The King of Attiola, Megan Whalen Turner

"Tell me a story, then," said the king. "Keep me occupied."
"A story?" Phresine was surprised. "What makes you think I can tell stories?"
"Insight," said the king. "Go on."
Phresine protested.
"A story, or I am getting up," threatened the king, and twitched the bedcovers aside.
Phresine, in her turn, conceded defeat. "Very well,"and she smoothed the bedcovers back in place. " I have just the one in mind."
"As long as it isn't instructive."
"How do you mean, my lord?" Phresine was prim again.
"I mean I'm not appearing in this drama. I don't want to hear the story about the wayward, self-indulgent boy who learns the error of his ways and grows up to be a model of decorum and never cuts anybody's head off for spite." (p.272)

Reviews:
Bookshelves of Doom
Angieville
A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy

Needless to say I loved this book! Too tired & sugar high to think let alone to write anything (that's becoming a common problem for me).

The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner

"Calf love doesn't usually survive amputation, Your Majesty."

Megan Whalen Turner is an amazing writer! Not only was this book engaging and suspenseful with its intriguing plot twists but the emotions the story stirs are, for lack of a better descriptor, weirdly compelling.

I read this last night and was unsettled by the romantic twist but after thinking about it more, talking to Nora, and reading reviews online I've come around to being incredibly impressed with this author's abilities to change my quite strong opinions about her characters. I was crushed and so angry/sad (there should be a word for that mix of emotions) for Gen when he returned home to Eddis. I love the Queen of Eddis and Gen's father. The scenes of Gen recovering and trying to figure out a new way to live are so well done.

Maybe I should have seen it coming what with all the flashes of the sad and confused Queen of Attiola throughout the book but I was still very much on "Team-She's-a-Vicious-Bitch" when it became clear that Gen wanted to marry her. I wasn't sure for quite awhile if I should believe his stories of watching the queen and loving her for years. He is after all quite an accomplished liar. This is where the weirdly compelling feelings come in. I kept thinking that Gen might have some strange from of battered woman's syndrome but in the end he really does love her. Which makes me feel a little weird too. But maybe feeling weird about someone being in love with the person who maimed them is the appropriate response. The closing pages of this book are seriously intense. In a good way, of course.

So I'm glad I finally picked these books up. The only problem now is having to wait to read the 4th installment and hoping that there aren't 5 year waits for future volumes.

links to reviews that better convey the awesomeness of these books:

The Thief reviewed at A Chair, A Fireplace, and A Tea Cozy

The Thief reviewed at Bookshelves of Doom, where I heard about it in the first place

Angieville reviews The Queen of Attiola

The Queen of Attiola at A Chair, A Fireplace, and A Tea Cozy

The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner

I'm currently battling the desire to sleep away my entire vacation, eat away my entire vacation, or just sulk away my entire vacation. All things that are making it hard for me to read 17 more books before January 1, 2010 thereby reaching my self-imposed OCD goal of reading a nice even number of books by year's end.

This book made it slightly easier to keep going though. It is very clever, suspenseful, funny, & original. I'm excited to read the 2 sequels and then Nora and I are going to book club it up.

Intelligent thoughts on The Thief might come later (maybe) when I'm done watching Scrooged and eating candy in front of the fire place.