THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA
Published: 2001
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: NOOK E-book
Page Count: 362
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Synopsis:
Revenge
When Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eugenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered...she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge.
...but
Eugenides can steal anything. And he taunts the Queen of Attolia, moving through her strongholds seemingly at will. So Attolia waits, secure in the knowledge that the Thief will slip, that he will haunt her palace one too many times.
...at what price?
When Eugenides finds his small mountain country at war with Attolia, he must steal a man, he must steal a queen, he must steal peace. But his greatest triumph, and his greatest loss, comes in capturing something that the Queen of Attolia thought she had sacrificed long ago...
Review:
Wow - wow! I absolutely could not stand the first installment of this series. I thought it was one of the slowest, most tedious novels I'd ever read, and the only saving grace of the book was the use of the unreliable narrator towards the end, even though I'd already been spoiled for the big twist. The 3 stars I gave it was really only there because objectively it wasn't a terrible book, but I had a horrific reading experience with it.
I didn't even want to read on despite all the rave reviews for books 2-4. However, on an impulse buy since my local library/bookstore didn't have a copy, I ended up buying an e-book copy and read the first chapter.
It was very difficult to put it back down for a month and a half again before picking it back up.
Everything about this book is far better than the first. The writing, the world-building, the action (which was nonexistent in book 1), the characters, the political intrigue, the use of the unreliable narrator, the plots and counterplots, and it was all just AH!
Surprisingly, the 3rd person omniprescent narration works far better than the 1st person narration from Gen. We get to see all the major players - Gen, Irene of Attolia, Helen of Eddis, NA (I can't spell his name from memory, so those are his first two letters in his name) the Mede ambassador.
Just seems to give the characters and the intrigue this sort of life and complexity to it, and helped portray the political unstability of the continent in the best way possible.
I was actually invested in the story, and what was going to happen next. The writing was absolutely spectacular, and I could picture everything that was happening. World-building was top notch, and I truly do feel like I understand how this society functions, and the different aspects of each culture.
I love the rich mythology Turner creates for the different religions of these countries, and it's roots in traditional Greek mythology - even if we've only heard about two or three stories.
The story has plenty of plot twists and revelations to keep you on the edge of your seat, and I bet you won't be able to predict really any of them.
*The rest of this review will contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.*
The only thing that didn't work for me was the romance between Gen and Attolia. Couldn't buy into the attraction, so obviously couldn't buy into the emotions they feel for one another. Especially after she chopped off his right hand.
Because that's attractive.
I also had some issues with the war between Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia, and the constant back and forth nature of it. It seemed as though every couple of chapters the power was shifting constantly, and I began scratching my head wondering if there was even going to be a victor. First Sounis and Attolia were about to obliterate Eddis into next week, then Gen pulls a few tricks and then Attolia is crushing Sounis, and then the Mede had a sceme, etc.
However my complaints pale in comparison to the absolute brilliance of this novel. I don't know what Megan Whalen Turner decided to do differently in this novel that truly made this spectacular, but whatever it was, I hope it continues throughout the rest of this series.
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