City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

 

Yes to FINALLY reading City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson and narrated by Pascale Armand!!! This young adult novel has been in my 'to be read' pile for a number of years now before getting around to reading it by the end of August this year.

I love the narration for the City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson. A good narrator always makes for a pleasurable listening experience. I liked the storyline for this young adult, mystery/thriller novel as well. 

City of Saints & Thieves is set in Africa, primarily in Kenya and also in the Congo as well. The exotic setting/locale made for interesting reading as one sees a different way of life being portrayed in this novel. 

I liked the main character, Tina, aka Tiny Girl, for City of Saints & Thieves quite a bit. Tina is a strong, resourceful, female character in her teens. Tina is living on the streets as a thief for the Goondas in Sangui City, Kenya to support herself. Tina (and her younger sister's) mother has been murdered. Tina strongly suspects that her mother's murderer is Roland Greyhill, the man her mother worked for as a maid. Her mother was also having an affair with Roland Greyhill. Tina had overheard Mr. Greyhill telling her mother that he was going to kill her. Tina is set on revenge to kill Roland Greyhill for killing her mother with the help of the her Goondas' cohorts. But, of course, things don't work out as expected, which is half the fun of the novel!

The action and pacing for City of Saints & Thieves is pretty steady throughout. I found myself wanting to keep listening to this novel to find out what was going to happen next to the characters as well as to whether Roland Greyhill was the murderer of Tina's mother or not. There are many twists and turns throughout this novel, which kept things captivating.

Below is the plot summary for City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson from Goodreads:

In the shadows of Sangui City, there lives a girl who doesn't exist. After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrived in Kenya looking for the chance to build a new life and home. Her mother quickly found work as a maid for a prominent family, headed by Roland Greyhill, one of the city’s most respected business leaders. But Tina soon learns that the Greyhill fortune was made from a life of corruption and crime. So when her mother is found shot to death in Mr. Greyhill's personal study, she knows exactly who’s behind it.

With revenge always on her mind, Tina spends the next four years surviving on the streets alone, working as a master thief for the Goondas, Sangui City’s local gang. It’s a job for the Goondas that finally brings Tina back to the Greyhill estate, giving her the chance for vengeance she’s been waiting for. But as soon as she steps inside the lavish home, she’s overtaken by the pain of old wounds and the pull of past friendships, setting into motion a dangerous cascade of events that could, at any moment, cost Tina her life. But finally uncovering the incredible truth about who killed her mother—and why—keeps her holding on in this fast-paced nail-biting thriller.

I am giving City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!