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The Thief

(The Queen's Thief #1)

Megan Whalen Turner (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · Rating details · 74,121 ratings · 8,016 reviews

The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the thief's abilities.

What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly ...more

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Library Binding, 220 pages

Published January 28th 1998 by San Val (first published October 31st 1996)

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Average rating 3.86 ·

Rating details

· 74,121 ratings · 8,016 reviews

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Start your review of The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1)

Dec 08, 2009 Tatiana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Tatiana by: Kristin Cashore

Shelves: 2017, newbery, 2010, mythopoeic, 2011, 2018, favorites, ya, fantasy

Update 12/29/2018
Clearly I can never get tired of Megan Whalen Turner’s stories and Gen’s refreshing petulance.

Update 6/2011. Let me just say, if you feel so-so about this book (like I did), please give its sequel - The Queen of Attolia - a try. It made me forever and ever a dedicated fan of the series.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it, but I think I spoiled the experience for myself a little bit.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Mar 11, 2011 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, 2011

My main reason for reading The Thief was so I could read the sequel - The Queen of Attolia - that I've heard is superb and far better than this first installment. I actually set myself up for quite an underwhelming experience with this book based on reviews and the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of more traditional fantasy with magical realms and such (I never could stand The Lord of the Rings). However, the story was interesting, the writing excellent and the protagonist was a witty, dev ...more

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Jul 26, 2018 jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

a summary of this book in 20 words or less:

first half - an obscenely long journey where literally nothing happens.
second half - item stolen and it all. kicks. off.

as you can tell from my quick summary, the second half of this book is where its at. if you manage to get through the most boring horse ride in fictional history, then you will be well rewarded. you will get prison escapes, hot pursuits, clever planning, and not to mention more gen. i really liked gen. my goodness, he was charming. he ...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, i-own, ya-fantasy

The Thief is the first book in one of my favorite YA series EVER, with just a touch of Greek mythology-inspired fantasy to it. It can be just a little hard to get into at first, but the payoff at the end is brilliant, and the world-building is fantastic. Stick with it through at least the first three books and you won't regret it. Avoid spoilers.

Review originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

Megan Whalen Turner’s award-winning 1996 YA fantasy The Thief, set in a fantasy world that has very stro ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2-star, year-2018

Gen is a thief. The story begins with him being rescued from prison by the King's Magus in order to help him steal an object of political power that is so historically obscure it is almost considered a myth.

So there's a lot I didn't enjoy here.

To begin with, this book is mostly composed of a very, very, very long travelling sequence. Now, I should take this opportunity to point out that I don't dislike journey stories. In fact, one of my all time favorite novels is The Lord of the Rings, which i ...more

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Mar 25, 2015 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fantasy, 2017-reads, genre-young-adult, fave-characters, my-kindle-challenges-me

Huh. I really, really liked this? True enough, I've decided to start The Thief in order to get to the sequels - that all my friends adore - and somehow I was at peace with the probable boredom I would feel during this first novel and... My enjoyment felt so effortless? From the characters to the world and the writing, I've been enchanted. Truly.

"I hate horses. I know people who think that they are noble, graceful animals, but regardless of what a horse looks like from a distance, never f

...more

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Feb 23, 2018 Iryna *Book and Sword* rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy, waste-of-paper

1.5/5 stars
Good riddance!!!

I must have read a different book than everybody else had because I cannot for the life of me comprehend how this book has won any literal awards.

As an avid fantasy reader I can tell you that this book is as close to a "riveting fantasy novel" as flour is to being a spice.
Why flour you ask?
Beuase it reminds me of this book - dry, bland and boring.

And I really tried to tie this book all of the chances I could. I wanted to dnf it after 30 pages, but:
1. I was told th ...more

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Feb 01, 2018 Elle (ellexamines) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: y-2000sreleases, 3-star, z-2018reads, x-coverporn, x-series, favorite-characters, sff-high-fantasy, y-notowned

This felt like such a classic fantasy novel. You know those 2005-era books about journeys that you liked for some inexplicable reason? Yeah. That kind. Except with really good worldbuilding and a lot of potential built up.

