For all evils there are two remedies - time and silence

Author : Natalie C. Anderson
Title : City of Saints & Thieves
Published : 06/07/2017
Pages : 432
Genre : Young adult
Publisher : Rock the Boat






     In the shadows of Sangui City, a street-thief called Tina patiently plots her revenge. Her mother has been shot dead at the home of one of Kenya’s richest businessmen, and Tina is sure she knows who’s to blame. When a local gang asks her to steal from his home, it’s the chance Tina has been waiting for.  But as she steps inside, old wounds resurface and she is caught red-handed by his son, Michael. The pair set in motion a cascade of dangerous events that could, at any moment, cost Tina her life.
  
     While I have read a few books about Africa this is the first fiction book for me. While I'm a big fan of young adult books my interest goes towards those set in the contemporary real world.  I was intrigued by a tale of revenge and how it would take its toll on Tina.  

      For me Tina is a one in a million character, she is so well crafted that she comes swinging of the page. This is a young woman that despite everything she has been through refuses to give up, and will stop at nothing to get to the heart of who killed her mother.  Brave, strong and highly intelligent will give you some idea of the sort of women who pulled me into her story. But she is not alone on her journey, joining her is Michael who is desperate to prove his father had nothing to do with Tina's mother death. There is the lot about him that you would expect from the son of a very wealthy father. He is arrogant and self-assured and just a little bit on the cocky side. And his privilege comes off of him waves, which you might believe would make him a completely unlikable person. And I think that would be true if not for the fact that deep down he is a good person and wants the best for those around him. To round out this group is Boyboy Computer expert extraordinaire. He is Tina's best friend as well as her partner in crime. And I think for the most part would do anything for each other.

     By the time I got to the end of this book I was more than a little confused by the other books that it was supposed to be like. If you have seen any of the promotion for this book it goes from Gone Girl to Lord of the Flies.  And in truth, i'm glad it's not like any of them, What would be the point in going down the same road. What the author delivers is a smart and well thought out story that comes from a very real and likely place. While the journey Tina embarks on is one that in real life would have ended in certain death, the injustices that take place are ones that happen every day in the world.  And in doing so the author has chosen to show us some of the true monsters of our world. From greed and corruption to the wars that are fought of gold that lies under the soil.  Also, the fate of women in these war-torn places, As you can imagine this leads to some section of the story that can be difficult to read, but at no point did she turn her focus away.

     The author's style paints a very vivid picture of land I have never seen. It allowed me to better immerse my self into the story knowing that I could see the land spread out before me. The story of Tina's revenge is well written and is present with plenty of detail allowing for an intriguing and complex plot. The flow of the book is much like a river in that at times it rushes past twist and turns getting every closer to finding out how Tina's mother came to be murdered. Then slowing down across open planes allowing for me to get more detail and context for places and people. In my cases, i found this to only be a good thing as it gives me perspective on things I knew little about. The book is definitely a great mystery thriller it builds upon its self brick by brick to build something well worth spending some time with. And overall comes to a more than satisfying conclusion. it also left me with questions the very much apply to the real world and also a group of characters that will stay with me.