The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling

The Diamond Thief 
by Sharon Gosling
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Format: Kindle/ ARC

Published: Oct. 1st 2014 by Capstone, Switch Press
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction/fantasy

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"By day Rémy Brunel is a daring circus acrobat, by night she is an equally talented jewel thief currently assigned to steal a famous diamond in Victorian London--but when the theft goes wrong she finds herself allied with a young policeman as they try to find the elusive gem." -Goodreads

Review:

“She dreamed of a life somewhere else, somewhere sunny, where she did not have to steal. One day...” (pg. 14)
The Diamond Thief is a tale of mysticism, of both the steam-punk and circus variety. It tells of a cursed acrobat, with a taste of thievery and the adventure that ensues when she finds out she’s been duped.
This story started off very interesting, so I give it great kudos for "The hook" factor. After a few chapters it just started going in a tailspin of magic gems, talismans, child-labor, all-hell-breaks-loose-then-is-contained-again, insta-love antics. It just felt all over the place, plot-wise. As usual, I didn't enjoy the insta-love that could be seen a mile away, and it really made me cringe when I remembered it involves Rémy 16 years old girl, and with Thaddeus being a policeman at Scotland Yard... uh... yeah.
I must say that I do admire Rémy's determination and independence. The overall characterization of the different people in the story could have been more in depth, but the author did a great job with setting the different scenes. Although quite a few aspects of the story seemed a bit absurd (for example, the accusation of Thaddeus Rec, by his comrades,) this book feels like it would appeal to a younger crowd, such as the middle-grade genre. It’s a quick read and is full of mystical adventures.

“Now, she was the best gem snatcher in Europe, probably in the whole of the world. Rémy had never been caught. And, she thought, I never will be. Never.” (pg. 12)

-----Galley provided by Netgalley via Capstone
*Quotes are from uncorrected advanced galleys and may change before going to press. Please refer to the final printed book for official quotes.