Book Series Review: The Queen's Thief

The Queen’s Thief series follows the story of a clever young thief, named Gen, who's out to steal not only meager possessions but security, peace, and time. The first book, The Thief, opens with Gen in prison after stealing the king’s seal ring. The king’s advisor visits him proposing a deal to let Gen out of prison if he steals something for him. Gen, excited by the opportunity to escape, agrees:

“I want you to steal something."

I smiled. "Do you want the king's seal? I can get it for you."

"If I were you," said the magus, "I'd stop bragging about that." His voice grated.

My smile grew. The gold ring with the engraved ruby had been in his safekeeping when I had stolen it away.”

― Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief

The adventure follows their trip through the peninsula they call home. The beginning is slow, as the first half of the book is world building, but the pace quickens immensely during the second half of the novel and doesn't slow down during the next four books. Gen's quick wit and lively humor keeps you guessing throughout the books.

Personally, The Queen’s Thief series is my absolute favorite series. Topping Harry Potter and every other young adult novel I’ve ever read (which is quite a lot). This series is refreshingly different from normal YA books. Megan Whalen Turner crafted a beautiful world, rich with history, religion, and full of deceit. She believes that teens deserve to be given books that don’t simply encourage thought but “assume they are already thinking and offer them something important to think about” (Horn Book Inc.). Her books can be read as a light fun read or as a deep depth to find meaning in each word. She doesn’t connect the dots for you but instead simply shows the pieces, expecting you to find the connections and meanings yourself. But don’t let that scare you, it is not necessary to connect all the dots to understand the story, but it is part of the fun. Her subtlety makes rereading a whole new adventure, which gets better with each time you start again.

“Megan Whalen Turner has constructed a clever world filled with suspense and intrigue and characters that will never be forgotten. Once you dive into the world of the Queen’s Thief, prepare to have your life stolen from you until you finish them all.” -Joelle Charbonneau, New York Times-bestselling author of the Testing trilogy

“Megan Whale Turner’s Queen's Thief books are like the characters she creates: endlessly entertaining, deeply deceptive, and very, very clever. - Garth Nix, New York Times-Bestselling and award-winning author of the Old Kingdom, Keys to the Kingdom, and Seventh Tower series

“Megan Whalen Turner accepts her award for A Conspiracy of Kings.”