The King of Attolia (Queen’s Thief, 3)

The Thief The Queen of Attolia The King of Attolia A Conspiracy of Kings Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner This is one of those series of books that you really ought to read in order. While each book can and does stand alone, this is a tale that unfolds like a flower, one petal at a time, and you owe it to yourself to let yourself enjoy it the way it was meant to be enjoyed. Take Humpty-Dumpty’s advice. Begin at the beginning, go on to the end, then stop — and then wish that there was more to the tale! So: Imagine a land that looks like Greece but isn’t, inhabited by a people with Greek sounding names, who worship gods with Greek sounding names, but who have pocket watches, window glass, and flintlocks. They speak a common language, worship common gods, but have divided themselves into three separate states: Sounis, Eddis and Attolia: The queendom* of Eddis is both protected and trapped within its mountainous geography. It is sandwiched between the kingdom of Sounis on one hand, and the queendom of Attolia on the other. The king of Sounis covets Attolia, Eddis, and especially Eddis’ queen. The Queen of Attolia is struggling to keep her throne and her power against the machinations of the large empire of Mede across the sea to the south. Like the wolf at the door, Mede is hungry to get a foothold on their shores by using intrigue and influence to gain control of all three states, and another powerful empire to the north of them is equally determined not to let this happen. The tale starts with The Thief, whose name is Gen, locked in the palace dungeons of the king of Sounis for being what he is, a thief. It’s a heist tale, suspenseful and exciting; it sets the stage for everything that comes after. By the end of it we have come to understand the where’s and why’s of the story, and have met all the important who’s but one. The second book continues the career of Gen the thief, and introduces us to the last of the key players, The Queen of Attolia, a woman who must walk a tightrope to stay one step ahead of the machinations of the Mede ambassador who already sees himself as Attolia’s next king. When Gen falls into her clutches, she takes something important from him, but he steals something much more important from her. In The King of Attolia, the third book, Attolia gets the king it needs but doesn’t want, and in order for Gen the thief to have the one thing he wants most, he also has to take what comes with it — which is the last thing he wants. Fate has put Gen where he is and has given him the role he needs to play. Somehow he has to find it within himself to do what he knows is right -- and not get caught doing it! It's a tale of deception and intrigue, and of how to deal with a man you hate and want to kill but can't. I think the story was originally supposed to end here, but I can see how Ms. Turner couldn’t let it go. There was still one person who needed to tell his story. In the fourth book, A Conspiracy of Kings, the chief advisor of Sounis’ young apprentice, whom we met in The Thief, gets to tell his tale. It is the story of how a boy becomes a man, how a man becomes a king, and how the young apprentice puts the heir of Sounis on his throne. I suspect that Ms. Turner succumbed to the plea that every story teller hopes to hear, “Just one more story! Please!” That “one more story” is Thick as Thieves. In it, the chief slave of the former Mede ambassador to the court of Attolia tells how Attolia’s king enacted his revenge on both master and slave. I was lucky that the first three books were already out when I started The Thief. I only had to wait two days for the second and third books to arrive from Amazon. I read them again when the fourth book came out, and have just finished reading them all again now that the fifth book is out. I know at some point I’ll want to read them all again. Yes, they are that good. By the end of the first chapter of The Thief, the characters had stepped off the page and into the miniseries that was playing in my head as I continued reading. As I said at the start of this, do yourself a favor and read the books in order. Just when you think you know how the tale is going to go, it takes an unexpected twist. Things are not what they seem, and people are not who you think they are. Oh, and did I mention the volcano? *Don’t tell me a queendom isn’t a thing. If a country ruled by a king is a kingdom, then a country ruled by a queen is a queendom. Sit down and hush.

