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Stealing the Light
Trolls. Shapeshifters. Fairypeople. Discover the magic!
Two young people with the Curse grow up amid the chaos of a world where the Tainted are outlawed and blamed for illness, crime, and poverty throughout the Duitiscish Kingdoms.
Catherine, the gravedigger’s daughter, learns to survive on theft and manipulation. When she steals from the wrong man, she has to suffer the consequences, but the tables turn when she finds three books of magic in an old castle ruin that seems to come alive whenever she steps through the gates.
On the other side of the Northern Forest, a secret community known as The Fair takes in a refugee boy from the Sudlands. Lorcan’s magical Abilities surpass all others, but the lad’s father brings tragedy upon the safe haven.
Murder and betrayal shape the lives of both Catherine and Lorcan as they become adults, and their fates are linked in more ways than one.
Can they survive the aftermath of war and persecution, or will their own people's duplicities lead them into disaster?
Stealing the Light is a Writer's Digest top-rated fantasy novel!
Two young people with the Curse grow up amid the chaos of a world where the Tainted are outlawed and blamed for illness, crime, and poverty throughout the Duitiscish Kingdoms.
Catherine, the gravedigger’s daughter, learns to survive on theft and manipulation. When she steals from the wrong man, she has to suffer the consequences, but the tables turn when she finds three books of magic in an old castle ruin that seems to come alive whenever she steps through the gates.
On the other side of the Northern Forest, a secret community known as The Fair takes in a refugee boy from the Sudlands. Lorcan’s magical Abilities surpass all others, but the lad’s father brings tragedy upon the safe haven.
Murder and betrayal shape the lives of both Catherine and Lorcan as they become adults, and their fates are linked in more ways than one.
Can they survive the aftermath of war and persecution, or will their own people's duplicities lead them into disaster?
Stealing the Light is a Writer's Digest top-rated fantasy novel!
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2016
About the author
Lisa Hofmann
21 books35 followersLisa Hofmann is a European-based author of dark fairytale fantasy novels and short stories for adults.
She was born in 1975 and educated in Germany and Ireland. She has worked as an interpreter and as a translator for non-fiction books in her specialized field of education. Later, she went on to become a teacher.
Her books' settings are often similar to or based on historical places near her home town, where she lives with her husband, three children and a houseful of pets.
She was born in 1975 and educated in Germany and Ireland. She has worked as an interpreter and as a translator for non-fiction books in her specialized field of education. Later, she went on to become a teacher.
Her books' settings are often similar to or based on historical places near her home town, where she lives with her husband, three children and a houseful of pets.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 5, 2019
I was astounded by the incredible world created in this fantasy novel, with such rich descriptions I felt as if it really existed. The story comprises a large cast of characters to get to grips with, but I felt it was a pleasure to watch the resilience of some in particular who in spite of suffering abuse, neglect and hunger grew stronger, and through it all I found immensely likeable. I loved the idea that magic has become almost an outlaw in the story and this adds a great dimension to the tension and story. A highly enjoyable read and I can’t wait to see if there is another book in the series!
March 31, 2020
Considering the impression I received of this book, I decide to start reading it early in the morning – 5:45am to be precise, when the sun just starts to light the sky, and there is often at least a light fog covering the ground. I hoped that would be true on this morning, and I wasn't disappointed!
I take my heavily creamed coffee onto the back patio and fondle the real book in my hand. Reading is a much more profound and personal experience with an actual book (even if you get a cramp in your fingers or a crick in your neck)!
The cover is blue and white and depicts an archway partially covered with overgrown flowers and a dove in flight (I think it's a dove anyway). Light is streaming through the arch and highlights a stone floor. I love the font. It looks familiar, but I don't remember what it's called. I open the book and smell the pages. There is nothing more wonderful than the smell of fresh paper! Every book has its own unique scent. This one smells like a minty forest, which seems appropriate and makes me crave a Peppermint Patty! The pages are stark white and very smooth. It's a beautiful book.
