Reader's Response Week~ Genre: Fantasy

Hello everyone, today is day seven of my Reader's Response week. Today's genre is YA Fantasy again, and the book that I have chosen to take a better look at is Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake.

If you want to find out more about why this week is happening and a little bit about this feature, check out my launch post for the Genre of YA Fantasy.

~About the book~

Title: Thief of Lies {Library Jumpers #1}

Author: Brenda Drake 
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date: January 5th, 2016
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Length: 400 pages 

Description:"Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.

Jumping into some of the world's most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik's world and her own, before both are destroyed"

     

~Reader's Response Interview for Thief of Lies~

Sabrina: Hello Brenda! Thank you so much for joining me today on my blog for a brief interview.

Brenda: I’m thrilled to be here today. Thank you for having me!

Sabrina: Throughout the book, a main aspect of Thief of Lies are the libraries in which the Sentinels get transported through. How did you pick the libraries mentioned in the book? Do they hold sentimental value to your heart?

Brenda: A few I’ve physically visited and hold sentimental value. Such as the Boston Athenaeum and the New York Public library. But mostly, it’s during research when I fall in love with something I see in the library. Like the architecture, a fun tale of something bad happening in a library, or the artifacts that adorn its walls and corners. The location has to work for the story, as well.

Sabrina: Each of the Sentinels have different “Globes” that allow them to access some power. Was there a reason why you chose to have them spheres and known as Globes for a particular reason? Was it meant to symbolism something throughout the book?

Brenda: There are many things I use for symbolism in the books. The globes are circular. Without an end or a beginning. They’re whole and complete. But something happens to Gia’s that makes hers break, just as she is broken off from the Gia she used to be. In the ending of the series her abilities with the globes change again and represents her control over who she now is. I also use the number seven a lot. In numerology, seven is the seeker, the searcher of Truth. Gia is always working to uncover the truth during her journey through the libraries and Mystik world. 

Sabrina: The Library Jumpers series, is not your first series, how do you come up with the names of your characters? In Thief of Lies we come across some unique names such as Conemar, and Veronique.  

Brenda: I search names online and choose ones I feel the meaning fits my characters, or it’s a name I’ve seen in my social media feeds, or ones I come across while out in the world. But I always look up the meanings to make sure it matches my characters’ personalities.

Sabrina: The cover of Thief of Lies is purple, when referring to the symbolism of the colour purple the words such as nobility, wisdom, and ambitions, would you say that these phrases match up with Gia’s personality or her character development throughout the story?

Brenda: I’d say it does. She’s the granddaughter of a powerful wizard who would have been a ruler if he hadn’t been murdered. I think, when she’s not doubting herself, she’s very wise. She definitely is ambitious. By the end of the book, these traits are very much hers.

Sabrina: If you could sit down with one of the main protagonists on Thief of Lies, who would you want to sit down with and what sorts of questions would you pick their brain for?

Brenda: I’d sit down with Gian. I’d want to ask him questions about the libraries and the Mystik world from his time. He died in 1939. Wizards live long lives so he would have been alive in the 1800s. It would be fun to explore that time in the Library Jumpers world.

Sabrina: Thank you again for joining me today on my blog and answering some of my questions towards Thief of Lies.

Brenda: These were such fun questions to answer. I enjoyed it. Thank you, again!

~Mini Review~

A nice component to Thief of Lies was the story. This is the first time stepping into this world and understanding the general premise therefore a lot can happen. Plus there needs to be a lot of information for readers to get lost in the story. It did this, and so much more. I believe Brenda Drake's way of telling me as a reader about what was going on through a character was brilliant. The main female protagonist was new to the Mystic world and so she needed to be taught a lot of the do's and don'ts of being a Sential. I learned a lot about the world and characters, but never once did I feel like it was verbal throw up or confusing.

     What's special about this book is that they have the wizards, witches and all the mystical creature a fantasy novel needs, but it also has it's very own race of part human, part wizards called Sentials. They are the protectors of the Human world and provide the Mystic world with general peace. My favourite part about them though is that they travel through these things called getaway books. These getaway books are located in historically known libraries and they can go anywhere as long as there is one of these books in the library. If that's not the coolest thing ever...I don't know what is.

     The plot itself was adventurous and always kept me on my toes. Never once in the book was there an area that lagged, it was fast-paced in a good way. In Thief of Lies there was constant danger and events that made me gasp. It was full of suspense, climax and a whole lot of emotion.

     Overall Drake created a world full of wonders and awe with twists that are sure to shock.  

      Another thing Brenda Drake excelled at in this book were her characters. Each brought their own element to the story line and made me feel all kinds of emotions towards them all. It was also nice to easily connect with the main characters and see their general points of view.

      Gia is the main leading female protagonist, and leading she definitely was. A Mystic world, which she knew nothing about was thrust upon her and I believe she handled every new situation well. She had to face things that she thought were all just fairy tales and nightmares. Gia also had to willingly part with people whom she had grown up with her entire life. She took fast to her training and excelled brilliantly in that as well. Gia is the type of character that every good YA book needs to have. She was strong willed and stood up for herself and for those she loved, but she also let her emotions flow as well.

      Arik was probably the second leading character in this series to say the least. He was what caught Gia's eye in the first place, and kind of the reason why the Mystic world was opened up to her. Ark is a Sential group leader and knows how to navigate himself around weapons. Alongside being amazing support for Gia and never being impatient, he was equally swoony. I could've read endless amounts of pages that would be dedicated to Arik alone. Arik was the complete package, he had the wits, smarts, leadership, and looks to be a very awesome leading male character in Thief of Lies.

     So.. alongside Arik was this other leading male who wasn't introduced to the readers until around halfway through the book, that character was Bastien. He is a wizard, and a very good one at that. Bastien wit and humor never failed to make me laugh and smile. At first, I kind of had a deep grudge against him, however as the story progressed I found it hard not to love him. He experienced quite heartbreaking events and I had felt so sorry for him. I dare say that Bastien may be one of my favourite characters in this book alongside Gia... I may even like him a little bit more than Arik.

      Overall not only did the main characters show tremendous strength and wit, but the secondary characters were just as strong and witty as well.