Bibliography: Simner, Janni Lee.  (2010).  Thief Eyes. New York: Random House Books For Young Readers.  ISBN: 9780375866708

Plot Summary:  Hoping to figure out what happened, sixteen year old Haley forced her father to bring her to the exact spot in Iceland where her mother disappeared a year ago.  Instead of her mother, Haley finds an ancient magic coin and is swept up in a centuries old spell.  With the help of Ari, a boy whom she just met, and several creatures from nature and mythology, Haley fights to break the enchantment without destroying herself or the earth.

Critical Analysis:  It is refreshing to read a paranormal romance that doesn’t feature vampires or werewolves.  There is something mesmerizing about the Icelandic setting and the earthquakes and springs combining with the mythologic creatures and deep old magic that seems to come from the earth itself.

Haley is very likeable, and by telling the story through her “thief eyes” the reader is there, experiencing the strangeness and newness of everything.  It is a credit to Simner that she carries the book, as for large part of the story she is lost with Ari trying to find her way back.  Based on Norse myths, I also see echoes of the Norwegian fairy tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon which also features a beserker.

If I have a quibble, it is that it all seems a little too easy, Haley and Ari’s journey back to their world and their families.  Even the climax seemed preordained although for a second I was hoping Simner would defy reader expectations by making a bold choice, she didn’t.  I suppose I can’t fault her for not writing the book as I would have liked, especially since what is there is eminently readable and enjoyable.

Connections:  To Iceland, Norse mythology, Icelandic animals and Icelandic geology, especially earthquakes and volcanoes.  In her author’s note, Simner talks about the Norse mythology that she used in writing Thief Eyes.  She has even more information linked on her blog: http://www.simner.com/thiefeyes/links.html

Readalikes:  The Northern Frights series by Arthur Slade.  While only The Loki Wolf is set in Iceland, each entry in this horror series for teens is based on Icelandic and Norse myths and legends.  (And they’re scary!)

East by Edith Pattou is a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, the story of which Thief Eyes reminded me in part.

While not a fantasy, Sea by Heidi Kling has similar themes, a teenage girl traveling to an exotic country with her father to try and come to terms with her mother’s disappearance and finding not her mother but herself with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

Review Excerpts: “Adopting figures from Icelandic sagas, Simner (Bones of Faerie) creates a captivating modern odyssey. Incorporating references to Star Wars and Norse myth alike, Simner is poetic whether writing about magic and sorcery or simply getting inside her characters’ heads…. An endnote includes information about the sagas Simner studied while writing this story—the well-crafted result may encourage readers to do the same.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Simner has done her homework. This appealing novel centers around and embellishes Icelandic legend—specifically Njal’s Saga. Simner takes the old stories and brings them into the 21st century in this cyclical novel about the powerful relationship between mothers and daughters.”–School Library Journal

“Simner’s second book, a fantasy set in modern times but rooted in ancient Icelandic sagas, has great reader appeal. The plot is compelling-a page-turner that catapults Haley and Ari, an attractive Icelandic berserker, from crisis to crisis….The climax is a humdinger, and while the resolution is bittersweet, it makes sense and is consistent with the magical rules of the book….Light, romantic fiction with an engaging fantasy punch.”–Kirkus Reviews