Heroes & Thieves I: The Noble Bandit

This is my single favorites book series. I can say that with confidence. It’s full of adventure, and suspense, and romance, and just a sprinkle of comedy that all ties up to be a great story. I am honored to have read this book and I am extremely excited to read the others. If you like reading, buy this book. I almost guarantee that you will enjoy it. It has something for everybody. I don’t even like reading, and this grasps my attention every time I pick it up.

It’s a thrilling book of adventure, with little bit of romance and action. It’s a wonderful child-friendly book. Great for young readers.

I often find myself getting bored after starting a new book. I recently met Nicholas. Our common interest in historical fiction made me hopeful that his works would be a refreshing read. I approached his works apprehensive and hopeful and I was very impressed with his writing. He’s created an immervise enganging world in just a few pages. I was rolling my eyes and biting my nails each turn. I highly recommend getting the whole series because you’re going to be enticed to know what Nathan will do next. I’ve just started the second book. I can’t wait to find out what happens to (spoilers)…

I got the book to read myself, but my 13 year old daughter picked it up before I got the chance is loving this book. She is already asking for the 2nd in the series. It’s a fun adventure and the author did a great job.

My first impression of this novel is that it is a very promising start to a series, with a few rough edges.

In tone and scope, I was reminded of the classic Robin Hood stories I read in my early teens, along with The Kingdom Series and Knights of Arrethtrae by Chuck Black. There is a spiritual compass firmly present throughout the book with a clear true north, but its presentation is not heavy handed.

The pacing of the story was well constructed, and the conflict developed in a natural progression from small hurdles to the climactic confrontation. There is no time wasted before dropping the main characters into the middle of a war and establishing clear stakes for all involved. The cast is relatively large, and I found myself pausing from time to time to take in all the new faces, particularly in the second act. That being said, a few moments of foreshadowing would have been a welcome addition, especially for the company of thieves and the critical role they play.

Reading a high fantasy story written in first-person point of view was refreshing, and the inclusion of a few passages from the perspectives of the antagonists were some of my favorite moments.

The descriptive language was compelling without being a distraction. I never lacked for a clear picture of the castles, towns, and forests traversed throughout the story. Additional sensory language would have been very welcome. Whenever a passage leaned into the reactions to pain, the gasps for breath, and the mental haziness of blood loss I found myself hungry for more.

What slowed me down the most as I was reading was the abundance of dialogue tags. While I never had to wonder who was speaking, I also found myself tempted to skim over the tags, most often when only two people were conversing.

Overall, the book left me feeling satisfied with the conclusion while simultaneously leaving enough mystery and open-ended elements in the world to pick up the next book in the series.

This book was such an easy read. I have a few key notes I would like to mention.

1. The characters are light hearted and fun. They retain depth and development pretty well.

2. The story itself has a splendid mix of action and, I would say, fantasy.

3. I personally liked the story, however being an OCD reader the font and style of the chapter pages did bother me to a degree. It doesn’t take away from the story by any means though.

4. It felt more like I was reading someone’s journal as opposed to a story, which made it seem more personal in a way. I don’t tend to like that style but it worked in favor of the book in this instance.

5. This would be well suited for a young adult audience as well as an adult audience.

6. It does an amazing job correlating story to scripture and speaking truth through the pages of the book. I really loved that aspect!