The Queen's Thief Series
May. 16th, 2021 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaHonestly I don't have a lot to say about this series which I find a little weird because I do really love it. I've reread all the books multiple times and a couple of them (Queen/King) at least half a dozen times. They have tons of re-readability for me. A couple thoughts before the final book:
+ I love Eugenides so much. I love his manipulative, brilliant, sneaky ass. I love how he inspires loyalty. My fav character, followed by Attolia (and her wonderful ruthlessness.) That was true the first time I read the books and true on this reread too.
+ I think on this reread I've ended up with this as my order of enjoyment: The King of Attolia -> The Queen of Attolia --> The Thief -> Thick as Thieves <-> Conspiracy of Kings. But I liked all of them.
I loved Costis's POV in King which I think is what puts it into first. Outsider POV of Gen (and his everything) is delightful to me. I loved seeing Costis's POV on Eugenides (and Attolia and their relationship) especially the way he takes events/actions one way while the reader with their knowledge of Gen can see how it really is, and the dichotomy between the two makes it a very interesting to read. I was invested in his slowly changing opinion on Gen/the relationship with Attolia. It also had so many moments I loved.
+ Eugenides/Attolia are great. I love the whole cut off his hand/he was already in love with her set up to their romance. The fact that he was already in love with her makes it really work for me, and the fact that her cutting off his hand doesn't change his feelings is delicious. Her slowly, and importantly unknowingly, falling in love with him in Queen and only realising it when she thinks he was murdered was also great. I loved the scene in King of Attolia after the attempted assassination of Gen when they meet on the stairs and then basically all their interactions after that point were so wonderful.
+ I'm neutral on the Sounis/Eddis romance on the other hand. I like both characters but there just wasn't enough there for me to get interested in them as a couple.
+ I love Eddis and Gen's relationship and loved the friendship that built between Eddis and Attolia.
+ I haven't mentioned him but I do also love the Magus and his relationship with Gen especially is great.
+ I liked the reveal that Kamet and Gen became friends while Gen was hanging out in the palace undercover.
+ I liked that in Conspiracy the present to Sophos Gen put in a matching gun to Attolia's because he couldn't see another way for Sophos to win. He usually has some secret brilliant plan/move but it's nice to have the occasional moment when that's not true.
+ That last scene between Gen and Sophos in Conspiracy where Sophos tells Gen that he knew Gen would send help because "I needed my king to send me help. You did. There had to be reinforcements at Oneia, so they were there." really got to me. It was a powerful little moment in the building of Gen as Annux.
+ I'm rather worried about Eugenides going into the final book. We keep getting these little bits about his ill health - the healers from Attolia and Eddis fighting over his treatment and the medicine laced wine in Conspirasy, Kamet noting that he learned that Gen's health was poor in Thieves - and I find myself honestly worried that the series might end with Eugenides dying. It'd make sense to me considering his place in the story but it'd make me so sad!
+ I wish the series had done more with other people's reactions to Eugenides connection to the gods. Sure, a lot of people wouldn't believe, a lot wouldn't think about it but there should also be a lot of people who do react. Gen locked himself in a room to communicate with his gods, a bunch of windows in the palace blew out, and when the room was opened three days later he was found unconscious, surrounded by shattered glass (but uncut by it) with the room completely blackened from being burned (but leaving him unhurt from that too). There should have been a lot more reaction to that. Wild rumours, a cult springing up, mention of far more people worshipping the old gods, etc. I wanted to see mentions of that from the later books - from Sophos and Costis and Kamet, and what they think of the rumours and how the potentially changes toward the end of their books.
+ In general I love Gen's relationship with the Gods. Their 'quit whining' message (ha) and the scene where he's on the roof drunk and steps back and gets caught by EUGENIDES and told to go to bed. I want more of that stuff.
+ I love Eugenides so much. I love his manipulative, brilliant, sneaky ass. I love how he inspires loyalty. My fav character, followed by Attolia (and her wonderful ruthlessness.) That was true the first time I read the books and true on this reread too.
+ I think on this reread I've ended up with this as my order of enjoyment: The King of Attolia -> The Queen of Attolia --> The Thief -> Thick as Thieves <-> Conspiracy of Kings. But I liked all of them.
I loved Costis's POV in King which I think is what puts it into first. Outsider POV of Gen (and his everything) is delightful to me. I loved seeing Costis's POV on Eugenides (and Attolia and their relationship) especially the way he takes events/actions one way while the reader with their knowledge of Gen can see how it really is, and the dichotomy between the two makes it a very interesting to read. I was invested in his slowly changing opinion on Gen/the relationship with Attolia. It also had so many moments I loved.
+ Eugenides/Attolia are great. I love the whole cut off his hand/he was already in love with her set up to their romance. The fact that he was already in love with her makes it really work for me, and the fact that her cutting off his hand doesn't change his feelings is delicious. Her slowly, and importantly unknowingly, falling in love with him in Queen and only realising it when she thinks he was murdered was also great. I loved the scene in King of Attolia after the attempted assassination of Gen when they meet on the stairs and then basically all their interactions after that point were so wonderful.
+ I'm neutral on the Sounis/Eddis romance on the other hand. I like both characters but there just wasn't enough there for me to get interested in them as a couple.
+ I love Eddis and Gen's relationship and loved the friendship that built between Eddis and Attolia.
+ I haven't mentioned him but I do also love the Magus and his relationship with Gen especially is great.
+ I liked the reveal that Kamet and Gen became friends while Gen was hanging out in the palace undercover.
+ I liked that in Conspiracy the present to Sophos Gen put in a matching gun to Attolia's because he couldn't see another way for Sophos to win. He usually has some secret brilliant plan/move but it's nice to have the occasional moment when that's not true.
+ That last scene between Gen and Sophos in Conspiracy where Sophos tells Gen that he knew Gen would send help because "I needed my king to send me help. You did. There had to be reinforcements at Oneia, so they were there." really got to me. It was a powerful little moment in the building of Gen as Annux.
+ I'm rather worried about Eugenides going into the final book. We keep getting these little bits about his ill health - the healers from Attolia and Eddis fighting over his treatment and the medicine laced wine in Conspirasy, Kamet noting that he learned that Gen's health was poor in Thieves - and I find myself honestly worried that the series might end with Eugenides dying. It'd make sense to me considering his place in the story but it'd make me so sad!
+ I wish the series had done more with other people's reactions to Eugenides connection to the gods. Sure, a lot of people wouldn't believe, a lot wouldn't think about it but there should also be a lot of people who do react. Gen locked himself in a room to communicate with his gods, a bunch of windows in the palace blew out, and when the room was opened three days later he was found unconscious, surrounded by shattered glass (but uncut by it) with the room completely blackened from being burned (but leaving him unhurt from that too). There should have been a lot more reaction to that. Wild rumours, a cult springing up, mention of far more people worshipping the old gods, etc. I wanted to see mentions of that from the later books - from Sophos and Costis and Kamet, and what they think of the rumours and how the potentially changes toward the end of their books.
+ In general I love Gen's relationship with the Gods. Their 'quit whining' message (ha) and the scene where he's on the roof drunk and steps back and gets caught by EUGENIDES and told to go to bed. I want more of that stuff.