This novel follows Gen, a thief hired by a magus of Sunis to find a stone that gives the holder the right for rulership of Eddis.
➽Sunis - the king’s county, attempting to take over Eddis
➽Eddis - the country across, a country they must overtake
➽Attolia - a country lying in betw ...more

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Sep 09, 2020 Nenia ✨️ I yeet my books back and forth ✨️ Campbell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-clean-out-club, literary-sad-girl-canon, magic-and-sparkles-and-shit, ya-ya-land

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I actually read this for the first time as a child back when it was still a standalone and I remember my edition had a really cheesy, cartoonish cover. THE THIEF is a book that won't appeal to everyone, and even as a child, I had difficulty getting into it. For one thing, it's one of those fantasy novels that revolves around journeys, which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea. For another, it's very slow-paced and mostly character-driven. ...more

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Nov 07, 2008 Keith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was another book my wife insisted that I read. It was our before-bed read aloud book last month.

Reading 10-15 pages a night, the first half of the book was enjoyable, but unfolded rather slowly. I was a bit puzzled about why my wife was so enthusiastic about the book. Then, about half way through, the excitement and tempo increased a few notches, and it become a real page-turner.

This is a fantasy novel, but it is not your typical swords and sorcery adventure. There are swords, and even a co This was another book my wife insisted that I read. It was our before-bed read aloud book last month.

Reading 10-15 pages a night, the first half of the book was enjoyable, but unfolded rather slowly. I was a bit puzzled about why my wife was so enthusiastic about the book. Then, about half way through, the excitement and tempo increased a few notches, and it become a real page-turner.

This is a fantasy novel, but it is not your typical swords and sorcery adventure. There are swords, and even a couple of fights, but the closest we get to sorcery are some mysterious occurrences that could best be described as super-natural. Turner's alternate reality evokes the feeling of Greece. The landscape is rocky, somewhat mountainous, and filled with olive trees. The "old" religion has the feeling of Greek mythology although the divinities are mostly different. And the political backdrop is a set of small rivalrous kingdoms that could be stand-ins for the city-states of ancient Greece.

The story is told (first person) by Gen, a thief who opens the book imprisoned in the kingdom of Sounis. He is freed by the King's Magus---a wiseman-type councilor---who needs a skilled thief to help him recover a lost artifact. They set out on this expedition, accompanied by the Magus's two apprentices and a soldier. In the first half of the book, we slowly get to know the characters through Gen's eyes, and learn something of the world where this story is set. Turner does a good job developing and describing the mix of relationships between the members of this quest---rivalries, respect, jealousy---and as we get to know the characters better, it becomes apparent that there is a bit more to each of them than meets the eye.

Midway through the book, just when it seems that the entire plot is going to be character-driven, the tempo increases dramatically. There are fights, escapes, chases. Amongst this action there are still the puzzles of characters whose motivations we don't entirely understand---including our narrator, who carefully hides a few secrets of his own until the end.

All-in-all, a well-told story, with a good combination of plot, characters, and an interesting setting.

Once again, my wife picked a winner. I should pay more attention to her recommendations. ...more

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Nov 03, 2016 Bibi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Yes, it starts off slower than molasses. Yes, you will be perfectly misdirected by Ms Turner. Yes, you will wish to set it aside for these reasons.

And all I can say is, Don't.

Persevere.

Because you absolutely need to read this book in order to get to the sequel, The Queen of Attolia, which is one of my fave books as well as having one of the best male protagonists of all time. Seriously, I love Gen to bits.

Read this series.

...more

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Jul 18, 2013 Lois Bujold rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Lois by: e-mail correspondent years ago who loved it so much she mailed me a copy

Having dutifully tried a few new things to my lack of satisfaction this past week, I turned instead to an old favorite that I knew would be a pleasurable read. This is a book that re-repays a re-re-read, not only soon, but after finishing its sequels once they widen one's view of its world and characters.

There is not too much one can say about The Thief that is not a spoiler, and this is a book that should NOT be read with preconceptions. Set in an alternate fantasy world loosely inspired by Gre ...more

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May 09, 2014 Kaya rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: not-interested

I can't say this book is bad but it isn't great either. The main downsides are boring interactions, a dull protagonist, and a plot I couldn't care less about. Nothing even slightly exciting happens. The start reminds me a bit of the Throne of Glass series and that's the only remarkable thing about this book. I'm not even a big fan of Throne of Glass.

A thief named Gen got out of jail in order to help a Magus steal an ancient treasure. When the identity of the thief is finally revealed I was occas ...more

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May 21, 2009 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fantasy lovers

Recommended to Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) by: Beanbag Love

Shelves: fantasy, owned-copy, antihero, gods-and-goddesses, unlikely-hero-or-heroine, thief, alternate-history, favorites, hero-i-loved, young-adult

What do you do when you want to gain possession of something that's nearly impossible to obtain? You hire a thief who can steal just about anything.

