Thieves' Gambit
Rating: ★★★★★
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Gifted by Simon & Schuster (out now)

Seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Quest was raised by a legendary family of thieves with one rule: trust no one. When her mother is kidnapped, her only chance to save her is to win the Thieves’ Gambit – a deadly competition for the world’s best thieves, where the victor is granted one wish. To win, she must outwit all of her backstabbing competitors, including her childhood archnemesis. But can she take victory from the handsome, charming boy who makes a play for her heart and might be hiding the most dangerous secret of all? 

While I stopped reading YA for a while, when I saw the premise of this YA thriller, I was instantly hooked. A Hunger Games-esque style challenge to fight until just one thief remained and was granted a singular wish? Sign me up.

The story follows 17 year old Rosalyn, best known as Ross. She comes from a family of thieves who are the best of the best at what they do. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Ross' mum is kidnapped on one of their missions and Ross' world is turned upside down. She recently received an email from the mysterious Thieves' Gambit that said if she won their elite contest, she'd win a single wish. But could she really win? Would the challenge be too good to be true? Ross is about to find out.

When it comes to the enemies-to-lovers storyline between Ross and Devroe, it was somewhat predictable, and while it was clearly set out to be quite an important part of the plot, I had very little interest in it whatsoever. However, I think this is because the main storyline was so gripping.

As a character, Ross is a flawed teenager, who is somewhat relatable (okay, maybe not the thieving part!), but her inner monologues feel authentic. Is there really any other period of your life besides your teenage years where you'd be in a dangerous thieving contest, but you're worried about how you're coming across to the boy you secretly like? Absolutely not.

There are some great friendships in this novel, which make the betrayals and twists that much more gut-wrenching. And trust me when I say, there are revelations and shocks brimming with every turn of the page. As the book is so fast-paced, and the chapters are so manageable, it's difficult to put this book down.

As a reader, your trust will be put to the test as you venture on a whirlwind journey of deception and dynamic heists. An incredible start to the series, and I can't wait for book two. If you're looking for an action-packed book that you simply can't put down, Thieves' Gambit is the book for you.

Have you read Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis? I'd love to know your thoughts.