The Thief Who Pulled On Troubles Braids (Amra Thetys Series Book 1)

Books of The Gatekeeper's Saga. The Claire Agon Dragon Series. A Fantasy Bridge Anthology. Revenge of the Lich. First Ever Unhuman Bundle. The Clarity Series Books Ghost Exile Omnibus One. Shapeshifter Romance Boxed Set. The Shadow of What Was Lost. Sacred Breath Series Books Nashville Nights Boxed Set A Match Made in Spell. Hidden, Hunted, Retribution, Desolation, and Reckoning. The Immortal Witch Series. Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic. The Dragon Blood Collection, Books Bayou Heat Collection Two.

Laura Wright and Alexandra Ivy. The Paladins 4-Book Bundle. Six Novellas of Magic and Adventure. The Complete Book of Fallen Angels. Treasures, Demons, and Other Black Magic.

Reward Yourself

The Ghosts Omnibus One. Under the Ice Blades. The Irish Westerns Boxed Set. The Eldritch Files, Books Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic. Dawn of Dragons The Complete Trilogy. Eleanor The Books of the Five Book 1. The Witch with No Name. The Complete 1st Freak House Trilogy. How to write a great review. The review must be at least 50 characters long. The title should be at least 4 characters long. Your display name should be at least 2 characters long. At Kobo, we try to ensure that published reviews do not contain rude or profane language, spoilers, or any of our reviewer's personal information.

Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the author in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review. Feb 25, Kitvaria Sarene rated it it was amazing Shelves: Reread it, as I got the double feature audio book, and I think I loved it even more the second time around! Now I'm wondering why it took me so long to pick it up! A short mage fight, with a gory end and a lot of humor thrown in has me shaking from laughter for quite a while! Afterwards it gets stranger and darker and more amazing ; Reread it, as I got the double feature audio book, and I think I loved it even more the second time around!

Afterwards it gets stranger and darker and more amazing ; I liked the main character, who defied any stereotypes, but just was herself! I also enjoyed the writing style and the side characters and of course the dog. I always love the dog The plot was interesting and had some unexpected twists.

I am going to buy the second one right away! Aug 24, mich rated it liked it Shelves: And add revenge to the mix? Oh yeah, sign me the hell UP! Overall, I enjoyed this one. Her dry, sarcastic humor instantly endeared her to me and I have no doubt will pull in a lot readers.

She makes this book. Check, check and check! I found the action sequences in particular to be very well written. Could use some work: The plot left a bit to be desired, and the world-building - even more. If you like these types of books like me, but prefer a more layered plot and richer world-building, check out Thief's Covenant - also a great series!

Although I felt these two aspects were a bit weak in this book, I'm definitely game to trying the next one to see if there's improvement. Sorry, but I'm not going to be nice about this. The editing is total shit. I read through this thing once -- just once! Seriously, if I was the author, I'd be embarrassed. We're talking missing letters in words, missing words in sentences, past tense and present tense usage in the same goddamn sentence, and DON'T even get me started on that instance where the characters' names were mixed up.

Lots of really obvious mistakes - it was just so sloppy! It kept jarring me out of the story. I don't like that. The lovely Sarah has been doing an awesome job of late in garnering interest for this series and yes, put me down as stating that it is very well-deserved , however, I do hope this re-release happens sooner rather than later, before too many other people see this draft yeah, you heard me, I'm calling it a draft.

As a final product that I paid money for, this was just -- no. I'm excited to see where this series goes. There's lots of room to develop the supporting characters in interesting ways, and Amra herself is awesome enough to carry the series pretty far, I think. Oct 11, Daniel rated it liked it. Jul 08, Mark rated it it was amazing.

The Thief Who Pulled On Troubles Braids by Michael McClung

An absolutely wonderful work of fantasy fiction, with a plotted storyline which keeps you interested all the way the book. Heroic thieves, nobles and mages, evil and annoying gods these are excellantly brought to life by this author. Highly recommended for my goodread friends who love fantasy. May 27, Carolyn rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is a great start to a new sword and sorcery series with sassy, take-no-prisoners thief Amra Thetys, who has a knife for every occasion. When her friend and fellow thief Corbin ends up dead after asking her to look after a strange artifact while he goes to do business with a difficult client, Amra vows to find his killer.

