I was entertained from beginning to end!
The political intricacies and the unpredictability of Eugenides really kept me reading throughout the course of this book.
Having lost face after Eugenides stole Hamiathes Gift, the Queen of Attolia will stop at nothing to reassert her power and her reputation and finally capture and secure the slippery Queen’s Thief of Eddis.
This book was a rollercoaster from beginning to end. There were multiple twists and turns that I could not see coming and the eventual ending had me shook!
I loved the transformation of Eugenides from the first book to now. He has gone through so much in such a small amount of time and its nice to see that he doesn’t automatically pick himself up and is back to normal. It’s refreshing to see that he was affected by what happened to him and that he needed time and space to wrap his head around his injury and kind of reevaluate his life. All he really wanted to do was assist and to be of service to his Queen and now that he can’t in the same capacity as he once could he’s had to adapt and delegate.
I also really enjoyed the relationship between Queen Eddis and Eugenides. Having two main protagonists working closely together with no romantic overtones, just a genuine friendship full of honesty and compassion. We really get a sense of how much the Queen cares for Eugenides and the lengths she would go to protect him.
The Queen of Attolia is a character that I didn’t really like at the beginning especially after everything that happened with Eugenides. But after her story unfolded and we get more knowledge about her and how she has maintained her rule over Attolia, I found myself slowly beginning to thaw. I like that Megan Whalen Turner gave her a backstory and reasoning for her actions. I found her to be very multifaceted and quite an engaging character. She is callous and ruthless at times but not as cold-hearted as she makes out to be.
The plot progressed quickly and the world really opened up a lot more in this novel. Seeing the complexities of war and the shifting of allies and the weight of every decision really kept the stakes high. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book. There were regular twists and turns that occur throughout the storyline and having a romantic aspect that was expertly crafted to not be too cheesy or insta-lovey.
⭐️4/5 stars definitely need to pick up The King of Attolia to see what will happen next!