I open the book and begin to read. At first the language of the story seems a bit... well cheesy. It didn't take more than a few pages, however, to recognize the quality of writing being presented. All thoughts of cheesy evaporate like an open bottle of rubbing alcohol. No cheese here! Just a superbly told story. I fell straight into the beautiful, melancholy, tragic, hopeful, and complex world being painted so marvelously and with such detailed settings, that I could immediately draw them in my mind. The characters are so carefully developed, I felt I knew them as well as the author did, and I could imagine what all their reactions and thoughts might be.
The most impressive thing about this book in my opinion, is the author's ability to relate all these involved and wonderful images and moods and characters and plot, that seem very flowering and detailed, with language I found so beautiful and so well written.... in only 414 pages... and English isn't even her first language! The editing in this book is also excellent. I don't think there was a single mistake in punctuation, grammar, or spelling in the entire volume. It has everything I love in a book, and I am really looking forward to the rest of the series!
I take my heavily creamed coffee onto the back patio and fondle the real book in my hand. Reading is a much more profound and personal experience with an actual book (even if you get a cramp in your fingers or a crick in your neck)!
The cover is blue and white and depicts an archway partially covered with overgrown flowers and a dove in flight (I think it's a dove anyway). Light is streaming through the arch and highlights a stone floor. I love the font. It looks familiar, but I don't remember what it's called. I open the book and smell the pages. There is nothing more wonderful than the smell of fresh paper! Every book has its own unique scent. This one smells like a minty forest, which seems appropriate and makes me crave a Peppermint Patty! The pages are stark white and very smooth. It's a beautiful book.
I open the book and begin to read. At first the language of the story seems a bit... well cheesy. It didn't take more than a few pages, however, to recognize the quality of writing being presented. All thoughts of cheesy evaporate like an open bottle of rubbing alcohol. No cheese here! Just a superbly told story. I fell straight into the beautiful, melancholy, tragic, hopeful, and complex world being painted so marvelously and with such detailed settings, that I could immediately draw them in my mind. The characters are so carefully developed, I felt I knew them as well as the author did, and I could imagine what all their reactions and thoughts might be.
The most impressive thing about this book in my opinion, is the author's ability to relate all these involved and wonderful images and moods and characters and plot, that seem very flowering and detailed, with language I found so beautiful and so well written.... in only 414 pages... and English isn't even her first language! The editing in this book is also excellent. I don't think there was a single mistake in punctuation, grammar, or spelling in the entire volume. It has everything I love in a book, and I am really looking forward to the rest of the series!
September 4, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this novel. All of the elements I usually look for were strong, I found the characters to be engaging, and I liked the direction the story took.
Given that this is billed as the first installment in a series, I didn't expect all plot threads to be tied off, nor did I anticipate that the novel would feel resolved.
The world-building was generally good. The descriptive passages were vivid and didn't impede the events in the novel. I think there was definitely room for more to be accomplished - for example, I didn't find it especially helpful for a rendition of the various superhuman races to be included when we only encountered a handful of them, but I would have really appreciated more information about the religion practised widely (is it Christianity? It sounds like Catholicism, but I'm not sure).
The characters were well-rendered and generally cohesive. Elements of Catherine were less than believable to me, given her early environment. There were also several major characters who, I felt, were given short shrift: Maebhe, Rebecca (although the groundwork has been laid for her to play a larger role in the next book), Lorcan, and so on. Still, I did enjoy reading these characters. In addition, Catherine's visions were, as a plot point, underdeveloped in this novel. (I hope more will come from them in future installments).
I would also have enjoyed a bit more theoretical information on how magic in this world works - the mechanics and theory remain fuzzy.
There were very few errors in the novel. There was one plot development that was abandoned - literally shoved in a bag and never revisited - that I found glaring owing to the danger of doing so.
This is a very well-crafted novel and I am definitely interested in reading further in the series.
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only.
Given that this is billed as the first installment in a series, I didn't expect all plot threads to be tied off, nor did I anticipate that the novel would feel resolved.