This leads her into all sorts of trouble with a bad bunch who will stop at nothing, including sorcery and black magic, to get hold of the artifact. This short novel or lon This is a great start to a new sword and sorcery series with sassy, take-no-prisoners thief Amra Thetys, who has a knife for every occasion. This short novel or long novella is full of fun and fantasy as Amra tries to avenge the death of her friend Corbin. There is enough world building to give a strong sense of Amra's town and life and there are some great characters.

Amra herself, a thief with a conscience who will always help those in need, her friend Holgren the mage who comes to her aid, Kluge the Detective who can also wield a little magic and Bosch a very evil, immortal villain. So good to know there are more books in this series waiting to be read! With thanks to Netgalley and Ragnarok Publications for a digital copy of this book to read and review Sep 02, Mihir rated it really liked it.

I very much enjoyed this debut that is very reminiscent of the Lies Of Locke Lamora in its setup but less grimdarky and with a simpler protagonist. Amara Thetys is a thief who is forced to hide an artifact as her friend Corbin gets brutally murdered. She soon finds out why that artifact is such an important thing as she tasks a mage Holgren to find out more.

Things however are never crystal clear as Amara finds out and beneath the veneer of normalcy, there's a paranormal war brewing. The story ends with a revelation of an impending apocalypse; and yet the tale feels complete. I absolutely am stoked for the forthcoming sequels. Dec 29, Esmerelda Weatherwax rated it really liked it.

I listened to it on audiobook, and it was pretty decent if I recall. The police are looking at Amra as a possible suspect since she went to check in on her friend and found him dead just outside his house and was still there when they arrived. These two play mind games with each other and it was one of my favorite parts of the book. Mages in this world are pretty removed from the general populous, people give them a wide birth and they can be very dangerous. Their power source is rumored to be draining, however, and they are one of the more rare types of magic users.

Overall I liked it, I thought the world building was neat and the characters were enjoyable to read about. Follow Me On Twitter Here. And… we have a winner! The characters are people who we can get behind and care about. As well as Amra, we also meet characters such as Holgren, a mage, and other interesting figures that keep the book fresh and full of variety. After all, I read this book pretty much in two sittings. Kemp, Scott Lynch, Douglas Hulick and more. Jul 26, Alec Hutson rated it it was amazing. What a terrific read. I'd seen The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble's Braids kicking around Amazon and elsewhere, and despite enjoying the title immensely it wasn't until a few days ago that I decided to pick it up.

This is some of the most fun I've had reading fantasy in months, since I finished the most recent book in Will Wight's Cradle series. I really enjoy well-done sword and sorcery tales, and Mr. McClung delivers in every way: I want to talk about the world building for a moment, as I really respect the way it is handled in The Thief Who Pulled.

There's no long info-dumps, no strange soliloquies that seem horribly out of place - the very interesting world unfolds organically through the flow of the story. I'll be picking up the rest of the series, and I recommend it to all fans of fun, smart fantasy. A female protagonist who doesn't piss me off, a mage who is more than meets the eye, giant metal spider villains, centuries old assassins, daemon houses. RTC when I have more time. For now it's enough to know that it's a really good book that I enjoyed the heck out of.

If you like your fantasy fastpaced with a take-no-shit female character bent on revenge but without all the romancey stuff to bog it down then give this a try! Mar 21, Nickolas rated it really liked it. This is the third book I read of the batch I was assigned. I saved it for last because I found the cover appealing, the title enticing, and the synopsis intriguing.

The overall package is professional and marketable and because of that it stands out amongst the competition. Amra Thetys lives by two simple rules—take care of business, and never let it get personal. In her own words she's not terribly feminine, she's got a scarred face, a figure like a boy, and a mouth like a sailor.

She's always got a knife hidden somewhere on her body and knows how to use it. She's sarcastic and cynical and she knows her way around the streets of Lucernis. In other words she's the perfect narrator for this type of story. She's a bit cliche in that sense the genre is full of similar characters but I found myself growing attached to Amra as she stumbled from one misfortune to the next. It's hard not to develop affection for a character who shares nuggets of wisdom like this It's easier to swim unnoticed in muddy water This is knowledge I could live my whole life without. Amra's friend Holgren is a powerful mage with a hidden past.

