An American girl goes to Iceland to find her mother, who has been missing for a year. Quickly she becomes caught in a curse/spell placed by one of her ancestors a thousand years before.This book perfectly captures the feel, location, people, and mythology I got a glimpse of when I visited Iceland a few years ago. Beyond recreating a vivid locale, this book is my favorite type of contemporary fantasy, one with modern characters we can connect and relate to, but that doesn't deal with petty issues or simply recycle the same fantastical/mythological characters and creatures we become so used to reading about. It's fresh, I like the relationships, and I like how Simner deals with emotions and loss. This is my favorite book by Simner and I loved reading it. I'm glad I own it so I'll be able to go back to it again and again. I heard a reading from this at an sf convention and was intrigued, though it took me a while to get hold of a copy. The paperback cover of mine is much more taking, I think - silhouette of a fox and a bear against an opalescent background where a girl's face is dimly seen.The Icelandic setting is unusual, and Simner handles the introduction of Haley to Iceland well, slotting in the necessary information without clunkiness.I thought Haley's resentment and confusion was well conveyed, without her losing the reader's sympathy by being totally self-absorbed. And I liked the way Simner handled the potential love triangle, as well as how she introduced the Norse mythological elements.Recently I've griped about books where there's no sense of danger or jeopardy even though the plot elements should provide it. In Thief Eyes I was genuinely unsure how Haley would win through, or how much she might lose on the way.Not utterly brilliant, but a good read and worth the time.
What do You think about Thief Eyes (2010)?
Liked Bones of Faerie better, but do love the Njal's Saga underpinnings of this one!
—Melo
Story based in Icelandic saga with a time travel element and also shape shifting.
—clarkin8er417
jusr finished love this book to death i love rhe book must read awsome !!!!!!!!!
—tyler
Picked it up on a whim from the library- just couldn't get into it.
—stav
