The Queen of Attolia

By: Megan Whalen Turner

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

Discover and rediscover the world of the Queen's Thief, from the acclaimed series launch The Thief to the thrilling, 20-years-in-the-making conclusion, The Return of the Thief.

New York Times best-selling author Megan Whalen Turner's entrancing and award-winning Queen's Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics and feature one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief novels are rich with political machinations and intrigue, battles lost and won, dangerous journeys, divine intervention, power, passion, revenge, and deception. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Patrick Rothfuss, and George R. R. Martin. 

The brilliant thief Eugenides has visited the Queen of Attolia's palace one too many times, leaving small tokens and then departing unseen. When his final excursion does not go as planned, he is captured by the ruthless queen. The Queen's Thief novels have been praised by writers, critics, reviewers, and fans and have been honored with glowing reviews, "best of" citations, and numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Newbery Honor, the Andre Norton Award shortlist, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.

©2000 Megan Whalen Turner (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"Readers will be spellbound." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"Turner's storytelling is so sure that readers will want to go along with her - and discover whatever it is that Eugenides will do next." ( Publishers Weekly)

"[An] intense read...thoroughly involving and wholly satisfying on all fronts." ( The Horn Book)

Long live the queens!

The queens of Eddis and Attolia were both minor princesses not intended for the thrones of their countries. But their royal experiences are completely different. Eddis is stable, but Attolia's barons are chronically rebellious.

Queen Attolia has sworn that the next king will be her personal choice, no matter what her barons say. Two other countries are eager to exploit the barons' disloyalty, eager enough to bankroll rebellions. Determined to safeguard her throne, Attolia has acquired a reputation for ruthlessness.

For Queen Eddis, nothing is more dangerous than Attolia's instability. King Sunis wants to marry Eddis, but the queen and her nobles oppose the marriage as he is not a man to be trusted. Her refusal angers Sunis into seeking an excuse for war. With an unstable Attolia on her other border, Eddis could easily fall into a bloody two-front war.

Both countries need an ally, but allies are in short supply. Even if an ally Is available, the price of an alliance is a marriage in a world where the king outranks the queen.

Is there any way for either queen to ensure the freedom of her country without losing her own sovereignty?

great narrator

Steve West does a great job portraying Eugenides' emotions. Glad this is finally on audio!

Emotions are hard

Megan Whalen Turner is a great writer. That is to say that her diction and descriptive skills are great. Her storytelling, on the other hand, is abysmal! It comes down to tedious over-description, lack of rising action, unbelievability, and INCONSISTENCY. Take the main protagonist for example: Who is Gen? Is he a skilled thief, or a lucky one? Is he witty and confident, or dumb and cowardly? Disabled and hopeless, or suddenly, inexplicably adept? A too young emotional child, or a romantic? I could go on. MWT writes as though she doesn't understand human emotions or thoughts, and thus ALL of her characters seem to have multiple personalities that shift drastically to suit the story's progression. It's not character development, it's discontinuity that an editor should have corrected.

Perfectly crafted story, flawless performance

A gorgeous stand alone follow up to The Thief. The story is crafted with tight language and rich in subtext. You'll want to immediately re-read to figure out how Megan Whalen Turner did it!
Steve West's performance is perfect and enriched

The political machinations and cons continue!

I debated listening to this after listening to the first one, but I'm really glad I did. The plot thickens and the schemes of Eugenides, Eddis, and Attoliah are at once complex and practical without being too obtuse to follow. Some have criticized the series for being boring and predictable, but I have found it to be meticulous and layered, quite an amazing accomplishment for a YA series, given the target audience. The brutalities and exigencies of ancient rule are set forth as almost a primer of the harsh necessities of political and national survival, while simultaneously contrasting the different characters of the regimes of Eddis and Attoliah and the strength embodied by their two queens. Maybe I'm simple, but the twists and turns and surprises work for me as well--I'm not listening to this looking for a John LeCarre novel but for entertainment and it is quite satisfying.

I have warmed up to the narrator, as well, whom I did not entirely enjoy in the first book, but he has found his voice and injected more personality into this book. I am looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

An all time favorite

The Queen of Attolia is and has been one of my favorite books of all time. I devoured it when I first picked it up (not realizing it was a sequel, and enjoying it immensely despite having not read “The Thief” at the time). I have in the years since then revisited the story many times—both in print, in the previous audio recording, and in this new audio edition. The story continues to amaze me—always making me feel a roller coaster of emotions at the characters plights, and awe at Turner’s craft. I feel I appreciate something new about it every time.

First book is better

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The story falls apart for me. I don't have a problem with the premise of the story just the execution. It feels like there is a book/plot points missing.

What was most disappointing about Megan Whalen Turner’s story?

The execution of the middle/ending of the book.

What about Steve West’s performance did you like?

I liked Steve West portrayal of the main character.

What character would you cut from The Queen of Attolia?

None, I think the core of the characters are good I just think the way the story was handled was poor. It's sad because I really like the first book.

Great narrator great book

The narrator adds such character to the voices of the characters you can almost see their faces while listening. I'm so intrigued by both the author and narrator

so satisfying

how often are women written to just exist and be people in a story while still being most certainly women? I am so happy to have found this series and to have exceptional female characters out in the written world. the love story is just the cherry on top!

surprising

This is as wonderful as the first book. I did not expect the ending, but loved it still. I cant wait to read the next.