Reviews for The thief knot (J/Book)
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Another of Milford's Nagspeake tales, brimful of intrigue, plucky wannabe adventurers, and some suspiciously artful iron.Marzana Hakelbarend and Nialla Giddis are bored. Supremely bored. In the Liberty of Gammerbund, "the place where nothing happens," they stake out even the most innocuous of interactions in hopes of uncovering some dastardly plotalas, to no avail. A mysterious dinner guest from the city proper, however, upends the Hakelbarends' tranquil domesticity with news that a mayoral candidate's 11-year-old daughter has been kidnapped. Marzana's parents don't seem to consider the girl's being held in Gammerbund a possibility, so Marzana, sick of being denied access to her parents' pasts and (mis)adventures, decides to spearhead her own investigation with the help of an assembled six-kid band dubbed the Thief Knot. The offbeat, impassioned narration twists through uncertainties, anxieties, failures, and triumphs at a jaunty clip. Observant readers will delight in piecing together the clues to puzzle out the knots alongside the Knot as these well-drawn individuals grow from awkward semiacquaintances into a close, cohesive team. Colorful supporting characters further populate this complex world. A particular strength is Milford's depiction of parent-child relationships; rather than taking the easy way out and making the parents dead, abusive, or absent, she makes them affectionate, invested enough in their children's well-being to grow livid upon discovering they've been conspiring behind their backs to get involved in a dangerous crime. Marzana is biracial, with a pale mother and dark-skinned father; Nialla presents white; other characters are diverse.A fascinating, intricate tale of friendship and rescue. (Mystery/fantasy. 10-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
In the Liberty, a part of Nagspeake (Greenglass House, rev. 9/14, and sequels) where retired rogues and smugglers find sanctuary from the long arm of the law, Marzana takes it upon herself to solve a mystery after her mother is asked to find a kidnapping victim. Hoping to help rescue the missing girl, and despite her extreme social anxiety, Marzana assembles a team (or "knot") of her own: her best friend and codebreaker Nialla; a magician named J. J.; Ciro, a "camofleur," or expert in hiding things in plain sight; and Meddy, the ghost from Greenglass House who arrives via parcel post. The team makes progress following up on several clues, but kidnapping isn't a game, and Marzana's parents are furious when they discover the knot members putting themselves in danger. This entry shows all of Milford's strengths: theme-expanding stories within stories, a thrilling genre fusion, swashbuckling technical mastery (here, lock-picking, cryptography, and sleight-of-hand magic), a vocabulary to delight the word-nerds, and an invented world real enough to live in. Delivering layers upon layers, convincing characters who succeed despite their emotional challenges, and a brain-tingling mystery that unfolds at just the right speed, this ghostly fantasy-adventure is a humdinger of a good read. (c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