The world-building was generally good. The descriptive passages were vivid and didn't impede the events in the novel. I think there was definitely room for more to be accomplished - for example, I didn't find it especially helpful for a rendition of the various superhuman races to be included when we only encountered a handful of them, but I would have really appreciated more information about the religion practised widely (is it Christianity? It sounds like Catholicism, but I'm not sure).
The characters were well-rendered and generally cohesive. Elements of Catherine were less than believable to me, given her early environment. There were also several major characters who, I felt, were given short shrift: Maebhe, Rebecca (although the groundwork has been laid for her to play a larger role in the next book), Lorcan, and so on. Still, I did enjoy reading these characters. In addition, Catherine's visions were, as a plot point, underdeveloped in this novel. (I hope more will come from them in future installments).
I would also have enjoyed a bit more theoretical information on how magic in this world works - the mechanics and theory remain fuzzy.
There were very few errors in the novel. There was one plot development that was abandoned - literally shoved in a bag and never revisited - that I found glaring owing to the danger of doing so.
This is a very well-crafted novel and I am definitely interested in reading further in the series.
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only.
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March 4, 2020
Written in third person POV, Stealing Light by Lisa Hofmann is a fantasy thriller that will keep you on your edge the entire time while reading it.
You can read this review as well as other reviews on:
https://bookerbloggers.blogspot.com/2...
My review:
The mystery starts right with the blurb itself. On one hand, it does reveal something about what the book is going to be, but on the other, it is also obscure enough to keep the readers on their toes. I am a huge fan of anything supernatural and I absolutely loved all the fantasy creatures that the author created in the book.
At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Catherine, her parents, and her aunt Rebecca.
Catherine is a troublemaker. You could see it in the way she behaved. The way she spoke and her mannerism towards everyone else made me sort of hate her. I thought she was really selfish. Just to get herself out of a punishment, she threw her own mother under the bus, which subsequently led to her banishment.
But as the story progressed, I got to know how evil the mother was, and then I felt like Catherine was right to do what she did. Later on, she sort of grew on me. Hence, even if I still didn't love her by the end, I atleast tolerated her.
Lorcan, on the other hand was a completely different case. I really liked him and felt for him. He deserved far far better. He deserved Ortus as his father, rather than that piece of shit Jaden.
Maebh, Catherine's mom was bad news. She made everyone else's life a misery wherever she went.
It was a bit boggling to find out that both Catherine and Lorcan couldn't read at first. But then I realised that it was the 14th century and not everyone was privileged then like we are now.
What happened between Catherine and Cooper gave me literal creeps and goosebumps. One day, he caught her stealing and in return of not telling anyone about her being a thief, he blackmailed her in doing chores at his house. I was okay until this point. But then, Catherine found out a book and she wanted to read it because she didn’t want to lose the only chance she’d ever have at finding out what was in those books the Magician had left for her in a hidden chamber. In exchange of teaching her, Cooper hinted at doing some not so good things with her and I wanted to go inside the book and just punch him in the face. Atleast, I am happy to see that he got what he deserved in the end.
To end my review, I am just going to point out that the author is a queen of plot twists. Talk about mysteries unfolding. Phew, I just couldn't anticipate anything as the twists came on coming right one after the another.
I also have to say that the author really does know how to write a good book and the power of her writing was so strong that I felt like I was not reading this book but rather living this story.
Favourite Quote:
“You can’t just create something from nothing. There’s a balance to keep, and you have to give something for everything you take. You’d do well to remember that. It’s the first lesson we all must learn if we hope to control the Talent inside of us.”
My rating:
This is a five star book for me and I would suggest that all the fantasy lovers should definitely give this book a try. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author in exchange of an honest review.
The picture used in the blog belongs to the author.
You can read this review as well as other reviews on:
https://bookerbloggers.blogspot.com/2...
My review:
The mystery starts right with the blurb itself. On one hand, it does reveal something about what the book is going to be, but on the other, it is also obscure enough to keep the readers on their toes. I am a huge fan of anything supernatural and I absolutely loved all the fantasy creatures that the author created in the book.
At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Catherine, her parents, and her aunt Rebecca.