Recommended to me: "SO much love for this series! The first book is great, but nowhere near as good as the rest. This series pretty much defines political intrigue with all the schemes and secrets, riddles and mysteries. The author does a fantastic job playing with different narrative styles and the characters are wonderful. Recommended because you like Shadow and Bone, Grave Mercy, and Graceling." Recommended for: fans of Kristin Cashore; Robin LaFevers; Rachel Hartman; the Lumatere Chronicles; the Fire and Thorns trilogy; fantasy that straddles the literary-commercial line; and books that focus on characters and feature political intrigue; and for YA (fantasy) writers. The Thief | The Queen of Attolia | The King of Attolia | A Conspiracy of Kings Spoiler-free review/declaration: You may recall that I was not the hugest fan of The Thief. I thought that it was a solid read and that it was clear that Megan Whalen Turner had huge potential even if the first book lacked that special spark which would make me love it... and yet I am so glad that I didn't give up after that book. Everything gets better; it's so very clear how much MWT improved from that novel and that that novel was setting up the rest of the series. And now, because I love the series so much, a part of me is now wondering whether I was too harsh in my judgment of The Thief. So why should you read this series? This series does one of my favorite things: it folds back in on itself. It's not just that the characters continue to grow and our understanding of the world increases but also that there are references to character histories and events introduced in the previous novels across the entire series. They make for rich insight and wonderful humor for readers who continue with the books. Right now the only series I can think of which also does this really well is Harry Potter. It has wonderful dry humor that feels authentic. One thing that I've noticed about YA is the abundance of one liner humor. While I enjoy a great deal of it, sometimes I think that it's not appropriate for the series in question, or it seems that the author has thought of the jokes and then given them to the character (rather than the other way around, which is what it should be). This series has humor founded in our understanding of the characters - this is the kind of humor you get when you know the author has a complete understanding of the characters she's created. This is the kind of humor that's not going to feel dated in time because it's established within the text. You know how I'd said that I liked reading about the Victorian era because something about that setting gave female characters a chance to show their fire? This isn't the Victorian era, but the female characters are no doubt fighting sexism and coming out strong, fierce, and formidable. This is a mostly male-centered world, and yet the two queens are (except for Gen) the stand-out characters who make their country strong. They have completely different ruling styles and different cultures for their countries, but they each are characterized well, willing to make the hard choices and do whatever they can for their people. I also love the twists on Greek mythology that Turner added to round out their characters and bring a wry note of humor which connects back to her themes. I don't think I've ever been as entranced by a main character as I am by Gen. He's not a Gary Stu; he's quite flawed - condescending towards those he perceives are fools, whiny, lying, cocky, brazen. Somehow, however, over the series, along with all the other characters, you come to love Gen's ridiculous lies and his flaws and wait to see how he'll turn you on your feet with his resourcefulness, determination, loyalty, and cleverness. For all those who loved that Rae Carson showed how smart Elisa is, you'll certainly love how MWT shows how clever Gen is. Gen has a lot of depth and complexity that gets explored across the series. He's one of the most well-drawn, fascinating protagonists who I've read about, and probably the only protagonist in YA who I'd follow through to other series (as in, it wouldn't matter if everything else didn't work because he does). There are complex and satisfying romances that are free of angst. Or at least of the typical variety. They're very subtle in how they form, but you can tell how well suited each person is for the other. There is little emphasis on what the other person looks like and more on who they are and how the two people match in temperament and attitude. I'm the kind of person who wants her romantic scenes. Never did I think that I'd like a series that has so much of its subtle emotional shifts off screen, but this - this is going down in my favorites. You know it's the mark of a great writer if she makes you believe in the romances despite all the obstacles, and believe me they are significant. These are as close to unpredictable plots as you can get. This is mastery of unreliable narration and narrative misdirection combined across the series. You know all along that these characters are hiding something and that you're not getting the full picture - it's all a part of the politics, the situation, the characters