Title: Honor Among Thieves
Author: Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Science Fiction
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)
Date published: February 13, 2018

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead of moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.

– My Review –

Boy, did this book take me by surprise! I’m not sure why, but it’s probably because of the title of the book, but I expected this to be some space heist story. But the title ended up being a play on words, that I learned to appreciate while I read my way through the book. And even though it didn’t turn out being a space heist, the plot was full of adventure, and I was on the edge of my seat quite a few times (quite literally).

Some of the concepts that were used in Honor Among Thieves felt very fresh for me, and I especially liked that most of the spaceships in the story were sentient. I know that this isn’t a new concept, since we’ve had the Tardis and other such spaceships around for some time, but other aspects about these sentient ships were very unique and intriguing for me. The main sentient ship, Nadim, was actually my favourite “character” in the book (if he counts at one, which I think he should). Ugh, I love him so much. I’d actually probably read a book that’s just about him narrating his adventures through space. I never thought that I’d want to hug a spaceship, but there you have it. Also, I really liked that, although the characters in the book refer to Nadim as a “he,” the Leviathan (sentient alien spaceships like Nadim) have a more fluid concept of gender (and I hope that I’m using the right words here!)

I really liked Zara as well. She can be quite prickly, but for good reason, and he was also very very badass. I also think that she was a WOC (woman of colour), which I appreciate, and I know that at least 2 of the almost-main characters are definitely WOC. It was also very well-integrated into the story, in that they authors didn’t write it in a way that felt as if they were saying “look we have POC characters in our story, we’re awesome.” And they’re actually more awesome for not having done it that way. The characters were also diverse in more than just their skin tones, as all of their personalities felt unique. I liked many of them in varying degrees, for varying reasons.

I also really ship two characters that I feel a little odd about shipping (my Twitter DMs are open if you get what I mean here, and want to discuss, haha). Oh the lengths I go to, to avoid writing spoilers, hahaha. So there was some romance in this book, in my opinion, and there was also a focus on friendship and family relations (good and bad). I’m not usually the biggest fan of first person narration, but I find that this book could not have been written any other way. Honor Among Thieves was different from what I expected, and just exceptionally good! I will recommend it to all sci-fi YA fans, as well as some readers who are maybe thinking of dipping their toes into science fiction writing? The plot, characters, and interactions were just fantastic, and I cannot wait for the sequel to be released!

– About the Authors –

Rachel Caine’s rich, diverse bibliography of more than 50 books in print covers many categories and genres. She started out writing horror and fantasy as Roxanne Longstreet (Stormriders, The Undead, Red Angel, Cold Kiss, Slow Burn) before switching to the name Roxanne Conrad and publishing romantic suspense and mystery (Copper Moon, Bridge of Shadows, Exile). By 2003, she began to publish under her current pseudonym, specializing in urban fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal young adult fiction. http://www.rachelcaine.com

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Doctor Who. She writes all kind of fiction in multiple genres, both YA and for adults. http://www.annaguirre.com

– Purchase Links –

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!