The Thief

De: Megan Whalen Turner

Narrado por: Steve West

Discover and rediscover the world of the Queen's Thief, from the acclaimed novel The Thief to the thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making conclusion, The Return of the Thief. The epic novels set in the world of the Queen’s Thief can be read in any order.

New York Times-bestselling author Megan Whalen Turner’s entrancing and award-winning Queen’s Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics. This first book in series introduces one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. The 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.

Eugenides, the queen’s thief, can steal anything—or so he says. When his boasting lands him in prison and the king’s magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object, he’s in no position to refuse. The magus thinks he has the right tool for the job, but Gen has plans of his own. 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.

A Newbery Honor Book

An ALA Notable Book

A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection

“The Queen’s Thief books awe and inspire me. They have the feel of a secret, discovered history of real but forgotten lands. The plot-craft is peerless, the revelations stunning, and the characters flawed, cunning, heartbreaking, exceptional. Megan Whalen Turner’s books have a permanent spot on my favorites shelf, with space waiting for more books to come.”—Laini Taylor, New York Times-bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone novels and Strange the Dreamer

""Unforgettable characters, plot twists that will make your head spin, a world rendered in elegant detail—you will fall in love with every page of these stories. Megan Whalen Turner writes vivid, immersive, heartbreaking fantasy that will leave you desperate to return to Attolia again and again.”—Leigh Bardugo, New York Times-bestselling author of the The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows

“Trust me. Just read it. Then read it again, because it will not be the same river twice.”—Lois McMaster Bujold, acclaimed and Hugo Award-winning author of the Vorkosigan Saga, the Chalion Series, and the Sharing Knife series

""In addition to its charismatic hero, this story possesses one of the most valuable treasures of all—a twinkling jewel of a surprise ending."" —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“To miss this thief’s story would be a crime.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“A literary journey that enriches both its characters and readers before it is over.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A tantalizing, suspenseful, exceptionally clever novel.”—The Horn Book (starred review)

Loved the Story & Narrator

It's rare for me to stumble upon a book that I really love, but this is one of them! Action, adventure, mystery all rolled into one story. The characters and plot movement took priority over stereotypical pitfalls that most books fall into. At first I really disliked Magnus' style of voice, but it got his first-impression character across quickly. Then I grew to like him as Gen did as well. Plus, a couple plot twists at the end! Very well done and can stand on it's own feet! I was confused as to the narrator's very aristocratic style for the first-person POV, but I think it all comes together in the end. :) Worth a credit or a purchase!

High marks for worldbuilding, light on plot

Reviews for the subsequent books indicate that the series improves with the sequels, so there is possibility that this is just the set-up to a great series. I have not finished the sequels though, so as it stands, this is an okay start. I'm not sure whether I will dive into the sequels (it isn't a high priority for me based on this one).

The worldbuilding is good and created a distinct mythos and culture for this universe. It did come at the cost of plot though. It is not a long book, so more could have been added without making the book overlong. In the last couple hours more does happen and it gets more interesting. However, the first half is so focused on mythology (even at the expense of character work) that I did not feel a vested interest in what happened to these characters.

I used a credit on this book because I read a different review that positively compared it to the Ascendance Trilogy (a.k.a. The False Prince) which I adore. This book is not at that level for me. This is fine, just nothing that blew me away. The narrator is a bit monotonous, but not awful. The book is a little slow, but not awful. That's basically the entire book for me. It's decent, but I'm not sure if I like it.

Voice actor skewed impression of characters

Everyone I told that I was reading this book raved about it, but the longer I listened the more I thought, "What's the fuss about?" I ended up liking it by the end, but I realized that I was getting the wrong impression from several of the characters because of how the narrator voiced them. One in particular came off as perpetually pompous and condescending when really he should be seen as a friend and confidant. I've listened to one other book with this voice actor and experienced a similar thing. His narration just isn't my style. But I would still recommend this story! If only to get to know the characters and better enjoy the next books in the series.

Boring and Slow…Until the Last Hour

The book is a very slow going travel tale, until the last hour. Then all these twists and turns are revealed without any foreshadowing. The ending was entertaining, but I’m not sure the hours leading up to it are worth it.

one of my favorite series

listening through again reminds me why this is in my top ten recommendations every time!