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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
“I sometimes believe his lies are the truth, but I have never mistaken his truth for a lie.”
People say that the first book in this series is not a good representation of the series, and I would have to agree. The Queen of Attolia is a much better book than The Thief. The story picks up with Gen in Attolia, in the queen’s castle, and he is attempting to escape. Unfortunately, he gets caught and that means dire consequences for him.
The main reasons that this book is better than the first is due to the plot itself, the pacing, and the political intrigue. Like I mentioned earlier, the main plot here is that Gen gets caught by the Queen of Attolia and that leads to a potential war with the Queen of Eddis. It’s hard for Gen because he doesn’t want a war with Attolia, especially when his feelings for the Queen of Attolia are quite complicated.
In the first book, we didn’t get a chance to really get to know these queens and see how they run their different countries. However, in this book, we see how both queens are in different positions and standings with their subjects, and how that affects the way they rule and the things they must do in order to protect their people while maintaining their power. I actually liked both queens for different reasons. The Queen of Attolia is ruthless, but she is in a different position because her power is kind of uncertain compared to the Queen of Eddis, who appeared to be more sure of her position and had more confidence in the people around her. You also could see how much she cares about Gen, but she will do what’s best for Eddis at the same time.
The pacing was just better in this second book. It’s not a super fast moving story, but it doesn’t drag as much as the first book does. There is a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering going on that helps keep the story entertaining and avoids feeling like nothing is happening. The way the characters come up with plans and actually execute those plans made me appreciate characters like Gen and the Queen of Eddis even more, and made me realize how smart they are. We got to see some of Gen’s genius in The Thief, but we really get to see it even more in this book.
There are also these brief moments where we see the Gods interfering in the mortal affairs and how complicated Gen’s relationship with the Gods remains.
I would highly recommend anyone who didn’t enjoy the first book to give this one a fair chance. It is such an improvement over the first book and further sets up a rich and complex political fantasy.
CW for loss of a limb and violence.
People say that the first book in this series is not a good representation of the series, and I would have to agree. The Queen of Attolia is a much better book than The Thief. The story picks up with Gen in Attolia, in the queen’s castle, and he is attempting to escape. Unfortunately, he gets caught and that means dire consequences for him.
The main reasons that this book is better than the first is due to the plot itself, the pacing, and the political intrigue. Like I mentioned earlier, the main plot here is that Gen gets caught by the Queen of Attolia and that leads to a potential war with the Queen of Eddis. It’s hard for Gen because he doesn’t want a war with Attolia, especially when his feelings for the Queen of Attolia are quite complicated.
In the first book, we didn’t get a chance to really get to know these queens and see how they run their different countries. However, in this book, we see how both queens are in different positions and standings with their subjects, and how that affects the way they rule and the things they must do in order to protect their people while maintaining their power. I actually liked both queens for different reasons. The Queen of Attolia is ruthless, but she is in a different position because her power is kind of uncertain compared to the Queen of Eddis, who appeared to be more sure of her position and had more confidence in the people around her. You also could see how much she cares about Gen, but she will do what’s best for Eddis at the same time.
The pacing was just better in this second book. It’s not a super fast moving story, but it doesn’t drag as much as the first book does. There is a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering going on that helps keep the story entertaining and avoids feeling like nothing is happening. The way the characters come up with plans and actually execute those plans made me appreciate characters like Gen and the Queen of Eddis even more, and made me realize how smart they are. We got to see some of Gen’s genius in The Thief, but we really get to see it even more in this book.
There are also these brief moments where we see the Gods interfering in the mortal affairs and how complicated Gen’s relationship with the Gods remains.
I would highly recommend anyone who didn’t enjoy the first book to give this one a fair chance. It is such an improvement over the first book and further sets up a rich and complex political fantasy.
CW for loss of a limb and violence.
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
- This book was more exciting than the first, though there were still some things I struggled with in it
- The book starts out on a high point that really sets the stage for the rest of this book and the series in general
- Eugenides has a bit of a personality change in this one, and he definitely goes through a rough ride, especially in the beginning of the book. I felt so bad for him, but it was good to see him start to overcome his struggles and progress.
- One of my issues with this book was that it made what happened in the first book almost pointless. The first book was all about stealing the necklace, and then we found out that they destroyed it. Made the first book feel very redundant.
- There was definitely a lot more things going on in this book, so the pacing was a lot better and more interesting than the first. I also found the characters had more depth to them so I started to care more about them
- I still really don't understand how the gods fit into all of this and really hope it's explained later. Between this book and the first one, it just feels like the gods have gotten thrown into the world and I think that needs to be more flushed out
- I also just REALLY didn't understand the romance. There was no chemistry (in either books) and it just felt totally weird and out of the blue to me. It just didn't seem to fit the story to me and seemed very sudden
- Overall this book was better than the first, though I definitely did still have my issues with it. The ending was exciting enough that I think I'll continue on and read the third book
- The book starts out on a high point that really sets the stage for the rest of this book and the series in general
- Eugenides has a bit of a personality change in this one, and he definitely goes through a rough ride, especially in the beginning of the book. I felt so bad for him, but it was good to see him start to overcome his struggles and progress.
