The Queen of Attolia

The Queen of Attolia (2000) Megan Whalen Turner

I really loved The Thief, so when I realized The Queen of Attolia was a sequel, I wanted to read it, in the hopes that Eugenides would be one of the main characters.

He was.

And as with the previous book, I could hardly stop reading.

Attolia is in a difficult position. Its ruler is a queen where women tend not to hold powers of position, and she has had to play various lords off one another to retain her position. She is also playing a dangerous game with the ambassador of Medea, trying to balance her ability to retain power within her state, with the need for Attolia to remain an independent nation.

As with The Thief, this is an incredibly good book. All the characters are complex, and the contrast between Eddis and Attolia is done extremely well. We see Eddis and why her people love her, yet we come to develop sympathy for Attolia, for the way she must manipulate those around her, to maintain power and the sovereignty of her country.

And of course there’s Eugenides, who I loved in the first book, and loved even more in this book.

As a word of warning, since this is a young adult book, Bad Things happen to Eugenides. Upsetting horrible things that are hard to understand and deal with. Yet Eugenides does eventually deal with these things, in a way that is both commendable and understandable.

Although in theory you could read The Queen of Attolia without having read The Thief. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Rating: 9/10

Published by HarperCollins e-books

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