The Thief of Cahraman is a retelling of Aladdin and it does an excellent job! It is the first book in a 3 book series.
The story flips the characters a bit. Aladdin is a girl in this story and her name is Adelaide and she like Aladdin is a thief living on the streets. The Jasmine in this story in Prince Cyrus, and he is looking for his bride.
Adelaide is kidnapped by Nariman, a witch, who is needing a thief to steal a lamp that is inside the palace walls. Nariman is magically barred from getting into the city, so she sends Adelaide in as a possible bride for the prince. There is a 30 day test happening to narrow down the perfect bride for Prince Cyrus. And as you would expect, there are the prima donnas and then the girls who don't care, and girls there just for political gain. The story keeps a nice pace with action and drama. I can't wait to read the next two books in the series.

I am a sucker for a good fairytale retelling. Especially a gender swap Aladdin story.

For me, this book comes in around 3.5 stars. I rounded up my rating because I just genuinely enjoyed reading this and finished it in two sittings. That being said it was not without its issues.

Basically, we have Adelaide our main character (aka Aladdin) she’s had a bit of a rough start to life, which led her to steal, pickpocket, and move around. She ends up getting blackmailed into infiltrating the Palace of Cahraman to find a golden lamp (sounding familiar?). The only catch is that her cover is as a noble girl competing amongst fifty other girls for the chance to marry the prince and become Queen of Cahraman.

The book was a real delight. It was predictable but I mean you are reading a retelling so you know some of the basics from the start.

Things I loved:
The Aladdin retelling. Too often retellings of fairy tales feature stories like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, or Sleeping Beauty. I mean... I still read them, but they tend to be overdone.
On the topic of retellings…she took the original story but put her own unique twist on it and I loved the idea and the direction she took the plot.
The gender twist. I loved that the story featured a female “Aladdin” Plus I’m always in for a female protagonist, especially when they are badasses
I also was a real sucker for the Adelaide & Cyrus relationship it was cute I was cheering for them. I still am.

It didn’t work for me:
Not a huge fan of the dating competition trope. I do not particularly love the Selection Series or books that feature this kind of competition for love. That being said this story did have an interesting take on the competition aspect.
That ending was not my favorite. It just felt abrupt and unfinished. Clearly, it is unfinished since it’s a trilogy, but it felt like they just chopped it off.
The writing was okay. It wasn’t overly atmospheric, but that being said the character development was great, and it was a quick fun read, so I can completely overlook this.

Basically, if you love Aladdin or retellings, rad female protagonists, or the Selection series. Pick this book up. It’s entertaining and I’m going to immediately go read the next one.

**Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Title Thief of Cahraman

Author Lucy Tempest

Description from Amazon

The Selection meets Aladdin
ONE MONTH. FIFTY CONTESTANTS. ONE PRINCE. AN IMPOSSIBLE HEIST.
You have been summoned to Sunstone Palace to compete in our search for the future Queen of Cahraman.
After years on the run, Adelaide thinks her lonely and dangerous life as a thief is finally over. But her world is upended when a witch steals her away to a faraway kingdom, to perform an impossible heist. If Adelaide fails, her newfound family would be sacrificed to a beast.
To complete her mission, she’s forced to assume the role of a noblewoman and enter a royal competition. The prize is the hand of the elusive Crown Prince. Elimination means certain death.
As the witch’s literal deadline approaches, Adelaide has one last gamble to save the day, and to escape to a new life with Cyrus, the handsome and mysterious fellow thief who stole her heart.
But everything falls apart when the prince finally reveals himself…
Initial Thoughts

The first line of that description. The Selection meets Aladdin. As some of you may know, I love Aladdin. When I was younger, I could literally watch that movie all day long. I used to have it on VHS and I would watch it, rewind it, and watch it again. I also haven’t written about it, but I really enjoyed The Selection Series by Kiera Cass. I read it about 5 years ago but I still remember how much I loved it. So basically, this book sounded like a combo of two things that I already adored. Therefore, I had to read it.

Favorite Character

Cherine – I seem to have a tendency to gravitate toward sassy characters (please see Iltani from Gravemaidens). Cherine was perfect. She was mean most of the time, kind of an air head, and she became a better person for knowing Adelaide. I love to see a main character who is a good person and it rubs off on other characters.

Cover Art

There are things I like and dislike about this cover:

Likes:

The color scheme
The border
The Aladdin-esque architecture in the background
Dislikes:

The girl on the cover – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I don’t like to be told what to imagine. If I wanted someone to show me what a character looked like, I’d watch TV. When I read, I like to use my imagination. When a cover has a photo of a character, It’s hard to not picture that the whole time I’m reading.
Her pose – not only do I not like the photo, I think it’s a very odd pose. Adelaide is strong, fearless, and smart, so why is she standing like that?
How could I have made it better? Take the girl out and make the building in the background more prominent.

