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A review by toggle_fow
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
5.0
This book is the reward for the select, dedicated group of readers who make it past The Thief. Oh, The Thief was an alright, fun little adventure! Hey, why not see what the second book in the series is like?
SURPRISE.
Welcome to the absolute pinnacle of the world. From here, you can see fantastic sights you never imagined and can barely process before another, equally as stunning, takes its place. Your life is changed. Your skin is clear. Your crops are thriving. You feel like you're dying but also never want it to end. Upon finally closing the book, your thoughts can be summed up most accurately as: Why the hell wasn't I told about this series before?
I'm projecting, but seriously. This series is criminally under-promoted and I will never stop yelling.
The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia in particular are the standard by which I judge all other:
In conclusion, a final note about the writing. Honestly every single exchange of dialogue is a powerful and unforgettable quote. If I were trying to underline "that quote," I would end up underlining the whole book. And the masterfully deceitful prose from The Thief makes a triumphant return as well. Consider this super short passage:
Anyone who's read the book can see what I mean. If you haven't read the book, then what are you doing here? Have a care!
But really though. Thanks MWT for firmly suggesting to me that the cannons are cast-iron without ACTUALLY saying that. Now -- even though it's obvious from the context and the earlier shenanigans that they have floated -- I'm absolutely not going to notice that or Eugenides's dig about loading twelve cannon onto one riverboat, and I'm going to feel every moment of Attolia's chagrin when she finds out about the plan later.
I love this series.
Edit 01/26/2024: This never gets old. I cried, I muffled my screams in my pillows, I looked at the prose with the the awed eyes of someone who has done a LOT more writing now than I had when I first picked this book up. Truly THE series of all time.
SURPRISE.
Welcome to the absolute pinnacle of the world. From here, you can see fantastic sights you never imagined and can barely process before another, equally as stunning, takes its place. Your life is changed. Your skin is clear. Your crops are thriving. You feel like you're dying but also never want it to end. Upon finally closing the book, your thoughts can be summed up most accurately as: Why the hell wasn't I told about this series before?
I'm projecting, but seriously. This series is criminally under-promoted and I will never stop yelling.
The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia in particular are the standard by which I judge all other:
• YA high fantasy
• Books that feature court intrigue. Like -- the court-focused second half of Crown Duel? Fun, but frankly child's play compared to The King of Attolia.
• Attempts at "show, don't tell." Megan Whalen Turner's writing style is brief and restrained, but not a single word is out of place and every sentence hits you exactly where it meant to. (In the gut.)
• CHARACTERIZATION OH MY GOSH
• Romance. I judge romance by this and by The Blue Sword.
• Worldbuilding. Part of the reason the Ascendance Trilogy's worldbuilding left a bad taste in my mouth is because I have read this and know how these things SHOULD be done.
In conclusion, a final note about the writing. Honestly every single exchange of dialogue is a powerful and unforgettable quote. If I were trying to underline "that quote," I would end up underlining the whole book. And the masterfully deceitful prose from The Thief makes a triumphant return as well. Consider this super short passage:
"[Xenophon] had snorted when he'd seen [the cannon] by the bank and said, 'Thank the gods we don't have to dig them off the bottom.' The pool was deep, deepest where the waters of the river dropped into it. The bottom was invisible in the darkness, and retrieving cast-iron cannon from the depths would have been impossible."
Anyone who's read the book can see what I mean. If you haven't read the book, then what are you doing here? Have a care!
But really though. Thanks MWT for firmly suggesting to me that the cannons are cast-iron without ACTUALLY saying that. Now -- even though it's obvious from the context and the earlier shenanigans that they have floated -- I'm absolutely not going to notice that or Eugenides's dig about loading twelve cannon onto one riverboat, and I'm going to feel every moment of Attolia's chagrin when she finds out about the plan later.
I love this series.
Edit 01/26/2024: This never gets old. I cried, I muffled my screams in my pillows, I looked at the prose with the the awed eyes of someone who has done a LOT more writing now than I had when I first picked this book up. Truly THE series of all time.