- One of my issues with this book was that it made what happened in the first book almost pointless. The first book was all about stealing the necklace, and then we found out that they destroyed it. Made the first book feel very redundant.
- There was definitely a lot more things going on in this book, so the pacing was a lot better and more interesting than the first. I also found the characters had more depth to them so I started to care more about them
- I still really don't understand how the gods fit into all of this and really hope it's explained later. Between this book and the first one, it just feels like the gods have gotten thrown into the world and I think that needs to be more flushed out
- I also just REALLY didn't understand the romance. There was no chemistry (in either books) and it just felt totally weird and out of the blue to me. It just didn't seem to fit the story to me and seemed very sudden
- Overall this book was better than the first, though I definitely did still have my issues with it. The ending was exciting enough that I think I'll continue on and read the third book
This was quite a departure from the first book in the series, leaving the first person perspective to give bigger political scope in a third person perspective. This is less of an adventure story and far more a complex, political struggle between the various countries. It's a deeper story, with plenty of character building and surprise twists.
I really enjoyed this, but it didn't have quite the personality as Thief did. Some of this is that the third person perspective really lends itself to a dryer narrative tone, rather than the snarky tone of Eugenides I enjoyed so much in the first book.
I really enjoyed this, but it didn't have quite the personality as Thief did. Some of this is that the third person perspective really lends itself to a dryer narrative tone, rather than the snarky tone of Eugenides I enjoyed so much in the first book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a lot more political than its prequel, and I LOVE it! So much you have no idea haha. The author switches from 1st to 3rd person in this, and although I miss Eugenides's voice, I can understand why she does that, and does that very effectively indeed. The Queen of Attolia reminds me of all the fun I had reading Lord Peter Wimsey series last year, and I think it's just what extremely well-written books always do, that you often find yourself love-struck in the end without really knowing why. I've got a feeling like it all lies within the words themselves, but it's hard to tell. The combination of plots, characters, and writing style more like.
My apologies to this book for my inability to expand any further on its greatness. Having just composed a 2000-word assignment and been constantly preoccupied by another 6000, I must ask for your understanding of my temporary allergy to writing lengthy anything xO I might come back to do it justice though, some time later when I'm free of all assessment criteria and word limits.
My apologies to this book for my inability to expand any further on its greatness. Having just composed a 2000-word assignment and been constantly preoccupied by another 6000, I must ask for your understanding of my temporary allergy to writing lengthy anything xO I might come back to do it justice though, some time later when I'm free of all assessment criteria and word limits.
~4.2. I ended up reading 2 novels about romance during war this month and the best thing I can come up with to endorse this book is that it was clever and well written enough to keep my attention alongside This is How You Lose the Time War. Steve West's charming and vivacious narration especially adds to the reading experience.
spoilery reviews below
Re-read Jan 2020. After reading the series in order, it's a lot of fun to read them OUT of order just to see the brilliant foreshadowing and understanding some of the subtle things left UNSAID that are not explained but there for a a careful reading. After reading King of Attolia then Queen of Attolia, there was a lot of little things I've notice before but that never fail to delight, such as when Eddis calls Eugenides back and he asks "My Queen?" and she replies "Only for that" and you are left to assume it's because she's afraid he may die. Then you realize it's because she knows no matter what the outcome, she knows SHE won't be his queen anymore. Attolia will or he will be dead. Their unspoken and unshakable faith in each other and the deep and loyal love they share is SO rare and precious in books and I just adore it.
re-read during my Disneyland vacation Sept 4- Sept 14 2013. This is such a dark book, but I just love Eugenides. He's such a brilliant, lovable character.
Re-read 05/2017 in anticipation for the new book in the series. Seriously, this book is so amazing. The more you read it, the more nuances and references you find. I don't know how I would be if the person I fell in love with cut my hand off, but I can sure appreciate a character whose love survives amputation :) What a sad little couple they make. The dark turn the story takes for the entire book only to be even more sad before it's happy in the the third book is so... awesome. I love it.
Re-read Jan 2020. After reading the series in order, it's a lot of fun to read them OUT of order just to see the brilliant foreshadowing and understanding some of the subtle things left UNSAID that are not explained but there for a a careful reading. After reading King of Attolia then Queen of Attolia, there was a lot of little things I've notice before but that never fail to delight, such as when Eddis calls Eugenides back and he asks "My Queen?" and she replies "Only for that" and you are left to assume it's because she's afraid he may die. Then you realize it's because she knows no matter what the outcome, she knows SHE won't be his queen anymore. Attolia will or he will be dead. Their unspoken and unshakable faith in each other and the deep and loyal love they share is SO rare and precious in books and I just adore it.
re-read during my Disneyland vacation Sept 4- Sept 14 2013. This is such a dark book, but I just love Eugenides. He's such a brilliant, lovable character.
Re-read 05/2017 in anticipation for the new book in the series. Seriously, this book is so amazing. The more you read it, the more nuances and references you find. I don't know how I would be if the person I fell in love with cut my hand off, but I can sure appreciate a character whose love survives amputation :) What a sad little couple they make. The dark turn the story takes for the entire book only to be even more sad before it's happy in the the third book is so... awesome. I love it.