To my delight Holgren ended up taking a much more prominent role than I first suspected. Kluge is an inspector and a mage of lesser abilities, intent on pinning Corbin's murder on Amra. I doubt that we've seen the last of Kluge. Osskil, Corbin's brother, and Bosch, a fun villain, two more favorites of mine. McClung doesn't delve too deeply into any of these characters but they never felt flat. McClung has imagined a fascinating fantasy setting with its own colorful culture and weighty history. This is the novel's biggest draw. I found funerary practices in Lucernis to be especially interesting -- final meals with the deceased in attendance, professional mourners, and graveyard guardians.

There are gods and demons and magic and better yet, it all feels refreshingly original. Amra's narration propels the plot forward at a brisk pace. There's a strong sense of forward momentum as McClung refuses to linger in any one area for longer than necessary. As a result readers get a grand tour of the city of Lucernis.

And while sometimes I wished the story had stopped to smell the roses for just a bit longer it was only because I was keen to learn more. I did manage to solve the central mystery before the end of the book but that did little to diminish my enjoyment. From the propulsive prose to the clean editing it is evident that McClung takes great pride in his craft. I am fortunate to have been assigned this novel and I will be reading the sequels and I intend to support it in the next phase of the Great Self-published Fantasy Blog-off.

A dude's body gets magically exploded.

The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids - Michael McClung - Google Книги

Prostitution is mentioned but there is no explicit sex. Nick Sharps Elitist Book Reviews May 19, Joel rated it liked it. I heard quite a bit of buzz about it in the last couple years, enough that I felt it must be added to the reading list. Amra Thetys, a thief, finds herself in the middle of a quagmire, after her friend comes to her following a heist. Shortly thereafter, he turns up dead, murdered in cold blood in front of his house, and Amra is quickly swept up in the investigations, and the many layers of drama involved.

While a bit on the sparse side, the worldbuilding in Thief is interesting enough, presenting an interesting city, full of vivid and unique characters and places, as well as some very interesting and morbid customs and supernatural problems. She enlists the help of a friend, a powerful mage, who assists her in her struggles, while at times feeling almost too powerful.

The main issue I had with the novel was essentially that — everything seemed so…underwhelming. The novel is short, yet a TON of things are wedged into it, so very little time and energy is spent on individual events. It ends up leaving an anemic feel to things — situations get built up quickly, then resolved quickly, and on to the next thing. The entire book felt like a casual storytelling, with no heart, nothing to make me feel for the characters, or situations, or drama. It just came across so bland in presentation. There was a ton of potential here, but it just missed the mark for me.

It was close to being a very good book, but yet very far away at the same time. Dec 18, P. Kirby rated it really liked it Shelves: Never let it be said that I don't judge a book by its cover. I clicked over to the preview pages because the cover drew my eye. Okay, so the price--Free! But, I'm all about covers. This one wasn't particularly dynamic, but the simple, balanced composition suggested "professional," as opposed to the badly Photoshopped with ugly edge matching disasters that still typify the self-pubbed market. Amra Thetys is a thief, and "kick-ass" in a genuine, believable manner.

In other words, she doesn't talk tough, but turn into a helpless ninny when the obligatory love interest arrives on scene. This is may be due to the fact that there is no love interest, which, coincidentally, may be the story's strength. And a truly sexy sex scene. A good romantic subplot is almost a necessity for me. Unfortunately, the trend lately has been to take a perfectly good heroine or hero , introduce her to the love interest s , and immediately devolve her into an addlepated lust monkey.

Which is why so many of the urban fantasies I've read recently have been a disappointment. This novel isn't urban fantasy, but the premise, structured around a mystery, is similar to a lot of urban fantasy. Too often romantic fantasy novels plots are a series of poorly conceived coincidences designed to get the couple together and fucking at inopportune moments. Amra's goal is simple. To find the person who killed her friend Corbin and make that person dead. Though assassination isn't her M. Naturally, she assumes that killing Corbin's killer will be easy once she identifies the perp.

The problem is Corbin's killer may be more than the usual tough guy. Finding that she's over her head, she enlists the help of her buddy, Holgren, a mage. The nifty thing about Holgren is that he isn't a Gandalf. Meaning he doesn't exist solely to issue cryptic-prophetic statements, but otherwise stand around with his thumb up his butt, only using his powers as a last resort.

Holgren is more than happy to turn a baddy into a cloud of bloody mist. Or cook up a super-speed spell. Holdgren's the kind of mage you want to have on a quest. Amra isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, but she doesn't escape unscathed from her take-charge approach; instead she emerges from her adventures, bloodied, broken and scarred. Or, rather, more scarred, since she apparently carries some significant facial scars from events in her past.

