The King of Attolia

by Megan Whalen Turner

After finishing the previous book of this series, The Queen of Attolia, I just HAD to start the next one! Breaking all bans on book-buying before Christmas established by friend and fellow book lover, Dani - I went to the store and bought it anyway, incurring the wrath of said rule-maker. Oops.

But scoldings aside, it was well worth it!

The King of Attolia was equal parts confusion, frustration (at being confused), delight, gooeyness, and awe! Yes, gooeyness...all great books need a little gooeyness! Definition of gooeyness: charming little romantic sequences that make your brain feel the slightest bit "gooey" and which cause you to want to read all the more faster with the hope that the gooey feeling will return shortly. :)

I though I was going to be upset at the beginning of the book when a new character appears. And while Costis appears in nearly every scene, the book is not told entirely from his point of view. And happily, his story did not take us away from the story of Gen and Atollia. I liked hearing how Costis's opinion of his new ruler gradually changed from outright hatred, to grudging respect, to a geniune approval.

And once again, at the end of the book I was eager for the next installment! However, there is no such animal....at least not yet! I do hope that Turner will continue the series. She did seem to leave herself open for another by not revealing the final outcome with Sophos. I do hope though, that if there is another book, it will not be all about Sophos, because half of the charm of the series is the cunning antics of Gen and Attolia! More please Ms. Turner!

Update: The forth part to this series, A Conspiracy of Kings is set to drop March 10th, 2010!