Sarah C. (LadyLioncourt) reviewed The King of Attolia (Queen's Thief, Bk 3) on + 45 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book was so good, I consumed it all in one sitting! I love it and I wish there was another book in this all-too-short series!
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed The King of Attolia (Queen's Thief, Bk 3) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com
THE KING OF ATTOLIA marks the third book that follows Megan Whalen Turner's mischievous and dangerous hero, Eugenides, who is known to his friends as Gen. While returning readers may be disappointed that this installment is not narrated by the roguish master thief (the story is primarily told by a young guard named Costis), they will appreciate the returning cast of characters. Newcomers to the series shouldn't be too confused, though everyone should probably read this book twice to get all the political intrigue.
The book picks up with the former Thief of Eddis, Gen, now the newly crowned king of Attolia, except no one is taking him seriously, not even himself. The people of Attolia are furious with "the goat foot" who stole their beloved queen, and humiliating the king has become a national pastime. Poor Eugenides has found snakes in his bed, sand in his food, and has been attacked by the palace dogs, but isn't willing to enforce his authority. His court thinks he's an oaf and a pushover, and an unwilling king is a serious detriment as Attolia faces a war with the Mede Empire.
When Costis, a young idealistic member of the Queen's Guard, makes the mistake of showing his dislike for the king, he thinks he gets a fate worse than death; Eugenides promotes him to a lieutenant and makes him his personal guard. Though being the king's scapegoat is no easy trip, Costis soon realizes the difficulties Eugenides faces as a foreign sovereign in a hostile court. All the characters are tested in THE KING OF ATTOLIA as various forces vie for political power.
This book was a joy to read. Megan Whalen Turner gives the reader rich descriptions of both the sumptuous Attolian palace and its many inhabitants. The novel seems even more plot-based than her previous two books. It twists and turns around the topics of espionage, assassination, and diplomacy. While a reader can still make sense of the story without reading THE THIEF or THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA, this book is a special treat for returning fans. One of the surprising things for me was how the wonderfully charismatic and clever Gen is transformed into a clumsy idiot under the prejudiced eyes of Costis. Turner hints at the drawbacks of underestimating people without being moralistic. I have waited over six years to read this novel and I'm delighted that it leaves plenty of room for future stories.
THE KING OF ATTOLIA marks the third book that follows Megan Whalen Turner's mischievous and dangerous hero, Eugenides, who is known to his friends as Gen. While returning readers may be disappointed that this installment is not narrated by the roguish master thief (the story is primarily told by a young guard named Costis), they will appreciate the returning cast of characters. Newcomers to the series shouldn't be too confused, though everyone should probably read this book twice to get all the political intrigue.
The book picks up with the former Thief of Eddis, Gen, now the newly crowned king of Attolia, except no one is taking him seriously, not even himself. The people of Attolia are furious with "the goat foot" who stole their beloved queen, and humiliating the king has become a national pastime. Poor Eugenides has found snakes in his bed, sand in his food, and has been attacked by the palace dogs, but isn't willing to enforce his authority. His court thinks he's an oaf and a pushover, and an unwilling king is a serious detriment as Attolia faces a war with the Mede Empire.
When Costis, a young idealistic member of the Queen's Guard, makes the mistake of showing his dislike for the king, he thinks he gets a fate worse than death; Eugenides promotes him to a lieutenant and makes him his personal guard. Though being the king's scapegoat is no easy trip, Costis soon realizes the difficulties Eugenides faces as a foreign sovereign in a hostile court. All the characters are tested in THE KING OF ATTOLIA as various forces vie for political power.
This book was a joy to read. Megan Whalen Turner gives the reader rich descriptions of both the sumptuous Attolian palace and its many inhabitants. The novel seems even more plot-based than her previous two books. It twists and turns around the topics of espionage, assassination, and diplomacy. While a reader can still make sense of the story without reading THE THIEF or THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA, this book is a special treat for returning fans. One of the surprising things for me was how the wonderfully charismatic and clever Gen is transformed into a clumsy idiot under the prejudiced eyes of Costis. Turner hints at the drawbacks of underestimating people without being moralistic. I have waited over six years to read this novel and I'm delighted that it leaves plenty of room for future stories.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Oh my word. Megan Whalen Turner rewards devoted fans of this series by presenting a third installment that is suspenseful, plot-twistingly smart, and surprisingly romantic.