Which leads to another point in her favor; she's not particularly pretty. As character arcs go, Amra's is pancake flat. She starts and ends the story as pretty much the same person; she never has a dark moment e. That degree of depth, however, would probably conflict with the story's light, adventurous tone.

I'd imagine, if the series continues through several novels, Amara's apparently complicated past will give subsequent stories a darker tone. Recommended to readers in search of a genuinely kick-ass, capable heroine in a fast-paced, fantasy adventure. In early , it was declared the winner. Fast forward 3 months later, I purchased a Kindle copy from Amazon at an exceptionally cheap 99p.

A week later, it appeared on NetGalley, with a shiny new cover and publisher. So of course I requested a copy straight away! It's this edition I'm reviewing, the Full review at: It's this edition I'm reviewing, the Ragnarok edition. Quite often, these kinds of revenge tales have a tendency to take themselves way too seriously, everything is bleak and severe. It's a difficult ask to get it right. Too much deliberate hardship and readers will be put off, not enough and they think the author has wasted their time, and more importantly their hard earned money.

It's a delicate balance to get the story to flow organically, and yet still lead where the author intends. This one does it perfectly. Everything about it feels completely natural, from the world we find ourselves to the terrifically written characters, everything felt just right. I don't have the proper vocabulary to explain it, not in any way that would do it justice.

• The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble's Braids!
• The Whiskey Sour Stumper: A Sammy the Cat Mystery?
• Blog of Patty Jansen, writer of Science Fiction and Fantasy;
• Bremen Town Musicians, The (Rabbit Ears: A Classic Tale (Spotlight));
• The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids.
• Love is a Verb.
• Kalamazoo;

It was just right. And Amra, what a joy she is!

• Lesson Plans Generation of Swine.
• Join Kobo & start eReading today!
• Latest articles.
• Privatization and Privilege in Education (RLE Edu L) (Routledge Library Editions: Education).
• Dunkle Verführung: Erotische Vampirstorys (German Edition)!
• Paperback Editions.
• The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble's Braids (Amra Thetys, book 1) by Michael McClung!

I love first person PoV books, and this one is insanely good. Perhaps I just identify with her because I am also a stubborn cow.

Well they say stubborn, I say determined. Anyway, to the plot! Midnight comes, and goes. Amra immediately knows something bad has happened to Corbin. This was a refreshing story with an incredibly well written world and inhabitants. A very fun read and I cannot wait for more!

Feb 28, Helene rated it it was amazing. Not weighty which is great! Because it still maintains a solid multi-dimensional plot. Filled with mayhem , murder, and magic. She breaks the barrier in a badass way. Backed with characters that make this a memorable and awesome page-turner. From the sweeping prose to the upstanding editing.

It is evident the McClung has great passion, honor and dignity in his writing. Looking forward to reading more Nov 26, Francesco Lanza rated it it was amazing. This one's a doozy! Yeah, it's filled with fantasy thief stereotypes, but it has a sympathetic MC, a compelling and fast plot, is not too long, it has horrifying magic, not-so-immortal gods, and big plus, it's a revenge tale! Yeah, with a thief as a protagonist, you either get that or a heist. Amra Tethys is a rugged rogue, hiding knives in her boots and never trusting anyone. Can she avenge a murder and survive with an occult valuable equally coveted by men and sorcerers?

I can say her inner dia This one's a doozy! I can say her inner dialogue sounds like a less dorky and far more badass Harry Dresden, and that she has some brilliant lines and a lot of courage. This novel is woundrous fun and can't be put down easily! Nov 04, Jason M Waltz rated it really liked it Shelves: I fully enjoyed the heroine, the setting, the plot and the tone of the tale.

I'm jumping into book 2 immediately!

• .
• The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids by Michael McClung;
• John Lowin and the English Theatre, 1603–1647: Acting and Cultural Politics on the Jacobean and Caroline Stage (Studies in Performance and Early Modern Drama).
• Conte de nuits parisiennes (French Edition).
• The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids | Michael McClung | | NetGalley;
• ?

