The Blacktongue Thief follows the story of Kinch Na Shannack, a trained thief who has found himself on the wrong side of the Taker's Guild. He's attempting to pay back an impossible debt, an endeavour that intertwines his journey with that of Galva dom Braga - an Ispanthian soldier with a war corvid and a cold disposition towards the likes of Kinch. This unlikely duo manage to set aside their differences just long enough to get on the road together, undertaking a chaotic, treacherous, and oftentimes humourous journey.

This was such a fun and unique book. It was unlike any other fantasy book I've ever read while still being just as wonderful.
Coming into this after The Daughter's War gave me a much better grasp on Galva's character, something I honestly really liked - I don't regret the order in which I read the books at all. In fact, I'd even recommend it. The Blacktongue Thief featured a new narrator, which I think was really the only reason that I didn't love the book as much as its prequel: I loved Galva, and truly don't think that any narrator could ever live up to her whether in this book or any others. But, while Kinch wasn't Galva, he was still written by the same person, and the charm was very much there.
He was very cheeky, unserious, filled with poor jokes and a potty mouth, and was much more focused on his view of the situation and the action rather than the facts. I love an unreliable narrator, and Kinch was exactly this. He leaned on his unreliability in some chapters, very openly not telling the reader exactly what happened if it wasn't something he wanted us to know. He weaved a story around the missing parts, always gave us the parts that were the most important, and sometimes gave us parts that weren't. It all read like one of those tales your older brother's friends might tell you, or that you might overhear at a nearby tavern table from a young man who's just returned from his adventures. The author really prioritized the consistent characterization in his writing rather than a beautiful, flowery style, and it's really great to see something unique like that.

Buehlman creates really loveable and diverse characters. Everyone mattered, no matter how short of a time they spent in the book, and the way Kinch connected with everyone felt very natural, never forced. Even the romance, which was awkward and weird at times, was still so sweet and easily anticipated. The characters definitely mattered so much in this story.
That being said, the plot didn't fall flat at all. It was very cleverly written, with an easy-going line to follow, but never a predictable path or a boring trajectory. Their adventure was tense but also fun at the same time, and it never let us forget just how dangerous it really was: The Blacktongue Thief is not against killing or severely injuring its characters just to show us the world and how people within it have had to survive.

Once again, Buehlman's worldbuilding is stunning. It's gritty and dark, and it's not all rainbows and sunshine. There are good parts and bad parts. Here, again, I really think I benefitted from having read The Daughter's War, just to get that background on what was really going on and what the world was recovering from, but I didn't need to. The Blacktongue Thief worked perfectly as a standalone, and explained in just the right amount of detail. For die hard world building fans, the prequel is what kicks it up to the next level.

Overall, I loved this book. It was a great way to continue the Buehlman kick, and a really fun story to sink my teeth into. An easier read, this is probably a great book for just about anybody in the fantasy category. If you're needing something fresh to break up the constant monotony of traditional fantasy, this is the book for you. If you're just getting into fantasy and want to jump into the deep end, this is the  book for you.
Fans of Kings of the Wyld, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and The Name of the Wind, this is the book for you. You will love it. There's a reason it's so many people's book of the year and it's rated so highly: Because it's fucking awesome.