The Thief of Farrowfell

By Author / Illustrator

Ravena Guron, illus Alessia Trunfio

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Faber Children's Books

ISBN

9780571371174

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

04-05-2023

Synopsis

Welcome to a fantasy world where edible magic is the hottest commodity, traded between those who can pay or - in the case of Jude Ripon, the youngest thief in Farrowfell - those who can steal it! An epic debut series from a FAB Prize winner and British Book Award shortlistee. The Beast of Farrowfell is coming in May 2024!

12-year-old Jude Ripon has never been taken seriously by her family of magic-stealing masterminds. To them, she's just the youngest, only good for keeping watch while they carry out daring heists. Desperate to prove her worth, Jude decides to steal valuable magic from the fanciest house in town . . . But Jude's stolen prize was protected by a curse which threatens to wreak havoc on the family business.

While attempting to untangle the mess she's made (and wondering why anyone would want to curse an honest thief trying to earn a living), Jude discovers just how far her family will go to stay at the top of the criminal world. Suddenly, her quest to become a true Ripon isn't straightforward any more . . .

Also in this series: The Beast of Farrowfell (book 2)

Readers love the world of Farrowfell: 'Very exciting. I love the edible magic.' 'I absolutely adored it.' 'Highly recommended.' 'A very entertaining, well plotted and fast paced story.' 'The idea of edible magic was original and inspired.' 'Hugely imaginative.'

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Reviews

Louisa

What if magic needed to be tamed before it could be used safely? What if magic could be harvested, stored and stolen like jewellery? What if magic were edible? In this exciting new series, Ravena Guron has all kinds of fun imagining a world where magic is a hazardous commodity.

The Ripon family are the most accomplished thieves in Farrowfell, specialising in illegal magic. Jude is the youngest in the family, brave and resourceful. She is desperate to earn her place at the family councils and a proper role on their boldest heists. Frustrated that, at most, she is allowed to be the lookout, she decides to prove herself by staging her own daring theft. Too late, she realises that the magic she has stolen is protected by a curse - and by a curse that only she can break.

Soon Jude is skidding headlong into a breathless quest to put things right, with the reader hot on her heels. As events take a darker turn, Jude needs every drop of resilience she has as she is forced to confront the truth about her family. Will she be brave enough to defy them if necessary?

Recommend The Thief of Farrowfell as a page-turner rather than for its literary language - but a fine page-turner it is! The plot is complex, but linear and easy to follow: so tightly plotted that it fits together with the neatness of a jigsaw puzzle. And it’s the first title in a promising series that would be good for fans of Katherine Rundell's stories.

320 pages / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher