Review: The Republic of Thieves

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Lies of Locke Lamora spent quite some time sitting on my to-read list, but when I finally got my hands on the book I was overjoyed. I adored the book, and was more than willing to jump straight into the second book. Red Seas Under Red Skies proved to be just as addictive as the first book, leaving me empty and desperate for the third. Knowing there was to be a bit of a wait for book four, I held off on reading book three for quite some time, trying to limit my waiting time. In the end, my love for the first two books meant I was desperate to dive into the third.

Now I’m left waiting, joining the other fans in limbo as we wait to see what comes next. I constantly tell myself not to dive into fantasy series until they are complete, or at the very least near completion, yet I have zero self-control. Of all the series I’m waiting on, I think this may be the one I’m most desperate for.

For me, the first two books in this series were strong four-point-five-star reads. In fact, they’ve created what I refer to as the Locke Lamora Effect. It’s where a book is so close to being a five-star rating, where I’ll consider a book a favourite, but a small thing will hold me back from giving a five-star rating. Despite these small things, there is no doubt I adore these books. Thus, I had high hopes for The Republic of Thieves.

I will be completely honest and say this is my least favourite book in the series thus far. It was still a fun read, a four-star rating, but it wasn’t like the former books where the Locke Lamora Effect kicked in. This is a solid four-star rating, not the ‘and some more’ of the prior books.

Following the storytelling we were introduced to in the two prior books, The Republic of Thieves throws us back and forth in time as we watch two stories play out. One of Locke and the gang when they were young, and the other telling the dramatic effects of the present. Surprisingly, I was more interested by the past in this one.

I’m not a big fan of politics, but when done right in fantasy I really enjoy the topic. With The Republic of Thieves, we have an interesting take on politics. There is plenty of drama and backstabbing, with many of the usual Locke extremes, but I wasn’t as sucked into it as I had hoped to be. For me, the events of the past were more interesting.

I think, in part, this was because we were finally introduced to a character I had made huge in my mind. You guessed it, the love interest. Unfortunately for me, I was let down by her character. I found myself wanting things to move on whenever she was around, found myself wishing we could move away and return to the good stuff.

Despite how I wasn’t won over by this one as much as I was the prior books, I absolutely adore how much has been opened up for the future books in the series. We get glimpses at answers to the questions we have been asking for so long, with plenty more questions being thrown out there. These details were completely unexpected, leaving me in awe of the bigger picture Scott Lynch has created.

Without a doubt, I’ll be grabbing book four as soon as it is release.

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