Audiobook Review – The Magic Thief: Book One by Sarah Prineas (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 7 hours and 32 minutes (448 pages)
Publisher: HarperAudio
Release Date: May 25, 2010
ASIN: B003NYOBIM
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Magic Thief series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

I absolutely adored this middle grade fantasy by Prineas. I also loved Prineas’s Winterling series which is why I originally picked this book up. This book was even better than the Winterling books, it was so magical and just so much fun to read.

I listened to The Magic Thief on Audiobook and it was very very well done. The narrator sounded exactly like I imagined Conn would sound. The narrator did all the other character voices really well too. I would highly recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks. I really think the absolutely wonderful narration was part of the reason I loved this book so much.

Conn is a master lockpick and thief whose main concerns are dodging the ruler of Twilight, Crow, and just trying to survive day to day. That is until he picks the wrong pocket, the pocket of an old wizard named Nevery. Conn accidentally stole Nevery’s magicalicus (a magic stone that should kill anyone who touches it outside of the wizard it belongs to). However the magicalicus didn’t kill Conn and Nevery decides to investigate this further and take Conn on as his apprentice. Nevery is in Wellmet to figure out why the amount of magic in the town is declining.

The story starts at a fast pace and never slows down. It’s very entertaining, well written and well paced.

A big part of what makes this novel wonderful is the plucky protagonist Conn who is just such an optimist. Even when faced with hard situations he just picks himself up and soldiers through. I loved his candid way of thinking and talking and the way he just assumes that most people are good people (despite his background).

I also loved the magic throughout and the mystery behind why magic was leaving the city. There are also a lot of interesting steampunk devices throughout and there is a lot of magic combined with science kind of explanations that I enjoyed.

This was just a super fun read that just made me feel at happy while I was reading it. Nothing super horrible happens, but there’s a good mystery, lots of fun, and lots of quirky characters (who at first seem gruff) but end up really caring about each other.

Overall I just loved this book to pieces and will definitely be reading the next in the series! I highly recommend this novel to fantasy readers of all ages. It is one I will definitely be reading with my seven year old son. The story isn’t super complicated but the magic system and mystery are interesting enough that I think that the story would hold the interest of adult readers as well.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Audio Book Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge