"My queen," said Xanthe, "you are Eddia."
Helen shook her head. Knowing the consternation it would cause, and knowing she would overcome it, she said, "No, I am Eddis. The gods have told me so."

This is perfect for fans of the Queen's Thief books. All the stories are short and leave room for the imagination, which is what Megan Whalen Turner does best. But they do answer some questions and fill in some gaps from the main series (as well as let us see what happens to a few characters after Return of the Thief). I know a lot of it was previously published, but seeing as I read the series in a variety of editions from different libraries, I'm very happy they're all collected in one place now. There are also little tidbits about the pieces of Greek culture that inspired the writing. Plus there are lovely illustrations (lots of earrings!), and interspersed between the chapters are iconic quotes from the series which I was very happy to see!

-Do not offend the gods.
-I am a master of foolhardy plans.
-Sometimes, if you want to change a man's mind, you have to change the mind of the man next to him first.
-If I am the pawn of the gods, it is because they know me so well, not because they make my mind up for me.
-Unkingly in so many ways, My King.
-If we truly trust no one, we cannot survive.

Spoilery thoughts:

Spoiler

I've read a lot of reviews complaining about the lack of this or that. I have to concur: I would have liked to read more about Gen and Irene. I am sad that MWT drops hints about Hector & Eugenia without telling us what happened. I was deeply saddened by the near-complete absence of Sophos.

HOWEVER. I think one of the beautiful things about these books has always been that there is more to imagine. MWT is the queen of Not Telling and she does that beautifully here. I miss these characters palpably, but I think that's kind of the point? The Geniad has always been about loss, about the inevitable fall of three small kingdoms and the death of their rulers. Even if the gods granted them another day, another decade, I finished ROTT knowing that Gen's rule was the end of a golden age and he and Irene and all of them would die. The grief at the end of these books perfectly reflects the grief that I feel living in a broken world, and I am bittersweetly sad about it. & I think it was the perfect choice to end this book with Gitta's story, because they are going to die, and someday their ancestors are going to read about them. I hope she reigns long and well.

The thief lives on in all of his books. Go read them again. They are beautiful because they are finite.

Hail Annux.

The River will rise
The seed will sprout
The rains come down
And the leaves unfurl
The hind will bring her children to graze before us
All in their time

If you haven't read the main series, don't start here, but please do read the books. Masterfully plotted & beautifully written, a good mix of heist & court intrigue, drawing on ancient & Byzantine Greek culture & mythology, featuring incredible characters & relationships. I read a lot of YA fantasy. These are the kind that I'll still be reading in fifty years, and I hope and think others will too. And if you haven't met Gen yet, you're missing out.

"Ask yourself, Eugenides: why that orange tree? Why that tamarisk bush? She had promised you your heart's desire while a child of hes was alone in the world and unhappy. See, Eugenides," Moira said, holding out a finger from each of her hands and interlinking them. "Only two threads brought together, two threads that touched," she reassured him. "Nothing more than that. And everything else left up to you."