The Magic Thief

Though I don't care for Ms. Phineas' name selections I did enjoy the plot and progression of events. What did the black birds in the tree at Heartease signify; what precipitated their departure? I'd recommend this story to all middle school readers and any adult who wants a good read. You should never judge a book by its cover - nor people either!

First in the Magic Thief fantasy series for middle-grade readers and revolving around a young pickpocket with potential.

In 2011, The Magic Thief was nominated for the Iowa Teen Award and also in 2009 for the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award.…

My Take
…This reminds me of Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap series, right down to the book size. Prineas, however, does have a different take on how magic works and who her major protagonist is. I enjoyed her dual first-person protagonist point-of-view with Conn, as it gives us his worldly wise street thief perspective on his world, and Nevery’s perspective provides good back history.

I got pulled in by that first paragraph with Prineas’ combination thought- and question-posing hook. As for changing the font and page background color for Nevery’s notes, that was a handy visual cue that the perspective was changing from Conn’s to Nevery’s. Thank you! I always appreciate an author making it easy for the reader [me!] to stay connected to the story. Although, I could wish the page color hadn’t been quite so dark. Maybe it’s just my old eyes…

Prineas combines the ticking clock scenario with Conn having to “prove” himself with the plot coupon of Conn having to find his magicalicus locus while she beautifully integrates her info dumps throughout the story. There were a few plot twists, but no major issues. Just enough to give the story a bit more interest.

Conn isn’t shy about speaking up for himself or for what he thinks, and Prineas uses the epiphany plot beat with that excellent point Conn makes on the truth about magic.…
”Spells are a language and we use it to tell the magic what to do.”
The Story
…The boy has potential, but Nevery isn’t sure he’s worth the trouble. Nor does Nevery have the time to train an apprentice, not when he must discover why the city is losing its magic.

Although…the boy was able to withstand his locus magicalicus. Hmmm, maybe he should give him a try……

The Characters
…Connwaer “Conn” is between twelve and fourteen years old and a successful lockpick and pickpocket, most of the time. Black Maggie was Conn's mother and the one who taught Conn how to pick locks.

Nevery Flinglas is a wizard who was banished from Wellmet 20 years ago after an experiment blew up. His locus magicalicus had been his great-great-aunt Alwae’s stone. Benet is hired muscle with a talent for knitting and baking. The house Nevery left behind, Heartsease, is falling to pieces. Lady is the cat.…

Wellmet is…
……one of a loose confederation of cities, the Peninsular Duchies. It runs on magic and is ruled by Willa Forestall, the Duchess of Wellmet, who is based in the Dawn Palace in the well-off Sunrise neighborhood. Captain Kerrn, Farn, Jas, and Merik are guards.

Wellmet Academics is…
…headquartered on the islands which are the homes of the magisters, wizards, if you will. Magister Brumbee is the Master Wizard of the academy and is part of the council along with Periwinkle, Sandera, Pettivox who is also the court liaison, and Trammel, who appears to have some skill with healing.

Lady Rowan Forestal is a regular student at the academy — and the duchess’ daughter — and has been set to mentor Conn. Keeston is Pettivox’s apprentice and a real jerk who has been partnered with Conn.

Underlord Crowe is the crime lord of Wellmet with headquarters in Dusk House which is in the Twilight neighborhood of factories, warehouses, and the poor. He’s also Conn’s uncle.

A locus magicalicus enables a wizard to focus magic and work spells. Slowsilver restrains magic, so a wizard can examine it. Embero is a dangerous spell. Micnu wrote a paper explaining how magic is created; he and Carron have written about magical nodes.…

The Cover and Title
…The cover is a textured deep and grayed royal blue with embossed gold frames and plaques. The title and author’s name are embossed in a deeper gold inside the plaques — top and bottom respectively. The center, inside its round, gold frame is a graphic of Nevery and Conn, using his street skills along with his locus magicalicus. On the left of the cover, just below the pivot of the conjoined frames is the leaf-shaped green and gleaming locus magicalicus.

The title could go two ways, for there are indeed two thieves, and The Magic Thief could be the thief being reformed or the thief being born.

4.5
Reader thoughts:
Not overly unique, but it had good movement, interesting plot, and a satisfying ending. Connwaer is a very neat character with a fun pov and voice. He makes up words and phrases related to thieving and makes me feel more a part of his world. Connwaer is unique not in that he's more powerful than other magicians but in that he knows more about the magic than they do, that it's actually alive rather than just being a scientific sort of force.