Series Value

Semi-spoiler alert: this book ends on a cliffhanger. That’s the best way to get me hooked, leave me with an unfinished ending. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Also, I think it’s great that Lucy Tempest has left a lot of open space for other fairy tale retellings to develop in this world.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

How obvious the plot twists were. I found they were a bit predictable. Not predictable enough to deter me but enough that I was a little disappointed that Adelaide’s character didn’t see through them.

Final Thoughts

I really liked this story. I am so glad I received a copy on NetGalley. For being an Aladding retelling, I thought it was very well done. I like to think of myself as an Aladdin expert (having seen it literally hundreds of times allows me this status) and this story really captured the feeling of the original.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith – I haven’t actually read this one yet but it gives me all kinds of Aladdin vibes.
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal – another bonus post because I haven’t read this one either! But all the promo material I have seen gives me all kinds of Aladdin feels.
If you just like retellings – check out this post for other classic fairy tales: Fairy Tales – Original vs Retelling?

YES, GOOD. FINALLY. Thief of Cahraman is a suburb fairytale retelling that allows itself to work within the confines of the original without adhering to it so blatantly that it's completely predictable. I very much enjoyed this book.

Adelaide and Cyrus are wonderful characters and I loved their interactions with each other. They spend time together and they talk, so their relationship has development and a basis for happening. In this book we're still in the "infatuation/attraction/could be more" stage and I hope as book #2 progresses that we're not suddenly hit with love declarations (I've been burned before; sometimes what feels like a realistic approach suddenly full spreed ahead love early on in book #2, rather than continuing the properly gradual growth towards love).

I like the way the author's changed around the Aladdin tale and how this story offers different stakes for our heroine without revealing everything in this installment or having a too fast of a pace. I like the balance the author struck between letting scenes that were necessary play out but not completely overlooking the less important ones that were needed to connect things.

One complaint would have to be that this didn't always stick to making me feel the historical nature of things; there are trains and flushing toilets and pink eyeglasses. Altering small details like that would've given it a more timeless feel even if the author wasn't trying to capture a specific historic element.

There are some various elements of Middle Eastern myth worked in that I had to look up, which was pretty cool, but so far the immersive element hasn't been too extensive. I think we could have benefited from a bit more descriptive writing about the palace and people and what not just to really drive home that this isn't a western fairytale, but perhaps book #2 will have more time to expand on everything. I'm not begrudging its lack of description--there are a lot of YA books that spend way too much time explaining outfits and room decor and not enough time storytelling--because it does have enough plot and character focus to be a complete story, but just a little more floweriness to set the atmosphere wouldn't be unwelcome.

Overall, a good read! I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley and I also borrowed it from Amazon via KU, but none of it affects my opinion for better or worse! My opinions are open and honest.

In this gender switch retelling of Aladdin, we soon meet other prominent fairytale characters, like Bonnie (who is Belle of Beauty and the Beast) and Ella (Cinderella, naturally) who are or will become characters in future novels of this series. But the focus of this book is Adelaide, a thief who is soon threatened by a witch who wants her to pull off a heist. If Adelaide fails to comply, the witch will harm people she has come to see as family. To be able to pull off this heist, she must participate as a noblewoman in a contest for the prince of the land.

This story is enchantingly written; I love retellings and recastings of myths and fairy tales, so I can be a soft touch where they're concerned. Adelaide is the narrator, and the writing is in the first person. Adelaide has lived a life of struggle, and even though she is a thief, she has an inherently honorable nature and does care about the few who have become a part of her life after years of being on the run. She is only drawn to do what the witch asks because of this concern for those she cares about. She proves again and again the lengths she will go to. It was interesting to watch her play-act in order to be able to attempt the heist. She is a strong lead who also evokes sympathy in the reader because of her painful past and her simple desires for home, peace, and family.

This book does end on a cliffhanger… so be warned… and ready to buy the next book in the series.

It seems like this is the year for retellings, and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I enjoyed the twist, with the gender swapped roles in the book. The beginning was a bit slow, but it began to pick later on, and by the end I couldn’t put it down. I loved the addition of the competition, which did have vines similar to “The selection”. Ada was such a wonderful protagonist; and I enjoyed reading from her POV. She was smart and wily, but at the same time she felt very realistic. Ada has weaknesses but that isn’t a bad thing and it just made her more interesting to read about. She’s a survivor and she’s thrown into this difficult situation by no choice of her own, and she manages to use her brains and wits to figure out complete this quest. Her friendship with Cora and Cherine was certainly an amusing one. The three girls are completely different, in regards to backgrounds and personalities. Their relationship grows throughout the book and I can’t wait to read more about them in the next book.

