Thief by Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Sevy is a stubborn, angry orphan who steals to survive on the violent streets of Eloria. She has a best friend but her best friend isn’t as much of a survivor as she is. They live in a stable with a bunch of other street kids. But one day, Sevy’s bestie can’t take it anymore and decides to get involved with a dangerous man who hurts her, mistreats her and assaults her. And he almost kills Sevy. 

Sevy runs away. Feeling abandoned, alone. She doesn’t know what to do. 

Still in Eloria, Sevy ends up going into a bar. She sits next to Jarro, a man she met earlier while trying to steal from him. He’s nice to her. His niceness confuses her but she appreciates it about as much as she distrusts it. One thing leads to another, and Sevy crosses paths with Jarro again but this time, she’s in trouble. When Jarro helps her, he gets into a fight and Sevy saves him.

And that’s where things really get going. 

Sevy goes to Jarro to see if he’s okay after the fight and learns he’s the leader of a gang. He’s a feared criminal in Eloria. And also, a really nice guy. Sevy asks to join his gang, which results in one of my favorite scenes of the book. When Jarro challenges Sevy to show that she has what it takes, she plays the role of ‘poor damsel’ and tricks him, resulting in her winning his challenge in under sixty seconds. 

Seriously, Sevy is a badass. 

The other main characters of the book are Irea and Revik. Irea is Jarro’s girlfriend but she’s kind of a bitch, and Revik is Jarro’s best friend. I love Revik. He’s awesome. 

Sevy never gets along with Irea. The two girls hate each other. But Sevy and Revik form a strong, honest bond, mostly because they’re both troublemakers. Only Revik can control his rage and Sevy can’t. She has a short fuse, which Revik sometimes takes advantage of. It can be amusing.

Jarro and Revik have a great friendship too. They’re definitely besties.

The scene when Revik goes to find Jarro in the courtyard and they start talking about Jarro’s feelings for Sevy is fantastic. I wonder how long Revik knew about Jarro’s feelings before he did. 

However, just as Jarro gets the courage to tell Sevy how he feels, disaster strikes.

Sevy’s world is turned upside down. And she goes down a dark path.

After two years, we’re brought back into the story but in Revik’s POV. He’s living at his home where most of the dark elves live. He’s with his family, his wife and her other three husbands. 

Yes, Revik is her fourth husband. 

To be honest, I didn’t totally understand the dark elf culture but it was interesting. And I did like Revik’s family. His wife is a bit much but she’s sweet and obviously cares about him a lot. 

Revik isn’t really happy. I guess, he’s content at times but for the most part, he daydreams of adventure and travel. He wants freedom, not routine. 

When danger upsets his boring life, Revik embarks on a journey to revisit someone from his past. He finds Sevy to warn her of a new, looming villain, a woman they used to know. Irea. And Irea has changed since the last time either of them saw her. She’s become something new, a creature born of shadow. And she’s absolutely lost her mind.

I love Irea as the unhinged villain. She went from bitchy to crazy, and it’s awesome. She’s entertaining. 

A lot happens in this book that I haven’t said. I don’t want to go into too much detail. But I will say, the book is great. It’s shocking, dark, and unpredictable. If you love fantasy with a dark edge, a strong FMC, an unhinged villain, and great friendships, you should definitely check out this book.