The New York Times Book Review - Jen Doll
…a twisty-turny, chock-full-of-secrets, so-exciting-you-have-to-force-yourself-to-take-breaks-and-breathe kind of novel. Anderson has worked for refugee relief agencies, and her novel has a clearly authentic foundation. Of course, the teenagers figuring out how to survive in this world in which adults so frequently fail them are the stars of the story, street-smart and savvy and searching…[Tina's] emotional journey feels compelling and true.
Publishers Weekly
★ 11/07/2016
Tina has been living on the streets of (the fictional) Sangui City in Kenya since her mother’s murder at the home of Roland Greyhill, her mother’s employer and the father of Tina’s half-sister, Kiki. Recruited by the Goondas, a gang of orphans and street kids, Tina is the only girl trained to become a foot soldier. As she learns skills to become an accomplished thief, she lives by a series of rules, including “Rule 3: thieves don’t have friends” and “Rule 15: a rule from my mother: run.” As Tina gets closer to exacting revenge for her mother’s death, she discovers that she may not have all the facts. Debut author Anderson, a former aid worker, deftly addresses issues in the region in this fast-paced thriller, highlighting the struggles of refugees in war-torn eastern Congo and the human rights violations that women in particular face. Using a smattering of Swahili, Sheng (street slang), and French, Anderson adeptly uses language to bring Tina’s world to life as she carefully traces her heroine’s history to reveal a shocking truth. Ages 12–up. Agent: Faye Bender, Book Group. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
Praise for City of Saints & Thieves:
An Amazon Best Book of the Month – January 2017
A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick
A Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated YA Debut of 2017
An Apple iBooks Best of January 2017 Pick
Winter 2016-2017 Kids’ Indie Next Pick
Indies Introduce Winter/Spring 2017 Pick
A Teen Vogue Best New Young Adult Book – January 2017
A Bustle Best YA Book – January 2017
A 2017 Chicago Public Library’s Best Teen Fiction Pick
A Seventeen Magazine Best Book Pick of 2017
A 2017 B&N Best Young Adult Book
An NPR 2017 Best Book
A 2018 Bank Street Best Book
“City of Saints & Thieves is a twisty-turny-chock-full-of-secrets, so exciting-you-have-to-force-yourself-to-take-breaks-and-breathe kind of novel. . . . [Tina’s] emotional journey feels compelling and true.”—The New York Times
★ “[I]n this fast-paced thriller… Anderson adeptly uses language to bring Tina’s world to life as she carefully traces her heroine’s history to reveal a shocking truth.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “[A] wonderfully twisted puzzle of a murder mystery.”—Booklist, starred review
★ “[A] solidly plotted, swiftly paced international murder mystery that’s laced with just a hint of romance. . . . Highly recommended for teens looking for a gritty, suspenseful, immersive read driven by a tough, smart, realistic heroine.”—School Library Journal, starred review
★ “[B]y setting a fast-paced crime drama with compelling characters in this fraught region, Anderson does the good service of interesting young readers in this ongoing human conflict and the tragic toll it continues to take on the people of the region.”—BCCB, starred review
★ “Natalie C. Anderson's breathtaking debut is deep, dark and—remarkably for the subject—quite funny at times. . . . Pages will fly by as readers root for Tiny and her loved ones.”—Shelf Awareness, starred review
“Ocean’s Eleven meets Blood Diamond: Natalie C. Anderson’s City of Saints & Thieves, a gripping tale of revenge and redemption, tracks a murderer through the jungles of Congo and the far reaches of cyberspace, shining a light on the importance of family and friendship along the way—a perfect cocktail of suspense, action and heart.”—Tara Sullivan, critically acclaimed author of Golden Boy and The Bitter Side of Sweet
“City of Saints & Thieves will pull you from the very first page into a rarely seen world, violent and beautiful, where the only rule is survival and the only weapons are a young woman’s courage and love.”—Francisco X. Stork, award-winning author of Marcelo in the Real World and The Last Summer of the Death Warriors
“In prose as tenacious as her vendetta-driven and irresistible protagonist, Anderson interweaves personal and national tragedies, answering legacies of loss with the promise of family and friendship. City of Saints & Thieves is a world opener of a debut, one worth reading and remembering.”—Ashley Hope Pérez, Printz Honor–winning author of Out of Darkness
