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4.51 AVERAGE
4.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
God how am I meant to talk about this series now that it's over...20 years in the making, I first started it 10 years ago... Well Megan Whalen Turner pulled off the ending, that's for sure.
I cannot believe I have to say goodbye to this story, to this world, to my dearest Eugenides?! Okay, I love 'outsider pov' and Whalen Turner is excellent at it (King of Attolia stands as my favourite in the series after all). It took me a moment to recognise our protagonist, in fact, I did not recognise him, until he was put into relation to Eugenides. The grandson of Eugenides biggest hater? Whalen Turner your mind. This was such a powerful move, at the core of this story, its always been about love, about nurturing the good in others, and we began the book with a young boy, why not end it with another?
Pheris was a wonderful character and protagonist. As a reader who is disabled, I appericated the realism of Pheris's disabilities, and adored that we had another disabled hero to follow (this series has always done disability well!). My heart ached as Pheris had to try so hard to keep up, to be good, to prove himself, all while hiding who he truly was, it was such a powerful portrayal of what its like to be an outsider, due to disability yes but also because of the shame of his Grandfather and uncles. And I loved that fellow outsiders, Kamet, Rellius, and Eugenides were the ones to mold him into the man he was meant to be.
Having such a young protagonist worked well to both highlight and hide the atrocities of war that takes place throughout the story. I felt the tension and fear of the adult rulers - but removed just enough that I could still enjoy the story.
My only 'complaint' is the framing of the story. Pheris' telling of the story worked very well in part 1, where we closely followed him. But at times in part 2 I found myself questioning how Pheris was telling us about intimate moments he was not privy too - of course the book has an explanation for this, but Whalen Turner has done dual POV before and I think this might have worked a bit better, as I felt myself breaking from the immersion of the story. It's a risk to have the last book (and the one with the most happening) be narrated by a new character, and as I said, Whalen Turner pulled it off, but I did still yearn for a POV from the big four. It would have landed some emotional scenes just a bit more.
Goodbye to my friends, Gen, Helen, Irene, Sophos, I think I'll miss you forever (or until I read Moira's Pen).
I cannot believe I have to say goodbye to this story, to this world, to my dearest Eugenides?! Okay, I love 'outsider pov' and Whalen Turner is excellent at it (King of Attolia stands as my favourite in the series after all). It took me a moment to recognise our protagonist, in fact, I did not recognise him, until he was put into relation to Eugenides. The grandson of Eugenides biggest hater? Whalen Turner your mind. This was such a powerful move, at the core of this story, its always been about love, about nurturing the good in others, and we began the book with a young boy, why not end it with another?
Pheris was a wonderful character and protagonist. As a reader who is disabled, I appericated the realism of Pheris's disabilities, and adored that we had another disabled hero to follow (this series has always done disability well!). My heart ached as Pheris had to try so hard to keep up, to be good, to prove himself, all while hiding who he truly was, it was such a powerful portrayal of what its like to be an outsider, due to disability yes but also because of the shame of his Grandfather and uncles. And I loved that fellow outsiders, Kamet, Rellius, and Eugenides were the ones to mold him into the man he was meant to be.
Having such a young protagonist worked well to both highlight and hide the atrocities of war that takes place throughout the story. I felt the tension and fear of the adult rulers - but removed just enough that I could still enjoy the story.
My only 'complaint' is the framing of the story. Pheris' telling of the story worked very well in part 1, where we closely followed him. But at times in part 2 I found myself questioning how Pheris was telling us about intimate moments he was not privy too - of course the book has an explanation for this, but Whalen Turner has done dual POV before and I think this might have worked a bit better, as I felt myself breaking from the immersion of the story. It's a risk to have the last book (and the one with the most happening) be narrated by a new character, and as I said, Whalen Turner pulled it off, but I did still yearn for a POV from the big four. It would have landed some emotional scenes just a bit more.
Goodbye to my friends, Gen, Helen, Irene, Sophos, I think I'll miss you forever (or until I read Moira's Pen).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, War
It's been waaaaay too long since I've read the rest of this series, so I felt like I had forgotten some details. But I was happy to get back to Eugenides.
Summary: Neither accepted nor beloved, Eugenides is the uneasy linchpin of a truce on the Lesser Peninsula, where he has risen to be high king of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis. As the treacherous Baron Erondites schemes anew and a prophecy appears to foretell the death of the king, the ruthless Mede empire prepares to strike.
Summary: Neither accepted nor beloved, Eugenides is the uneasy linchpin of a truce on the Lesser Peninsula, where he has risen to be high king of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis. As the treacherous Baron Erondites schemes anew and a prophecy appears to foretell the death of the king, the ruthless Mede empire prepares to strike.
Listened in November 2020 - a wonderful escape from reality back into the familiar world of Attolia. I love Turner's clever plotting and intricate, subtle characters -- Gen, Helen, Irene, Sophos feel like old friends now. I highly recommend the whole fantasy series.
i wish i had read the rest of the series more recently, as i think some of the more minor characters would have been more memorable to me. but still it was a highly enjoyable read. the world building is rich and well thought out. the characters are layered and complex. and the writing is descriptive without being flowery.
A fitting and lovely ending to this wonderful YA fantasy series. It's been a long ride for this series as the first book came out in 1996, and I am glad it's finally brought to some sort of close. There are paths for new stories, of course, and I'm sure they would be great. This series has featured strong world-building, brilliant characters, and exciting plot. This book does not disappoint --- quite the page-turner. The short story at the end is a delightful epilogue. The entire series is recommended.
I loved this as I have every other novel in the series. The only thing I don't like about it is that this is the last book. It's hard to say goodbye to the characters I've grown to love and the surprises I've enjoyed.
what a great read. irene and gen’s relationship is one of the best i’ve ever read. i wish we had gotten more.
my complaint with this book is that the end was a bit underwhelming.
overall, this series is a 3.75-4 stars. easy to read through, i read books 4-6 very quickly. my major complaint with this series is that books 3-6 are from an outsiders POV. i would have preferred it to be in our big 4’s perspective, as those were the characters i was more invested in. i can see why the author chose a different POV, but that does it mean i have to like it!!
my complaint with this book is that the end was a bit underwhelming.
overall, this series is a 3.75-4 stars. easy to read through, i read books 4-6 very quickly. my major complaint with this series is that books 3-6 are from an outsiders POV. i would have preferred it to be in our big 4’s perspective, as those were the characters i was more invested in. i can see why the author chose a different POV, but that does it mean i have to like it!!