and what they choose to admit to themselves. The key is in trying to understand what details have been left out from the limited third person perspective, or focus on what details the first person perspective is not mentioning. Even then you think you know everything until you realize that it's also a fantasy world, and no matter how much you're learning, there's always something new Turner will include to surprise you. There are very few novels that can handle shifts in narration as well as these do. Don't you feel frustrated sometimes when a novel is shifting between first and third perspective? Alternating chapters of each or just alternating first person, etc.? These novels are among the first that I've read that handle PoV shifts so well that I'm convinced there's no other way the books could have been written. The shifts in perspective are not only there to enhance the plot but also to enhance character and character growth and to further the symbolism within the series. Don't believe me? Read The Book Smuggler review of this series. Ana explains this better than I have. As a writer, this series is invaluable to understanding more about the craft. I'm not the only one who thinks so - author Elizabeth Fama wrote a post about that as well. Every detail, every word in this series counts. Her writing style is similar to Kristin Cashore's with its textured feel, but I might go so far as to say Turner has layered in more emotion and complexity to each interaction - and not just for the main characters but in the dialogue between lesser characters as well. I am probably going to buy paperback copies soon so that I can look at the text more closely. Quick impressions of each book: The Thief: fun filler to introduce us to the awesome showstealer of the series, Gen. The Queen of Attolia: has the most political intrigue of the series and features the most subtle romance I've ever read. The King of Attolia: amps up what was already established in The Thief but in a more political setting. A Conspiracy of Kings: probably the most typical of the books in terms of YA character arcs but with a harsher, more fulfilling/overarching and political feel. Three things of note: I really wished that they'd given us a map. If you're going to have books about political scheming and sneaking around the castle, it'd be much easier to follow if we too were allowed to follow along. I'm not a visual reader and though the details were there, I still had a hard time trying to align every thing in my head. It's a shame because MWT's writing style feels very similar to Cashore's and Kristin Cashore's novels all have maps. Another thing to note is that this series is one that straddles the line between literary and commercial, so if you're not a fan of books that focus less on drama/angst, villain/hero showdowns, or full-blown action scenes, I'd advise you to check out an excerpt first. I'm also not sure that I would give these to teens unless they were accustomed to reading a lot. Because it's so complex and a lot of it is in the subtle details or implications, I don't know whether they'd enjoy this as much; I don't know that I, as a teen, would have understood the subtext. Right now, if you asked me to choose one YA book to claim as my own -- as if I had written it -- I would probably choose The King of Attolia. There are a lot of other contenders, but I don't think that I've ever read another YA novel with this level of character and plot complexity and layered writing. (Obviously Harry Potter has a lot, a lot of complexity, but I'm not going to even pretend I could ever write something like that. Not that I could write something like this anyway, but you know what I mean.). As much as I love pretty turns of phrases and writing that sets atmosphere and mood, I would sacrifice that for the absolute mastery of character building in these novels. I am really surprised that these novels didn't win more awards. Please give this series a chance. As you may have noticed, books two through four have gone onto my books that define me as a reader list. If you've read The Thief and not been completely impressed, please continue onto The Queen of Attolia and see whether you like it more. I am still struck dumb by how much I love this series, so I don't have a blurb summary in mind for here, but if you are a fan of Kristin Cashore, Robin LaFevers, Rachel Hartman, the Lumatere Chronicles, the Fire and Thorns trilogy, fantasy that straddles the literary-commercial line, and books that focus on characters and feature political intrigue, or are a YA (fantasy) writer, this series is for you. Also for fans of The False Prince. For more reviews: The Book Smugglers on the series - also spoiler free The Thief - critical reviews the author has quoted The Queen of Attolia - same The King of Attolia - same A Conspiracy of Kings - same Since it's been published for a while, you can probably find a bunch of reviews just by going to the individual Goodreads pages. And bonus points for you: there are two more books due in this series, so you can get caught up before the others are released. These next books are going to be as highly anticipated for me as Bitterblue, after three years, was.

