Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

4 reviews

spinebenderbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was my first read of this book and I think it's a fantastic ending to the series. In this book we are introduced to Pheris, the grandson of Baron Erondites - a seditious baron of Attolia - who has newly been named his heir and sent to court to serve as an attendant to the king, Eugenides. I really enjoy that Whalen Turner continues to write disabled characters with sensitivity and gives them full personhood in her stories. I also appreciated that

while we know that there are visual indicators of Pheris' disabilities, she doesn't actually describe the way he looks, only how his disabilities affect him. It feels very different from the way in which some writers describe disability in an extreme detail, which can come across as similar to the way disabled people have historically been made a spectacle in sideshow attractions.

Pheris is an interesting POV to read and his perspective on events shows us yet another way that Whalen Turner is a master at the craft of misdirection and foreshadowing. The way his neurodivergence is portrayed made me feel very seen. The ableism experienced by disabled characters in her books continues to be realistic, but written in a way that invites the reader to examine how they might have internalised this kind of thinking in themselves.

Pheris and Eugenides' relationship is an important relationship in this book. They each understand what it means to be dismissed and underestimated and mirror each other in so many ways. It is Eugenides who first understands who Pheris truly is and Pheris recognises himself in Eugenides in turn. It is this commonality that leads Eugenides to place such trust in Pheris at crucial moments in the story. These moments are small but the course taken in later events hinge on these moments.

It is Pheris who, when Eugenides is at risk of giving himself over to the Thief, pulls him back.

Which brings me to a part of the story that I loved and that the title itself is a spoiler for: the return of the Thief. For the past 3 books, people far and wide have been so unhappy with the idea of Gen being king that they forgot to fear who he is when that is taken away. All the books leading up to this have been laying down a mythology of the Thief, telling us the ways in which we should fear and be awed by him, and this book brings those threads together to show us how a myth is made legend.

I will say that ultimately I found the war with the Medes to be not as large in scale as I had been expecting and so somewhat disappointing. We don't see much of the large battles, they are fairly glossed over. But then I suppose it makes sense for a book series about a thief that the parts we do see are smaller incursions and guerrilla tactics rather than an all-out fighting. But there were parts of it that were fantastic to finally see come to pass, such as the death of Nahuseresh, and I found it very satisfying that the queens  - who have the most experience with directing their respective militaries - were the ones directing the armies of the Lesser Peninsula.

All in all, a satisfying ending to a phenomenal series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, and War

Moderate: Child death, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Minor: Torture, Murder, and Pregnancy

rubyredders's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I am going to miss this world so so much. While I know MWT has plans to move on to other stories if she wants to dip her toes back into this world I would be bare knuckle brawling to grab that book. 

Pheris took me sometime to warm up to but by the end I was rooting for him. As before MWT has a talent for making you care for her characters and shows them growing as people that has me seated and turning pages like an extremely enthusiastic tax accountant - I want every detail! To see a character whose life is so obviously impacted by his disability thrive in this world felt really impactful - he can not do everything others can; he physically isn't able to but that has no bearing on his worth and while that does mean he has struggles, he can achieve a lot more than his family ever expected from him. The

training he receives from Relius and how capable Pheris is shown to be when he's given the opportunity, the care and allowed to feel trust - his love of math and the delight he took in it and that Relius and the Magus even got communicating to bring Pheris more complicated math - had my heart feeling so tender

I want to see more of

Eugenia and what the family dynamics for Gen, Irene and their new family would be like. I need to know how Hector and Eugenia get on. How are Gen and Irene as parents? What about Sophos and Helen? So many questions! 

I'd also want to learn more about Costis and Kamet as they got so little mention despite having two books between them where they were main characters. I need to know they get a fulfilling life after all this. 

Overall, this story feels complete but with so much potential to spin off into other stories and if it ends here for good I shan't be mad but by god if MWT comes out with a new book in this world it is over for my productivity until I devour it saturn eating his son style 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Sexism

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent

mimeflower's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail