The Theft of Sunlight (Dauntless Path Book 2)

Rae’s dry humour, down-to-earth pragmatism, and continual unimpressed attitude towards the machinations of the court kept me grounded and thoroughly enjoying this elegantly written, character driven novel. It’s important that Rae was such a wonderful protagonist, with a funny, lively voice, and is so rooted in her love for her sisters, because this is on the grimmer side of YA fantasy. The plot is inspired by human trafficking and modern-day slavery—and the tendency of privileged people to ignore and/or downplay that reality.Beyond that, it has all the strokes of YA fantasy of the moment, deftly handled and imbued with real warmth by Khanani. Here, you’ll find mysterious Fae with their own agenda, a charming thief-lord who creates his own justice in the king’s city, courtiers and mages jockeying for power, and whispers of a generational curse haunting the king’s family. Oh, and an opulent royal wedding that draws on South Asian traditions between a princess with a core of steel and endless depths of compassion, and a very lucky prince. (Alyrra and Kestrin of the companion novel Thorn, which I also highly recommend.)One mystery is solved by the end of this novel, but there are many more for Rae, Alyrra, ‘Bren’, Matsin, and Stonemane to unravel. The sequel can’t come fast enough!I also hope it sheds more light on Rae’s relationship with her fellow handmaids to the princess; court ladies are often unexplored or simply villainised in fantasy novels, but this was a much more character-driven and nuanced take. Mina, in particular, has an ace hidden up her sleeve, I feel.Finally, I want to tip of my hat to Khanani for her inclusion of disabled characters in The Theft of Sunlight even beyond Rae, who walks with a limp due to her clubfoot. Clever court matriarch Havila and brave tax officer Kirrana were a delight to read about.Khanani’s real strength is in her characters: read on for a country girl being thrown headfirst into court politics and deciding she’s going to make a difference, come hell or high water.

gripping, exciting, important text, dealing with very serious social issues, submerged into the retelling and remodelling of the old tale of the goose girl...well written, well paced, until the abrupt ending, cutting the story at a crucial point...now we have to wait for the next installment...hope it will not take ten years...i am deducting one star for the "cliff hanger" ending...otherwise a very good book, full of adventures, attractive characters, good settings and relevant problems...highly recommended!

I loved this book, part 1 of follow-up duology to Intisar Khanani’s “Thorn” (4/5*). The heroine in this book was more to my liking than in Thorn, and the story overall also, so 5* from me. The world building is great, with royal politicking, shady thiefs, and a large conspiracy across the land. Highly recommend reading Thorn first (and the Bone Knife short story at the back of the kindle edition of the book that introduces Rae, the heroine of this story), as many recurring characters and you get more depth from diving into the story at the beginning.Theft of Sunlight finishes on a cliffhanger, but it’s a well earned one, and makes me excited for the follow up.

Thorn was one of my standout favourites last year and I think it’s safe to say, 170 books into 2021, this is going to be in my top 5 again this year. Returning to the world of Thorn with a new protagonist, you can’t not love Rae. Her mobility issues never stop her, she’s a strong MC and I flew through the pages desperate for more and more of her story... What an ending! Impatiently waiting for the next one now!

Such a wonderful story about another resiliant female character who goes through a process of self discovery in learning her strengths when standing up to do the right thing. Wonderful story that builds on a main character first introduced in a previous novella 'the Bone Knife' aswell as providing a sequel to 'Thorn'. I hate cliff hangers so really disappointed to find that I may have to wait a while (hopefully not 10 years!) to find out out what happens next

A lovely, well written and very readable book - expected no less from Intisar Khanani. I was reading well into the night just to find out what happened to the characters. Can't wait for the next instalment!

I really enjoy reading this author. No complaints other than the regular one of a favorite author in that they write too slow! Rae has an amazing story and I can't wait for the next chapter of it.

I have been looking forward to this book for a while, and it didn't disappoint. Beautiful writing and impossible to put down. My only complaint is the lack of sleep. And a cliffhanger ... nooooo! Can't wait for the next instalment.