Return of the Thief (The Queen’s Thief #6)

And a unique point of view… Pheris is considered a monster, a freak. He is bullied, belittled, and betrayed by his own family. But the gods have plans for him and the changes he makes in the life of Eugenides, ex-Queen’s thief, high king over Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia. Or is it the changes that Eugenides makes in Pheris’s life? Before it’s over, they’ll be betrayed by allies, saved by enemies, and visited by gods. Their fates will entwine more tightly than brothers. The time has come. The kings, queens, and their armies are marching off to repel the Mede invasion and it’s going to take every resource at their disposal to win. The thief must balance the warnings and the blessings. Do not offend the gods. Do not overreach. He’ll need every trick at his disposal, every friend, and every former enemy. Many familiar characters reappear in The Return of the Thief, from the war minister to the magus to Kamet. Not to mention Eddis, Sounis, and Attolia. It is a story of those brave enough to stand, those brave enough to fall, and twined through it all with overlapping intrigues and plan-within-plans is our favorite thief. Behind him stand the gods. They might also dance with him at times. Megan Whalen Turner is at her twisty best. Everything we love about the Queen’s Thief series is here and in play again. We are immersed in Eugenides’ world in a fantastic read that I will immediately re-read along with the rest of the series. The characters are engaging and believable, the world is immersive, and the storylines just keep getting better. There is so much to see, touch, and savor here in the Thief’s world. There’s also much about the human spirit, prejudice, respect, and friendship in this book. It’s all cleverly hidden in a story that I admit to reading in one long binge while my family slept. (Yay for quiet time!) Megan Whalen Turner is an incredible writer and every bit of that talent is invested in the intricacies of this story. The Queen’s thief series will remain one of my top re-read book series due to its timeless themes, original epic story, and fantastically engrossing writing. I just want her to write more books! Two additional thoughts as I leave this book: 1) The Queen’s Thief series is finished. After all this time, there are no more books to anxiously await. I can only hope Eugenides might pop up in more short stories. This is a major reason that I am immediately going to reread the entire series. I’m not ready to leave yet! 2) It’s stated in the description that the Queen’s Thief series are standalone books. I think you will lose out on a lot of the overall arc of the story if you don’t read these in order. You will also lose the history behind many of the characters, their families, and their relationships. I personally would recommend starting out with The Thief and reading the books in publishing order. You will never regret reading every book in the series! I only wish I had room for all the exclamation points that I would like to append to that sentence.

I was excited about this book coming out, and I’m not sure what I was hoping for, but this wasn’t really it. The narrator of the story is disabled, and it’s pretty uncomfortable to read about the treatment he receives. And there is a lot of war and loss of life. Honestly I was hoping the thief would come up with some clever way to prevent massive loss of life, and I guess in some ways that happened, but not how I hoped. Then there was a prominent same-sex relationship (it was not graphic) but it seemed unnecessary. There were a lot of threads to this story and it seemed chaotic at times, but there was pretty good resolution.

So I originally picked this up telling myself I would read a chapter or two before bed and… What a lie that was I just stayed up till I finished. It starts with the perspective of Pheris, who we are introduced to as Erondites heir. And I loved him. Pheris was a great narrator and we even get bits and pieces from other points of view as well, which was nice in comparison to the more restrictive viewpoint of Costis in TKofA. It really ties things together in the last book, to see from Eugenides\’ eyes again. Plotting wise, I won\’t spoil anything but what\’s there really to say? MWT nails it again and Eugenides\’ political machinations are behind the scenes yet again. There was a certain bit that I was confused on at the end but that\’s probably due to it being 1am in the morning when I read it haha. Otherwise, there are deaths in this book. And some of the deaths really hit unexpectedly hard. 🙁 MWT has this way with characters that just pulls you in. My advice? Don\’t read like I did in the middle of the night and savor every last word. That said, I can\’t really blame you. I\’ll be doing a re-read soon on a lazy Sunday when I can leisurely take my time and pick through the dialogue. This was a very good conclusion to a series that holds a special place in my heart since childhood. I remember the agonizing wait for the new book to come in at my local library haha. The King of Attolia is still my absolute favorite book, and I remember reading it without even knowing this was a series and being gobsmacked at the ending. I actually like the reading order 3,1,2,4,5,6 the best. So, I am very sad to see this world go. It certainly does feel like Pheris has a tale or three he could tell. But I can\’t say that I would feel unhappy if MWT completely ended it here (which I\’m assuming is her intention) It\’s not the ending that I wanted, but the one that I needed and the one that this book deserved. A+ and I hope the Thief of Eddis stays blessed in his endeavors

Thankful to have the story completed and with a good ending. But this book doesn\’t measure up to the first three. Love does, though, permeate through the story like gold through granite. The character of Pheris adds a certain charm, but the unnecessary references to same sex lovers, the multitude of names and the references to obscure events and people subtract from the enjoyment of the story. I sometimes wonder if publishers are now requiring all new books to contain same sex references and/or scenes.

Every book in the series is different, and each is excellent. This one is focused, for the most part, on the battle with the Medes. Less intrigues, less growing up, adults who make the hardest choices, but remain themselves, so we laugh, too. The narrator is a gift, his point of view and his limitations give us a unique perspective, and we can see Eugenides, Attolia, Eddis and Sounis anew, through his eyes. An excellent, fitting conclusion, told carefully and well. I am utterly satisfied. Well worth the wait. Start with the Thief, start with the Queen of Attolia, or even with a Time for Thieves. Wherever you start, read them all, and then reread them once you know the main plot, to discover all the cross references and hints and sideplots you missed the first time. This series is unique, and yet, oh so familiar to anyone who ever liked stories of the Greeks, their Gods and men. Enjoy!

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