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Publication Date: 1 October 2014
Publisher: Capstone Switch Press
ISBN: 9781630790028
Age Group: Young Adult, Teen
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Steampunk
Source: NetGalley
Lootability: ****
No one performs on the circus trapeze like 16-year-old Rémy Brunel. But Rémy also leads another life, prowling through the backstreets of Victorian London as a jewel thief. When she is forced to steal one of the world’s most valuable diamonds, she uncovers a world of treachery and fiendish plots.
Meanwhile, young detective Thaddeus Rec is determined to find the jewel and clear his name. Will Thaddeus manage to rescue the jewel? Or is it really Rémy that he needs to save?
What a surprise!
This always looked like an interesting story but I never suspected I would enjoy it this much. Rémy Brunel, trapeze performer and jewel thief, and Thaddeus Rec, underdog policeman, team up to steal back the rare Ocean Light diamond and save London.
I loved Rémy’s attitude – I’m 16 and I know best – it suited her age and her upbringing in the circus. She was full of bravado, well-earned pride in her skills and an abundance of compassion. Confronted with the consequences of her actions as a jewel thief, Rémy does not back down from the realities of righting matters herself – especially not with the frustrating Thaddeus Rec, and the charming street urchin J, on her side.
Thaddeus is a well-intentioned, observant young policeman with an eye to the future. His devotion to the police force, and his street origins, do little to endear him to the rest of his station but Rec is determined to be the best policeman he can be.
These unlikely companions must team up to save London and return the Ocean Light to its rightful place – all while trying to save Rémy and her circus family.
The book was surprisingly high-tech and supernatural. Unexplained powers were at work on both side and I would have liked to learn more about the mysterious power of the stones – Rémy’s opal and the diamonds, especially.
I was impressed by the romance – it happened quickly but sweetly. It was well suited to the intended audience – adolescents who want a romance but don’t need the adult dilemmas of lust and sex to cloud the story. I appreciated Gosling not pushing the romantic angle too much (yet! There is a sequel) and allowing the reader to walk away and draw their own conclusions.
The Diamond Thief used a charming example of bookending – Rémy’s performances beginning and ending the story were skillfully used to draw the reader into Rémy’s world.
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