Review: A Thief Among Fae by Maddy Calder

Title: A Thief Among Fae
Author: Maddy Calder
Series: Of Thieves & Tombs #1
Publication: September 16, 2026
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Find it on: Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon BE | Amazon AU
Rating: 4/5★

She’s the key to the cursed tomb that can save his people. He’s the prince who promises her the ultimate treasure—but only if she binds her soul to his own.

Cynthia's magic is only good for one thing: raiding deadly tombs.

Desperate to buy a better future for her ailing sister, Cynthia enters a soul-binding bargain with a frustratingly handsome fae prince. Her task? Help him break into a king’s cursed tomb for the heist of a lifetime.

But allying with Desmond puts Cynthia in the crosshairs of his blood-soaked past. He’s scorned by his own kingdom, hunted by assassins, and infuriatingly sarcastic. Cynthia despises him—except he sees potential in her magic that she’s never dared to see in herself.

What Cynthia doesn’t know is that Desmond is a necromancer, a power forbidden by the gods, and he’ll do anything to free his people. Crossing him will cost her life, but the irresistible pull between them might cost her heart.

A Thief Among Fae is the start of a slow-burn fantasy romance series, packed with sword fights, perilous adventures, and a dash of necromancy. Perfect for fans of Skyrim and daring heroines like Lara Croft.

A Thief Among Fae is Maddy Calder's debut novel and honestly? You'd never guess this was a debut novel because the writing feels like the work of someone who's been writing books for years. It was a really good story with fantastic characters and very well-written. I'm already looking forward to the next book!

The story follows Cynthia a.k.a. Cyn who's been tomb raiding with the help of her magic in hopes of securing her parents and younger sister a better future. When she makes a binding deal with the mysteryious fae prince Desmond, who's also known as the Prince of Death, she joins him and a crew of thieves on a mission to break into a cursed king’s tomb. But as they face deadly dangers and uncover secrets about Desmond’s forbidden necromancy, their growing attraction makes the bargain far more complicated than either expected.

I do have to admit it took me a good 25%-30% to really get into the story. TThe beginning was a little slow, probably because there was quite a bit of world-building needed to properly set the scene. But this was totally worth it once I got to know more acquainted with this fantasy world and the characters in it. I ended up really falling in love with the story. What I loved the most was the adventure of the tomb raiding (I cannot express how fun this was to read about!) and how there was almost non-stop action. This made for a really exciting read!

Also, if you mention necromancy in a fantasy book, I'm so there and I was not left disappointed with it in A Thief Among Fae. On top of that, I really enjoyed the romance. The slow-burn between Cynthia and Desmond had plenty of chemistry and tension, without ever taking over the main plot. The secondary characters were also all a great bunch to read about and each brought something unique to the story that I ended up loving.

A Thief Among Fae by Maddy Calder had everything I look for in a fantasy romance: dangerous adventures, magic, fae, a cursed tomb and a slow-burn romance with plenty of tension. It was a solid debut that left me excited to see where the series goes next.

About the author:

Maddy Calder writes fantasy romances filled with ruthless fae, impossible bargains, dangerous magic, and love worth risking everything for. A lifelong lover of enchanted worlds, Maddy creates stories for readers who believe the best adventures begin with a little danger and end with a happily ever after. When not writing, Maddy can be found playing cozy video games, sewing, or reading with a cup of peppermint tea.

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