The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Note: book 1 in the series. Next book is The Queen of Attolia, then The King of Attolia, and finally, A Conspiracy of Kings (out April 2010).

Plot: The king's scholar believes he knows the location of a priceless treasure, but he needs a skilled thief to retrieve it. He chooses a thief called Gen from the king's prison and begins the journey, eager to recover this ancient artifact. But Gen doesn't seem all too interested...

Comments: I accidentally read The Queen of Attolia before The Thief, so there were a couple details that were confusing (in The Queen of Attolia). But now that I've read The Thief, everything clears right up. I felt like the plot in The Queen of Attolia moved faster than in The Thief, but I liked The Thief more. I think this is because there's less of the political games and war strategies and monologues; there's more action, hilarious dialogue (Gen is extremely witty, often to his misfortune), and adventure. The setting moves around a little more, and I think the book focuses more on Gen in The Thief.

The characters are easy to relate to and feel, but I can't imagine what they look like. I can hear their voices and imagine them as real people, but I just can't imagine their faces. True, I've never been really good imagining characters' appearances, but whenever I try to play out a scene in my mind, I can only see figures with no faces. I like the variety of personalities in the characters. They fit together well. It's also nice that there aren't many characters, because that's less names and details you have to remember.

The plot is interesting and original, and I liked the folktales mixed in. The storyline was easy to follow (though sometimes the folktales were confusing) and the whole story is in general an easy book to read. I read the entire book all the way through without stopping, I was so engrossed in the story! Gen is mischievous and rebellious and funny, which is perfect in this serious, no-nonsense quest for an ancient treasure!

Rating: I'll rate this book a seven out of ten. Easy, funny read!