Museum of Thieves (The Keepers, #1)
by Lian Tanner(Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Rebellious Goldie is tired of being chained to adults for her entire childhood. The law says all children under the age of 12 must be attached by a small chain to an adult for their own protection, but now Goldie is looking forward to being released from her chain on Separation Day. However, the Blessed Guardians of the City cancel the Separation Day ceremonies, and Goldie cuts herself loose and runs away. She hides in the mysterious Museum, where she learns that she has a unique talent for navigating the shifting rooms and the magic currents that run through the building. The City is in danger, and only a group of benevolent thieves can protect them from the evil within their walls.

I loved this interesting fantasy! The Museum is really weird and strange with many hidden secrets. It has windows to the past where the history of the City is preserved, but it could break out and overwhelm the present if it isn’t kept in check. The world-building is kind of odd, since the people of the City worship seven gods who are not benevolent, so they worship in fear, and the government uses their fear to keep the people under control.

I liked Goldie’s character development, as she grows up from a scared, defiant little girl into a brave and selfless girl. She learns when to take action and when to wait, when to be silent and when to speak boldly, and she learns all the skills she will need as a thief to steal back the freedom of the city.

There are many supporting characters at the Museum, all with very distinct personalities, but I felt like there were too many of them to really develop any close connection with most of them. I really liked Sinew, the leader, and the boy named Toadspit, and the talking dog. But the other two supporting characters were just kind of in the background. I wonder if they might get more development in the next books in the series.

I did not like the illustrations in the edition I have. The artwork is weird, and the characters’ faces are weird-looking and disproportionate or something. So that might have colored my impressions of certain characters that I ended up disliking, because I didn’t like their character portrait.

The plot is full of adventure and mystery, and it is well-written, but some things are just left unexplained, and some of the dialogue is a bit awkward. Overall, a fun book and I enjoyed reading it!

This book has been screened on the Screen It First Website. https://screenitfirst.com/book/museum-of-thieves-the-keepers-1-452232