First impression of Queen of Attolia

Mar 3, 2018

When I started reading the Queen of Attolia, I already noticed significant differences between the book and what we have previously read in class.

We are first introduced the thief, Eugenides, as he navigates himself through the palace. The theme of thieves overlaps with Luck in the Shadows, but I did not expect a book with this title to start with an image of a thief. For me, the title instantly made me think more along the lines of Alanna where a main character that is expected to fulfill their duties as a royal faces obstacles. (After research, I realized that this book was a sequel to a book called The Thief, a book with a more straightforward title, and it made more sense, as readers of the series would already be familiar with the main character. That brought on a different question for me: how much does the order of the books in the series matter, if we are able to start reading from the second book with not a lot of difficulty in understanding the plot? It also made me wonder what the first book does that adds to the later books in the series.)

Another thing I noticed in the beginning of the book is how the point of view switches constantly within the book. Even in the first chapter, we get the perspective of Eugenides and the Queen of Attolia. Then, in the next chapter, we are introduced to the perspective of Eddis, and so on. I believe that this switching of point of views is a useful tool when you have the main character whose livelihood is complicated by those around him. By having the perspectives of different characters, we learn more about the main character and the world he lives in, as well as how the other characters view him. As a writing technique, it puts the main character in a larger context.

I’m excited to continue reading this book in class.

6 responses to “First impression of Queen of Attolia”

allisonrayco

March 3, 2018 at 5:28 pm

I also wonder about how the experience of reading the book differs with having read or not read the first book. Personally, I haven’t, so I am curious if my reactions to the characters and the novel as a whole would differ if I felt like I have a more lasting relationship with them through the first book. I was also surprised that we started right out with the queen’s thief instead of her, but I also enjoyed this unexpected reversal. Perhaps with prior knowledge of the world I would have expected this twist, though I also wonder if the multiple perspectives in the first novel had the same ratio skew towards Eugenides that this one has.

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1. mayosueta
  
  March 3, 2018 at 10:59 pm
  
  Thanks for your comment! I agree, I feel like I would have had an established amount of interest and caring towards the character if I had read the first book prior to reading this one. However, I also think the second book builds enough on the character that the reader is eventually able to establish such a relationship through just the second book. I want to read the first book to see what it adds to my understanding of the series.
  
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  1. elgriott
    
    March 4, 2018 at 4:56 am
    
    I agree with OP and the comments. Not reading the first book turns several narrative points (Hamiathes’s Gift, the story of Hespira, Moira, the impact of Gods, to name a few) into stumbling blocks that are never fully explained because the author assumes we’ve read linearly. The difficulty and disconnect of achronological reading intensifies as the story progresses, particularly in the last 50-100 pages. I found that I understood and was intrigued by the plot, but the relevance of certain important climaxes and deep emotional investment in the characters never fully manifested. I am also wondering how the book’s structure effected how you both connected to Eugenides, Attolia, and Eddis. Personally, I found the frequent POV changes very rewarding because they provided a glimpse into the characters presumably built up in the first book. I know Eugenides dominates most of the POV, but I actually felt like the novel skewed us less towards him emotionally (as opposed to Alec and Seregil in “LITS”) and more towards Attolia and, surprisingly, Kamet. Thoughts?
    
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foulonni

March 5, 2018 at 4:03 am

First of all thanks OP for the thoughts and comments. I agreed a lot with the above comment, technically (and in actuality) this is the “Queen’s Thief” series, that implies that the main character is Eugenides. However, the constant POV switching to Eddis and Attolia, and the fact that Eugenides is just kinda fumbling around for consciousness for the first half of this book, made me much more interested in their characters’ than his. I think this purposeful, at least from what I can understand of the first book from the series. I think that Turner is setting up a world where the ruler’s and their political decisions are the most important aspects of the story. I believe this because Turner does a fantastic job of framing literally every decision that Eddis and Attolia inside the politics of the (I think it’s 10?) kingdoms. Turner’s writing style is both really interesting and kinda jarring for me. While I like that I get to see the politics behind war, advisers, ambassadorship, and even punishment in the land, I was really confused through most of the first 50 pages. I just seems like we were dropped into a world and the story just took off, which I do realize is partially because a lot of the set-up was most likely covered in the first book. However, even with my knowledge of the world, I think I would still find the pacing a little fast, but that’s just me. Like OP, i really look forward to continuing to read this novel!

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storylesher

March 5, 2018 at 4:27 am

I am also interested in the theme of a likable thief that runs through a few of the books we have read. It always makes me wonder why authors choose a socially unaccepted role for a main character that we are supposed to support in the story. I guess that it could be something about how people aren’t always what they seem or something but I’m really not sure. Also, why is this especially a theme throughout young adult books? It happens so often that I figure there must be a reasoning behind it.
Oppositely, something new is that this is the first book in class from a series in which we aren’t starting with the first book (or a prequel). I wonder what information we are missing by skipping The Thief. There are a few things I have been confused about, but nothing that really prevents me from understanding the story, as you said. Usually authors end books in a series with a cliffhanger that makes readers want to read the next book. I’m curious as to what the ending of The Thief was and what conflict readers who read the first book are expecting to be resolved in this one. It is interesting to think about how we would read this book differently from others who have read the first.

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zaffiroe

March 5, 2018 at 9:48 pm

I agree that there are significant differences between this book and the previous works we have discussed in the class. I like your comparison to Alanna and the roles that royal face, through It can also be compared to Aerin in Hero and the Crown. I really like your description of how these books difference. I also look forward to reading the book as well.

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