The Spirit Thief (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1)
The Spirit Rebellion (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #2)
The Spirit Eater (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #3)
The Spirit War (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #4)
Spirit’s End (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #5)
By: Rachel Aaron
My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS
Best for: 14 and up

Eli’s still got it

April 2023

It’s been a decade since I first read about Eli Monpress and his Flynn Rider-ish adventures in magical thievery. I wanted to give the story another look with fresh eyes to make sure my years of recommendations weren’t misguided.

They weren’t.

Eli Monpress remains a tragically unknown story that’s a ton of fun and full of adventure!

October 2013

Now THAT was a fun story!

My motivation for reading is simple. I read books to be entertained, and when I’ve finished reading them I want to feel happy. That’s it. Really.

There was nothing that stopped me from being simply and completely entertained while reading Eli Monpress, and now that I’m finished I can’t wipe the satisfied smile from my face. The characters are strong, complex, and imperfect—which, ironically, makes them perfect. The writing is smooth—so smooth it’s hard to believe Rachel Aaron doesn’t have more stuff out there. The Eli books are it, but you’d think she’s been writing for years as a best seller. I saw no signs of her being a first time author. What a joy! And her story . . . wow. So, so much fun to read.

Eli Monpress is the world’s greatest thief. He’s also a wizard—someone who can communicate with the spirits that are the living parts of what everyone else sees as inanimate objects. He’s so smooth he can talk his way in or out of anything, and he’s got the bounty to prove it. Miranda Lyonette is the wizard Spiritualist—sworn to defend the spirits from those who would abuse them—who is tasked with catching Eli and bringing him to justice. Not that Eli abuses spirits as much as he gives the already-misunderstood wizards a bad name. But as hard as Miranda tries to catch Eli, for some reason they always end up working together in the end to save the day—and ultimately the world. Josef is the honorable Swordsman with the mysterious past. Nico is the girl who could end up saving them all . . .

The book’s themes center around the ambiguities in what is morally right and morally wrong, the unbreakable bonds of friendship, the imperative of having integrity, the importance of always keeping your promises, always doing the right thing—even (especially) when it’s the hardest thing, and most powerfully, the lesson that YOU are in charge of YOU and we all have the power to become masters of ourselves. All this in a fast paced story set in a completely unique and imaginative world. No language. No Sex. There is quite a bit of violence that adds to the drama.

I’ll say appropriate for 14 and up.

Happy Reading!