The Thief (The Queen's Thief #1) by Megan Whalen Turner: Book Review

I read The Thief based solely on the reviews of two of my favorite book-reading friends and was not disappointed. The story is about a thief, a king's advisor and his two apprentices, and a bodyguard on their journey/quest to find an ancient, mythical stone. As almost every reviewer has stated, the beginning is quite slow. I do not typically enjoy tedious journeys described in books. Thankfully, this particular journey was not as long or as difficult to follow as those in The Hobbit or The Fellowship of the Ring. And by about the half-way point, things start to pick up and get interesting. A good bit is revealed toward the end, and it is enough to satisfy you and make you want to read further. I had a feeling that something was up, though I couldn't quite figure it out before all was revealed. So though I was not surprised at the twists, they were still enjoyable.

It's difficult to pinpoint a specific time/age/country for this fantasy world. It has a Greek mythological feel to it, of course, but there are hints of other times and places as well. The characters travel by horse and by foot; there are archers and swordsmen, but they also have guns. The language has a more modern feel to it. So you're never quite sure of your bearings, but it works. And the author's writing is flawless. I'm giving it four stars only because of the slow tedium of the first half. Character development and plot are fantastic. I love the narration - first person from the thief's point of view.

Everyone says you've got to read this book in order to read the second one, The Queen of Attolia, and that the second is the best of the series, so I'm on to book #2....

Get a copy of The Thief from Amazon.

Read about the author, Megan Whalen Turner, on Goodreads.