I love that there's danger and learning and magic all blended in a satisfying plot with the underworld and the duchess.

Writer thoughts:
Nevery's input into the story makes it better than it would be without distracting from the main idea. SP uses the quotes from Nevery between chapters to show readers other sides of the story and to see into his head and how he thinks. He always calls Conn "boy."

Pickpocket-turned-wizard Connwaer is back for his biggest adventure ever in FOUND, the final book in the Magic Thief fantasy trilogy. This series is set in the magical city of Wellmet, which is comprised of two very different sections separated by a serpentine river flowing between them: beautiful and glamorous Sunrise on the eastern shore, and ugly, run-down Twilight on the western shore, home to all of Wellmet's warehouses and factories. The Dutchess Willa Forestal ruled over Sunrise with the help of her wizards, while Twilight found itself in the fearsome clutches of Underlord Crowe, whose minions handed out their own brand of justice.

Conn had been a "sneakthief" and "gutterboy" living on the mean streets of Twilight, trying to fill his stomach each day while evading the Underlord's grasp. That was before the great wizard Nevery Flinglas had found him and made him his own apprentice. Conn had gone to live with Nevery and his muscle man Benet in Nevery's mansion, Heartsease, on an island in the river.

In the first book, Conn had discovered that the magic that protected Wellmet and indeed enabled the city to exist at all was a living being. Magical spells were simply words spoken in the being's own tongue to enable the wizard to communicate with it, with the aid of a locus magicalicus, or a magic stone. However, in protecting the magical being from an enemy who sought to trap the magic of the city, Conn had lost his splendid locus magicalicus with which to speak to, and direct, the magic of Wellmet.

The second installment described Conn's increasingly frenzied attempts, using dangerous pyrotechnics, to find a new locus magicalicus with which to fend off the deadly shadowmen who targeted Wellmet. Since the use of pyrotechnics within the city wall's was strictly forbidden, Conn found himself banished from Wellmet and sent to the distant desert land of Desh. But exotic Desh, ruled by a crazed Sorceror-King, turned out to hold the secrets behind the shadowmen and the key to Wellmet's own fate.

In the final part of the trilogy, Conn has found his way back to Wellmet, a city that is in perilous danger from the evil magic Arhionvar that is coming to kill the city's magic and, by extension, the city itself. To save his home, Conn must travel far from Wellmet in search of a new locus magicalicus at the very time that the city needs him most. Conn's heart-stopping journey into uncharted lands leads him finally to dragons --- long-forgotten, mysterious creatures out of legend. Now Conn must discover the surprising connection between dragons and Wellmet's magic, and use his knowledge to learn what Arhionvar wants and how the magic of Wellmet can survive in the face of the assault from Arhionvar.

FOUND easily lives up to the promise of the other books in this delightful trilogy, giving the reader a thrill-a-minute ride to the very end. Conn --- wily, bright and determined to do the right thing at any cost to himself --- leaps off the pages of the book as a memorable and intriguing young hero. His many friends, such as Nevery Flinglas, the stern but goodhearted wizard; Benet, a bear of a man who loves to bake, knit and clean; Rowan Forestal, the beautiful and brave daughter of the Dutchess; Kerrn, the dutiful yet fair captain of the Guard; and Embre, the mysterious pyrotechnics man from Twilight, all lend interest to the story.

The heart of the story, though, belongs entirely to the dragons, which breathe warmth, color and majestic beauty into the tale. I enjoyed how they were portrayed, as fundamentally mysterious and awe-inspiring creatures answerable only to themselves, rather than as large and cuddly rides as is sometimes the case. The scenes leading Conn up the mountains and into the dragon's lair are so vividly and gorgeously described that readers can see the entire breathtaking scene unfold in front of them in cinematographic scope, a sign perhaps that this trilogy would be just as enjoyable in movie format.

As with the previous books in the series, FOUND is visually gorgeous with artwork that is perfectly matched to this enchanting story. The cover art with its vibrant, gemlike color has immediate appeal, as do the many beautiful illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo, inserts of letters from different characters, knitting patterns, character guides, and secret rune codes that fill the pages of the book.

