This is probably more a 3.5 than a 3, but it's not quite good enough for me to want to give it 4 stars. That said, I did like this novel. The primary characters came off as a bit tropey for me at times, but the plot drew me in with its steampunk-heist setting.

I actively wanted to know more about the world I was inhabiting, but appreciated the lack of unnecessary expository dumps subpar fantasy stories give. World building information is related in anecdotes that often just proceed an event where the information is necessary, but these came off as brief and tongue-in-cheek.

The major complaint for me was the primary antagonist, who seemed very disconnected to our characters and whose motivations weren't revealed until incredibly late in the novel, moves which made tying him into the story feel forced. Though events transpire that rope our characters and him together, with no clue as to why he's acting I was often left more perplexed than intrigued. There's a left behind plot thread of the Dodger-esque character saying he's training these boys to challenge an established agreement between the two ruling powers of the city. That could've been used as a way of bringing all the threads together, but it's left as a very vague ideal and not picked up again.

If you're a fan of the Danny Ocean/Lupin III gentleman thief archetype (the in-book gang is literally called The Gentleman Thieves), you'll probably enjoy this fantasy heist story