Gen has no disillusions about his abilities as a thief. He's actually named after the god of thieves, Eugenides, as a matter of fact. While his father wanted him to be a soldier, he knew that was not the life for him. Instead, he honed his skills at stealing, until he was one of the best in the land. Too bad he did a little too much bragging about st What do you do when you want to gain possession of something that's nearly impossible to obtain? You hire a thief who can steal just about anything.

Gen has no disillusions about his abilities as a thief. He's actually named after the god of thieves, Eugenides, as a matter of fact. While his father wanted him to be a soldier, he knew that was not the life for him. Instead, he honed his skills at stealing, until he was one of the best in the land. Too bad he did a little too much bragging about stealing the King's seal and ended up in jail. He's approached by the King's magus and offered a proposition, steal something for the King, and he'll be released from jail. If he refuses, he'll simply disappear (not in a good way). It's not a proposition an intelligent young man would say no to. So begins this story.

Gen is one of those characters that I couldn't help but enjoy. His irreverent, jaundiced, but very insightful view of human nature insinuated him into my affections. I like that kind of humor, so I tend to gravitate towards main characters like Gen. From the beginning, I knew he was a thief, but that didn't make him unlikeable to me. Instead, I wanted to find out what made him tick, and I was rooting for him to come out of this story for the better. I liked that I saw some character growth in him as this story progressed.

The Thief is a story set in an alternate world in which various gods hold the devotion of the populace. I liked how part of the story was hearing the tales of the gods who made this world; and those stories are very smoothly integrated into the plot, playing a crucial role in the narration, characterization, and the unfolding of this story. Reading the extra material at the end of this novel revealed Ms. Turner's thought process. I could see a heavy Greek mythology influence, but there were unique elements about the pantheon and the story-telling that showed the author's specific vision. There are also aspects that surprised me, in that the gods actually play a real role in this story. I liked how the fantasy elements didn't dominate, but the focus is Gen's character and his quest to steal something that has the potential to affect three kingdoms in this novel.

There was an interesting twist towards the end that I was not expecting at all, and I always give my respect to an author who can do that, and surprise me. I'm not a jaded reader, by any means, but I read a lot, and I've seen a lot of common plot devices; so a writer who can throw me a curve ball is always appreciated.

I have to say that this Newbury Award Winner did impress me. It's one of those stories that doesn't try to go elaborate, but has a richness that won me over as a reader all the same. Fortunately, this is part of a series, so I can look forward to more adventures in this interesting world. ...more

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Jan 04, 2017 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book seemed promising but I ended up a bit underwhelmed.
I'm still planning on continuing the series since it apparently gets better! ...more

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Dec 09, 2014 Robin (Bridge Four) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Robin by: Kerry *Pale Daughter*

Shelves: fantastic-fantasy, ya, buddy-read

Buddy read with some friends at Buddies Books and Baubles

I am a master of foolhardy plans, I thought. I have so much practice I consider them professional risks.

EVERYONE told me not to expect much from this book and to be patient. They said the beginning isn’t very good but the second half is pretty good and the next two books are amazing…so just hang in there. Well I found that to be true and false at the same time.

It is true the second half of this book is much more interesting, there is more going on action wise and the last 100 pages just fly by. But the first half isn’t that shabby either if you are paying attention. The only reason parts of it felt a little long are the backstories to the gods feathered in a little like info-dumping. They are interesting lore stories but it is unclear how they fit into the book until later and almost felt like filler while I was reading them. However with Gen the Master Thief there are clues to be found and double meanings to a few things that don’t become clear until the end of the book. I found it to be quite entertaining trying to figure out who/what Gen really is and what his true purpose was.

But even if you find the first half a little dull this is a short book at only about 215 pages so it really doesn’t take that long to go through and figuring out Gen’s story is totally worth it. He is a lot of fun to read as he is antagonizing his traveling companions.

While we ate, I picked at the magus. I liked to watch him lose his temper and then regain it when he remembered that I was supposed to be beneath his contempt.

I did guess quite a few things about Gen correctly, but I also guessed just as many wrong so there were still some surprises to be had and enough interest generated about the three kingdoms in the story that I’d be interested in continuing.