English professor, Tolkien expert, and dragon fan Sarah Prineas has given us a magical new fantasy classic for all ages. My only complaint is that the series was done before I was quite ready to say goodbye to Conn, Nevery, Pip and all the other characters.

--- Reviewed by Usha Reynolds

My Thoughts: Oh, Magic Thief, why did you have to do this to me? I got so excited and then... URGH.
This book was hard to get through, honestly. Connwaer's "journey" to find his locus magicalicus was hardly a journey at all, and I really wasn't that interested. We, as readers, could definitely have done without those fifty or some pages. The diminishing magic was the only thing that kept me intrigued, however, there was not as much mystery with Pettivox as I would've liked. I guess, really, my only problems with this book is the writing and plot. Conn, Rowan, Nevery, Keeston, Benet, etc, where all great characters with distinct, at times humorous personalities that kept the story going. I liked the Duchess, and Keeston's story, as well as seeing all of the characters evolve as the story went on. I love books with young thieves as the main character, and Conn didn't disappoint. The sort-of charm of Wellmet and the characters was a high-point too - I liked seeing the similarities to Magyk. So really, my only issues were where the plot was concerned - I just felt some parts were hyped up too much, so I became disappointed. Conn finding the locus stone was not really a huge part of the book - in my opinion. The writing was decent,so again, it was just the plot. I'd recommend this book to most, but younger ages.

Like L.M. Boston's Green Knowe series, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Sarah Prineas' The Magic Thief represents a children's book that's bound to be devoured by thousands of adults.

The eponymous thief Conn meets his future magical mentor, wizard Nevery Flinglass, while trying to pick his pocket. Nevery's locus magicalicus, a sort of magical stone that gives a wizard his power, should have killed Conn on the spot -- but does not, much to Nevery's amazement. Thus begins a partnership and a trilogy that will attract as many adults as members of its intended middle-grades audience. Their city of Wellmet, like other cities in this alternative fantasy universe, literally runs on magic; recently, that magical force has been gradually disappearing -- almost as if it were being drained by some unseen and unsavory force. Hmmm. While Nevery is investigating the strange diminution, the teenaged Conn undertakes to find his very own locus magicalicus, a requirement if he is ever to become a full-fledged wizard -- or even a full-fledged wizard's apprentice.

Prineas navigates the plot through terrifying scrapes and close calls for Conn, his hard-earned advancement in the wizarding realm, a possible newfound love, and a search for the cause of -- and solution to -- what Nevery calls "the decay of magic" in Wellmet. Take some advice from me: Buy the other two books in the trilogy -- The Magic Thief: Lost and The Magic Thief: Found -- before you finish The Magic Thief. You will thoroughly enjoy the novel and the endearingly sassy and intrepid Conn. How much? So much that you will be eager to pick up Conn's adventures in the sequels just as soon as you finish The Magic Thief.

First in the Magic Thief fantasy series for middle-grade readers and revolving around a young pickpocket with potential.

In 2011, The Magic Thief was nominated for the Iowa Teen Award and also in 2009 for the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award.…

My Take
…This reminds me of Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap series, right down to the book size. Prineas, however, does have a different take on how magic works and who her major protagonist is. I enjoyed her dual first-person protagonist point-of-view with Conn, as it gives us his worldly wise street thief perspective on his world, and Nevery’s perspective provides good back history.

I got pulled in by that first paragraph with Prineas’ combination thought- and question-posing hook. As for changing the font and page background color for Nevery’s notes, that was a handy visual cue that the perspective was changing from Conn’s to Nevery’s. Thank you! I always appreciate an author making it easy for the reader [me!] to stay connected to the story. Although, I could wish the page color hadn’t been quite so dark. Maybe it’s just my old eyes…

Prineas combines the ticking clock scenario with Conn having to “prove” himself with the plot coupon of Conn having to find his magicalicus locus while she beautifully integrates her info dumps throughout the story. There were a few plot twists, but no major issues. Just enough to give the story a bit more interest.

Conn isn’t shy about speaking up for himself or for what he thinks, and Prineas uses the epiphany plot beat with that excellent point Conn makes on the truth about magic.…
”Spells are a language and we use it to tell the magic what to do.”
The Story
…The boy has potential, but Nevery isn’t sure he’s worth the trouble. Nor does Nevery have the time to train an apprentice, not when he must discover why the city is losing its magic.