Now as for Cyrus, it was obvious from the beginning that he was the prince, especially if you know anything about Aladdin, you would have been aware about that. However, that did not deter me from enjoying to get to know his alternated persona. He’s charming, witty, and intriguing, and he perfectly complements Ada. We got a glimpse of who he is as a prince, and I need that next book on my hands to see how the story continues!

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much. I’m glad that I stuck to it, because once I got engrossed in this book, I was hooked! Can’t wait to read the next book.

I received a e-book from Netgalley for an honest review

Where do I began!!
This book really ended up being so much better than I expected!
I loved this story. I really enjoyed the twist of the selection and Aladdin. I really liked how it started out as her being a normal girl and being pulled in to a different world. I'm not to big on the witchcraft makes her do all of the crazy things.

I would highly recommend this book!

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a pleasant surprise! I have to admit that I was scared to start this read because I thought it would be a straight ripoff of The Selection but the author manages to put her own spin on the concept.

I've been getting into fairy tale retellings lately and this book was described as The Selection meets Aladdin so I knew I just had to read it. I loved how Adelaide was gender swapped as the thief because it puts an interesting spin on this retelling of Aladdin.

I loved how the story retained enough details from the original Aladdin but how the author still put her own style into it to not make it predictable or boring.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

(A gender-swap retelling of Aladdin.) Adelaide thinks that her life as a thief, moving from place to place, has finally ended. Now that she’s found somewhere she wants to settle down and make a life for herself. However, this is short lived. A witch steals her away to another land, forcing her to act as a noblewoman in a competition for the prince’s hand while trying to find the witch’s gold lamp. If she does not succeed Adelaide’s newfound family will pay the price and be eaten by a beast.

I found that this book had a bit of a slow start but as soon as the actual competition started I found it difficult to put down. At first I was very tempted to give up on reading but decided to power through, and I am glad that I did. As soon as the story was past the set up of world, and the set up of the competition, I was able to thoroughly enjoy this book.

I have never read a retelling of Aladdin before, and I loved the idea of a gender-swapped Aladdin retelling, which is what made me want to read this book. (I am also a big lover of retellings, so I couldn’t help but want to read Thief of Cahraman once I read the blurb.)

This book was fun, with a good balance of plot, character development, comedy, magic, adventure, theft and romance. I would recommend this book if you love retellings of classic tales. Especially if you want to read one that isn’t just another European fairy tale retold in a European setting like so many tend to be.

(This is a start of a trilogy and larger series; Fairytales of Folkshore by Lucy Tempest.)

I would like to first thank Netgalley for providing this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was sweet and entertaining and I can't wait to read the sequel. I did find it pretty predictable, I wasn't surprised by the "plot twist" at all or many of the side events, but I still enjoyed watching Ada's reactions.

There were a few cliches used, like talking about falling "head over heels," and other wording then felt off. Sometimes I found things arbitrary and unnecessary in the sentences. The author started some of the paragraphs with "Anyway," or wordings similar, and I did not think that flowed well in the writing. These are small things, however, that didn't impact the reading experience too much!

One thing I feel that could've been done better is Ada's anxiety. Some passages explained her anxiety well, but I felt like most of the time we were told she was feeling anxious, instead of being showed her symptoms/emotions. That was a large theme throughout the book that I feel like could've been delved into deeper.

Overall I am a fan of this book! It was a quick, easy read, and a fascinating twist on Aladdin - with hints of Cinderella and other fairy-tale themes.

This title was just so much fun! It definitely delivered on the “gender swapped Aladdin retelling” that it promised with so many fun references and links. It was like rewatching the Disney movie in my head, with enough differences that kept it interesting.

I loved Ada. She is so relatable and real to me. It was such a nice change to read about a girl thief who isn’t the best in the world, she’s just a girl. A girl who pulled herself out of homelessness and is still dealing with the mental and emotional toll that her past has left her. A girl who is giddy at the thought of a beautiful boy and can’t stop thinking about him. All while constantly feeling the pressure of the lives at stake if she were to fail this quest. Her character was beautifully done and so refreshing.

Cyrus made me swoon. Constantly. While his storyline was definitely predictable, it was still a fun ride.

It did take a minute to fully invest, however. The beginning is full of descriptions of people and buildings and Ada’s internal monologue, so I did get a bit bored initially. But once she enters the palace and the competition starts, I couldn’t put it down.

