Now, you must be wondering why I chose this two particular book and why I hadn't bothered with the first book. Well, I was short on cash, and I had low opinion on first-person POV, so I chose to buy the two books that I knew didn't have a first-person narrator: The Queen of Attolia and the King of Attolia. I devoured the first book in a span of four hours, a feat that was unheard of from me. I finished the second one a little slower, reading the first half late until night, and finishing the rest of them the first thing in the morning.
And let me tell you, I was glad I picked up this series. It's everything I expected and more. With an all-knowing third-person narration, you would expect the book to be plain and tame, since as the reader we knew all the twists even if the characters didn't. But no, much like how the titular Thief of Eddis steals belongings, this book hides its secrets that you wouldn't even realize exists until it is revealed oh-so-casually by a line. And what a line indeed! When you read it, you feel like you have to backtrack and read the whole book again because now, with the knowledge imparted by it, everything changes. Every dialogue, every thought, every action; all of them was brought into new light because of one simple line.
These two books held my rapt attention and had me read them all in one sitting, something which doesn't happen very much. I am a skeptic, well-versed in the inner-workings of a novel, and I usually read the general plot of a book before buying it, since I don't want to spend money and then come back disappointed because I don't like the book's ending, or that I think the plot is inane. Owing to this qualities, nothing really fazes me anymore. I am more interested in how the way an author weaves their worlds rather than the twists and turns of the plot.
But Megan Whalen Turner is an expert wordsmith, and her books did not disappoint. She weaves her worlds expertly, breathing them life. When I read this, I am not in the confines of my room, sitting contently in my bed: I am in Attolia, I am in Eddis, and I move between them as swift as Eugenides do in the night. The characters, too, are a treat. They are layered beautifully like a good baklava, doused with a rich personality instead of honey. They calculate their actions carefully, so that everything means something, and no energy is wasted. After spending too much time with too-stupid-to-live YA protagonists obsessed with boys and romance, the Queens of Attolia and Eddis are a breathe of fresh air.
As a future diplomat, I also like the focus on politics and the precarious world of inter-kingdom relations. Not too many YA books discuss these topics, I am afraid, but with a main character roster consisting of kings and queens and members of their courts, it is inevitable that politics will come to play. But the book does not give a black and white approach to politics, like so many YA fantasy books do. I find it tiring when YA books have a "rebellious princess" that is careless and tactless when it comes to politics, insulting nobles left and right, disregarding courtly manners, etc, and yet everyone is awed at her boldness. Politics do not work that way. There is an art to it, and chances are if you're insulting your retainers, or show blatant favouritism to one of them, they would be irked enough to revolt themselves. Wars have been waged for less, and the Queens of the Queen's Thief series knows that. Eugenides acts like a typical rebellious prince--disregarding courtly manners, throwing thinly veiled insults to his nobles, complaining about court functions--but almost everyone agrees he is a buffoon and does not take him seriously or respect him.
Well-written and smart, this series is an underrated gem more people should be into. Five stars to both the Queen of Attolia and the King of Attolia.
Final rating:
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Book information:
Title: The Queen of Attolia
Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Edition: New York: Greenwillow Books. First Eos edition. 2006. (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-0-06-084182-9
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Title: The King of Attolia
Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Edition: New York: Greenwillow Books. 2007. (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-0-06-083579-8
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