The Blacktongue Thief is a book that's been on my radar for quite a while, after having read and really enjoying Between Two Fires by the same author, but I've been putting it off because the blurb on Goodreads is rather generic. Especially when compared to the uniqueness of Between Two Fires, I was worried The Blacktongue Thief would be a step back.I'm glad to say I was wrong. This is an excellent novel, perfectly readable standalone while clearly setting up future novels. The characters are fun, the narrator is witty and interesting, the magic system is unique and not over-explained. Enough details are given about the world to make it seem real without dumping pages of backstory on the reader. Lots of humor without making the entire story about the humor.

This novel has a lot of things in common with Brust's Taltos series. If you like those books, you'll probably like this one. Just a really well put together book.