Review: Shadow Thieves by Peter Burns

Shadow Thieves is a terrifically thrilling adventure set in an alternate world of danger, intrigue and high-risk that kept me on a tightrope of tension and excitement throughout – an absolutely gripping, unputdownable read!

Thirteen-year-old Tom Morgan was born in the workhouse, no stranger to its harsh and brutal conditions, so he is determined never to be incarcerated there again. When Tom is almost caught by a workhouse agent, he is helped to escape by the man whose shoes he is shining. Tom returns to the abandoned workhouse he lives in with his friends, street children who survive by, amongst other things, pickpocketing and shoe-shining, hopeful that he has escaped the workhouse snatchers …

When the snatchers track down the warehouse, Tom is helped to escape their clutches by one of his friends but the other children are taken. Tom suspects that they have been brought to Guttknot workhouse and climbs on to the roof of a nearby print house to seek proof … but someone is waiting for him, someone who offers him the opportunity to change his life and the hope that one day, he will have the means to rescue his friends.

The Corsair is from Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts, or Thieves School, and he wants to recruit Tom to train there. Hoping that this will provide him with a means to save his friends, Tom agrees to attend the school. And it is not long before he finds himself in a zeppelin, flying to start a new life as the school’s latest recruit.

And so begins an exhilarating, explosive adventure as Tom finds himself adapting to life in a school where there are those who accept him and offer friendship, but also those who look down on him as he’s not a legacy student, one who comes from a well-off, powerful family. Whilst learning to navigate friendships, Tom makes a discovery that leaves him feeling betrayed and unsure who he can trust, but is there even greater peril from dark forces intent on bringing change to the Shadow League and the world? Can Tom unmask the culprits behind a long con before it is too late? Can he save both his fellow pupils and rescue his friends from home?

I absolutely loved this intricate, richly woven adventure brimming with intrigue, peril, twists and revelations that kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning pages to discover more. I really enjoyed the alternate world with three empires who are held in balance by the Shadow League incorporating schools of thieves, assassins, politicos and spies who compete against each other during the International Shadow Cup which has real effects and consequences on what happens within the empires. This is the start of a series, so there are threads within the story that I really hope are followed in the next adventure, especially relating to Tom’s family history and something else that I can’t mention for fear of spoilers but what if?

Tom is an incredibly strong, resilient and courageous protagonist who never forgets the friends he has left behind at the workhouse. He has had to use his quick wits, resourcefulness and determination to survive on the streets of an alternate London, avoiding capture, traits that enable him to survive in the Thieves School, a place where failure could have dire consequences for him.

A breath-taking, action-packed, high-octane adventure set in a richly imagined alternate world of danger, daring and deceit, perfect for readers of 9+