Although…the boy was able to withstand his locus magicalicus. Hmmm, maybe he should give him a try……

The Characters
…Connwaer “Conn” is between twelve and fourteen years old and a successful lockpick and pickpocket, most of the time. Black Maggie was Conn's mother and the one who taught Conn how to pick locks.

Nevery Flinglas is a wizard who was banished from Wellmet 20 years ago after an experiment blew up. His locus magicalicus had been his great-great-aunt Alwae’s stone. Benet is hired muscle with a talent for knitting and baking. The house Nevery left behind, Heartsease, is falling to pieces. Lady is the cat.…

Wellmet is…
……one of a loose confederation of cities, the Peninsular Duchies. It runs on magic and is ruled by Willa Forestall, the Duchess of Wellmet, who is based in the Dawn Palace in the well-off Sunrise neighborhood. Captain Kerrn, Farn, Jas, and Merik are guards.

Wellmet Academics is…
…headquartered on the islands which are the homes of the magisters, wizards, if you will. Magister Brumbee is the Master Wizard of the academy and is part of the council along with Periwinkle, Sandera, Pettivox who is also the court liaison, and Trammel, who appears to have some skill with healing.

Lady Rowan Forestal is a regular student at the academy — and the duchess’ daughter — and has been set to mentor Conn. Keeston is Pettivox’s apprentice and a real jerk who has been partnered with Conn.

Underlord Crowe is the crime lord of Wellmet with headquarters in Dusk House which is in the Twilight neighborhood of factories, warehouses, and the poor. He’s also Conn’s uncle.

A locus magicalicus enables a wizard to focus magic and work spells. Slowsilver restrains magic, so a wizard can examine it. Embero is a dangerous spell. Micnu wrote a paper explaining how magic is created; he and Carron have written about magical nodes.…

The Cover and Title
…The cover is a textured deep and grayed royal blue with embossed gold frames and plaques. The title and author’s name are embossed in a deeper gold inside the plaques — top and bottom respectively. The center, inside its round, gold frame is a graphic of Nevery and Conn, using his street skills along with his locus magicalicus. On the left of the cover, just below the pivot of the conjoined frames is the leaf-shaped green and gleaming locus magicalicus.

The title could go two ways, for there are indeed two thieves, and The Magic Thief could be the thief being reformed or the thief being born.

4.5
Reader thoughts:
Not overly unique, but it had good movement, interesting plot, and a satisfying ending. Connwaer is a very neat character with a fun pov and voice. He makes up words and phrases related to thieving and makes me feel more a part of his world. Connwaer is unique not in that he's more powerful than other magicians but in that he knows more about the magic than they do, that it's actually alive rather than just being a scientific sort of force.

I love that there's danger and learning and magic all blended in a satisfying plot with the underworld and the duchess.

Writer thoughts:
Nevery's input into the story makes it better than it would be without distracting from the main idea. SP uses the quotes from Nevery between chapters to show readers other sides of the story and to see into his head and how he thinks. He always calls Conn "boy."

Pickpocket-turned-wizard Connwaer is back for his biggest adventure ever in FOUND, the final book in the Magic Thief fantasy trilogy. This series is set in the magical city of Wellmet, which is comprised of two very different sections separated by a serpentine river flowing between them: beautiful and glamorous Sunrise on the eastern shore, and ugly, run-down Twilight on the western shore, home to all of Wellmet's warehouses and factories. The Dutchess Willa Forestal ruled over Sunrise with the help of her wizards, while Twilight found itself in the fearsome clutches of Underlord Crowe, whose minions handed out their own brand of justice.

Conn had been a "sneakthief" and "gutterboy" living on the mean streets of Twilight, trying to fill his stomach each day while evading the Underlord's grasp. That was before the great wizard Nevery Flinglas had found him and made him his own apprentice. Conn had gone to live with Nevery and his muscle man Benet in Nevery's mansion, Heartsease, on an island in the river.

In the first book, Conn had discovered that the magic that protected Wellmet and indeed enabled the city to exist at all was a living being. Magical spells were simply words spoken in the being's own tongue to enable the wizard to communicate with it, with the aid of a locus magicalicus, or a magic stone. However, in protecting the magical being from an enemy who sought to trap the magic of the city, Conn had lost his splendid locus magicalicus with which to speak to, and direct, the magic of Wellmet.

