Book Title: THE THIEVES’ CAROUSEL by Briana Chen
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 300 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Z-Choice International
Release date: August 2025
Content Rating: PG-13 +M: Some bad language, violence, and dark themes (implied abuse, self-harm)
What price would you pay to undo a death?
In the shadowed streets of Aspizia, two thieves—Lyo Morandi and Jasper Bray—risk everything to rewrite the past. Haunted by the death of their friend Milo, they set their sights on a forbidden prize: a ring reputed to alter time.
To steal it, they must infiltrate the Thieves’ Carousel, a ruthless exhibition where the city’s most dangerous criminals flaunt their treasures—and fight to keep them. But as Lyo and Jasper descend deeper into the catacombs beneath Aspizia, they uncover a truth far more dangerous than they imagined: the ring’s power comes at a devastating cost.
Loyalties splinter. Betrayal lurks around every corner. Loyalties splinter. As the game turns deadly, they must ask themselves: How far will they go to rescue the past and save the future—and how much of themselves are they willing to lose?
The Thieves’ Carousel is a gripping tale of ambition, sacrifice, and the haunting price of second chances.
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I received a copy of The Thieves’ Carousel for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone.
I’ve tried maybe a dozen ways to start this review and I am having trouble. There’s so much about this book that my brain just keeps moving around and I can’t pinpoint on one thing to express what I want to say. So, forgive me if this review ends up being crazy…. that said… YOU WANT THIS BOOK.
The first thing that grabbed me about it was the heist feel and the world. Aspizia, also known as The Serpent City (if you don’t know, an Asp is a snake and it has me wondering if that is how the name came to be and amazing if so), is a city filled and run by the underworld. The best way I was able to mentally visualize it was Gotham meets Venice meets Paris meets mobsters of Vegas meets… Well, I’m not sure what time period but we have some classy clothes so I put the equivalent time period to 1920s/1940s. Aspizia is opulence and corruption. In the midst of that corruption are two young men stealing to survive and work up the ranks. All to meet the ultimate goal of changing the government of the city. What does that mean? You have to read to find out.
Before they can change the government, they have a bit of a detour: the Mago exists. What is the Mago? It is… well… I think of it as a god-like being or power that takes great sacrifice to achieve but can change things. Supposedly, it can change the past. And Lyo and Jasper want it for that reason.
Lyo is an interesting character. He’s always thinking and probably needs about as many meds as possible. He’s depressed due to the death of Milo, which we get hints at throughout the book. Lyo is charming, always seems to be relaxed, and has a way about him that seems magnetic.
Jasper is always in the books and knows his way around anything. He’s the planner to Lyo’s pantser. Together, they are great partners in crime and the system knows that. To the point that the government seem to step on every chance they get to move up.
The book is filled with different skillsets the two young men have in order to not only stay alive, but to also find the one thing that will bring back Milo.
I was completely in the world by chapter three, seeing the canals and hearing the noises of the gambling houses. Despite not knowing the full story about Milo in the beginning, you find yourself wanting to get the same thing Lyo wants. And believe me when I say you will be at the edge of your seat on many occasions. Though there are moments of breath, the chapters with action move so fast you don’t realize where you are until the book has ended.
And then you have to sit, think, and go… “Well, damn, when’s the next book out?”
If you like a good heist, a magical mcguffin, found family, and people using their brains to get out of serious stakes, grab this book.
BRIANA CHEN is an award-winning fantasy author and repeat offender when it comes to falling headfirst into fandoms. She loves morally gray characters, unpredictable plot twists, and books that make her stare at a wall for hours afterward.
She is also a digital artist, gamer, and graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. She currently spends her time battling artist’s and writer’s block—sometimes simultaneously—and pursuing more adventures to add to her hoard of treasure.
connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~ goodreads
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