Catherine is a troublemaker. You could see it in the way she behaved. The way she spoke and her mannerism towards everyone else made me sort of hate her. I thought she was really selfish. Just to get herself out of a punishment, she threw her own mother under the bus, which subsequently led to her banishment.
But as the story progressed, I got to know how evil the mother was, and then I felt like Catherine was right to do what she did. Later on, she sort of grew on me. Hence, even if I still didn't love her by the end, I atleast tolerated her.
Lorcan, on the other hand was a completely different case. I really liked him and felt for him. He deserved far far better. He deserved Ortus as his father, rather than that piece of shit Jaden.
Maebh, Catherine's mom was bad news. She made everyone else's life a misery wherever she went.
It was a bit boggling to find out that both Catherine and Lorcan couldn't read at first. But then I realised that it was the 14th century and not everyone was privileged then like we are now.
What happened between Catherine and Cooper gave me literal creeps and goosebumps. One day, he caught her stealing and in return of not telling anyone about her being a thief, he blackmailed her in doing chores at his house. I was okay until this point. But then, Catherine found out a book and she wanted to read it because she didn’t want to lose the only chance she’d ever have at finding out what was in those books the Magician had left for her in a hidden chamber. In exchange of teaching her, Cooper hinted at doing some not so good things with her and I wanted to go inside the book and just punch him in the face. Atleast, I am happy to see that he got what he deserved in the end.
To end my review, I am just going to point out that the author is a queen of plot twists. Talk about mysteries unfolding. Phew, I just couldn't anticipate anything as the twists came on coming right one after the another.
I also have to say that the author really does know how to write a good book and the power of her writing was so strong that I felt like I was not reading this book but rather living this story.
Favourite Quote:
“You can’t just create something from nothing. There’s a balance to keep, and you have to give something for everything you take. You’d do well to remember that. It’s the first lesson we all must learn if we hope to control the Talent inside of us.”
My rating:
This is a five star book for me and I would suggest that all the fantasy lovers should definitely give this book a try. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author in exchange of an honest review.
The picture used in the blog belongs to the author.
September 23, 2016
This world has a touch of magic which is usually enough to mix potions and such. But two children are going to change everything. Catherine comes from a broken home and is more wild child than little girl. But she has the ability to see different times and to be over looked. She survives by stealing until she is caught. Then there is Lorcan, he is powerful but it’s how he uses his power that can save or destroy everything.
Between the beautiful cover and the blurb, I couldn’t wait to see how this book played out. After seeing how Catherine’s has grown up you can’t help but hope that things work out for her. It I hard watching Catherine as she steals to survive. Then she is caught things go from bad to worse and she is going to get her revenge.
This story is about the abuses we received in life and how it can shape us. It is beautifully written and draws you in. It was hard to put the book down and I ended up reading late into the morning. It was completely worth the loss of sleep. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. This is one book that I strongly recommend.
I received Stealing the Light for free from both Sage’s Blog Tours and the author in exchange for an honest review.
Between the beautiful cover and the blurb, I couldn’t wait to see how this book played out. After seeing how Catherine’s has grown up you can’t help but hope that things work out for her. It I hard watching Catherine as she steals to survive. Then she is caught things go from bad to worse and she is going to get her revenge.
This story is about the abuses we received in life and how it can shape us. It is beautifully written and draws you in. It was hard to put the book down and I ended up reading late into the morning. It was completely worth the loss of sleep. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. This is one book that I strongly recommend.
I received Stealing the Light for free from both Sage’s Blog Tours and the author in exchange for an honest review.
September 25, 2016
Stealing the Light is great! I love me a good fantasy book! It was full of adventure and magic. Both which I love. It felt like a book I would've enjoyed at all ages, especially when I was going through 'I only eat, drink and breathe fantasy' phase. I was amazed to find out that the author's first language isn't English and Stealing the Light is perfect! I mean the story flows!
I loved that I, the reader, experienced Catherine and Lorcan growing up. It was very cool! I feel that the book had it's cliche fantasy book moments, but it definitely didn't effect the story much. Overall I think all fantasy lovers would enjoy this book! I give Stealing the Light four stars!