Any fans of fairy tale retellings are sure to love this series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!

Thoroughly enjoyable, captivating and engaging retelling of Aladdin. A little slow and unconvincing at the start but then the story takes off, growing in confidence and style. Will definitely buy for school and recommend to students.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

Thief of Cahraman was quite enjoyable. Definitely got some vibes from previous books that I've read before as well. For example, Red Queen, The Selection, and a little bit of Hunger Games? Don't ask why I got that last vibe - I just randomly did.

Now since this is fairy tale book that has to deal with a golden lamp, you might think of Aladdin. You'd be correct because the MC is Adelaide.. the girl version of Aladdin basically. She's a thief that somehow gets kidnapped (lol) and given a mission to steal a lamp. This item is in the palace, where she now has to enter a competition and pretend to be a lady. Now do you get why I got those book vibes?

I will admit, I was a bit hesitant when the competition was brought into this book. Sometimes it works.. and other times it really doesn't. I definitely had my ups and downs with the competition in Red Queen and The Selection. So, I secretly hoped I wouldn't hate this one.

Surprisingly, I didn't hate this. Nope, I enjoyed everything about this book. Especially Adelaide, she was definitely refreshing. Other than that, the romance was okay but it wasn't my main focus. Which is weird.. because this whole competition is about winning the prince. Yet, I liked it but I was more into the competition and the characters instead.

Overall, I can't wait to dive into the next book - just to see what the heck is going to happen next! I have so many questions and theories!

In this book, a talented thief by the name of Adelaide is <i>whisked off</i> to Cahraman by an [unconfirmed] witch to steal a "golden lamp" from the palace, in exchange for the safe return of her family. And how does she get <i>in</i> to this palace, you might ask? Why, she's been entered into what is essentially The Selection, fighting for her chance to stay in the palace and thoroughly search it in order to get the lamp she so desperately needs... whilst every other female involved is fighting to win the hand/heart of the prince ;D

I absolutely <b>loved</b> this book from beginning to end. Whilst there are some definite parallels with The Selection, I really loved the differing take on the tale of Aladdin and thought that overall it was incredibly well put together; from the world building to the characters to the plots-within-plots. Plus, there's some obvious set-up in here for a Beauty and the Beast, or Cinderella retelling (or both) which I'm super excited to try ;D

Whilst there were some "plot twists" that were 100% obvious from the get-go (such as a certain... individual... *cough*) I found that I just legitimately enjoyed <i>everything</i> about it. Can't wait to continue with the series!

This book was incredible! This book fits the description of Aladdin meets the Selection perfectly! I couldn't put the book down and I was so upset when it ended because I just wanted to read more of it so I can't wait to read the next book. I would highly recommend this book as it was brilliant!

Link to my review on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2714491582

The cover of this book captured me and made me want to read this and it didn't disappoint at all. Retellings can be a hit or a miss and this one was definitely a hit. I loved the storyline, it was so interesting and it made me want to keep reading and the characters were all amazing.

Ada is a great character, I love how strong and fierce she is but also so loving for the people she cares for. I loved everything between her and Cherine and Cora, their bickering and friendship just made me smile and it was so genuine.

All the girls were very interesting, even the ones I disliked weren't written in a way I wasn't invested, even though I disliked them I still liked reading about them and their adventures.

And Cyrus what can I say, I love him he's so kind, I did the twist coming, it took me a bit but then I was like... what if.

Very good book, can't wait to read the second book and hopefully fall more in love with this series.

While a clever premise (gender-swapped Aladdin), the story and characters read as flat caricatures and the world-building was incomplete. It relied heavily on a kind of short-hand fairy tale world where I would have liked more detailed setting and more nuanced characters.

I did not expect a lot from this book but it really surprised me! I was immediately sucked into the story line and could not stop until the end. I really love books that immerse you into the story quickly and keep your attention.

I received this from the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute book. I really enjoyed it. I love retellings and when you throw Aladdin in the mix, Yes! I want to ride the magic red carpet!

The book did start slow but I seen such great reviews I kept reading and I am so glad I did. The world in this book was magical and the authors writing was very smooth. The competition in this book was very well written. I did not have any trouble following the story line.

I think this is a great book to pick up.

In this gender swapped retelling of Aladdin we hear the story of a young woman, Adelaide, from the streets. She steals to survive and help her friends. When one day a beautiful sorceress enlists Adelaide's help in finding the fabled golden lamp. When our heroine tries to reject the job offer, the sorceress threatens the lives of her very best friends. Now Adelaide must parade around a palace pretending to be a noblewoman seeking the heart of the prince... when in reality she is going to steal from the crown.