Really good book.

Lured by the promise of more money than they've ever dreamed of, five young criminals are hired to steal a heavily guarded treasure from the most powerful sorcerer in the city. This is one of the first series that my child went through from beginning to end. A great story to hold her attention with twists, turns and mystery. ( )

Great book!

"Champions of the Fox" by Kevin Sands expertly concludes the Thieves of Shadow series. The daring prison break, guided by the mysterious Dragon's Eye, had me hooked. Sands skillfully weaves intricate plot twists, delivering a satisfying conclusion. The fusion of fantasy and heist elements captivates readers of all ages. "Champions of the Fox" is a thrilling conclusion, showcasing Sands' storytelling mastery.

It’s the final instalment of Cal and his motley crew of misfits’ adventures, and this book is one wild ride to finish things off! As Cal follows the ever-cryptic directions of the Dragon’s Eye in the hopes of getting it out of his life and bringing an end to the magical mystery quest that the artifact seems bent on completing it takes them to the other side of the empire and the city of Sligach. Unlike the rest of the empire, which seems to have a certain affinity for magic, Sligach has more of a steampunk vibe - giving Cal and his friends a taste of the opposite of the magic they’re used to, and letting us explore another unique corner of the magical world that author Kevin Sands has built. Here, the crew must find a way to break into the most secure prison in the empire and jailbreak a mysterious captive whom an emperor from aeons past imprisoned. As per usual, the Eye gives no reasons for these directions to Cal, but along the way our wily protagonist begins to question more and more the veracity and potential outcomes for this quest he’s on. In typical magical world fashion, he begins to have cryptic dreams, be plagued by a sentient crow, and has more encounters with the Spirits whom his people worship - all of which builds on the lore begun in the previous books and makes for an excellent magical counterpoint to the heist story that drives much of the narrative. Cal and crew, of course, find a way to complete the impossible task of breaking the Hollow Man out of prison (and even manage to take along an extra prisoner as a favour to a new friend), but the real drama comes when the Hollow Man finally reveals the motives that have been driving the Eye (and Cal) the entire time. Sands lets drop a whole bunch of new lore - which is a bit of an overload to pack into one book - but which wraps all of the plot lines, characters, and motivations up and culminates into an epic battle for the fate of Ayreth - and the universe as they know it. By the end things move extremely quickly, even after all of the action that’s come before, but Sands does a pretty decent job of making sure that the ending is satisfactory, our characters all get what they want, and the mysteries are revealed without making readers feel like they missed things along the way. Overall, a quality ending to a pretty solid fantasy trilogy! ( )