I enjoyed the first book in this series, THE THIEF, but I loved QoA. I'm sort of at a loss for words... The political intrigue. The war strategies. The nuanced relationship between Gen and his queen, father, Attolia, the Magus... It's all incredible. And I appreciate Gen as a protagonist even more after this sequel. He is strong and smart and capable and clever, yet also flawed and weak. He has moments where he wallows in self pity. He makes mistakes and stumbles to recover. He feels so. darn. real. I've heard book three, THE KING OF ATTOLIA is even better, and I can't wait to pick it up. Turner is one heck of a talented writer. 
 Originally reviewed here.