Review: The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

For the purposes of reducing the amount of spoilers from The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, this review may be a little vague, and where applicable, I’ve hidden anything that is spoilerish.  

From Back Cover: By scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making. Then he drags a naive guard into the center of the political maelstrom. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but his contempt for Eugenides slowly turns to grudging respect. Though struggling against his fate, the newly crowned king is much more than he appears. Soon the corrupt Attolian court will learn that its subtle and dangerous intrigue is no match for Eugenides.

My Rating: 5 hearts

Thoughts on the Novel: The King of Attolia is the third book in Megan Whaler’s The Queen’s Thief series and it’s even better than The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, the first two books in the series. I finished it right after reading The Queen of Attolia – on the same day actually – but didn’t have a chance to write a review for it.

Anyway, the King of Attolia is mainly told through the perspective of Costis, a guard in the Queen’s Guard, who at the beginning of the novel is awaiting his fate for having punched Eugenides – now the king of Attolia. By some miracle, Costis is spared execution for treason and is forced to serve Eugenides as his personal lieutenant-at-large. Like pretty much all of the Attolians, Costis is full of disdain for his king who he believes has forced Attolia to accept him as her husband. On top of that, Eugenides not only doesn’t look like a king but also acts like a buffoon!

As much as Eugenides hates being in the public eye, those who have read the previous books in the series know that Eugenides isn’t a fool. He always has a scheme up his sleeve; and as poor Costis spends more time around Eugenides, he begins to realize that his king has secrets that he refuses to reveal. Slowly, the big picture will be unveiled and the Attolians will realize just how lucky they are to have a king like Eugenides!

Aside from loving the transformation of Eugenides from a clever young boy in The Thief to a man deserving of being a king, it was wonderful to see the romance continue to develop between Eugenides and the older and taller Attolia. Though they’re still haunted by what happened between them in the past, Turner also shows the reader that they love each other through their words and deeds.

The King of Attolia was released by Greenwillow Books in June 2007.

Comments About the Cover: Although you can't see Gen's face, I feel like he looks kind of young. I always imagined him a bit older.