I loved that I, the reader, experienced Catherine and Lorcan growing up. It was very cool! I feel that the book had it's cliche fantasy book moments, but it definitely didn't effect the story much. Overall I think all fantasy lovers would enjoy this book! I give Stealing the Light four stars!
December 5, 2016
Stealing the Light is magical and beautifully written. The voice is lyrical and descriptions deep and colorful, without being so detailed as to distract from the story. I am, by nature a slow reader, but once I started reading this book, I couldn't stop. The characters are well-developed - some will have you rooting for them to succeed, some will have you booing them and hoping they get what they deserve.
I am not normally a medieval fantasy reader, however, this story is so accessible to anyone who loves a good tail. I've already begun book two and have found a new author to follow.
I am not normally a medieval fantasy reader, however, this story is so accessible to anyone who loves a good tail. I've already begun book two and have found a new author to follow.
April 5, 2019
Absorbing novel with excellent writing that gets us inside the heads and motivations of multiple, interesting characters. I especially enjoyed the realistic portrayal of the poverty and brutality of medieval peasant life juxtaposed on the fictional history of lost and suppressed magical races. The meandering plot is grim yet offers faint glimmers of hope. Well done by a very talented author.
April 16, 2018
I found myself equal parts intrigued and saddened by early chapters of the book. It’s apparent immediately that there’s more going on than meets the eye with the main character Catherine. She obviously has abilities that even she doesn’t fully understand, and this is revealed little by little. At the same time, her home life and the things she is going through are particularly heartbreaking. That being said, the author’s writing style has as much to do with the reader being drawn in as the story elements themselves. Short, quick-moving chapters keep the story advancing at a brisk pace. This made it possible to consume larger chunks of the book in each sitting, resulting in my getting into the story pretty deeply right away.
Subsequent chapters begin to mold a story involving a very interesting take on an apparent race of magic users. I won’t say much more beyond that, because I don’t want to be spoilery, but others who have read will understand what I’m talking about. Still, even with this, the author stands out as creating a story that is as much about discrimination at times as it is typical fantasy. I thought that was a really nice touch.
One thing I did find very strange: there are mentions of the Pope and the Bible (including quotes), despite the fact that none of the locations lead one to believe the story setting is our world. Rather, pretty much everything about the story makes it obvious that it’s taking place in a created fantasy world, which is on par with others in the genre, yet choosing to have the Bible and the Pope involved come off as slightly strange choices on the part of the author. Of course, none of that hurts the story in any way. I just thought it was a strange choice. Certainly not enough to hinder my experience or affect my rating of the book in a negative way.
All in all, I really enjoyed Stealing the Light. I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading the second in the series. In fact, I purchased it just after finishing this one.
Subsequent chapters begin to mold a story involving a very interesting take on an apparent race of magic users. I won’t say much more beyond that, because I don’t want to be spoilery, but others who have read will understand what I’m talking about. Still, even with this, the author stands out as creating a story that is as much about discrimination at times as it is typical fantasy. I thought that was a really nice touch.
One thing I did find very strange: there are mentions of the Pope and the Bible (including quotes), despite the fact that none of the locations lead one to believe the story setting is our world. Rather, pretty much everything about the story makes it obvious that it’s taking place in a created fantasy world, which is on par with others in the genre, yet choosing to have the Bible and the Pope involved come off as slightly strange choices on the part of the author. Of course, none of that hurts the story in any way. I just thought it was a strange choice. Certainly not enough to hinder my experience or affect my rating of the book in a negative way.
All in all, I really enjoyed Stealing the Light. I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading the second in the series. In fact, I purchased it just after finishing this one.
November 5, 2019
A beautifully written fantasy that draws you into the magical world the author has created. The incredible world-building is so well done that you feel like you're reading a piece of real history, rather than a fictional novel.
I love how the various characters' stories gradually interweave throughout the book, each thread slowly being gathered in until they come together. Lighthearted moments give way to more tragic scenes, as some secrets are revealed and others hinted at.