I was less impressed with this book of The Queen's Thief series compared to its predecessors. This is more like 3.5 for me whereas the first two are a solid 4 stars. The characterization in this book is still very well done: Gen has grown up but still acts like a twelve year old sometimes, Attolia (or Irene but I still think of her as Attolia) is still her awesome self ruling the kingdom while getting Gen to do the same. There's also Costis the guard who is well-meaning and earnest but just cannot seem to get himself out of awkward situations and a host of other Attolians and a few Eddisians residing in Attolia, because the entire story takes place there. Anyway what made this weaker compared to the previous books is, for me, the meandering plot. I mean it's not really intended to be a plot-heavy book because this is the book that will explore the consequences of Gen marrying Attolia and becoming king. What I think makes the plot weak is that a lot of things that happened seemed far-fetched. For instance one of Gen's problems in his new role is getting the Queen's Guard to respect his authority. This is difficult because the Guard is fiercely loyal to the queen and view Gen as an outsider who managed to land the throne by coercion. So Gen gets a hapless guard (Costis) to follow him around, the idea being that if one guard gets to know who he is as a person, the rest of the Guard would follow. And it works. But I don't believe it. I know he's good at getting people to act to his advantage but I don't think he's that good, I don't believe he could have predicted how Costis would react to him. Another central issue for Gen is that he hates his new job. He hasn't really thought through the consequences of being a king. Therefore he is trying to reconcile himself to the fact that the price of being with Attolia is having to be responsible for a country that doesn't really want him, having to be seen by people doing his job which is very counter-intuitive for him because the Thief would generally avoid an audience while on the job (I mean, what good is a Thief that gets caught in the act?). My problem with this particular subplot is that it doesn't really get resolved. Sure, he gets the Guard to respect him and the court recognizes him as a capable leader but he still doesn't like the job. That he is good at it is a moot point if he doesn't want it. However far-fetched schemes aside, I still really liked this book for the characters. It's interesting to explore Gen and Attolia's still-evolving relationship. One of their problems, unlike other literary couples, is not they don't know how the other feels (I think both of them have this insight on the other which makes them work well) but that in trying to equally share power they are constantly trying to figure when they are overstepping the other. If Gen wants to pardon a prisoner but Attolia doesn't, what happens then? When this happens in the book, Gen gets his way through some underhanded means (by basically guilt-tripping Attolia) which results in another fight between them. The dynamic between these two remain interesting throughout the entire book.

If I tell you that each book in this series just gets more and more exceptional, will you believe me? Or will you believe that I, like Eugenides, am simply telling you a version of the truth to get you to do what I want you to do? (In this case, to get you to read these books yesterday). Both things are true, by the way. THE KING OF ATTOLIA is even better than its predecessor and I will tell you anything to get you to read these books. Yesterday. Plus, check out my favorite cover of the three. Look at the feather scar on his cheek. Her hand on his shoulder. His grip on the sword. So awesome. Eugenides has just embarked upon his self-imposed life of exile in Attolia. And to any and all onlookers, he is ill at ease in his new home. The queen appears to despise him, the court thinks him an idiot of epic proportions, and the guard are ready to murder him on their queen's behalf. The story follows a young lieutenant named Costis who is having a shockingly bad day. In a fit of righteous indignation, he hauled off and punched the king in the face in front of several witnesses, including the captain of the guard. Certain he will hang in the morning, Costis is shocked and discomfited to find himself assigned to be the king's personal assistant. Forced to serve the man he hates, Costis soon finds himself on the receiving end of a most unorthodox education of a lifetime. Through his eyes, the reader gets an intimate, exquisitely poignant look at the relationship between the King and the Queen of Attolia. This third installment is the big payoff in many ways. The Thief (The Queen's Thief, Book 1) set up the key characters, briefly sketching out their backgrounds and motivations--all against a background of a grand quest--and it did it with humor and style. The Queen of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, Book 2) delved into the complicated psyches of the two main players, word by artfully chosen word, making your heart ache for them, ensuring you fall in love with them. THE KING OF ATTOLIA cements the whole gorgeous package. This is where Eugenides comes into his own. This is where your realize he's smarter than you. And so is Megan Whalen Turner. And you wouldn't have it any other way. This book is the real deal. Every scene is choice. Every sarcastic exchange. Every vicious riposte. Every hidden glance. It's a rereader's paradise and, as Oscar Wilde said, "If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all." THE KING OF ATTOLIA is so worth it. I can already tell I will be reading about these characters for the rest of my life.

