3 out of 4 stars
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Meet Ji, thief extraordinaire. He can steal anything “in a snap” and has aspirations to become the world’s greatest thief.
Meet Shar, police officer. She’s morally opposed to stealing and vows to bring Ji in for his crimes.
Ji and Shar have been friends since they were kids. Because she hates stealing and because he loves her, Ji has never stolen from Shar and won’t without her permission.
But the rest of the world is up for grabs. And hey, why stop at Earth? When Ji takes thieving off the planet, Shar is recruited by the Keepers to hunt him down. Only, does Shar want him back for justice or love?
Thief’s Theme: A Love Story by M.A.N. is a book that makes you think in many ways. I’ll say right up front that this story requires some of the strongest suspension of disbelief I’ve ever seen. If you can’t handle the idea, this may not be the book for you. I am usually the kind of fantasy reader who wants their magic at least somewhat explained in a sensible way. For this book, though, I tossed out all my desires for sense to go along for the fun and adventurous ride.
In the beginning, I got some serious Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? vibes. Ji steals all seven world wonders at once, and Shar goes globe trotting to interview people and maybe find her man. As things progressed, I revised my statement to “Where in the Universe is Carmen Sandiego?”. The assortment of planets and civilizations included in this book is amazing. All I need now is the computer game with the chief making bad puns about how I need to retrieve that planet-hopping hoodlum before he hops away with the universe’s hopes.
I really enjoyed the dynamics between Ji and Shar. It’s clear early on that Ji loves Shar and has for a while. It’s less clear (at least to Shar) how she feels about Ji, but I think that was the point. I knew how she felt long before she really admitted it to herself. This brought a whole new and refreshing meaning to “forbidden romance.” They are literally on two sides of the law, and I cheered for them the entire time. Without spoiling, this is definitely a “love conquers all” story. For someone brought up on a healthy dose of Disney movies, this book’s ending was everything I wanted. It is also free of adult content and so may be enjoyed by romance lovers of any age.
On a more serious note, this book presented one of the most amazing lessons of life in the most creative way I’ve ever seen. Ji spends a good portion of the book stealing objects, but he also steals things from himself, such as the ability to be harmed or lose a confrontation. At first, I thought this was taking things a little too far, but as I kept reading, it dawned on me that Ji had stumbled onto something great. He took his own limitations, his own ability to be defeated, away, which is something we all have the power to do. Ji embodies the idea that “the only thing standing in your way is you.” Seeing this idea put in such literal terms was an eye-opening experience for me. Ji makes it look easy, but once you believe it’s possible, it really can be “a snap.”
There were many errors throughout—missing punctuation and words, as well as misspellings. Due to this, I rate Thief’s Theme: A Love Story 3 out of 4 stars. Early on, I considered giving this 2 because of my trouble with suspension of disbelief. This didn’t last long, and by the end, I was firmly at a 3-star rating. I would have liked to give this 4. I recommend this book to fans of stories with thieves for protagonists, as well as those wanting a love story with some real-life barriers. Those who like their romance with a healthy helping of fantasy may also enjoy this.
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Thief's Theme: A Love Story
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