"The Queen of Attolia" is a great book. It is true, however that this story is slightly darker/less pleasant than "The Thief," but it is still one of the better books that I have ever read. I find it difficult to write a review on "The Queen of Attolia" because it has so many little twits and such a clever plot that if I am not careful I'll give the story away! However, I strongly urge you to read "The Thief" (the first book in this two-book sequel) before you read this story or else "The Thief's" plot will be totally given away - and after all, the plot IS the story. And, if you liked "The Thief" you will not be let down by this book.

"The Queen of Attolia" continues the drama of Eugenides - Gen - as he steals one thing after another, engages in a war, and makes his usual snide remarks and complaints, which somehow make you like him more than ever. Eugenides struggles with his emotions, fear, love, hate, pain; and he is faced with many decisions and dangers, and involves himself in risky plans and strategies during a war between the countries of Sounis, Eddis, the Mede, and Attolia that keep you gripping the book and wondering what will happen next. A spellbinding tale that has charm, adventure, action, a good plot, and (don't let this put you off!) a little bit of love. Do read this sequel, it's worth it.

"The Thief" was notable for the wry humor of its narrator, Gen, who revealed so much about himself while still keeping his story's twist ending in store for the reader. In "The Queen of Attolia," Gen (who prefers to be addressed by his full name, Eugenides, as befits his position as Queen's Thief of Eddis) finds his humor under severe strain as the uneasy political balance between the three countries of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia finally explodes under the pressure of the encroaching Mede Empire. An ill-fated foray into Attolia's palace loses Eugenides his hand and Eddis' reprisal-war-seems to be the response the Mede Ambassador and his Emperor have been waiting for. Three small countries will either ally or fall, and at the moment none of them are at all concerned with alliance. "What can a one-handed man steal?" If he's very, very clever, he just might be able to steal peace.

It has to be hard, being the sequel to a Newberry Award-winning book, but "The Queen of Attolia" manages admirably, in part by being different from its predecessor without losing the familiar context of characters and setting. A third-person narrative allows the reader to view the situation from the perspectives of various characters-mostly Eugenides and the Queen of Attolia-but also distances the characters; fortunately, Megan Whalen Turner maintains such detail in her descriptions that many third-person passages feel like first-person narratives. There are changes to deal with in familiar characters as well. The war tests everyone, Eugenides the most: formerly quick-tongued and irrepressible, he responds to his loss by withdrawing into himself, often bitter at what he sees as his failure and the gods that have abandoned him; you miss the adolescent Gen of "The Thief." The magus of Sounis betrays one alliance in hopes of salvaging another. Even the queen of Eddis, as beloved as she is unbeautiful, is not even sure whether or not her actions are as honorable as she first thought them. It's a sure sign that the author is doing a good job when you hurt in sympathy with the characters! But all is not lost: while there's much to endure before peaces comes to Eddis and Eugenides both, there is also a very good story. Turner keeps the tension high and never lets the political intrigue outweigh the interactions between the characters, and there's even a tale of the old gods which serves as a kind of mirror to the action in the latter part of the story. (Also a twist halfway through which changes everything you thought about Eugenides' motives; it works, too.) All in all, like "The Thief," "The Queen of Attolia" is one very good story of a convincing place that never was and people who, fictional or not, truly matter.

I started reading this book at the same time I started Harry Potter. I was so engrossed by the story of Eugenides, that Harry got put aside until I finished this edge-of-the-seat tale. I have not felt for a character in a novel so deeply since Frodo in "Lord of the Rings" and Vanyel in the Mage series. Eugenides, a thief, is finally caught by the Queen of Attolia, and pays a heavy price for his crime. As he recuperates, his queen asks him to do the seemingly impossible - steal peace - as his land is brought closer to the brink of war with neighboring countries.
I hope there is a sequel - are you listening Ms. Turner?