Even though this book is listed as MG/YA it didn’t really read that way and I hear the later books are more adult than this one. Overall a really quick fun read that had action, mystery, betrayal and a few unexpected surprises that made it all the more interesting to read.
...more

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Mar 13, 2008 Jean rated it it was ok · review of another edition

A thief sprung from jail to help a Magnus steal an ancient treasure, warring kingdoms, political intrigue, sword fights, narrow escapes,a mythology invented especially for this fictional place, and a quest--everything, it would seem, to keep me reading. So I am wondering why I so disliked this book that I had to force myself to keep reading to the end. I think I hit upon the answer spoken by one of Turner's characters near the last weary lap of the book: "Oh, fine," I told him...but I didn't rea ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: why-the-hype, fantasy, middle-grade

2 Stars and a mini review because I am the worst

Cons:
- Super straight forward writing style that was unbelievably boring
- Forgettable plot
- Forgettable characters
- An MC who doesn't take things seriously but also isn't funny

Pros:
- The last three pages
- seriously they make it seem like this book was one really long prologue

Overall:
*shrugs* 🤷🏻‍♀️

Read with my split-soul, Mary! 💖
(I will tag when not on mobillleeee) ...more

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Dec 26, 2017 Riley rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5

The second half of the book totally made up for the slow start. I am very intrigued by this series now

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Jul 11, 2019 Holly (Holly Hearts Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

This is a very high end 3 star rating. Like the Gucci of 3 stars. This book laid out such an interesting foundation to the story and I know it can only get better from here. (which is why I bought the rest of the series.. oops)

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Jan 02, 2018 ✨ jamieson ✨ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, series, young-adult, 2018-reads, audiobook, series-to-complete

this is one of those books where I liked it, and then I didn't like it, and then I was gonna dnf it, and then I liked it again, and then I was bored again, and then all of a sudden I loved it Essentially, a really big rollercoaster of emotions. Overall coming out of this I do feel it was a positive experience hence a three star rather than two, but there was some close calls.

I started this because I LOVE thief stories. I will continue to keep reading stories about thieves and heists until the d ...more

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Feb 22, 2019 Natalie Monroe rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: the-earth-is-flat, dragged-on-too-much, bad-beginning-loved-the-rest, when-sparks-don-t-fly

I started this in the cold winter of 2017 and finished it in the harsh political climate of Trump and Brexit in February 2019. Everyone says the sequels are superb, which is the only reason I pushed on. But boy, was it tedious. 80% of it is traveling and Gen whinging about wanting three meals a day. Despite all the footwork though, I don't have a good handle on this fictional world or its culture.

Here's to The Queen of Attolia stepping up its game. ...more

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Nov 20, 2009 Lara rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned, fantasy, young-adult, action-adventure

I'm giving up on this one. It's not BAD, just...excruciatingly BORING. To me, anyway. I found the main character obnoxious and all the other characters underdeveloped and uninteresting, and over half way through the book, nothing's really happened--they've started their journey, and then traveled, and traveled, and traveled, and traveled, and traveled, and...you get the picture. I've heard really good things about this series, and maybe at some point in the future I'll give it another try. But I ...more

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Feb 11, 2018 Sunny ✨wordslikefury✨ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, 2018-reads, ya-fantasy, adult

The Thief deserves more stars than I am giving it. It’s a wonderful and captivating story about a thief who is freed from prison to steal something only heard of in a fairy tale for the king. This task is basically the road to his freedom. So what choice does he have but to take the offer? It’s either this…or spend his days in prison in suffering and torture.

Our protagonist, Gen, is so full of wits. I found his personalty to be the best part of the story. From his sarcastic comments to his brood ...more

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Jun 15, 2020 Klaus rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

11/25 (44%) 2 stars.
(German version below)
I like reading massively long, intricately built books. With those, I'm willing to read some pages where nothing happens and neither the story nor the characters evolve. However, this isn't a long book, but a very short one. Not even 300 pages in total - and yet, for 150 pages, nothing at all happens.

Oh sure, we get to know the characters, and some sort of a rather disappointing road movie of a quest, but nothing happens. Instead, the protagonist is, t 11/25 (44%) 2 stars.
(German version below)
I like reading massively long, intricately built books. With those, I'm willing to read some pages where nothing happens and neither the story nor the characters evolve. However, this isn't a long book, but a very short one. Not even 300 pages in total - and yet, for 150 pages, nothing at all happens.