There are some themes of abuse throughout the story, that enrich the story line and make you feel all the emotions. But despite this, or perhaps because of it, the main characters are strong and resourceful, making the best of every situation while searching for a better future.
I'm intrigued to see where the story is going, and can't wait to read the next two books in the series! Highly recommend.
I love how the various characters' stories gradually interweave throughout the book, each thread slowly being gathered in until they come together. Lighthearted moments give way to more tragic scenes, as some secrets are revealed and others hinted at.
There are some themes of abuse throughout the story, that enrich the story line and make you feel all the emotions. But despite this, or perhaps because of it, the main characters are strong and resourceful, making the best of every situation while searching for a better future.
I'm intrigued to see where the story is going, and can't wait to read the next two books in the series! Highly recommend.
June 28, 2019
The word-smithing and world-crafting that make up the foundation of this book are some of the best I have ever encountered. The story is pretty evenly divided between the three young main characters, and their individual stories easily and smoothly draw the reader in. The only reason I wouldn't recommend this for younger fantasy readers is because of a few mildly detailed sex scenes between an older man and a young girl. Otherwise it is well written, and well crafted.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*
July 8, 2019
I received a copy of this from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review. The cover was so lovely , there were two main characters, however I found that there wasn’t much development of Lorcan, and I also felt there were a lot of extraneous characters but I had an aha moment when I noticed the connection from the Fair leader and the derelict castle! There was a lot of world building but I felt a little confused about why were the Cine being persecuted ..but then realized that this wasn’t supposed to be a fictional world but this world ! All in all it was a pleasant read .
November 17, 2019
A powerfully descriptive book.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but I was not disappointed. A slow-build fantasy packed with thought- invoking descriptions that's developing plot surprised me page after page. It was darker than I expected, but it did not take away from the story. In fact, the author did a great job utilizing this darkness to build on the characters. I loved the authors take on magic, and her supreme world-building skills. I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the series!
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but I was not disappointed. A slow-build fantasy packed with thought- invoking descriptions that's developing plot surprised me page after page. It was darker than I expected, but it did not take away from the story. In fact, the author did a great job utilizing this darkness to build on the characters. I loved the authors take on magic, and her supreme world-building skills. I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the series!
March 20, 2018
Stealing the Light by Lisa Hofmann is filled with eloquent writing which leaves the reader wanting more. This is a fantastic story line for medieval fantasy lovers, being both complex and paced perfectly, though a bit longer than I normally prefer. I found the characterization and development superb - some characters to love and some to most definitely hate. I'm looking forward to continuing with the next book. Well done.
February 2, 2020
Despite being a book of significant size, I have surprisingly little to say about Stealing the Light. It's strongest features is probably its characters, who are varied and generally nuanced with distinct personalities. The fantasy elements are fairly light, similar in tone to the Night Circus in that the story doesn't have spell-slinging, sorcery and whatnot, and is instead understated, which makes sense for plot reasons. (This isn't a criticism, just a comment.) I particularly enjoyed Catherine(our female MC) with her half-wild character traits and instinct, but her story, and the narrative as a whole, dragged slightly as it reached the middle part where the second MC gained more attention and her story fell into a something of a holding pattern.
My main complaint with the book is that the synopsis basically tells you everything that happens, which left me feeling a little dissatisfied.
If you're interested in a more in-depth review, here is our video review:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGEKp...
My main complaint with the book is that the synopsis basically tells you everything that happens, which left me feeling a little dissatisfied.
If you're interested in a more in-depth review, here is our video review:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGEKp...
October 3, 2016
Stealing the Light will draw you in and hook you within the first few pages. I was amazed that English is not the authors first language because the writing flows seamless an it is edited perfectly. You are transfered into a beautifully hopeful mystic world, with each description you can see it unfold in your mind. Lorcan and Catherine are a joy to read about and well developed and felt like friends. This is a wonderful read for any reader that is ready to go to a magic place.
review by Raychel
review by Raychel
March 10, 2017
Absolutely wonderful. A great beginning to a fantasy series that leaves me wanting more. It's a world that pulls me in, with characters who make me care for them.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews