Medieval Book Review: The Thief’s Keeper

I discovered The Thief’s Keeper when a friend tagged me in a post by the author, Ms. Kyrie Wang, on Instagram. Upon seeing she wrote medieval historical fantasy, I signed up for her newsletter, and as a gift for signing up, I received this novella, which I devoured in only a few days. (And yes, you can receive it too if you sign up for her newsletter here!)

The Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads)

Two outcasts. One lost boy. A daring quest for freedom in war-torn England.

In the aftermath of a rebellion against William the Conqueror, northern England lies in ruins, its people scattered and starved. 

Aelfric, a 14-year-old thrall, flees from his master and stumbles upon a cache of stolen laundry. The thief? Aliwyn, a girl around his age ostracized for being “cursed.” In her care is a lost toddler she has rescued from the clutch of greedy thrall traders. 

Forced to cover each other’s secrets, Aelfric and Aliwyn form an unlikely friendship…and maybe something more. They embark on a perilous journey to reunite the child with his family and seek a cure for Aliwyn’s mysterious condition. 

But time is running out. Aelfric’s master is on the hunt, and the shadows of death loom ever closer over Aliwyn. Will they find the courage and faith to press on, or will their quest end in capture and ruin?

My Review:

The Thief’s Keeper opens with Aelfric, our main character and runaway, being found by his old master and being forced to run. The place where he chooses to hide, however, has two occupants—Aliwyn, a sick girl who steals to survive, and the little toddler she’s attempting to return to his parents, Godwin, in post conquest England.

Aelfric doesn’t want to help Aliwyn or Godwin at first, but over the course of the story, he changes and sacrifices almost everything for them. Aelfric’s character arc in this story is one of the best I’ve read in a novella—clear and impactful. His growing friendship with Aliwyn is sweet, and his moments with Godwin are some of the best in the story. 

Aliwyn was also a good character but a bit oxymoronic. She was always looking out for Godwin and Aelfric and seemed very sweet and self-sacrificing, but at the same time was extremely prejudiced toward certain people groups who actually helped save her life. Subsequently, I liked her, but didn’t connect as well to her as the other characters.

The side characters were all well developed for their roles. I especially liked the twist of the Norman lord Sir Marcotte being a kind and good person, subverting the main characters’s fear of Normans due to the harrying of the north. (Having studied lightly about this, I am curious to know if people back then would have known WHY William the Conqueror took such drastic measures. In my eyes, he was mostly justified. But that’s beside the point, though I’d be glad to explain my take on this event in history if asked.) 

The dialogue was very clear and never once dragged me from the story, fitting the age range of both the characters and target readers. And nothing popped out to me with being overly contrived or implausible. Some might claim the resolution of Aliwyn’s illness was a bit too easy, but the way in which it was executed worked well for me, especially in the medieval setting (everyone just overlooking the obvious cure in favor of bloodletting.)

Ms. Wang wrote this as a historical fantasy, and she did extremely well with the historical points of the novella. The terminology (example: thrall and thane) was very fitting, as well as what the relationships between Anglo-Saxons, Norsemen, Normans, and others may have been like in such a tense post-conquest setting. I didn’t really see anything indicating it as a fantasy yet, but I assume those elements come into play in the actual novels.

The POV shifts were also done well, although a few happened at chapter breaks rather than in a new chapter which at first threw me off. But I’ve read a few other books where this has happened so it’s not a huge deal, I just had to adjust to it. 

I also enjoyed the Christian content. It was light, and a couple times rather surprised me at where it was put in, but I am glad it was included, especially as religion was a HUGE part of everyday life back in the medieval times. 

Now, usually this is the part of the review where I notate random things which didn’t work for me. Usually it’s a mini rant on the romance or something. But I am glad to say for this novella, I really didn’t find anything I disliked! Though a different style than most things I’ve read, I really loved this story. From the historical details and setting to Aelfric’s character arc and Godwin’s adorableness, The Thief’s Keeper was perfection. I highly recommend this to medieval fiction fans, Middle Grade and YA readers, and those who enjoy non-magical, history inspired fantasy with almost no romance. 

Rating: 5/5 stars

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Thank you for reading my review. Have you read this book, or do you plan to? Let me know in the comments below. God bless! ~ Kay Adelin