The second installment described Conn's increasingly frenzied attempts, using dangerous pyrotechnics, to find a new locus magicalicus with which to fend off the deadly shadowmen who targeted Wellmet. Since the use of pyrotechnics within the city wall's was strictly forbidden, Conn found himself banished from Wellmet and sent to the distant desert land of Desh. But exotic Desh, ruled by a crazed Sorceror-King, turned out to hold the secrets behind the shadowmen and the key to Wellmet's own fate.

In the final part of the trilogy, Conn has found his way back to Wellmet, a city that is in perilous danger from the evil magic Arhionvar that is coming to kill the city's magic and, by extension, the city itself. To save his home, Conn must travel far from Wellmet in search of a new locus magicalicus at the very time that the city needs him most. Conn's heart-stopping journey into uncharted lands leads him finally to dragons --- long-forgotten, mysterious creatures out of legend. Now Conn must discover the surprising connection between dragons and Wellmet's magic, and use his knowledge to learn what Arhionvar wants and how the magic of Wellmet can survive in the face of the assault from Arhionvar.

FOUND easily lives up to the promise of the other books in this delightful trilogy, giving the reader a thrill-a-minute ride to the very end. Conn --- wily, bright and determined to do the right thing at any cost to himself --- leaps off the pages of the book as a memorable and intriguing young hero. His many friends, such as Nevery Flinglas, the stern but goodhearted wizard; Benet, a bear of a man who loves to bake, knit and clean; Rowan Forestal, the beautiful and brave daughter of the Dutchess; Kerrn, the dutiful yet fair captain of the Guard; and Embre, the mysterious pyrotechnics man from Twilight, all lend interest to the story.

The heart of the story, though, belongs entirely to the dragons, which breathe warmth, color and majestic beauty into the tale. I enjoyed how they were portrayed, as fundamentally mysterious and awe-inspiring creatures answerable only to themselves, rather than as large and cuddly rides as is sometimes the case. The scenes leading Conn up the mountains and into the dragon's lair are so vividly and gorgeously described that readers can see the entire breathtaking scene unfold in front of them in cinematographic scope, a sign perhaps that this trilogy would be just as enjoyable in movie format.

As with the previous books in the series, FOUND is visually gorgeous with artwork that is perfectly matched to this enchanting story. The cover art with its vibrant, gemlike color has immediate appeal, as do the many beautiful illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo, inserts of letters from different characters, knitting patterns, character guides, and secret rune codes that fill the pages of the book.

English professor, Tolkien expert, and dragon fan Sarah Prineas has given us a magical new fantasy classic for all ages. My only complaint is that the series was done before I was quite ready to say goodbye to Conn, Nevery, Pip and all the other characters.

--- Reviewed by Usha Reynolds

My Thoughts: Oh, Magic Thief, why did you have to do this to me? I got so excited and then... URGH.
This book was hard to get through, honestly. Connwaer's "journey" to find his locus magicalicus was hardly a journey at all, and I really wasn't that interested. We, as readers, could definitely have done without those fifty or some pages. The diminishing magic was the only thing that kept me intrigued, however, there was not as much mystery with Pettivox as I would've liked. I guess, really, my only problems with this book is the writing and plot. Conn, Rowan, Nevery, Keeston, Benet, etc, where all great characters with distinct, at times humorous personalities that kept the story going. I liked the Duchess, and Keeston's story, as well as seeing all of the characters evolve as the story went on. I love books with young thieves as the main character, and Conn didn't disappoint. The sort-of charm of Wellmet and the characters was a high-point too - I liked seeing the similarities to Magyk. So really, my only issues were where the plot was concerned - I just felt some parts were hyped up too much, so I became disappointed. Conn finding the locus stone was not really a huge part of the book - in my opinion. The writing was decent,so again, it was just the plot. I'd recommend this book to most, but younger ages.

Like L.M. Boston's Green Knowe series, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Sarah Prineas' The Magic Thief represents a children's book that's bound to be devoured by thousands of adults.

