The Lies of Locke Lamora

Locke Lamora is a talented young thief when he is picked up by the Thiefmaker. However, after a short amount of time, the Thiefmaker realizes that he is in over his head with this kid, and takes him to Chains, a priest of one of the 13 deities. There, he is raised as a professional, incredible thief along with a few other kids. We flash forward to present day, where Locke now runs this gang of misfits in extraordinary heists that are well crafted and incredibly manipulative. However, when a new guy comes to town and wreaks havoc, Locke isn't sure if him and his found family will make it out alive.

I really enjoyed this book. I definitely think it had a somewhat slow start. It took me a long time to finish this book. (This was partially due to me being busy the past few weeks as well.) However, by the last quarter, I was engrossed and couldn't put the book down. This book has one of my favorite, and often talked about, tropes of a found family. I love this little family that Chains has created in these kids, and watching them grow up to rely on each other and love each other is beautiful. There were multiple plot twists throughout the story that I never saw coming, and was utterly shocked and devastated by. The setting of this world is fantastical and beautiful. It reminded me of the Farseer trilogy in that there are these ancient structures built by a long-dead society that no one currently alive can explain, and magic doesn't play a huge role in the story until towards the end. These structures are beautiful and unbreakable. The setting is based on Venice, with canals and water surrounding the city. The characters are all loveable, complex, and funny. I am very excited to continue this series. I know that Scott Lynch is one of those fantasy authors notorious for not finishing a series, so I'm a little nervous about that, but I can't wait to continue on with Locke and the gang.

I recommend this book to fantasy readers everywhere!

TW: alcohol, animal violence (graphic), child slavery (mentioned), death, gore, grief, language, prostitution, rape (mentioned), sexual content, suicide (mentioned), terminal illness, torture, trauma, violence (graphic)