I was so excited when I learned that there would be a sequel to 'The Thief' and 'The Queen of Attolia'. I was filled with anticipation for months, and when I finally got my hands on a copy of 'The King of Attolia', I practically devoured the poor book. And I must say, it was well worth the wait. Megan Whalen Turner writes well, but her style will never be described as poetic or lush. Instead, her prose is matter of fact and to the point, describing settings without trailing on forever, and capturing moods skillfully. She excels at writing believable, humorous dialogue; some of it was so funny that I found myself laughing out loud. Ms. Turner's plots and characters are what make her books so wonderful. Just as the plot of 'The Queen of Attolia' was very different from the plot of 'The Thief', 'The King of Attolia' possesses new themes and characters, while continuing the main storyline. I have noticed that Ms. Turner is distancing herself from Eugenides with each book: 'The Thief' was from his point of view, 'The Queen of Attolia' was third-person, but often from his point of view, and 'The King of Attolia' is third-person, but from the point of view of his guard, Costis, who is in nearly every scene. This technique makes sense. In 'The King of Attolia', Eugenides is a married man, and deserves some privacy. The book mainly focuses on how Eugendies is perceived by the Attolians. Nearly all of them despise him. They love their queen, and they think that Eugenides is an undignified, unkingly idiot, who has humiliated Attolia by marrying her. Attolia wants Eugenides to step into his position of kingship, but Eugenides never wanted to be king, only to marry her, and he is digging in his heels and resisting her every effort. His attendents hate him, he is homesick, and, being Eugenides, he hasn't a chance of getting through the entire book (or even the first half of the book) physically and emotionally unscathed. Most of the story lines are neatly tied up by the end, but, I must warn you, some of them are left dangling, and I am already panting for another installment in the series. I appreciate the way Ms. Turner takes the time to think up unique plots for each of her books, so I will try to wait patiently, but it's already difficult. I love Ms. Turner's books the most because of the characters. Costis is interesting and conflicted, but nothing like Eugenides. Though he is in nearly every scene, he is by no means the main character. He serves as the witness through whose eyes the reader views the real main characters: Eugenides and Attolia. He sees more of their private life than most people, but we can only guess at what happens between the two of them when he is not watching. (Intriguing hints about their wedding night are sprinkled here and there, but nothing inappropriate for younger teens/adolescents.) Eugenides has matured a lot (and suffered a lot) since he first appeared in 'The Thief', but he remains the same marvelous, incorrigible, dangerous young man. His relationship with Attolia is fascinating. He loves her, but she frightens him; she loves him, but he frightens her. They are a surprisingly well-matched couple, and Ms. Turner protrays their complicated relationship beautifully. It's strange, unfathomable, and believable. I love Eugenides, but I love Attolia as well, and I really enjoyed the closer look at her. She is no spunky warrior queen of fantasy fiction. She is both feminine and tough, and can be both gentle and ruthless. It's what makes her frightening, but it's also a wonderful combination for female character. In no other book have I encountered a woman quite like her. She would do absolutely anything for her country, and most of her people would do absolutely anything for her. She too develops in surprising ways throughout the book, becoming even more human and accessible than she did in 'The Queen of Attolia'. She continues to have a rather unique sense of humor, and threatening Eugenides with bodily harm is (usually) her way of making a joke. Also, the court of Attolia is very, very different from the court of Eddis, and that was another factor I enjoyed in this book. Attolia and Eddis are both wonderful women, but they rule their kingdoms in completely different ways. If you liked Eddis striding around in trousers, being practical and understated, then you will almost certainly like Attolia sweeping through the halls in beautiful gowns, striking terror into the hearts of her subjects. To my slight disappointment, Eddis and the magus are only in two scenes, and the minister of war does not appear at all (though he is occasionally discussed). The ambassador of the Mede plays an important role in the story, but does not interact with anyone. Other characters take their places. Teleus, Relius, and Ornon are three secondary characters from earlier books who become complicated and interesting people in their own right. As soon as I finished 'The King of Attolia', I had to go back to reread my favorite scenes, and there were many. This book is excellent, and I eagerly await more!

If you haven't read the first two books in this series, OMG just read it already!!! Ahem. I meant to say I can no longer contain the spoilers and it's better to pass over this review until you've read The Thief and The Queen of Attolia. I mean, really. These books are so good, just read it. The narration switches again - this time to limited third-person omniscient with a new character - Costis. Now that Eugenides is King of Attolia, there are so many things against him, and through Costis' very biased eyes, it doesn't seem like Eugenides is bearing up too well under the pressure of court, the disdain of everyone around him, and the possibility that his wife doesn't really love him. But with two books detailing how Eugenides is pretty much always in control, I was so eager to read how he would turn things around. And this book was another clever installment of the Eugenides Is Awesome show! Even at those darkest moments when Eugenides seemed truly beaten, it was glorious to keep that belief in the character while reading, and to not be disappointed by the end. I continue to admire the way the author builds on Eugenides' character by showing the depth of his humanity and intelligence behind his wicked sense of humor and his carefully deceptive antics. Costis as the main narrator, was also a wonderful character to get to know. He's obviously mistaken in his opinion of Eugenides, but gradually he comes to respect his king, and with that also gains the respect of the reader. His character arc is the most important in the book, and the author does a wonderful job of showcasing his growth and his estimable personality. And while we are learning more about Costis, we also learn about the smaller scale politics of Attolia which echoes what was explored in The Queen of Attolia, but now we see why the Queen is so cold and distant, and in the background what Eugenides is doing to change that. This story has layers upon layers - it's glorious! This is another stellar installment of The Queen's Thief series - I might even say it's my favorite of the three so far - because of it's depth and it's climax - the book builds to a moment when Eugenides shows his hand, and it's a very satisfying conclusion. This series continues to be the most satisfying read I've had for awhile!

