spejamchr's review
3.0
I liked Costis, the main POV character.
I also enjoy the writing: it's not confusing, and there are funny bits.
The story was kinda boring though: it was like watching a really long magic trick that doesn't look special until the very end. It would have been more fun if the reader was in on the surprise a little bit more.
The characters seemed a bit flat, no one seemed to grow or change much except maybe Costis. The king also might have, but it's also easy to think that he was just acting the whole time, so he's still the same person in the end.
I didn't like watching the king behave like a fool for so long. It started to drag.
Also, I stumbled over the pacing at the end a little bit. Once the "bad guy" was dealt with the story just.. kept going? I dunno. Maybe it was just me, but the post-climax part of the book seemed oddly drawn out.
I also enjoy the writing: it's not confusing, and there are funny bits.
The story was kinda boring though: it was like watching a really long magic trick that doesn't look special until the very end. It would have been more fun if the reader was in on the surprise a little bit more.
The characters seemed a bit flat, no one seemed to grow or change much except maybe Costis. The king also might have, but it's also easy to think that he was just acting the whole time, so he's still the same person in the end.
I didn't like watching the king behave like a fool for so long. It started to drag.
Also, I stumbled over the pacing at the end a little bit. Once the "bad guy" was dealt with the story just.. kept going? I dunno. Maybe it was just me, but the post-climax part of the book seemed oddly drawn out.
elissagator's review
4.0
By far the best in the series. It makes reading the first one well worth it.
misssusan's review
5.0
2017 reread
this is still the most romantic book i've ever read just in case you're wondering
2013 reread
so this is still an a+ favorite upon rereading. yay! 5 stars
hahahaha wow, did you actually think i could be that brief on anything i love? THINK AGAIN. the honoured miss susan never misses a chance to ramble!
okay so king of attolia does an excellent trick where it moves the narrative very far away from its protagonist. all the way to someone who quite dislikes him even! this is awesome because it means you, the reader, get to be in the gleeful position of knowing enough about gen to make educated guesses as to what game he's playing and feeling very clever whenever you're right. I LOVE FEELING CLEVER
also costis is darling, so straightforward and honorable. i never even got mad at him for disliking gen! who can blame him when gen was trying so hard not to let on there was anything to like
the politics are tasty and the romance is even better. this book sells me on gen/irene much better than queen of attolia ever did even though we never get to hear their thoughts on each other. megan whalen turner: creater of pov miracles!
as i said, 5 stars
this is still the most romantic book i've ever read just in case you're wondering
2013 reread
so this is still an a+ favorite upon rereading. yay! 5 stars
hahahaha wow, did you actually think i could be that brief on anything i love? THINK AGAIN. the honoured miss susan never misses a chance to ramble!
okay so king of attolia does an excellent trick where it moves the narrative very far away from its protagonist. all the way to someone who quite dislikes him even! this is awesome because it means you, the reader, get to be in the gleeful position of knowing enough about gen to make educated guesses as to what game he's playing and feeling very clever whenever you're right. I LOVE FEELING CLEVER
also costis is darling, so straightforward and honorable. i never even got mad at him for disliking gen! who can blame him when gen was trying so hard not to let on there was anything to like
the politics are tasty and the romance is even better. this book sells me on gen/irene much better than queen of attolia ever did even though we never get to hear their thoughts on each other. megan whalen turner: creater of pov miracles!
as i said, 5 stars
iffer's review
5.0
This was my favorite of the series by far. Narrating the story from the perspective of Costis simultaneously allows the reader to see a more accurate and objective portrayal of Eugenides and Attolia while also providing feasible cover for the big "twists" that Megan Whalen Turner is known for in this series. Costis as a character is also likeable and we the readers can recognize his reactions and motivations in ourselves, especially since he's (or at least starts off as) a fairly regular guy, as opposed to a divinely-favored thief or princess.
The political intrigue kept me interested in a way that the slam, bam action of much YA fantasy doesn't, and I really enjoyed the insight into Eugenides and Attolia's emotions. As opposed to Eugenides professed love for Attolia in the previous volume, the relationship was more believable, less eye-rolling, and not abrupt. I appreciated the way in which Megan Whalen Turner manages to remain consistent and believable in her characterization of Attolia as a strong monarch. I wasn't enthusiastic at the title of this book, because I was afraid that it would steal the thunder from the two awesome strong female queens of the previous book, but this story was very well-done. Plus, Turner intentionally made it explicitly clear that by becoming a strong king and accepting his destiny, Eugenides strength increases Attolia's and vice versa.
The political intrigue kept me interested in a way that the slam, bam action of much YA fantasy doesn't, and I really enjoyed the insight into Eugenides and Attolia's emotions. As opposed to Eugenides professed love for Attolia in the previous volume, the relationship was more believable, less eye-rolling, and not abrupt. I appreciated the way in which Megan Whalen Turner manages to remain consistent and believable in her characterization of Attolia as a strong monarch. I wasn't enthusiastic at the title of this book, because I was afraid that it would steal the thunder from the two awesome strong female queens of the previous book, but this story was very well-done. Plus, Turner intentionally made it explicitly clear that by becoming a strong king and accepting his destiny, Eugenides strength increases Attolia's and vice versa.
rsopher's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
littlelarks's review against another edition
5.0
"No 'Glory shall be your reward' for me. Oh, no, for me, it is, 'Stop whining' and 'Go to bed'" He snorted. "I should know better. Never call on [the gods], Costis, if you don't really want them to appear.
God, I can not overstate how much I love this book series, and King of Attolia is by far the best - Megan Whalen Turner is a master of charm and interwoven plots - I don't think it's a spoiler to say that by this point in the series, you know that nothing is ever what it seems, and MWT uses this audience knowledge to her favor. There's much less focus on the grand politics and more on the character interactions than in the previous entry, & because of that it's by far the funniest of the series too -
Costis is my favorite grumpy muffin & everything about Gen & Irene remains.... so delightful.
10/10 y'all, it doesn't get much better than this.
God, I can not overstate how much I love this book series, and King of Attolia is by far the best - Megan Whalen Turner is a master of charm and interwoven plots - I don't think it's a spoiler to say that by this point in the series, you know that nothing is ever what it seems, and MWT uses this audience knowledge to her favor. There's much less focus on the grand politics and more on the character interactions than in the previous entry, & because of that it's by far the funniest of the series too -
Costis is my favorite grumpy muffin & everything about Gen & Irene remains.... so delightful.
10/10 y'all, it doesn't get much better than this.
elizabet_p's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This series is just so amazing, and this book is so good! I love all the characters, and it was wonderful to see how characters from the previous books developed, especially Eugenides, and it was a blast to watch newcomers, like Costis for example, develop as well. If it wasn't for the fact that I want to finish the rest of the series, I would start re-reading this book immediately!
lpjapican's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25