I'd never heard of THE THIEF or Megan Whalen Turner up until about two months ago, and now I can't understand why not, since I consider myself to be a connosu--okay, well, I can't spell that word. Anyway, my point is that this is book is really 100% awesome, and I don't know how I could not have heard of it earlier. THE THIEF is definitely one of the best books I've ever read, right up there with THE GOLDEN COMPASS and PRIDE & PREJUDICE, and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone old enough to enjoy an excellent story.

It starts out with the thief Gen imprisioned in the dungeouns of Sounis, all as a result of his rash boast of being able to "steal anything." However, he doesn't stay there for all that long before being released by non other than the King's magus. The King of Sounis desperately wants a certain something, and Gen is the only person who would be able to get it, thus doing what many have attempted, but none achieved.

That, my friends, is all which I can honorably disclose without letting too much of the cat out of the bag, and you will simply have to read this book for yourself to know how everything turns out. I guarentee you will be quite surprised, as I was, since in this single book Turner proves to be qute adept at twisting plots.

Happy reading!

I was absolutely stunned by the masterful performance of Megan Whalen Turner in this book. The story revolves around Gen, a thief whose talents are commissioned by the king to steal a stone thought to be only a myth by many. Turner's narrative moves seamlessly, and her characters are wonderfully sympathetic and full-fleshed. The power of the book lies in its unexpected ending, but readers will find themselves cheering Gen on long before it. Definitely recommended for anyone (of all ages) who loves a well-crafted story.

The Thief is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Gen, a common thief, brags in a wine shop that he could steal the king's seal ring. When he steals the ring he is arrested. The Magus, the king of Sounis' scholar, tells him that if he steals a stone and gives it to the king of Sounis he will be released. Who ever possesses the stone is the rightful ruler of Eddis, the neighboring kingdom. Eddis is high in the mountains. It controls the only pass from Sounis to Attolia. So if Sounis controls Eddis he can send an army through Eddis to conquer Attolia. Gen, the Magus, and 3 others spend many days crossing Eddis into Attolia for Gen to steal the stone. When they reach their destination, the river miraculously drains out leaving an opening in the cliff. Gen has 3 nights to recover the stone. At the end of each night the temple fills up with water and on the third night Gen steals the stone which is Hamiathes' gift. Chased by Attolian soldiers at every turn they make their way to Eddis. In Eddis there is a surprise ending. I highly recommend this great book. By Mason, age 10.

Instead of Three Wishes, by Megan Whalen Turner, is a book for everyone. It doesn't matter whether you are six or sixty-six; this book brings out the inner child in all of us. The clever plot twists and fantasy worlds keep your mind on edge. Instead of Three Wishes is composed of seven mystical short stories that will amaze you. The second story is entitled "Leroy Roachbane." This story involves a child named Leroy. Every morning Leroy woke up and went into his pantry to kill off any cockroaches before his mother entered. One day after his daily duty, Leroy went to the store to buy boric acid and roach motels. On his way home, Leroy's bike skid on an ice patch, and he was knocked unconscious. Leroy's mind began to wander, and took him to a place in many ways similar to his own life. When Leroy regained consciousness, he discovered something out of the ordinary. This story was incredibly entertaining and mind boggling, as is the next story. The third story is called the "Factory." In short, this story concerns a new employee that will work the high crane at a local factory. For some reason, this job has been vacant often. One day while the employee was reading on his lunch break, he saw another figure that seemed to also be reading. In actuality, the figure was the ghost of a little girl who once lived on the factory lot. This story takes what we think we know and twists it into the unknown. "Factory" makes you wonder if there is an afterlife, in a fun and lighthearted way. The fifth story is the title story. This story is in some ways similar to the first story in the book. It involves a student who helped an unrecognizable elf prince cross a busy intersection. In return the prince offers the student three wishes. THe student declines the offer and moves on. Over the next weeks, the student and her dis abled mother recieved a handful of gifts, which they decline. In the end, the perfect gift is evident, the offer was so thoughtful, and the student could not refuse. This story was very interesting to read because of the personal connections. Everyone has tried to find the perfect gift, and this story just pulls those emotions together in a magical way. The final story is entitled " The Baker King." i personally found this story to be the most humorous and entertaining. The story involves an island country without a king. The elderly king sent his only son off to boarding school, but no one thought enough to ask where. After a short while, the king passed away, and the island was without a leader. The king's court decided it would simply wait for a letter from the prince. After nine years, a letter was finally recieved. But it was not from the prince. It was from a wanted bandit. The letter prolaimed that the bandit would king himself once he and his gang arrived in the country. With little time to spare, the minister of cultural events, Orvis, went out one night and accidentally ran into a baker. Orvis was convinced that the baker could very easily pass as the king. In the end, the baker became king for a day, but then chose to return to the bakery. This story has many interesting, funny, and clever parts. "The Baker King", also has a nice overall theme. The story shows, that being rich and famous is not perfect for everyone. Overall, this book was an amazing read. I would recommend this to any person who enjoys questioning the obvious.