The eponymous thief Conn meets his future magical mentor, wizard Nevery Flinglass, while trying to pick his pocket. Nevery's locus magicalicus, a sort of magical stone that gives a wizard his power, should have killed Conn on the spot -- but does not, much to Nevery's amazement. Thus begins a partnership and a trilogy that will attract as many adults as members of its intended middle-grades audience. Their city of Wellmet, like other cities in this alternative fantasy universe, literally runs on magic; recently, that magical force has been gradually disappearing -- almost as if it were being drained by some unseen and unsavory force. Hmmm. While Nevery is investigating the strange diminution, the teenaged Conn undertakes to find his very own locus magicalicus, a requirement if he is ever to become a full-fledged wizard -- or even a full-fledged wizard's apprentice.

Prineas navigates the plot through terrifying scrapes and close calls for Conn, his hard-earned advancement in the wizarding realm, a possible newfound love, and a search for the cause of -- and solution to -- what Nevery calls "the decay of magic" in Wellmet. Take some advice from me: Buy the other two books in the trilogy -- The Magic Thief: Lost and The Magic Thief: Found -- before you finish The Magic Thief. You will thoroughly enjoy the novel and the endearingly sassy and intrepid Conn. How much? So much that you will be eager to pick up Conn's adventures in the sequels just as soon as you finish The Magic Thief.

The first book in The Magic Thief fantasy trilogy ended with apprentice magician Connwaer losing his splendid locus magicalicus (or "magic stone") during his battle to rescue the living magic that protects the city of Wellmet. This second installment in the series picks up where its predecessor left off, with Conn desperately seeking a new locus magicalicus to communicate with Wellmet's magic. Unfortunately, no one believes Conn when he insists that the magic is a living being, and magical incantations are merely words spoken in the being's own language.

Meanwhile, Wellmet is under attack by a band of mysterious and deadly Shadowmen whose very touch brings instant paralysis and death. Who has sent them? What do they seek? Conn thinks Wellmet's magic may know the answers to these questions, but he needs a magicalicus to facilitate a conversation between himself and the magical being of the city.

When his attempts to find a magicalicus prove to be unsuccessful, Conn hits upon a new and perilous way to communicate with the city's magic: pyrotechnics. However, the use of pyrotechnics within the city walls is strictly forbidden. Indeed, that was exactly what had gotten Conn's master, the great wizard Nevery, temporarily banished from Wellmet more than 20 years before. Not only that, but a permanently gaping hole was left in the middle of Nevery's island home, Heartsease.

After an acquaintance's life is tragically claimed by the Shadowmen, Conn becomes increasingly desperate to learn who or what lies behind these deadly creatures. But Conn's frenzy to communicate with the magic drives him to ever more reckless measures, putting in peril the lives of those he loves most and eventually causing him to be banished from Wellmet to the exotic and dangerous desert land of Desh. In this thrill-a-minute ride of a book, we learn how the ever-capable Conn manages to discover the secret of the Shadowmen and outmaneuver those who would bring destruction to Wellmet. But will he ever be able to come home again?

The continual ratcheting up of tension throughout LOST (whenever you think that young Conn is in the worst trouble of his life, he quickly lands in more!) makes the mood more serious here than in the first installment. Conn himself is much more tense and subdued, showing less of the impishness that characterized him in THE MAGIC THIEF. The overall tone --- featuring the death of a character and the near-death of another important one --- is fairly somber for a children's book. However, the novel should be fine for the intended group (ages 10 and up). Although tinged with sadness and tension, there is nothing gory or gruesome here.

While the story itself is wonderful, the DVD-like extra features with which the book is jam-packed really make it a worthwhile purchase. LOST features stunning, pitch-perfect illustrations and cover art by Antonio Javier Caparo, inserts of letters from various characters, character guides to orient newcomers to the series, and even some recipes. There is something cozy and inviting to the feel of the book, and what is inside the covers lives up to any expectations one may have about it.

English professor and Tolkien expert Sarah Prineas has now given us two excellent adventures for kids and adults alike, grounded in the children's fantasy tradition and peppered with interesting characters and heart-stopping action. Her use of language is inventive and interesting without being distracting.

Although the storyline features the adventures of a young orphan wizard, the story calls to mind Oliver Twist more than it does Harry Potter. In any case, I find the trilogy to be just as entertaining as J. K. Rowling's series, and perhaps more tightly plotted. The Magic Thief has the makings of a new children's fantasy classic.

