3.5 out of 5 stars
If you think these books are about heists, you’re wrong. When you know these books are about giant magical cats, you’ll find they’re pretty good.
Goodsreads.com: Daughter of Dusk, by Livia Blackburne (Midnight Thief #2)
I gave the first book 3 out of 5 stars, because if I’d known it was about giant cats, I wouldn’t have picked it up. Just being honest. Giant cats are a tough sell. A lost race of shapeshifting people who become giant cats… that’s a little better. Still probably a pass.
Both luckily and unluckily, Midnight Thief (#1) stars off as a heist novel, so I was in. By the time it got to giant cats, I was at least staying on board. Then Daughter of Dusk gets better.
*First book SPOILERS ahead. But why are you reading this if you haven’t read that?*
Kyra is still a Demon Rider, struggling to adjust to life as a human now that she knows her true nature. The Demon Riders continue to torment the city of Forge. Along with her erstwhile demoted knight, Tristan, and equally erstewhile jumped-up ragamuffin pseudo-family, Kyra works to bridge the gap between worlds to halt the coming war.
The best part about Daughter of Dusk is Kyra. She makes mistakes aplenty, but not because she’s a monster. Every bad decision and weakness, showcases the humanity she is fighting to maintain. It’s the very thing other people can’t see in her, once they know she is a Demon Rider. The contrast is effective and makes Kyra a sympathetic heroine you can root for, even if you don’t agree with her. 
The worst part remains the giant cats. Sorry, I won’t ever get past this.
Ultimately, the Midnight Thief series is about the desire to belong and the search for identity. Are you who you are because of where you come from? Can you ever truly leave the past behind? Kyra’s many lives – street urchin, Demon Rider, thief, protector – will always live in her. They are her heart, and the heart of her story. Like The Rose and the Dagger, Daughter of Dusk ends the Midnight Thief series right where it should end: when it feels over. There is grace in knowing this. I’m grateful author Livia Blackburne had it.
There are two novellas in the Midnight Thief universe, but we all know how I feel about novellas. So I’ll take your word for them averaging 3.6 stars on Goodreads, and skip them all the same.
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