices but there are lots of own voices new releases on my tbr that have come out or are coming out soon!! So we will soon fill the hole in my heart!

Lauren

This book is so important and so powerful. It’s a subject that not many people want to touch but it needs to be brought to light.

Dorian Avers

** spoiler alert **
            2.5 I didn't enjoy this book. Besides the more mature content I think that it is written for a younger audience. I'm tired of the ridiculously intelligent hacker type. It's lazy, an easy way to get information when an author doesn't know how else to write it. Also, very few of us actually know how hacking works especially a child who has limited access to technology. This novel also contained one of the things that I hate most: a ridiculous kissing scene where characters are crying and also are in danger and have no time for it. Overall, this book was ehh. 
 I do like that it took place in East Africa because I do need to read more about other places and cultures. I want to find more books from different places that are just contemporary, like not just historical fiction. I don't know why that's so hard. I like when authors include dialogue in other languages and casually throw in different foods and customs. I appreciated how the author explained the Nuns and their hospital, but did not get preachy on us or make it seem like religion is black and white. I liked that there was a boy who was gay and dressed flamboyantly and his sexuality and identity were not his only character traits. I thought the twist and the great escape were ridiculous. YA is very hit or miss for me because I always wonder if I was younger if I'd enjoy this book more.
 On 118, there's a brief mention of Phoolan Devi of India and Zheng Shi, a lady pirate, who were both thieves, I'd like to learn more about them.

City of Saints and Thieves

Cath

What a book!! I flew through the whole thing in two sittings! I rarely pick up Mystery/Thriller novels and I am very pleased with how City of Saints & Thieves turned out. It kept me guessing through out the whole book. I also love the fact that it centres around a thief! Tina is such a clever, cunning girl. I love a good Mystery that keeps me turning the pages and my heart racing 😮 I couldn’t put it down!

One thing that I was slightly put off by was the romance. Just slightly. Throughout the first half the book does an amazing job leaving the readers guessing. It’s more plot-driven than character and it stays that way for the most part of it, but things shift towards the end of the book. It’s not necessarily a bad thing though – we do get a good dose of character development, though I’d much prefer a book to stick with its aim from the beginning to the end of a book instead of adding in extra, unnecessary details. Plot-wise was amazing (as established earlier with my gushes ^^’ ). I’m not going say much about the ending but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Despite the book being more plot driven, I absolutely adore the characters! One that stood out most for me was Boyboy – a sassy tech genius. He’s pretty much everything I ever want in a friend. His parts of the story are an absolutely delight to read because they’re super hilarious! I was rooting for him and his goals all throughout the book #BoyboyFTW 😎

I would consider this book a favorite, no doubt. I REALLY want a spin-off that focuses on any of the characters (other than Tina). But for now I am happy with the way things turned out. I could not have asked for anything better! I highly recommend this fast-paced action read to anyone and everyone!

Thank you SO much Oneworld Publications for sending over a copy in exchange for an honest review! ❤

Laura

I didn't write a full review for it because I didn't really feel like getting far enough to write a full review and honestly, I didn't really want to write one anyway. I should have given this book more of a chance than I did, because it really did interest me and it got a ton of hype and it sounded really cool- about a girl from the Congo in Kenya who wants to take revenge on the man who killed her mother with some organized crime action, too. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I had read this book before. And then I realized that I had indeed read this book before- but it was called Six of Crows then. Seriously, the main chick is this small and ultra stealthy thief (it's really trendy to have thieves in books now; they're the new assassins) and the rules that would randomly show up just felt like the tired cliches they were and told me nothing new and this book was just trying so hard. Perhaps I would have stuck with it for longer if I was having a better reading month, but I knew this book would just end up pulling me deeper and, besides, I felt like I already knew everything that was going to happen anyway (the thriller aspects reminded me of A Good Idea, and I really do not like those types of mysteries). In short, this book was not working for me the way it should have, so I abandoned it at about 60 pages in.

Eleni Liakou 

City of Saints & Thieves is a Young Adult contemporary story, set in modern day Africa that follows the story of Tina for revenge. A very enthralling novel that had me hooked from the very first sentence. 

It is a character driven thriller, with a very rich and beautiful setting. The plot may not be something new, but what stood out the most to me were the diverse and strong characters and the incredible writing. The author definitely did a lot of research and you can tell by this very fine piece of work she created!

Kate

I enjoyed the Kenyan setting and the fact that the author seemed to have done a lot of research into what they were writing about but for me, the thriller/mystery aspect was a bit lacking. I was hoping for an intense, page turning read and unfortunately that's not what I got. I think a lot of people would really enjoy this but as someone who loves a thriller with a lot of tension and keeps me guessing, I was a bit disappointed. That being said, it was an enjoyable read, just not the read I was hoping for. It's also worth mentioning that I'm very much in a 'reading slump' right now, so that may well have affected my overall enjoyment of this book!

Renske

Sivani

Katrina Meyers

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets Gone Girl in this enthralling murder mystery set in Kenya. In the shadows of Sangui City, there lives a girl who doesn't exist. After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrived in Kenya looking for the chance to build a new life and home. Her mother quickly found work as a maid for a prominent family, headed by Roland Greyhill, one of the city’s most respected business leaders. But Tina soon learns that the Greyhill fortune was made from a life of corruption and crime. So when her mother is found shot to death in Mr. Greyhill's personal study, she knows exactly who’s behind it. With revenge always on her mind, Tina spends the next four years surviving on the streets alone, working as a master thief for the Goondas, Sangui City’s local gang. It’s a job for the Goondas that finally brings Tina back to the Greyhill estate, giving her the chance for vengeance she’s been waiting for. But as soon as she steps inside the lavish home, she’s overtaken by the pain of old wounds and the pull of past friendships, setting into motion a dangerous cascade of events that could, at any moment, cost Tina her life. But finally uncovering the incredible truth about who killed her mother—and why—keeps her holding on in this fast-paced nail-biting thriller.

Alissa Kirchner &
City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

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Alissa Kirchner &City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

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City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson