“Everyone wants something—a lot of the times things that belong to other people. People will play you like a violin to get whatever they need from you.”
― Kayvion Lewis, Thieves’ Gambit
First in a new series by Kayvion Lewis, Thieves’ Gambit is described as The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven. As someone who absolutely loves The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, I knew I needed to give this book a try.
Seventeen year old, Rosalyn Quest grew up in a family of thieves, in fact they are a legendary thieving family. Ross wants free of this life, but knows that her mom will never willingly let her go. Working on a plan to escape, Ross has hope for a different future. On the day of her planned escape, things go horribly wrong. Her mother is kidnapped and Ross is at a loss of what to do until she remembers her invite to the Gambit, a thieving competition that brings people together from across the world to complete a series of dangerous heists for the grand prize of anything they want in the world. Ross joins the Gambit hopeful to rescue her mom. As soon as she arrives on site, Ross realizes that this isn’t going to be as easy as she thought. She recognizes one of the other competitors, while another tries to distract her with his charm. Having been taught since birth to only trust people with the last name Quest, Ross is hesitant to get close to anyone, but the nature of the Gambit means that she may have to break her rules and trust someone. Only one can win the prize though. Does Ross have what it takes?
While I enjoyed this series, I will say it doesn’t quite hit the same level for me as The Inheritance Games. Even though I say that, I did enjoy that the characters were well-developed and that the plot’s twists and turns were action-packed. Very seldom did the characters just sit around and do nothing. They were never passive victims. They were constantly planning, scheming, and working to solve a problem. The ending caught me off guard and had me wondering just what was going to happen in the second book, Heist Royale.
If you’re a teen and you’re interested in talking about this book, please join us on Tuesday, December 30th, 2025 at 6:30pm at Eastern for the Teen Book + Club: Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis program. More information about this program can be found on our website here: https://davenportlibrary.libcal.com/event/15660155
Thieves’ Gambit series
- Thieves’ Gambit (2023)
- Heist Royale (2024)