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). 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.

However my advice would be - don't waste your time searching for clues and anticipating the huge climax and just enjoy the great writing and skillfully built fantasy world. Overall, I enjoyed this book, enough to want to read the consequent novels. I thought it was a very interesting way to write a book. Gen is a funny, sneaky and extremely unreliable narrator, who holds a lot back and while he tells the story in his own words, he remains very anonymous throughout his adventures. In fact, the sentence structure, the tightness and simplicity of 'The Thief' reminded me of 'Graceling,' only Turner is definitely a stronger writer. Turner's books are highly recommended by Kristin Cashore, a great YA fantasy writer. Turner shows a great command of English language, there is simply no word wasted in this story. What I should have concentrated on is the writing, because it is superb.

I think this anticipation of the big reveal threw me off a bit and I ended up a little underwhelmed when the ending finally came. But if you know in advance that you should expect something, it is very easy to pick up clues on the way and figure out the big secret fairly quickly. The reviewers like to point to a huge twist at the end of the story as the biggest reason for enjoying this book. I enjoyed it, but I think I spoiled the experience for myself a little bit. It made me forever and ever a dedicated fan of the series. 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. Clearly I can never get tired of Megan Whalen Turner’s stories and Gen’s refreshing petulance.

The queen thief