The Queen of Attolia

The Queen of Attolia is the second book in the series by Megan Whalen Turner. The book begins with Eugenides, the Queen's Thief of Eddis, trying to escape from the kingdom of Attolia. Somehow the guards seemed to know he would be in the palace that night, and somehow the guards manage to capture him. At first the Queen of Attolia sentences Eudenides to be hanged, but her mind is changed by an ambassador from the Medes and she cuts off the Thief's right hand instead. With it being impossible to steal anything with one hand, the Thief is returned to his kingdom.

While delirious with pain and sickness, not to mention being sunk in deep depression over the loss of his hand, Eugenides remains in his room, oblivious to the fact the Eddis and Attolia are engaged in war against each other because of him. Sounis, the third kingdom in the realm, also joins the war. Everyone fears the Mede ambassador, who seems to be preparing to land his troops on Attolia ground, preparing for an invasion of all three kingdoms. Only Eugenides might be clever enough to outwit the ambassador and save all three kingdoms.

The book was really good, and it is shocking when you realize what Eugenides has planned, and how far in advance he has planned it. It is also interesting to discover with him that the gods are more involved in his life than he originally thought. My only complaint with this book is how the plot seemed to drag for a bit. After Eugenides returns to Eddis, terribly ill and suffering from the loss of his hand, there are at least 100 pages of the book dedicated to his moping and depression. It got tiring after a while. But overall, the book was great and the ending made the rest of the book worth it.