--- Reviewed by Usha Reynolds

Connwaer is a young orphan who has learned to survive on the streets by using his quick wits and nimble pickpocketing fingers. On one cold, wet night, Conn picks the wrong pocket; he comes away not with a few coins to pay for his supper, but with a magicalicus, or wizard's stone, belonging to the powerful and feared wizard Nevery Flinglas.

Much to Nevery's surprise, the magicalicus that should have killed Conn as soon as he touched it leaves him completely unharmed. Conn goes to live in Nevery's crumbling mansion on an island in the river, with the wizard and his "muscle" Benet, a surly and taciturn hired gun who just happens to enjoy baking biscuits and knitting sweaters.

Conn decides that he would make a perfect wizard's apprentice ("a thief is a lot like a wizard"), but it turns out that Nevery thinks Conn would make the perfect servant, except for the fact that he eats too much. However, that little misunderstanding is ironed out to everyone's satisfaction, and Conn is indeed upgraded to a potential apprentice. To be formally accepted as a wizard's apprentice, Conn --- who has had no schooling in his life --- must attend magic school with the best students in the city and locate a magicalicus of his own within the month.

Conn decides to help Nevery find out what --- or who --- is stealing the living magic that runs the city of Wellmet, a task that brings him into contact with the dreaded Underlord Crowe and the enigmatic Dutchess and her beautiful daughter. Conn usually knows just a little more than Nevery and the other adults around him, but can he make them believe that he, a former "sneakthief," is in fact telling the truth?

Conn is a perfect delight --- his general scrappiness, lively curiosity, shrewd observations of people and sly outmaneuvering of the adults around him all serve to make him a thoroughly engaging narrator. His storytelling is interspersed with wry, terse journal entries by Nevery, which make for an amusing counterpoint to Conn's version of the story. Gorgeous and pitch-perfect drawings by Antonio Javier Caparo, scattered throughout the book, capture the very essence of this Dickensian world.

English professor and Tolkien expert Sarah Prineas has given us a work grounded in the fantasy tradition, but with original and interesting characters. THE MAGIC THIEF is an absolute charmer. If the other titles in this anticipated trilogy live up to the promise of the first book (and all indications are that they will), then this series has all the makings of a new fantasy classic for children --- the perfect addition to any young person's library.

Sarah Prineas has penned a magnificent conclusion to her irresistible Magic Thief trilogy, which features the guttersnipe thief-turned-wizard Connwaer, his wizard mentor Nevery and his royal friend Rowan.

Conn, in exile after the literal pyrotechnics of The Magic Thief: Lost: Book Two (Magic Thief (Quality)), nonetheless conspires with Nevery to come up with a defense against the encroaching evil magic of Arionvar. To tell much more would be to spoil this novel. Let's just say that Conn heads out to find a new locus magicalicus stone and discovers it in the most unlikely spot. How he and Nevery end up protecting the city of Wellmet and its living magic makes for a most entrancing tale.

In the Audible version, narrator Greg Steinbrunner excels with all of the voices -- particularly the voice of the street-wise Conn and the slightly pompous magister Nevery.

Our intrepid hero Conn from The Magic Thief returns in the second installment in Sarah Prineas' trilogy. Without a locus magicalicus any longer, Conn, a former thief and on-again, off-again wizard's apprentice, realizes that he can communicate with magic through small-scale explosions. That's how Conn comes to realize that Wellmet's magic stands in grave danger. Wellmet has already been infested with strange shadow creatures who, like Medusa, turn their victims into stone. Conn realizes that the shadow creatures and the unearthly danger to Wellmet's magic come from the same source: the neighboring city of Desh.

Conn's adventures before and after heading off on the dangerous journey to Desh don't quite measure up to the excitement of the first book in the fantasy trilogy; however, readers will still thoroughly enjoy the further adventures of Conn; his friend, the royal Rowan, and Conn's master, the wizard Nevery Flinglas. While readers will enjoy the return of old friends, Conn makes a few unexpected new ones in this book, too.

The novel ends in a cliffhanger, so be sure you've purchased the final book in the Magic Thief trilogy, The Magic Thief: Found, before you come to the end!

Though I don't care for Ms. Phineas' name selections I did enjoy the plot and progression of events. What did the black birds in the tree at Heartease signify; what precipitated their departure? I'd recommend this story to all middle school readers and any adult who wants a good read. You should never judge a book by its cover - nor people either!

