Something rather different
Here is another book very much for teenagers (and, of course, older readers too).
Sally Green's Half Bad trilogy is one of the very finest works of recent YA fiction. Startlingly original and imaginative, in both concept and writing, it succeeds in being viscerally exciting and profoundly disturbing, both horrendously brutal and meltingly tender. It is a a triumph in every way, and has deservedly won the author international adulation. (See my reviews from June '15 and April '16. )
In her new follow up, The Smoke Thieves, she has sensibly gone for something rather different. In the three books (and two ebook-only stories) she has extensively exploited her unique Half Bad world and more of the same now would probably only dilute its impact. Her new book, in contrast, has a rather more conventional 'YA' feel, a pseudo-historical romantic fantasy, though with considerable edge and no little depth. Too much comparison with Half Bad is probably unhelpful. The Smoke Thieves is its own book. It is what it is, and what it is is very good, wonderfully written and hugely readable.
Five times the story
As might be expected from Sally Green, the narrative is skilfully constructed, in this case following the interleaved stories of five main characters. At its heart is certainly romance. Catherine, is a classic 'feminist' lead, an initially duty-bound princess destined for a politically arranged marriage, who is gradually learning to assert her independence and become her own person. As the book develops, her inner conflict between a forbidden passion for her handsome guard and a growing admiration for her intended husband provides an involving emotional storyline. Soldier, Ambrose, the principal 'love interest', is the most conventional character of the five, handsome, strong, and passionately devoted, yet inhibited by his comparatively lowly status.
The other three character are, in different ways, rather more original and interesting. Tash, the youngest, and part of a team that hunts demons for their sought-after narcotic smoke, charmingly mixes feisty bravery and wicked cheek, with a longing for fashionable boots, perfectly capturing the ambiguities of her 'tween' years. Aggrieved 'nationalist' March, grows strongly and captivatingly as a character alongside his developing relationship with feckless Edyon, who himself turns out to be of far more substance than is initially apparent. Sally Green, in this book, as in her last, shows a particular sensitivity towards gay relationships and their insecurities, especially when reciprocation of attraction is ambiguous.
A book with everything (well almost)
Although The Smoke Thieves, in undeniably romantic, it is much else too. In fact is a very long way from being 'soppy'. There is complex and fluctuating politicking between the rival kingdoms involved, and, indeed, bloody war is impending. There are a good number of gruesome killings and a highly graphically described and disturbing execution. Much of the tale. is viscerally exciting as well as emotionally engaging. There is intriguing mystery too, in enigmatic messages concerned with the titular smoke. If this book does not quite 'have everything', then it does have a very great deal.
Sally Green has outstanding abilities as a storyteller and can mix and switch moods and atmospheres tellingly. There are sections, indeed, involving the theft of the demon smoke, which would have all the attributes of farce, were they not littered with a good deal of blood and gore. Her writing is given edge and modernity too with a generous lacing of 'strong language', although this is always used to effect, sometimes dramatic, somtimes laugh-out-loud funny.
This long and highly entertaining read, turns out, in its final pages, to be not so much a self-contained novel, as the first part of a continuing saga. It will, I am very sure, leave its hoards of smitten readers, desperate for the next instalment.
US cover