Nov 30, Miriam Michalak rated it really liked it. Amra Thetys is such a great character who manages not to fit the main female fantasy stereotypes, which is refreshing! Enjoyed spending time with her and am looking forward to more of her adventures. The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids is a story of Amra Thetys, an honorable thief, seeking revenge for the murder of her friend and fighting ancient magic that becomes very interested in her.

Which I loved and found absolutely alluring. Characters Amra is exactly the type of a heroine this novel needs. Cynical, lacking any false pretense and free of Special Snowflake complex, she just does her thing and does it kick-ass style. World Amra lives in Lucernis, a city where common people live side by side with blood witches, mages and other kinds of magical creatures. Long time ago there also were Gods, but most of them are dead or have disappeared after the last War of Gods, so the only thing left is numerous temples with priests. Most of the world-building is carried out through its inhabitants - who they are, what they do and how they do it.

Magical, wicked, ambiguous or simply evil, the characters turn the world into something real and tangible. I would prefer to know more about traditions, cultural peculiarities and rituals - such as the creepy yet fascinating funeral ceremony, that has made a great impression on me. So I have high hopes for the next book in the series.

But as soon as she starts her quest for revenge, she also finds herself hunted down by powerful and dangerous forces that desire the statue. Needless to say, the book is packed with mystery, action and unexpected twists. I enjoyed the rather fast paste and the rhythm of the narration. Hopefully, this will be amended. Mar 13, Courtney Schafer added it. Jan 02, Lanko rated it liked it Shelves: Creative, funny book title. A book about a thief. Amra Thetys is our eyes in this world and we get into the cause of Amra's actions throughout the book right away: This is good for the pace, but actually terrible for the character's motivation.

Because even if for her it could have been decades of relationship, for us readers it wasn't more than 10 pages or so. And there isn't any flashback of anything special revealed later about them eith Creative, funny book title. And there isn't any flashback of anything special revealed later about them either.

They didn't even loved each other or were relatives, so I really couldn't buy why Amra was doing and risking so much for the guy. The book is written in first person, so the major thing is gonna be Amra. She is witty, funny, cynical. She really steps up on that. Another big plus of the book: In a certain scene Amra thinks about a family and feels a hole in her heart. Later she meets honest noble guy.

I thought "here it comes". Neither of them fall for the other. Well, at least in this book, who knows. However, one problem for me is that Amra is a thief, but never felt like a thief to me after the beginning of the book. She attempts to invade a villa and we get detailed descriptions of characters routines and the setting.

It was really good, a thief would really see every detail of everything and everyone. Her thoughts on how to invade the villa were awesome as well. The character got some really good, cold, calculated thinking. In another moment, in a tavern brawl, she manages to trick her pursuers and still get a mage from behind. But it stops right there. Never again we get this full descriptions of characters and places or Arma goes sneaky mode.

Worse, it's not even her going guns ablaze, but her sidekick. She stops planning and sneaking. She gets every ally she needs and they mostly react to what her enemies are doing. When that doesn't happen, she is guided or given something by Holgren. Speaking of Holgren, he was extremely overpowered, even Arma recognizes that. Maybe there's more to him to find out in the next books, but he just reduced a lot of tension by being there to save Amra multiple times.

This reduced a lot of "kickass" from Amra, as she is the heroine who is saved multiple times and most of the job is done by Holgren, directly or indirectly. While Amra shows some admirable traits, this is overused and becomes another problem with Amra, Corbin and her companions: They are too honorable and honest.

We are told many times how bad life in certain parts of the city is, how crime runs rampart, and so on. But aside from swearing now and then, this didn't seem to have affected her much. It's not just Amra herself. She tells us Corbin was even more honest, even naive, specially regarding people, which is surreal considering he is the best thief around, have deals with plenty of fencers, risks his life in dubious enterprises for dubious people and is a very wanted criminal.

Her mage friend, her fencers, her contract brokers, everyone is also super honest. I was wondering why all these people lived in the shadow of the law, sleeping with one eye open every night, considering their honest behavior and hard working skills. Like her super talented mage friend. Even the honest noble and the police simply cooperate with Amra in the end and are even honored to know her! For a thief in the slums, Amra, companions and setting lacked mistrust, mischief, people taking advantage of one another, backstabbing, and such.

They seemed all good, trustworthy people. I really didn't buy why she, and later Holgren, were risking their lives, being wanted by both authorities and criminals to avenge a guy they barely knew or, frankly, seemed to care.