When you read or reread MWTs books, you never do so with the intention that youll completely understand how these characters minds work. Thats what I admire so much about this serieseven if, at times, I do not completely like the books. Do you know the difference? Eugenides and Attolia are not entirely likable: theyre each way too clever, powerful, manipulative, and ruthless for me to actually want to be friends with them. I related most to something that Costis friend Aristogiton said regarding loving the queen: he would follow her to the ends of the earth and give up his life for her, but he would never for anything be her lover or partner. Eugenides and Attolia clearly work together, yet we readers, just like pretty much all Eddisians and Attolians, cannot precisely describe how.
In a ways, Megan Whalen Turners unique narrative style allows this distant admiration of the two main characters. Instead of giving us the point of view of the narratorand furthermore, in MWTs case, the narrator(s) and main characters arent necessarily one and the same!MWT often gives no characters point of view: the narrator, the flimsy definition of which is just the character whose reactions might have been mentioned first in each scene, is simply an outside observer like us readers. The result is that THE KING OF ATTOLIA read like a true novelization of a movie or TV showbecause, just like when you watch movies or TV, you see the actions and characters reactions, but never entirely get their thoughts on matters, so you have kind of the same thing going on in KING. Its a rare occurrence in literature, and does nothing to help you better comprehend Eugenides, Attolia, and others, but its precisely how MWT manages to keep readers on their figurative toes throughout the entire book, even if all the little action going on is confined within palace walls.
The series stumbled for me a bit with The Queen of Attolia, because I thought that MWTs unique narrative style didnt work quite as well when the plot revolved around a multi-country war, but KING pulled me right back in by focusing more on characters and their relationships with one another. Like I mentioned earlier, KING rewards devoted fans of the series by the very fact that it keeps us out of the minds of the beloved main characters, making it so that the allure of the enigmatic continues to surround them even as we read more about them. I thought I had figured Eugenides out after accompanying him through two books, but that was not the case, and it delighted me all the more that I was never able to pin what I know down enough to successfully make any predictions about plot or character at all.
THE KING OF ATTOLIA is a literary feast for the intelligent, for sure. Megan Whalen Turner keeps you on your toes right from the start, and continues to do so all the way to the end, where she still succeeds in shocking you. What a book. What an accomplishment.
When you read or reread MWTs books, you never do so with the intention that youll completely understand how these characters minds work. Thats what I admire so much about this serieseven if, at times, I do not completely like the books. Do you know the difference? Eugenides and Attolia are not entirely likable: theyre each way too clever, powerful, manipulative, and ruthless for me to actually want to be friends with them. I related most to something that Costis friend Aristogiton said regarding loving the queen: he would follow her to the ends of the earth and give up his life for her, but he would never for anything be her lover or partner. Eugenides and Attolia clearly work together, yet we readers, just like pretty much all Eddisians and Attolians, cannot precisely describe how.
In a ways, Megan Whalen Turners unique narrative style allows this distant admiration of the two main characters. Instead of giving us the point of view of the narratorand furthermore, in MWTs case, the narrator(s) and main characters arent necessarily one and the same!MWT often gives no characters point of view: the narrator, the flimsy definition of which is just the character whose reactions might have been mentioned first in each scene, is simply an outside observer like us readers. The result is that THE KING OF ATTOLIA read like a true novelization of a movie or TV showbecause, just like when you watch movies or TV, you see the actions and characters reactions, but never entirely get their thoughts on matters, so you have kind of the same thing going on in KING. Its a rare occurrence in literature, and does nothing to help you better comprehend Eugenides, Attolia, and others, but its precisely how MWT manages to keep readers on their figurative toes throughout the entire book, even if all the little action going on is confined within palace walls.
The series stumbled for me a bit with The Queen of Attolia, because I thought that MWTs unique narrative style didnt work quite as well when the plot revolved around a multi-country war, but KING pulled me right back in by focusing more on characters and their relationships with one another. Like I mentioned earlier, KING rewards devoted fans of the series by the very fact that it keeps us out of the minds of the beloved main characters, making it so that the allure of the enigmatic continues to surround them even as we read more about them. I thought I had figured Eugenides out after accompanying him through two books, but that was not the case, and it delighted me all the more that I was never able to pin what I know down enough to successfully make any predictions about plot or character at all.
THE KING OF ATTOLIA is a literary feast for the intelligent, for sure. Megan Whalen Turner keeps you on your toes right from the start, and continues to do so all the way to the end, where she still succeeds in shocking you. What a book. What an accomplishment.
Eugendies, the Thief of Eddis is now the King of Attolia. It's told in the eyes of one of his guards who at first hates him for stealing the queen and taking the throne, but while reading the many twists and turn of the book you will again love, praise and cheer on the Thief of Eddis with his resourcefulness and the craftiness of the lovable thief.