After I read The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, I thought these were the two best YA fantasy books I've read in a long time. So it was with great anticipation that I bought and read the third book in the series, The King of Attolia. I'm not really happy with this book, but I'm not really disappointed, either. Turner is such a talented writer that she can overcome flaws that would sink a mere mortal. In this book she focuses on Eugenides's change in personality from a lurking thief in the shadows to a legitimate king in the spotlight. She also introduces a new character, Costis, a loyal guard whose point of view tells much of the story. As anyone who's done therapy knows, Eugenides's inner work takes energy and angst, but it doesn't exactly supply the kind of tension and action one would expect in a fantasy adventure story. Poor Eugenides comes across as a pale, distant version of his former self. In his new straitened role as king, he lacks surprise. Costis, the steady type who makes a good guard and would probably make a good husband, appears conventional next to the other distinctive characters in these books, and his point of view doesn't do much for the story, either. But on the plus side, the Queen of Attolia is showing more vulnerability (thank God, she's so scary), while the Queen of Eddis and the other characters are holding their own. The geopolitics of this world, such a fascinating backdrop in the previous books, plays a far lesser role in this book, and I missed it. This book is still a good read. These characters are fun to be with, and Turner knows what she's doing as a writer. I can't say this book meets the standard of the two previous books, but if somebody asked me about it, I'd reply, "Yeah, it's okay, read it."

Spoilers for books 1 and (especially) 2, not for this book. I'm tempted to say that this series just gets better and better, but that's not really true. The three books in this series that I've read so far are all excellent. Perhaps what makes them seem to get better is that my love for these characters and for this world only grows the more that I read. Another thing that sets this series apart from others is that the books are very different from each other. Megan Whalen Turner is not afraid to change things up, and while that isn't always comfortable for the reader, it definitely pays off in the end. The King of Attolia begins soon after the events of The Queen of Attolia, only instead of opening with Eugenides or Attolia or even Eddis, the story opens with a new character, Costis. Costis is a solider, a rising star who has just sabotaged his career and possibly his life by punching the new king of Attolia. He can't explain why he did it, only that the new king isn't acting kingly enough, and it offended him. The new king, of course, is Eugenides, the Thief of the previous two novels. As everyone who knows him well is quick to point out, Eugenides is stuck in a trap of his own making: he wanted (and stole) Attolia because he loved the queen, but marrying her means that he must become the king, something that he never wanted. Although fans of the earlier books might be put off that the story is told so much from Costis's perspective, this is a smart decision by the author. There are two main story arcs in this novel: Eugnides's reluctance to be king, and refusal by Attolia (the country not the queen) to accept Eugenides as their king. The character of Costis allows the reader to see Eugenides as the Attolians do. We might know that he's smarter than he appears, but they don't. And since Eugenides doesn't really want to be king, we're never sure what his motivation is, or what goal it is that he's trying to reach. Does he want what is best for Attolia (the country) or is he just entertaining himself because he loves Attolia (the queen)? I also really like that this is a complicated book. You have to read closely and carefully to know what is going on, and I'm pretty sure that when I reread the series (as I will surely do), I'll catch things that I missed this time through. Clues are carefully planted throughout, and careful readers are rewarded with a-ha moments. The series also deepens as it goes on, and all the characters are continuing to deal with the events of the previous book. The king and queen may love each other, but Turner doesn't gloss over how hard it is for both of them to get past their common history. This is a great installment in a not-to-be-missed series. I can't wait to read book four.