The Theft of Sunlight Review

I received this ARC via HarperTeen and Netgalley for an unbiased review. "...I know what I want. I'll simply have to be patient in order to get there." Hello everyone~! Let's get into a few quick Q&A's before delving into this world and my thoughts. 1. Can I read this book if I haven't read Thorn or The Bone Knife? Yea....no. You shall be exceedingly confused and miss an amazing door of opportunity to get your feels going when you see familiar characters again in this book because ultimately, they are all in here. 2. Is it a big book? yep! 3. Is there a lot of romance? yes and no. There are aspects of a romance, and I surely fell in love with a male character because he's a hunk, but it isn't the main narrative of the story and I can appreciate that a lot. 4. is it worth reading? You betcha! Okay! let's get into it! This book was a journey. Honestly, such a journey. Having read basically all of Intisar's novels, I knew what I was roughly signing up for... but did I? This book addresses the dark sides of the court life, which we all can hazard a guess of what those are, with all its plots and machinations. However, she has tastefully and heartbreakingly addressed things that I haven't come across in YA novels before and it was both amazing and terrifying. My heart was pounding and very little sleep was had. Let's get into my own iterations of the plot: Rae knows that life is unfair. Life is hard. People are merciless. Having lived with a disability since birth she has seen the looks of pity, the looks of mockery, and the constant sneers of derision which follows in her wake. However, being a somewhat sheltered country girl made her forget the ruthlessness of humanity. Until...a loved one disappears. Rae is awoken to the bitterness of life. When she is invited to the capital and life takes her into the Royal Court. She becomes a spectacle. But no one knows that Rae has a purpose. You may sneer. You may even underestimate her. But Rae is a warrior. Maybe not of swords and spears, But she will protect those she loves. Snatchers beware, Rae will not be trifled with. With a soul of iron and a resolve of steel. Rae may be made to courtesy...but she will never kneel. This book for me sits at 3.5-4/ 5 stars (leaning more towards the 4). Let me tell you why. Delving into this novel, I loved the way the author sucks you into her world however, I felt that at moments this fluctuated as the novel went on. The beginning was tastefully described, I could see the market stalls, smell the earth and see the vegetables that were selling. However, the descriptions soon became a bit more abstract and scarce and I found myself completely at loss as to how I ought to envision the town, the palace, and even the apartment complexes. Therefore, to describe the capital and the town (which the character spends a great deal of time in) I had to literally imagine the setting of the live-action Disney movie Aladdin in my head because I felt that it wasn't particularly described in-depth and I had a hard time envisioning it. The beginning/ first half of the book was sloooow, but I tell you lovelies, the moment Bren comes into the game, I. WAS. SOLD!!! Ahhhhhh BREN! NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND ALERT! He's kind of amazing and I'm trying not to make this whole review about him but DANG! I LOVE HIM! I want more! I had moments where I just kept imagining that moment in Tangled, the bit where Rapunzel is like, "I even met someone." and her 'mother' is like, "oh yes! a wanted thief, I'm so proud!" haha but honestly the second part of this book is action-packed and worth every second after BREN comes in. When I think of all the insanities our poor heroine goes through, I swear I felt like having panic attacks, time and again. Rae is strong and the love she has for her family, even stronger. She is pushed and challenged beyond words and limits. But Rae is honestly such an amazingly strong character. That ending was brutal because now I have to wait for a while until I get myself the next book. I actually NEED that book more than words can describe. I think I'll stop there for now because I don't want to steal the thunder you'll feel when experience when getting your hands on this book and the awesomeness that this is. Stay awesome my lovelies! @Emmeline (The Book Herald) follow me for more reviews <3