BOOK REVIEW: THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA BY MEGAN WHALEN TURNER

(4.25 stars)

YOU GUUYYSSSS

The Queen of Attolia had a strong start. At about 50% or 60% of the way through, it was at a solid 3.5 stars for me. I really enjoyed Eugenides and his dynamic with the other characters, but there was too much complicated political maneuvering for me to fully invest myself in the characters and their stories. AND THEN THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK KICKED IN.</I> And what a glorious second half it was. The second half, for me, was a full 5 stars. So even though I adored the second half, I still have to consider that I wasn't as engaged in the story as I would've liked to be in the earlier half. So we settle at 4.25 stars, even though I feel like that rating doesn't begin to capture how much I LOVED the latter half of this book.

Now onto the actual content of The Queen of Attolia. Having finished the book, the one thing I can say without hesitation is that I feel like I've been duped. I started out this book knowing I would like it, but being doubtful of just how much. The more I read, the more I got swept up in this world and its characters and details. And then as the book was concluding I had this moment of self-realization where I was like DAMN everything is finally coming full circle and it's MARVELOUS.

Megan Whalen Turner crafts her story in such a beautiful, understated manner that you don't really realize the nuance and depth that these characters have until you've immersed yourself in the full scope of the story. One thing I particularly loved was how she wove these seemingly random motifs throughout the novel, and then used them to give rise to incredibly poignant character development. If the devil is in the details, then Whalen Turner has crafted a wonderfully devilish story here. Out of no where a detail or seemingly inconsequential scene you'd read would reappear in an entirely different context, making you realign everything you'd thought you knew about these characters. Megan Whalen Turner was basically like BAM! You thought this wasn't relevant???? WELL YOU THOUGHT WRONG *EMOTIONALLY PUNCHES YOU IN THE GUT*.

As for the characters, I gradually grew to love them so that by the end of the novel, I was basically just internally screaming at every one of their lines. Let's start with the titular character, the stone cold Queen of Attolia herself. OH MY GOD WHAT A BADASS. Give me a ruthless, pragmatic queen any day in any book and I WILL BE FULLY INVESTED. I didn't think much of Attolia in the beginning, but, as I said before, I was COMPLETELY DUPED. Attolia's circumstances are, I think, summarized in this one quotation from George Orwell: “He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.” She's done what she's had to do to keep her reign as stable as possible, but for someone who started ruling as early as she did, she's had to sacrifice, and she's had to sacrifice a lot. I have so much love and respect for Attolia, and I'm honestly still surprised at how Whalen Turner managed to pull the rug out from under me like that.

As for Eugenides, he's still the sneaky, snarky character we know and love from The Thief, but this time he comes with a lot more emotional baggage. You really get to see Eugenides vulnerable and out of his element in this installment of the series, and let me tell you, I JUST ATE IT UP. Gen goes through hell and back several times throughout The Queen of Attolia, including some pretty low lows, all of which served to make him so much more fleshed out and grounded as a character. He's brave, he's tough as hell, and he's fiercely loyal to the people he loves, but he's also not perfect and often lands himself in some really sticky situations. (Who would Gen be without sticky situations though? His middle name is practically Sticky Situations at this point).

Lastly, I feel like I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Eddis. Another fierce queen who wears pants and is competent and caring and smart. YES, EDDIS, YES.

Okay, one final point. I don't know if I'm the only one who struggled with this, but the landscapes and the geography were so hard for me to envision, and since they were such an integral part of the story, it got a little frustrating not being able to understand what was happening where. I kinda wish there'd been a map in the book to help make things easier (UPDATE: I just found out that the new editions of these books will have A MAP. THIS NEWS BRINGS ME AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF JOY).

THAT IS ALL. I am so excited to read The King of Attolia. It feels so good to be in the middle of a series that you're loving with 2 more books to go. SO MANY AMAZING POSSIBILITIES.