Back of Book: 

What price would you pay to undo a death?

In the shadowed streets of Aspizia, two thieves—Lyo Morandi and Jasper Bray—risk everything to rewrite the past. Haunted by the death of their friend Milo, they set their sights on a forbidden a ring reputed to alter time.

To steal it, they must infiltrate the Thieves’ Carousel, a ruthless exhibition where the city’s most dangerous criminals flaunt their treasures—and fight to keep them. But as Lyo and Jasper descend deeper into the catacombs beneath Aspizia, they uncover a truth far more dangerous than they the ring’s power comes at a devastating cost.

Loyalties splinter. Betrayal lurks around every corner. Loyalties splinter. As the game turns deadly, they must ask How far will they go to rescue the past and save the future—and how much of themselves are they willing to lose?

The Thieves’ Carousel is a gripping tale of ambition, sacrifice, and the haunting price of second chances. 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟

A dynamic thief duo must pull of their most dangerous heist yet in this mysterious fantasy novel. 

Lyo Morandi and Jasper Bray are two thieves that have been abused by the power system of Aspizia for far too long. Eager to seize their chance to elicit some change, Lyo and Jasper decide to pursue a lead on a magical ring that has the power to change time. This ring is deep within the Thieves' Carousel, which is a den where the rich and dangerous gather for illicit activities. Luckily, Lyo and Jasper are experienced thieves, so they should be able to pull of this heist no problem. Unbeknownst to them however, power such as the ring's comes at a steep cost and the young men may have to sacrifice everything they hold dear in order to change the city for the better.

I'm so conflicted with this one. On the one hand, it has a very neat premise, and Lyo and Jasper are a dynamic duo that one can't help but root for. On the other, this book was way too long for nothing happening. This book felt a bit like a prequel to me; it introduced us to the plot while giving the reader a ton of lore about the world. The actual plot line involving the Mago's ring barely takes off during the course of this novel, which I found to be an extreme bummer. 

Lyo and Jasper are both very likable characters with infectious attitudes. Lyo is definitely the schemer and the risk taker, while Jasper is a bit quieter and would rather be reading than chasing the thrill on the streets. Despite their differences, it is easy to tell how close they are and just how desperately they care for one another. The dialogue between these two was one of my favorite parts of this entire book. 

Another thing that I thought was neat is the fact that the book follows Lyo's perspective, but every chapter starts with a quote out of Jasper's journal. I thought this was a really smart way to integrate Jasper's thoughts into the narrative and allowed me to connect more with him as a reader. 

The final thing I really appreciated about this one is the conversation it offers about sacrifice. Lyo and Jasper used to be a trio of thieves, but Milo was killed tragically several years ago. Lyo finds himself feeling overly guilty about his compatriot's death and would sacrifice most anything to get him back. There would have already been a ton of sacrifice needed in order to successfully use the Mago's ring and it would be an extremely difficult decision to decide whether a chance at a better future is worth such a high risk. For Lyo though, the thought of having Milo back made the decision for him. I think this brings to light a great idea to ponder about just how much we'd sacrifice for those we love most. 

The biggest downfall about this one for me is that I couldn't keep up with all of the different politics and was a tad confused by the structure that the city follows. I know that Lyo and Jasper are forced to work for some rich people in order to not be killed, but I'm not really sure how that works, if I'm being honest. These two working to overthrow the corrupt system that they are trapped in is a major part of this book, but I sincerely struggled to process all of what was happening. 

Another thing that didn't work for me was the pacing. When a book like this promises thrills and high-stake heists, it difficult for me to comprehend when the book ends up moving at a snail pace and being relatively boring for most of the novel. I am definitely not a huge fan to just watching Lyo and Jasper gather information from various rich people for a good half of this book, only for the actual heist to be skimmed over rather quickly. 

I think the concept of the Mago's ring and the five trials that one is forced to endeavor to win its power is a pretty intriguing idea, but as I alluded to earlier, this doesn't really come into play until the final segment of the book. This makes me think that book two may be super interesting, but unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that this one was mostly a boring confusing mess to my poor brain. 

Overall, I am greatly conflicted about my time with "The Thieves' Carousel." It has some really intriguing concepts, some extremely fun characters, and even some stellar scenes, but it just wasn't enough to keep me actively engaged. I found myself confused by the city's power structure and politics, bored by the repetitive nature of Lyo and Jasper moving from one place to the next just to precure the information they required, and constantly felt like I was missing a critical piece of the puzzle the entire time. I truly think the second book in this series has a ton of potential, but these things aren't enough to redeem this title for me.