Guest Poster: Vellvin | The Thief Lord

Everyone, please welcome another guest poster and guess what?! She's written an amazing book review.

 Hey everyone. My name's Vellvin. I'm from over at 'An Irish Maiden' and today I'm guest-posting for Kat. It's my first time ever! Thank you, Kat for giving me this opportunity! :) And onto the actual post.

So this wasn't my original or my second original idea for a guest post, at all. This is actually the third. But anyway here it is. I hope you like it. :)

Cornelia Funke is one of my all time favourite authors. Seriously, the way she molds her writing is just amazing! It would be awesome to craft words the way she does.

Cornelia Funke probably is most well known for her trilogy of books set in the Inkworld called 'The Inkheart Trilogy' and even though they are great books, (totally recommend them) I'm actually going to talk about her stand-alone novel called 'The Thief Lord'.


I first saw the movie of 'The Thief Lord but let me assure you, the book is way better!

The synopsis/rundown of the novel:

'Two orphaned brothers, Prosper and Bo, have run away to Venice, where crumbling canals and misty alleyways shelter a secret community of street urchins. Leader of this motley crew of lost children is a clever, charming boy with a dark history of his own: He calls himself the Thief Lord. Prosper and Bo relish their new "family" and life of petty crime. But their cruel aunt and a bumbling detective are on their trail. And posing an even greater threat to the boys' freedom is something from a forgotten past: a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.'


Or in the author's own words:

'It is about a gang of homeless children who live their lives without adults. Their home is a deserted cinema in the heart of Venice. It is also about their leader, Scipio, who calls himself The Thief Lord. And it is about two brothers who, after their mother's death, have run away from Hamburg to escape their horrible aunt and uncle. Esther and Max Hartlieb want to adopt sweet little Bo and send Prosper to a boarding school. And so the story ends up also being about Victor, a private detective, who is hired by the Hartliebs to find the boys. And about Victor's tortoises, the mysterious Conte, a wooden lion's wing, a crook who dyes his beard red – and it is about a forbidden island. 


CHARACTERS WHICH I WANT TO MENTION:

I'll start with Scipio. When you first meet them, Scipio is a smart, arrogant boy but I always feel sorry for him when I get to chapter twenty-four. Why didn't he tell them?????????? WHY??? Scipio is by far one of my favourtie characters. :)

Prosper is a responsible older brother, who is scared of losing his little brother, he tends to stress a bit, but that in itself is well founded and I love how much he cares for Bo.

Bo(Boniface), is an adorable little-five-year who believes that his big brother can make anything better. And that he'll always look after him. Doesn't that just show how adorable he is? He also very friendly. Perhaps overly friendly, which is how he met the supposed pigeon feeder at St. Mark's Square, by the name of Victor.

Victor is actually the bumbling detective (from the synopsis) after the brother's who is hired by their aunt to find them. Or more importantly Bo. She couldn't care less about Prosper! I tend to listen to The Thief Lord more than I read it, because it is more convenient and Victor is probably my favourite point of view. The way he describes things makes me smile.

Now, the other characters I haven't mentioned? Oh yes, there's Ida Spavento a photo-taking, cigarette-smoking lady with a taste for adventure. So when children break into your house you naturally sit up with them for the rest of the night and discuss their situation. She has a heart of gold and helps the children. I can't say more because I'll probably end up ruining the story.

Who else is on the list? Uh, yeah. I suppose I should mention the rest of the gang. Hornet, a voracious reader, Riccio a petty pickpocket with bad teeth. And Mosca, who loves ships and anything to do with the sea. That's the gang, and then there's the characters which I guarantee you'll find either irritating or just plain horrible: Barbarossa and the Hartliebs. I can't stand Esther Hartlieb she is so horrible! And Barbarossa is a real crook! I mustn't forget the Conte but he's not really that despicable, just a little creepy. :)

IN SHORT:

I just love this book. Every time I re-read it, or flick through it, or listen to it, I remember why I love it. And you should really read it if you are looking for an adventure with a twist on time. :)

I'm sorry if this post is somewhat fast, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. :)

Thank you Kat for letting me guest post it's been awesome! :)

Vellvin is a passionate Catholic from Australia where she lives with her huge family of five sisters and six brothers. She loves to read, sew skirts, quote movies, watch TV shows and most importantly blog. You can find her over at her amazing blog, An Irish Maiden.

Thanks so much Vellvin for posting for me. I'm going to have to read this book. I've read the first Inkworld book and got enjoyed it, but I got stuck in the middle of the second. I'll have to try and again and this book. Thanks for the recommendation. Also, I should be back tomorrow with a post of my own! I'm starting to feel better finally.

 -Kat