Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastards #3) - Scott Lynch

I received this in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

Goodreads:  With what should have been the greatest heist of their career gone spectacularly sour, Locke and his trusted partner, Jean, have barely escaped with their lives. Or at least Jean has. But Locke is slowly succumbing to a deadly poison that no alchemist or physiker can cure. Yet just as the end is near, a mysterious Bondsmage offers Locke an opportunity that will either save him or finish him off once and for all.

Magi political elections are imminent, and the factions are in need of a pawn. If Locke agrees to play the role, sorcery will be used to purge the venom from his body - though the process will be so excruciating he may well wish for death. Locke is opposed, but two factors cause his will to crumble: Jean's imploring - and the Bondsmage's mention of a woman from Locke's past: Sabetha. She is the love of his life, his equal in skill and wit, and now, his greatest rival.

Locke was smitten with Sabetha from his first glimpse of her as a young fellow orphan and thief-in-training. But after a tumultuous courtship, Sabetha broke away. Now they will reunite in yet another clash of wills. For faced with his one and only match in both love and trickery, Locke must choose whether to fight Sabetha - or to woo her. It is a decision on which both their lives may depend.


Thoughts

 OH MY GOD.  HOW COULD I HAVE DONE THIS TO MYSELF?!?!?!



#^O#$%^&*U(*&^%$#@

So, I'm about 2/3 of the way through Republic of Thieves.  GUESS WHAT I JUST REALIZED.  It's the third book in the series!! I HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST TWO.   Seriously.  I am amazed at my idiocy sometimes.  I mean, kudos to the author for not making it necessary (although it does explain all my "man I wish I got more detail on these things they keep referencing instead of just saying that it happened" moments.  WELL NO WONDER.  They're probably explained in the first two freaking books!)  I really hope I haven't permanently ruined anything for myself in the first two books, although obviously there are clearly some spoilers issues.  That being said...at least I still think this book is awesome?  But seriously.  How did I forget that?  What was my plan?  I don't request sequels in a series if I haven't read the original book first.  Was I planning on reading the first two books and just forgot?  I have been looking forward to starting this series FOREVER.  In any case, I am an idiot. And since I'm already 2/3 of the way through the damned book, I'll just finish reading it and THEN go back and read the first two. 

And now that I have finished my regrettable mistake, on to the real review!


Oh the trickery!  So clever!  Part of the reason I've been looking forward to this series is:

1.  I love my rogues!  I mean George Cooper anyone?  Not to mention of course Han Solo, or Aladdin, or...my list could go on.  If you're a rogue in a story I'm guaranteed to love you.
2.  I love clever twists and tricks!  And this book is CHOCK FULL of them!  Seriously they are THE BEST. 

The dual storylines were awesome.  I think they are a big part of the reason I didn't notice I was reading the third book.  They were artfully done and it was like reading two books at the same time (in a good way).  The past didn't impact the future event-wise, it was more like a revealing of character development, which I liked very much.  So to sum up, everything about this book is amazing:  fantastic character development - even from coming to this book 2 books late, lots of action and adventure, clever twists and turns, witty dialogue.  IT HAS IT ALL.  Now onto what I really want to talk about.

Ummm can I have Locke Lamora in my life?  I mean...this.  *swoons*

"These are my cards on the table.  I think you're beautiful.  I feel like I'm an idiot with dirt on his face sitting next to someone out of a painting.  I think... I think I'm just plain stupid for you.  I know that's not exactly sweet talk out of a play.  Frankly, I'd kiss your shadow.  I'd kiss dirt that had your heel print in it.  I like feeling this way.  I don't give a damn what you or anyone else thinks... this is how it feels every time I look at you."

"And I admire you," he said praying that he could blurt everything out before she interrupted him. This desperate eloquence was like an out-of-control carriage, and if it smashed to a halt it might not move again.  "I admire everything about.  Even your temper, and your moods, and the way you take gods-damned offense when I breathe wrong around you.  I'd rather be confused about you than stone-fucking-certain about anyone else, got it?  I admire the way you're good at everything you do, even when it makes me feel small enough to drown myself in this wine cup."

"Locke - "

"I'm not done."  He held up the cup he'd used to illustrate his previous point and gulped its contents straightaway.  "The last thing.  The most important thing...it's this.  I'm sorry."

And it goes on.  It's like five pages on my cell phone so I'm not sure how long it actually is but...usually really long love confession scenes annoy me...but Locke...oh Locke!  Especially knowing everything I do about their relationship (And I bet it would have been EVEN MORE AWESOME if I actually DID know even more about their relationship.  But whatever.  I need to stop complaining).  I mean, talk about slow burn romance!!!  You know how I say that slow burn romance is the best and every book should have it?  I TAKE IT ALL BACK.  They need to be together.  BE TOGETHER RIGHT NOW LOCKE AND SABETHA. NOW. I DEMAND IT.

So really I'm lying.  I LOVE THIS ROMANCE.

The only problem I had with the book honestly was Sabetha, and it is only to a small extent since really this book was about so much more (but I'm fixated.  I need this to happen!)  I DON'T GET THIS GIRL.  Why is she so freaking touchy??  I imagine there is some past that has been hinted at in the previous books that we don't know yet?  It seemed deliberately mysterious.  But I could be wrong, and it might be crystal clear to everyone else.  And I imagine I would have a much better handle on her if I had read the first two books I know I said I wasn't going to bring that up again but really! And the red hair (which I'm guessing is the background to her touchiness and maybe to her past before the Shadow's Den?  She seemed touchy about her past before then as well) explanation was...woah.  Didn't see that coming.  That was...relatively graphic.  And tragically enough, I wouldn't be surprised if that was something that happened in our history.  Or if it to some extent still happened.  After all, we live in a world where females are still circumcised in some cultures.  But on to less depressing matters.

Oh my god.  Locke's mystery...I NEED TO KNOW NOW.  THERE IS SO MUCH I NEED TO KNOW!!!  So basically I'm dying for the next book.  And the first two books.

Overall

So basically this series is the best thing ever.  I am going to get the first two books asap, and THEN I'm going to reread this book because duh that's how this should have happened in the first place!!  I might even re-review this or take a quick look at how my feelings have changed after reading the first two books...in any case....GO READ THIS BOOK!  (Or series if you haven't started it, because lets be real if you started this series you were probably hitting people with baseball bats to get your own copy)