Annoyingly I read this book without reading the one before it - I ordered it not realising it was different from "The Magic Thief" which I had intended to buy. When it arrived I read it anyway, and have now added the book I intended to read to my wish list!

That ought to amount to a recommendation. This book was good enough for me to want to fill in the gaps.

I read this straight after reading Angie Sage's Physik, and that was perhaps unfortunate, as Angie Sage's books are so good it was hard for me to put that out of my mind when reading this book - and comparisons are inevitable. This book lacks the wacky humour of Angie Sage, and the storyline is less involved. Characterisations are not as deep either.

But despite those comparisons, this is still a very good story. A fast paced adventure with plenty to endear it to its intended audience. For instance, the chapters are riddled with secret runic messages to decode, and there are some wonderfully interesting recipes at the end!

Ultimately I would say this book would appeal to a slightly younger readership than the Septimus Heap books - say 7 or 8+, although it could still be enjoyed by much older children and lovers of children's books.

(Always the problem with adding reading ages to books - it puts off the older readers who would still love it. nevertheless, children 10+ may prefer Septimus Heap).

Ever since wizard apprentice and former thief Conn destroyed his locus magicalicus saving the city of Wellmet's magic, he's been banned from lessons and shunned by all the wizards except his master, Nevery.

No one believes his theory that the magic is a living being. As shadowy beings stalk Wellmet and attack its residents, Conn becomes desperate to communicate with the magic again. But his experiments with pyrotechnics cause a disaster so great he is exiled from Wellmet.

Outside the city, Conn steals a place on a envoyage to a distant city he suspects may be involved in Wellmet's troubles. Along the way he makes new friends and new enemies, and discovers a threat far greater than he ever imagined. Even Conn's great skills of stealth and thievery may not be enough this time.

Fans of THE MAGIC THIEF will love returning to Conn's world and joining him on his continuing adventures. Conn comes off at times more subdued than in the first book, but overall he has the same straight-forwardly charming voice. Minor characters from the first book have their roles expanded, making up for the fact that the wonderful Nevery and Benet are left behind for many chapters.

It's a delight seeing the world further explored and learning all the new and intriguing details about how it works. The enemy Conn faces is truly frightening and unexpected, and the stage is well set for the trilogy's concluding book.

Recommended for all fantasy readers - though of course it's most enjoyable if you've read the first book already.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

In this fun, briskly paced, engagingly written follow-up to the first book in the series, apprentice wizard Connwaer, whose locus magicalicus stone has been destroyed, decides to experiment with pyrotechnics so that he can communicate with the living magic that runs the city of Wellmet. Disaster ensues when Conn accidentally blows up Heartsease, the home of his master, the wizard Nevery, and seriously injures Nevery's lovable, knitting, biscuit-baking bodyguard, Benet. Conn is exiled from Wellmet, and tags along with the duchess's daughter, Rowan, and her diplomatic mission to the mysterious desert city of Desh, which is ruled by a sorcerer king.

Though it has a darker tone than the first book, this sequel is just as enchanting and action-filled. Illustrations add to the story's charm. The characters are lifelike and vividly portrayed, and Rowan is a strong female character that girls can identify with. I really enjoyed the insertion of letters and journal entries by Rowan and Nevery, which breaks up Conn's narrative with other viewpoints.

Though things look pretty bleak for Conn at times, by the end he is ready for further adventures in the third book, in which I hope we'll see more of Benet. The story is followed by a guide to people and places, the Wellmet runic alphabet, recipes, and notes on swordcraft. It's a good idea to read the first book before starting this one, so you can be familiar with the interrelationships between the various characters.

Volume 1, (The Magic Thief), effectively established the characters and the plot arcs for the trilogy. Volume 2, (Lost), was passable, but like all middle volumes it's purpose was to move the story and the players to the final installment, and to introduce whatever plot elements were needed to establish a foundation for the final installment.

So, the question then becomes, was it worth it and is this final volume worth the wait and effort? I would suggest that the answer to those questions is "yes". Each character stays true to form, but develops. I'm not a dragon fan at all, but the dragon's role here feels authentic. The conclusion is satisfying. The writing is leaner than in volume 2, and the author wastes little time moving the tale along.

This trilogy just seems like a very good introduction to quest/fantasy for younger readers, and well worth your consideration.