What a delicious series! I was hooked from the very beginning of The Thief, when we meet Gen, a thief hired by a magus to steal a precious gem. The tightness of the POV clued me in that I was in for a surprise, but kept me so well-controlled that I didn’t guess the secret at all. The next two books, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia do a masterful job at world-building and character development while not getting too bogged down in courtly politics and intrigue. Book 4, A Conspiracy of Kings, follows a character from book 1 on his own journey and brought in some exciting new developments.

I was delighted by Turner’s willingness to take risks with her characters–not quite grimdark, but similar to the way Robin Hobb puts her characters in jeopardy. There’s one event in particular that really broke my heart. But because Turner traffics in tricksters, every tragedy brings an opportunity, and everyone is playing a long game.

Great series, perfect for younger teens but rich enough to please adults as well.