Oh sure, we get to know the characters, and some sort of a rather disappointing road movie of a quest, but nothing happens. Instead, the protagonist is, to say it with Sandor Clegane, whinging. Constantly complaining. Being an insufferable idiot. And then, after the middle of the book, suddenly all of the action comes. From then on, everything's fast-paced, full of fights and flights and surprising revelations that come out of nowhere - so much out of nowhere, that they're not believable. Gen's whole character is changed from one moment to the next, and that's just as unbelievable as the rest of it. For example, if someone hits you with a whip, you won't become their friend. Like, ever. Here, this seems to be no obstacle at all.

So no, I didn't like this one. It's a short book with nothing happening for its first half and too much happening in the last part, which is not a good mixture. Also, I couldn't find any compassion for 1st Gen at all, until he suddenly turns into 2nd Gen out of nothing. 2nd Gen was okay as a character, which is why this book gets two stars after all.
----
Dialogue 2
Setting 3
Characters 2
Writing Style 2
Plot 2

German:
Ich liebe lange, komplizierte, verschlungene Bücher, die große, überraschende Geschichten erzählen. So einem Buch verzeihe ich gern, wenn es mir ein paar Seiten so vorkommt, als würde nichts passieren, als würden sich weder die Charaktere, noch die Geschichte weiterentwickeln. Ehrlich, da kann ich drüber hinwegsehen...aber dieses Buch? Dieses Buch hat keine 300 Seiten- und trotzdem passiert über die ersten 150 Seiten GAR NICHTS. Wirklich. Überhaupt nichts. Stattdessen kämpft man sich durch ein endloses Roadmovie/Quest mit austauschbaren Charakteren, die offenbar alle eine multiple Persönlichkeitsstörung haben. Oder schwanger sind, anders kann ich mir diese totalen Stimmungsschwankungen, die von zusammen lachen bis sich auspeitschen reichen, nicht erklären.

Und dabei heult der Erzähler uns non-stop die Ohren voll. Die erste Hälfte des Buchs ist eine Elegie auf Gens Leid und seine Müdigkeit. Dann aber: BOOM, plötzlich ist er der größte Hecht im Karpfenteich und wird aus dem Nichts zu einem interessanten, sogar liebenswerten Charakter - aber weil dieser Wandel ebenso unerklärlich ist wie die völlig zerschriebenen Beziehungen der Figuren untereinander, rettet das dieses Buch dann auch nicht mehr. Umso mehr, als am Ende völlig aus dem Nichts die komplette Handlung herumgewirbelt wird - plötzlich. Mit nur einem minimalen Hinweis im ganzen Buch zuvor, den man nur bemerkt, wenn man dieses Werk unter einem Mikroskop gelesen hat. Was das Lesen vielleicht etwas weniger langweilig gemacht hätte. ...more

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Aug 03, 2019 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

tw: violence, death of a parent (in the past), near-drowning, death.

This felt like two entirely different books. The first half was SO BORING, but then at the half way point things finally pick up, but it wasn't enough for me to really get into it. This just wasn't my cup of tea unfortunately. :( ...more

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Apr 12, 2019 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, library-checkout, middle-grade-or-childrens, ya-fantasy, paperback, fantasy

The first 150 pages out of 270 was them walking around and sometimes eating. What. The. Heck. I love me some fantasy but I need a dang plot.. Have zero interest in these characters or where this series is going. Why is it so dang hard to find a good book to read???

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Jul 23, 2017 Emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, historical-fantasy, ya

Well written story and enjoyable in a meandering way. I enjoyed the mythology woven into the story. Gen was an engaging unreliable narrator.

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Jul 18, 2009 TheBookSmugglers rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Full Review Link

It is safe to say that I spend most of my free time reading. I read three to four books every week, sometimes more. I am very careful with what I choose to read which means that most of the books I read, I end up enjoying at least to some degree. But it is rare, extremely rare, to read a book that falls in that category of Books for Life. You know the ones: those that take over your heart and your mind, that even when you are reading you know that you are experiencing something u ...more

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Jan 02, 2018 Phee rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

Okay, so this was my third attempt at reading this book. But I finally did it!! I don’t know why I struggled so much the first two times, I mean the book is less than 300 pages. But for some reason I just couldn’t get into it before. I thought I’d give it one last attempt and I downloaded the audiobook to help me along, which was fantastic by the way.

