The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

385 pages

"By scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making. Attolia's barons seethe with resentment, the Mede emperor is returning to the attack, and the king is surrounded by the subtle and dangerous intrigue of the Attolian court.

When a naive young guard expresses his contempt for the king in no uncertain terms, he is dragged by Eugenides into the center of political maelstrom. Like the king, he cannot escape the difficulties he makes for himself. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but he discovers a reluctant sympathy for Eugenides as he watches the newly crowned king struggle against his fate." -Dust Jacket

Before the spoilers I'll just say that this series has now joined my short list of all-time favorite books and I'll be reading it often. I can't wait to go back and find the hidden gems and all the subtle twists and turns that I missed the first time through. The Scarlet Pimpernel has long been on that list and Eugenides reminds me of Sir Percival in a number of ways. This is a great, smart series. Unfortunately, or maybe not if all the books are this good, there will be two more in this series so it's not done yet. Four are out now.

{SPOILERS}

The shift in narrators was a really wise choice for this third book in the series. By this time the reader knows how brilliant and capable Eugenides is, so the joy of this book is in the waiting for Costis to figure that out as well. Eugenides doesn't want to be king. He just wanted Attolia, but with her comes a crown. He tells Costis at one point that he's caught in a web of his own making and for the first time he can't find a way out. He is used to a life of solitude to a certain extent, and now he's thrust into the public eye in a major way and he feels lost. He can't sneak around like he's accustomed to because he's got all these attendants that follow him around and poke fun at him at every opportunity. He's left his country, friends, and family behind so of course he feels lonely. He's playing a part to protect Attolia. I think that he doesn't want to undermine her power. Attolia says that he's afraid of failing. I think the whole "problem" is that Eugenides is just a good guy. He's surprisingly, or not, very compassionate. He punishes those who need punishing but then displays a great level of mercy, at least to those who deserve it. He's fair. Attolia has never been one to show mercy and so they balance each other well. That doesn't mean that Eugenides's mercy doesn't anger Attolia though.

Costis, the narrator, is a likable character. He's an ordinary guy who's trying to work his way up in the military but finds himself at the beginning of the book jailed for punching the king in the face. He knows it was stupid, he knows his life is probably over, but he also knows (or thinks he knows) that the king is an idiot and he doesn't want to see the crown reduced to idiocy. Of course, as the reader, you know Costis is in for a major surprise and Turner does not disappoint. Eugenides has been manipulating those around him all along, Costis being one of them.

I love that the reader doesn't get a real glimpse of Eugenides's and Attolia's marriage until the middle of the book. You know they've expressed their love for each other at the end of the second book, that Eugenides has left his country, friends and family behind for her, but you don't really know how that love has or hasn't grown now that they're married. They treat each other indifferently in public, sometimes with seeming contempt on the queen's part, and you wonder if that's how they have grown to really feel...until the king is stabbed by assassins in the garden and they share a passionate kiss in front of the court. That's when you know just how deep their love for each other is. I think that's the turning point for Costis too, when he starts to realize there's more to the king than meets the eye. The second half of the book is Costis learning more and more about the king's ability, seeing the true man behind the part he's playing, and then having the desire to expose that man to the court and the guard. When Eugenides finally reveals himself it's like striking gold for the reader - such a fun scene. Everything Eugenides has done has been to show people only what he wants them to see, even down to his wardrobe choices (which are meant to disguise just how strong he really is). I love that Eugenides.