Thief of the Heights: A Graphic Novel

By Son M.

Book Overview

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
ALA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Enter the world of Muqadas, where the climb to the top of this vertically stacked city--away from disease-ridden waters of the lower levels--is paved with betrayal, secrets, and rebellion in this debut graphic novel from author Son M. and artist Robin Yao.
Lifelong friends Basem, Mustafa, and Aarfah have carved out a place for themselves in their corner of Muqadas, where they dream of climbing from their place in the city's lowest level, above the limb-snatching, disease-infested waters, to the very top of their vertical city. Young inventors who've seen firsthand the havoc the Habar infection causes set out to dazzle the masses with their innovative prosthetics and escape the dangers of Lake Saha.
When their inventions catch the eye of a scout who is on the hunt for new talent to bring to the higher tiers, their dreams are suddenly within reach. But as the wonders of the upper tiers enchant, Basem, Mustafa, and Aarfah begin to question why the bounty of Muqadas falls short of reaching Lake Saha's inhabitants.
Behind the beauty of the city's upper tiers lie dark and dangerous secrets--ones that threaten not only everything they've worked for but everyone they love. And when Mustafa and Aarfah are cast away for their allegiance to Lake Saha, Basem is faced with the difficult choice: Fight to bring justice to all of Muqadas? Or abandon his friends and fall in line to achieve everything he's ever dreamed of?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0063067323
• ISBN13: 9780063067325
• Release Date: October 2024
• Publisher: Harperalley
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

good, but nothing new

Basem's dream has been to be a successful engineer with his boyfriend Mustafah, and friend Aarfah, He wants to leave the lowest caste and work his way up the ranks to live on the upper caste of a vertical city. He can have endless supplies for his projects, better lifestyle, and all the things that comes with it being high up in the ranks. But these high ranking lifestyle and the people are not what they seem... I didn't get to read the book description of this graphic novel. I just went in head on. And what awaited me was a good story. I like how we get transported into a world of poverty but full of hope and promise. I thought they built a good job in reimagining a world that's already so familiar to us. And that familiarity makes this graphic novel nothing really new. It focuses on injustices and broken promises that is realistic. It was just a matter of making it something their own. Becasue it's a graphic novel, you get to see the differences of the caste system in just one glance. But what trully makes it are the characters that were presented to us. More the minor character. The difference in attitude and the sense of entitlement, I also really love the colors that they used in the differences of the caste. It was thoughtful but also they made it obvious. The main characters though are diverse and I liked how they find their places in the story. Story-wise, as I mentioned is nothing new. I'm not certain if this is a stand-alone graphic novel, but it felt that it left me hanging. The creators definitely focused on the main characters, their lives, and their relationships with one another. Overall, it was a good read. But it didn't make me want to pursue further if there are more to this story.