“A story full of twists and turns, proving nothing is ever as black and white as it may seem.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[A] linguistically beautiful murder mystery tale that will have you tearing through the pages, all along its twist and turns.”—Bustle
“A teenage Congolese refugee (a blend of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander and X-Men’s Storm) in Kenya seeks revenge for the killing of her mother.”—Hollywood Reporter
“A gripping journey of vengeance.”—US Weekly
“Anderson’s dark thriller will appeal to readers who prefer their mysteries political and their stakes high and who will feel rewarded by solutions in shades of gray rather than black-and-white.”—The Horn Book
“This nail-biting murder mystery set in Kenya follows Tina, a Congolese refugee, as she tracks down her mother's killer in the midst of corrupt businessmen, a master thief, and a street gang.”—Seventeen.com
School Library Journal
★ 01/01/2017
Gr 7–10—Tina has been developing her plan for revenge against her mother's killer for five years, and it's finally time to set it in motion. But things don't go quite as planned when she breaks into Roland Greyhill's palatial estate in the hills above bustling Sangui City, Kenya. Greyhill's son, Michael, who was Tina's best friend when her mother worked as a maid in the house, catches her downloading information from his father's computer. His condition for not turning her in? Teaming up with him to prove that his father is innocent of murder. Tina staunchly believes in Roland's guilt—he and her mother had been having an affair, and her mother's body had been found in Roland's private study. But Tina feels she has no choice but to play along. Their investigation involves members of the local gang Tina joined after her mother's death, smugglers, oil company executives, and a dissolute journalist, and it takes Tina, Michael, and her friend Boyboy into the remote area of Congo where Tina was born as they try to learn whether something in her mother's past led to her death. Themes of war-time horrors, post-traumatic stress disorder, economic disparity, and colonialism are seamlessly woven into a solidly plotted, swiftly paced international murder mystery that's laced with just a hint of romance. VERDICT Highly recommended for teens looking for a gritty, suspenseful, immersive read driven by a tough, smart, realistic heroine.—Stephanie Klose, School Library Journal
AUGUST 2017 - AudioFile
Tina is a 16-year-old Congolese refugee turned Kenyan street gang member and thief. Narrator Pascale Armand’s convincing portrait captures Tina’s many contrasts—her toughness and tenderness, duplicity and honesty, questioning and certainty. Armand also makes clear Tina’s unswerving determination to care for her half-sister, Kiki, and to discover who murdered her mother. Armand depicts secondary characters just as strongly, particularly Greyhill, the wealthy American who fathered Kiki. He seems kind to Tina’s face and callous during overheard conversations. And his son, Michael—is he a love interest, or an enemy? As Armand switches easily between both accents and personas, the story’s tension remains high amid scheming, sleuthing, and Tina’s confusion about personal and political situations that surround her. Throughout, Armand’s pacing, character dramatizations, and emotional notes never fail. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-11-16
Anderson's debut mystery novel features a Congolese teenager bent on revenge.In fictional Sangui City, Kenya, lives 16-year-old Tina, a black Congolese refugee. Tina has two purposes in life: take care of her mixed-race half sister, Kiki, and avenge their mother's death. Five years ago, Mama was murdered, and Tina believes the culprit can only be the rich and corrupt Mr. Greyhill, her mother's white former employer and lover. To survive, Tina has embedded herself as the wiliest of thieves within the ranks of the Goondas, a powerful gang in the city. After a Goonda heist on Mr. Greyhill goes wrong, Tina finds herself in cahoots with his mixed-race son, Michael, to find the true murderer. Michael wants to prove it wasn't his father, and Tina goes along with it so that she can resume her plan for vengeance. Along with her black tech genius partner in crime, Boyboy, they find themselves in the depths of Congo, looking for answers that could cost them their lives. The narrative is guided by Tina's rules for survival, which reveal a strong yet vulnerable character. While much of the novel is fictionalized, it exposes both the very real corruption and greed of the mining industry in Congo and the women who pay the price. The novel is peppered with Swahili words and phrases, and Anderson makes an effort to paint a picture of the country. A story full of twists and turns, proving nothing is ever as black and white as it may seem. (glossary) (Thriller. 12-16)
