libreroaming 's review for:

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

5.0

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More a rating for the series itself than the Return of the Thief because the book exists mainly to tie its preceding stories together into the messy and satisfactory end. A court intrigue and war story that would take most other fantasy authors 700 pages or more to address is abridged for a YA audience with the new narrator, Pheris, but you can see Turner having to stretch the accounts in order to show all her cards for a satisfying reveal. The twists and sleight of hands were not as strong as the predecessors, but the stakes were never more treacherous. Mostly, I am happy for the ending given my favorite rulers who can exist happily in this rich world developed with care and detail, worth a reread along with the whole series.