Author: Tessa Afshar
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Release Date: 2018
Pages: 400
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: First-century Corinth is a city teeming with commerce and charm. It’s also filled with danger and corruption―the perfect setting for Ariadne’s greatest adventure.
After years spent living with her mother and oppressive grandfather in Athens, Ariadne runs away to her father’s home in Corinth, only to discover the perilous secret that destroyed his marriage: though a Greek of high birth, Galenos is the infamous thief who has been robbing the city’s corrupt of their ill-gotten gains.
Desperate to keep him safe, Ariadne risks her good name, her freedom, and the love of the man she adores to become her father’s apprentice. As her unusual athletic ability leads her into dangerous exploits, Ariadne discovers that she secretly revels in playing with fire. But when the wrong person discovers their secret, Ariadne and her father find their future―and very lives―hanging in the balance.
When they befriend a Jewish rabbi named Paul, they realize that his radical message challenges everything they’ve fought to build, yet offers something neither dared hope for.
My Review: Thief of Corinth is a gender-bent retelling of Robin Hood set during Paul of Tarsus’s eighteen months in Corinth. When her mother and grandfather force her to marry a cruel high-born man in Athens, Ariadne flees with her foster brother, Theo, to her father’s home in Corinth. Once she arrives, she learns that her father has been stealing from the rich. In order to help her father through financial difficulties, Ariadne decides to become a willing partner. When she meets Paul of Tarsus, Ariadne becomes conflicted with stealing. Could Ariadne give up her crime of theft and transform herself to become a more noble person?
I found Ariadne to be a very fun character. She is very tomboyish. I also love her athletic skills. She can also be very judgmental at times. I did not like Ariadne’s passion for stealing. Nevertheless, I liked how she changed into a better person over the course of the story. I also loved her friendship with Paul of Tarsus and how he helped her form a deeper understanding with God. Thus, Ariadne was a complicated protagonist.
Overall, this novel is about love, sacrifice, and change. The message of this story is that to love God, one has to make a sacrifice. I did like all the characters, and I especially love the friendships that Ariadne made along the way. I found the romance to be very underwhelming. It was not as developed as her other books. This may be because romance was not the sole focus of this novel. Still, I would have liked a more developed love interest. Nevertheless, I liked how Mrs. Afshar made ancient Corinth come alive! The Thief of Corinth was an entertaining take of Robin Hood! It was a very light and fast-paced read! I recommend this for fans of Dauntless, The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest, and A Daring Sacrifice!
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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