Book Review: The Republic of Thieves

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
Source: Netgalley review copy

Having pulled off the greatest heist of their career, Locke and his trusted partner in thievery, Jean, have escaped with a tidy fortune. But Locke's body is paying the price. Poisoned by an enemy from his past, he is slowly dying. And no physiker or alchemist can help him. Yet just as the end is near, a mysterious Bondsmagi offers Locke an opportunity that will either save him - or finish him off once and for all.

Magi political elections are imminent, and the factions are in need of a pawn. If Locke agrees to play the role, sorcery will be used to purge the venom from his body - though the process will be so excruciating he may well wish for death. Locke is opposed, but two factors cause his will to crumble: Jean's imploring - and the Bondsmagi's mention of a woman from Locke's past . . . Sabetha. The love of his life. His equal in skill and wit. And now his greatest rival.

Locke was smitten with Sabetha from his first glimpse of her as a young fellow-orphan and thief-in-training. But after a tumultuous courtship, Sabetha broke away. Now they will reunite in yet another clash of wills. For faced with his one and only match in both love and trickery, Locke must choose whether to fight Sabetha - or to woo her. It is a decision on which both their lives may depend.

There is so much I want to say about this book. So much that it kept me awake last night thinking about it all. I've really enjoyed this series so far. Red Seas Under Red Skies went on my favorites list. Then came The Republic of Thieves. I almost want to cry a little bit, I'm so disappointed.

First off, both the back story and the present time story started off really slow. I was bored, and it was too easy to find something else I'd rather be doing than reading, which is unusual. But then both story lines really picked up, things got good, and I had a hard time putting it down.

So what was the main problem? Sabetha. She ruined everything. If she had just been a member of the Gentleman Bastards, I would have thought she was just fine. Even as a clever opposition to Locke, no problem there. But the stupid "love" story, I just can't. I don't buy it, there's no love there, and it took up way too darn much of the story.

I'm not sure what Scott Lynch wants us to think of Sabetha. Does he think she's a strong female character that readers will love? (Maybe some will, I can't speak for all readers) Was he trying to write the most annoying character I've ever read? Did he think their love story was romantic? I just really want to know what he was thinking.

Sabetha was cruel, selfish, and completely unlikable. She took offense at every little thing Locke did or said. She was a complete bitch. But it was Locke who would come crawling to her, apologizing every single second. She made me hardly recognize Locke. Who is this spineless, sniveling, silly little boy? Man up, Locke!

And the romance was such a central part of the story.  It seemed liked everything revolved around it.  Or, because we were in Locke's head, he was always thinking about it, and nothing else.  It got boring after awhile, the same thing over and over.  Locke apologizing, Sabetha being bitchy and getting mad at Locke for nothing, Locke apologizing, repeat throughout the whole book.

So, to sum up. I like Scott Lynch's writing. I still like this series, and will keep reading, hoping that #4 comes back to the quality of the first two. I don't want to read any more romance in this Gentleman Bastard series. Let's move on from that, now that we've had our fun, shall we?

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The Lies of Locke Lamora

Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 499
Why I read it: "read before I die" challenge
Grade: B-

Synopsis:
An orphan's life is harsh—and often short—in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains—a man who is neither blind nor a priest.
A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected "family" of orphans—a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grows to lead the Bastards, delightedly pulling off one outrageous confidence game after another. Soon he is infamous as the Thorn of Camorr, and no wealthy noble is safe from his sting.
Passing themselves off as petty thieves, the brilliant Locke and his tightly knit band of light-fingered brothers have fooled even the criminal underworld's most feared ruler, Capa Barsavi. But there is someone in the shadows more powerful—and more ambitious—than Locke has yet imagined. 

My review:
I'm quite late to the party in reading this one, as it was published years ago, but it's been on my to-read list for so long that I finally put it on my list for the "Books to Read Before I Die" challenge.  I wanted to get to it, and having it on my challenge list made me do it.

I've struggled with my feelings about this book, to the point where I don't quite know how to grade it.  On the one hand, I really loved the plot.  It was original and complex.  And once I figured out that the timeline wasn't necessarily chronological, I stopped feeling quite so lost.  But the fact that I was lost for a bit, trying to figure it out lessened my enjoyment a little bit.  For nearly a whole chapter, I was trying to figure out if I, as a reader, had previously been tricked or if something else was going on.  Maybe that was the author's intention.  I don't know.

I also could have done without the endless descriptive details about every building, every bit of history, every single place the characters happened to be.  I don't mind some details.  It definitely adds to the story when you have them, but there are times when I really don't care, and I just want to get back to the meat of the story, so I end up skimming over paragraphs.

All in all, though, I did like Lies of Locke Lamora, and I will continue on with the series, even though I've heard the second isn't as good.  I really liked the plot and the humor in the first, and we'll see how the second turns out.  I would recommend this to fans of gritty fantasy (although there really is very little fantasy in this one), and to those who like a little intrigue in their stories.