Instead of Three Wishes, by Megan Whalen Turner, is a book for everyone. It doesn't matter whether you are six or sixty-six; this book brings out the inner child in all of us. The clever plot twists and fantasy worlds keep your mind on edge. Instead of Three Wishes is composed of seven mystical short stories that will amaze you. The second story is entitled "Leroy Roachbane." This story involves a child named Leroy. Every morning Leroy woke up and went tinto his pantry to kill off any cockroaches before his mother entered. One day after his daily duty, Leroy went to the store to buy boric acid and roach motels. On his way home, Leroy's bike skid on an ice patch and he was knocked unconscious. Leroy's mind began to wander, and took him to a place in many ways similar to his own life. When Leroy regained consciousness, he discovered something out of the ordinary. This story was incredibly entertaining and mind boggling, as is the next story. The third story is called the "Factory." In short, this story cancerns a new employee that will work the high crane at a local factory. For some reason, this job has been vacant often. One day while the employee was reading on his break, he saw another figure that seemed to also be reading. In actuality, the figure was the ghost of a little girl who once lived on the factory lot. This story takes what we think we know ans twists it into the unknown. "Factory" makes you wonder if there is an afterlife in a fun and lighthearted way. The fifth story is the title story. This story is in some ways similar to the first story in the book. It involves a student who helped an unrecognizable elf prince cross a busy intersection. In returm, the prince offered the student three wishes. The student declined the offer and moved on. Over the next weeks, the student and her disabled mother recieved a handful of gifts, which they decline. In the end, the perfect gift is evident, the offer was so thoughtful, and the student could not refuse. This story was very interesting to read because of the personal connections. Everyone has tried to find the perfect gift, and this story just pulls those emotions together in a magical way. The final story is entitled "The Baker King." I personally found this story to be the most humorous and entertaining. The story involves an island country without a king. The elderly king sent his only son off to boarding school, but no one thought enough to ask where. After a short while, the king passed away, and the island was without a leader. The king's court decided it would simply wait for a letter from the prince. After nine years, a letter was finally recieved, but it was not from the prince. The letter was from a wanted bandit. It proclaimed that the bandit would king himself once he and his gang arrived in the country. With little time to spare, the minister of cultural events, Orvis, went out one night and accidentally ran into a baker. Orvis was convinced that the baker could very easily pass for the king. In the end, the baker becomes king for a day, but then chose to return to the bakery. This story has many interesting, funny, and clever parts. "The Baker King", also, has a nice overall theme. The story shows that being rich and famous is not perfect for everyone. Overall, this book was an amazing read. I would recommend this to any person who enjoys questioning the obvious.

Every single story in this book are filled with excitement and you don't want to put the book down! Each are a surprising magical tale for all ages. One story, a girl goes into a painting to find a treasure for someone. A surprising ending. I can't tell you how good all of the stories are. You have to read them!