The Queen of Attolia

By: Megan Whalen Turner

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

Discover the world of the Queen's 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. Discover and rediscover the stand-alone companions, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings, and Thick as Thieves, all epic novels set in the world of the Queen's Thief.

©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)

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

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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?

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

great narrator

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

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fantastic masterly crafted

Loved it, couldn't stop listening and already looking to get the next in the series!

Did that really just happen?!

I listen to audible on my long commute, and this book made it feel short. I'd often sat in the car trying to hear just a few more minutes before racing from the parking lot into the building on time. Just when you think you're following along, it turns out the characters were all hiding their secret plans from you and the fame is changing. THIS was definitely an exciting listen, and while there were a couple things I thought came out a bit rushed, overall I'm really excited to continue this series.

(And I think it's official that I love this narrator. This is the 4th book I've listened to by him and I love the subtle variations in tone he does for the different characters, as well as the emotion behind what they're saying.)

A favorite

Essential to my favorite series, but the book in the series I revisit least frequently. The beginning is a little dark, but well worth it. It is still one of my favorite books.

Awesome Story!

I have enjoyed all of Megan Whalen Turners books! The storyline is fantastic and the Narrator is outstanding! This story is well worth the investment!

A good historical, fantasy, political,mystery!

4/5; 4 stars; A-

I enjoyed the audiobook version of this story as much as the paperback. Steve West does a great job.

The characterization in this book was beautifully done. While the The Thief, Eugenides, is a main character, the story is by no means all about him. The two queens, Eddis and Attolia were interesting and truly kick-ass, each in her own way.

I'm a little surprised that this book and in fact the series is considered YA or juvenile literature because it is very subtle. I also put this on my romance shelf because it is an astonishing and sweet love story as well as an adventure. This is part of a favorite series that I've collected in paper and audio form and enjoyed in both.

One of my most favorite series of all time.

I can't say enough good things about this series or this book in particular. And though I was hesitant about Steve West's narration at first, bc he narrates another favorite book with very different characters, I've come to love his voice bringing this story to life.

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.