Now you may look at my rating and assume that I didn’t much care for it. That’s not true, whilst it did have its problems I did actually really li Okay, so this was my third attempt at reading this book. But I finally did it!! I don’t know why I struggled so much the first two times, I mean the book is less than 300 pages. But for some reason I just couldn’t get into it before. I thought I’d give it one last attempt and I downloaded the audiobook to help me along, which was fantastic by the way.

Now you may look at my rating and assume that I didn’t much care for it. That’s not true, whilst it did have its problems I did actually really like this book. My rating is more of an rating of overall experience and I am trying to be a bit harsher in my ratings this year.

Firstly I’d like to talk about the world. The world in this book is heavily influenced by Greece and Greek myths. Lots of kings, queens and Gods. I really enjoyed the overall feel of the world and the way the author built the world for the reader. Most of the world building was actually done in the form of characters telling stories. Which was really interesting. They would literally sit round a campfire and tell the stories of the old Gods and the myths attributed to them. This is where the Greek influence comes into play. I loved learning about the gods along with the other characters and I really appreciated the clever way the author used storytelling in the book. I gave me Iliad feels and you all know I adore that.

Another thing I simply adored in this book was Eugenides himself. At first he was quite whiny and annoying. But he quickly becomes easy to love. By the end I was quite smitten with him to be honest. Gen was humorous and charming and when he was annoying the Magus or other characters he had me in stitches. Over the course of the book you come to some realisations about Gen, and his sometimes strange actions/reactions make sense once you realise that every single thing he does, he does for a reason. He is terribly clever.
Simply put, there is very little I didn’t like about him.

Now then, the parts that weren’t quite so good. The plot, whilst interesting, was completely predictable for me. I had guessed how it was mostly going to play out by the time the characters reached the first inn. But I shan’t spoil anything for those of you that haven’t read it or figured it out. Whilst it was very predictable it was still enjoyable. The characters and storytelling really helped keep my enjoyment levels up whilst reading. Despite guessing the ending it was still very satisfying to see all the revelations made and get some answers to questions I still had. I was feeling the same as Gen, waiting to see the shock in the other characters faces.
But nonetheless, it’s hard to really enjoy a plot you can see straight through.

I also think the pacing was all over the place. It started off fine, then drags towards the middle, then got better then wavered again. You’d think you were getting to an exciting part and then everything would crawl to a stop. The best bit was the ending and it zoomed through it. Which was a shame.

Forgot to mention that I loved the audiobook. The narrator, Steve West had a great voice. It suited Gen perfectly and I think I’m going to have to listen to the rest of this series on audio. All the other characters were distinguishable from each other and he put on different accents for people from different places.
I’m going to look out for more audiobooks narrated by Steve.

I’m glad that I have finally managed to make my way through this book. I already own the second book which I shall be starting soon as I’m very interested in seeing where the story is going to go. The seeds of a very political story were planted in this book and I am very curious to see how they grow. I love my fantasy novels to have political elements so I’m hoping this will satisfy me in that regard. I also want to see what our Thief will do now. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Fantasy Buddy Reads: The Thief [Queen's Thief Series Read] [Jan 15, 2021]	23	24	Jan 29, 2021 10:28PM
Tallinna Keskraam...: 2020 September - "Varas" Megan Whalen Turner	6	11	Sep 26, 2020 02:26AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: The Thief (The Queen's Thief #1) By Megan Whalen Turner - Starting November 22nd 2019	40	101	Nov 27, 2019 08:46PM
Challenge Corner: The Queen's Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner--Starting with The Thief on November 22nd, 2019	5	6	Nov 26, 2019 11:49AM

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About Megan Whalen Turner

Megan Whalen Turner

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Megan Whalen Turner is the author of short stories and novels for children, teenagers and adults. She has won the LA Times Book Award for Young Adult LIterature, a Boston Globe/ Horn Book Honor and a Newbery Honor. She won the Mythopoeic Award and was shortlisted twice for the Andre Norton Award.

Other books in the series

The Queen's Thief (6 books)

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Return of the Thief (The Queen's Thief, #6)

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Quotes from The Thief

“All I wanted to do was lie in the dry grass with my feet in a ditch forever. I could be a convenient sort of milemarker, I thought. Get to the thief and you know you're halfway to Methana.” — 236 likes

“You learn something new everyday."
"What are you learning?" Sophos asked.
"To keep my mouth shut, I hope.” — 180 likes

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