Book Series · 6 Books

The Queen's Thief Books

In order from The Thief to Return of the Thief.

Six completed political-fantasy novels centered on the brilliant thief Eugenides and the shifting alliances of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis.

Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated August 11, 2026

Reading order

How to Read The Queen's Thief

Read The Thief through Return of the Thief in numbered order. Later narrators and political conflicts rely on earlier revelations, so this is a series where preserving surprises matters.

Publisher descriptions sometimes emphasize that individual books can stand alone, but publication order gives the clearest character and political arc.

Sources: HarperCollins's official Queen's Thief collection.

For parents

What Parents Should Know

The series begins as an accessible quest but grows into mature political fantasy. It includes imprisonment, torture, a traumatic amputation, assassination attempts, war, slavery, injuries, deaths, grief, coercive power, and complicated marriages and alliances. Much of the intensity comes from betrayal and consequence rather than graphic description.

Where to start

Where Should a New Reader Start?

Protect the surprises

Begin with The Thief and avoid plot-heavy summaries of later books; twists reshape how readers understand the characters.

Where the story begins

First Book in the Series

Sale price

$1049

Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 10–15 · 1996

The Thief

By Megan Whalen Turner

A thief's boast leads to a perilous quest for a legendary treasure.

280 pages· 68,860 words· Est. 6.5 hour read

$10.99Save 5%

Paperback

Summary: Eugenides, a master thief, claims he can steal anything. When his bravado lands him in prison, the king's magus offers him a chance at freedom: steal a legendary treasure. But as they embark on this dangerous quest, Eugenides has his own secret plans. With political intrigue, divine interventions, and unexpected twists, will he outsmart those who underestimate him? Dive into a world where deception is an art and the stakes are life and death.

In reading order