Stealing Thunder

By: Alina Boyden

Narrated by: Deepti Gupta, Alina Boyden

Protecting her identity means life or death in this immersive epic fantasy inspired by the Mughal Empire.

In a different life, under a different name, Razia Khan was raised to be the Crown Prince of Nizam, the most powerful kingdom in Daryastan. Born with the soul of a woman, she ran away at a young age to escape her father’s hatred and live life true to herself.

Amongst the hijras of Bikampur, Razia finds sisterhood and discovers a new purpose in life. By day she’s one of her dera’s finest dancers, and by night its most profitable thief. But when her latest target leads her to cross paths with Arjun Agnivansha, Prince of Bikampur, it is she who has something stolen.

An immediate connection with the prince changes Razia’s life forever, and she finds herself embroiled in a dangerous political war. The stakes are greater than any heist she’s ever performed. When the battle brings her face to face with her father, Razia has the chance to reclaim everything she lost…and save her prince.

Critic reviews

Praise for STEALING THUNDER:

"STEALING THUNDER was immersive from the very first page. Razia is everything you want in a protagonist."—Peter V. Brett, New York Times bestselling author

"This is an epic fantasy for our time, beautifully written, considerately composed, and very important in many ways. Highly recommended."—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author

"STEALING THUNDER draws you in with its richly-detailed worldbuilding and hooks you with gripping action and suspense, but the biggest appeal is the book’s themes of politics, family, and identity. This is the kind of book you’ll want to share with people, so buy multiple copies."—Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse

"A breakout novel any way you choose to look at it, STEALING THUNDER features an appealing young dragon-loving heroine sure of who she is but still figuring out where she belongs. Between Razia's capers, romances, and political intrigues, Boyden weaves fantasy threads into a fascinating tapestry... I loved her fresh take on dragons and their riders."—E.E. Knight, author of Novice Dragoneer

"This delightful debut is rich with detailed worldbuilding, political intrigue, and South Asian cultural references drawn from Boyden’s experience as a trans activist who has traveled in India and Pakistan. Boyden handles the story with a steady hand, and this first novel will delight romantic fantasy enthusiasts."—Library Journal (starred review)

"Come for the vivid world, stay for the intrigue, the dialogue and the top-notch character design."—BookPage

"In Razia you will find a heroine that is beautiful, strong, trustworthy, and above all resilient. Hers is a story worth reading no matter where you lie on the gender spectrum."—Black Girl Nerds

Fantastic story

I really enjoyed this low fantasy all the way through. There's no magic other than flying creatures similar to dragons or griffins, with riders forming a strong bond with them and using them in combat. The world-building is pretty good, if limited in scope. But it's the human story at the novel's centre that reels the reader in and makes for a great ride! I loved seeing a trans woman in such a strong leading role in a fantasy novel!

Trigger warnings for transphobia and mentions of child SA. What especially lowers my rating is the strange apologist redemption arc of the character responsible for that.

Relatable

As a Trans Women with a un accepting family i felt this so much. Also, the way Razzah explains climbing was such a nice suprise as i am a rock climber IRL and it just made her so much more relateable to me.

Such a great story!

Razia was such an amazing and strong character. Loved the dragons and that the book was part heist, part adventure and full of romance. I haven’t read any books in this type of setting, so I really enjoyed that and loved the fantasy aspect. I also loved Razia’s sisters and would love to know more about them as well.

fabulous!

This book does an excellent job of conveying a trans woman's experience. Also, it has dragons!

A thrilling and beautiful tale

A tad long-winded at times, but ultimately a delightful and riveting story fraught with anxiety and courage in equal measure. A splendid fantasy world encompasses (and insightfully depicts) deeper real-world issues in a powerful and poignant way. I'll definitely be recommending this book to friends and family.
Ultimately, it does exactly what all great stories do - puts you into the shoes of another person and allows you to experience the world through their eyes and with their thoughts and feelings. And in this case in particular, it's an experience more people in the world today would benefit from having. Thankfully, it's an immensely enjoyable experience.