Return of the Thief

By: Megan Whalen Turner

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

The thrilling, 20-years-in-the-making conclusion to the New York Times best-selling Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner.

This beloved and award-winning series began with the acclaimed novel The Thief. It and four more standalone volumes bring to life a world of epics, myths, and legends, and feature one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. Now more powerful and cunning than ever before, Eugenides must navigate a perilous future in this sweeping conclusion. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Patrick Rothfuss, and Sarah J. Maas.

Neither accepted nor beloved, Eugenides is the uneasy linchpin of a truce on the Lesser Peninsula, where he has risen to be high king of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis. As the treacherous Baron Erondites schemes anew and a prophecy appears to foretell the death of the king, the ruthless Mede empire prepares to strike.

The New York Times best-selling Queen’s Thief novels are rich with political machinations, divine intervention, dangerous journeys, battles lost and won, power, passion, and deception.

©2019 Megan Whalen Turner (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Goodness I miss Jeff Woodman so much

I would literally pay Jeff Woodman out of my own pockets to get him to read the last 2 books in this series for me. And this isn’t an insult to Steve West. He’s great generally. He’s just so wrong for this. And I don’t even have the words to express why. Megan Whalen Turner has a gift for subtly and nuance and it is so important to the personality of this series and a HUGE part of what makes it so unique. Steve West, despite all of his talent, is just not good at portraying that. And the lack of it changes the whole personality of the characters and the story itself. It’s clear the publishers wanted to rebrand this series and give it a different identity and that they did. But it feels like we’re being cheated in a way. Because there’s so much more we should be getting out of these stories. Turner is such a remarkable writer and it saddens me that the narration doesn’t do it justice. West was probably chosen because he has the prettier more regal sounding voice but that’s not this series at all. Or at least not on the surface. If you’re reading this and you’ve never heard Jeff Woodman read this series, go to your library and find his versions. (They’re not for sale anywhere. It’s like they want us to forget it ever happened) Unfortunately he only narrated the first 4 books in the series but you’ll see what I (or we because I’m not the only reviewer to say this) mean. Ive listened to each of those books a dozen times a piece and they get better every time I listen. If Steve West’s narration makes this a 5 star series then it’s 10 stars with Jeff Woodman. That’s how incredible Turner’s writing is. I’m so sad to see this series come to a close. It is hands down my most favorite series ever. Just please please please, If it is in anyone’s power to get Jeff Woodman on these last two books to finish the series.... I’m begging.

great end to a wonderful series!

really loved the whole series and fell in love with the characters. well done Megan!

A satisfying conclusion to a wonderful series

As subtle and surprising as every other novel in this series. Character focused and plot driven. Turner makes me love and fear for these characters. If you liked The Thief, you'll love the rest.

So sad to have come to the end of the journey.

I listened to return of the thief. then I went back and listen to the king and queen of attolia books. the thief was not in audiobook so I didn't listen to it again. then I came back and listen to this a second time.

Quickly!

She did it again. This book is a glimpse into a different kingdom than the normal thief kingdoms but with the same twists and a little bit, maybe, of omnipotent interference. Good for settling in for just the story, or analyzing to try to figure out Gen’s endgame. It’s always Gen.

Perfection

I don't know how Megan Whalen Turner does it. There are so many characters, plot lines, politics, and moving parts to her stories, and somehow she manages to make me care about all of them and bring it all to a resounding and heartfelt resolution. The narration is perfect, with subtle accents to distinguish the characters. All around a hugely satisfying ending to an amazing journey.

Awesome series!

I’ve read this whole series, and would read it again. The characters are well wrought. The plots are clever, and the twists are some of the most satisfying around. Love, love these books. Narrator on this was spot on.

Excellent End

Loved every well written word. The characters are captivating and the story never lags. The end doesn’t leave any threads hanging .

A Great End to a Great Series

When I saw this book come out so long after the last one, I decided to re-read the series so I could fully appreciate this final book. I'm glad I did. The author didn't drop any threads of the ongoing story while making us care about new characters. Really, it is a work of genius. Good literature is a lens through which we can view our world. The role of government, its leaders and politics was food for thought as I couldn't help but compare and contrast it to our current political situation. It gave me a different perspective. I also appreciated its positive tone and satisfying ending. The narration was easy on the ears, easy to follow, and brought out the subtle humor that is woven throughout the book.

Megan Whalen Turner is Brilliant!

This whole series is so well written, imaginative, and the characters so engaging, that I wish it would never end. It must also be said that Steve West is FANTASTIC, and that I am eternally grateful that he is the reader for the whole series. If you are hesitating in listening to this, don't wait- but start with "The Thief," you have a treat in store for yourself!