#and kamet is absolutely acting weird about it

[k-she-rambles]

Right, okay, but Queen's Thief characters meeting The Goblin Emperor characters

• both Attolia and Attolis like Maia very much, though for different reasons.

• Attolia continues to write Edrehasivar with loads of political advice. All of which Maia listens to gratefully, but very little of which he takes wholesale. Her instincts are effective, but violent.

(Attolia likes him even more for that, though there are many humorous comparisons to her husband between Maia and Sophos. "Gods, another king who would apologize to a viper," Irene says over a letter and Eugenia's curly head. Eugenides hums, and bends to kiss her where she sits, adjusting Hector on his right hip as he does so, then absently reaches around with his hand to remove a hairpin from his daughter's chubby palm before she can jam it in her mouth. Eugenia has naturally sticky fingers, in both senses of the word, and her brother is no slouch either. "Well then, it's fortunate some of the vipers are on his side. You bite." Attolia raises her eyebrows expressively, and Eugenides throws his head back and laughs.)

• Eugenides tries very hard to teach Maia how to sneak around the Alcethmeret (to Csethiro, to Idra, how to visit various officials unseen.) The nohecharei will not be thwarted. The Thief is unwillingly impressed, but adapts to stealing both Maia AND his guard. Nohecharei who think this is a grand adventure: Cala, Kiru. Nohecharei who are cataloguing this as a major security issue: Telimezh, Beshelar (and Cala and Kiru are considering ways to ward the escape routes.) Nohecharis who nearly gives the game away because he is vibrating with outrage at the security threat, the indignity of the emperor sneaking around, Eugenides' entire demeanor, etc: Beshelar

• Attolia is right: Maia and Sophos get along brilliantly. Similar feelings about not liking the responsibility of being ruler but knowing they owe it to their people to continue and to be better.

• "My god," says Eugenides. "It must be like looking in a mirror."

"Sounis and Edrehasivar?" Costis asks, though he knows the joke his king is after.

"You and that humorless nohecharis, what was his name again?"

Edrehasivar does not care over much for the dignity of his position, to the baffled pleasure and dismay of servants and soldiers alike. He says something, an aside to the nohecharei, something about making sure they eat and rest when they are able, and Beshelar flushes.

Costis winces in sympathy, and resolves to find a way to take the young elf out for a drink.

"It's a difficult position to be in," says Costis.

"Oh?"

"Standing behind a man who holds the happiness and safety of others more dear than his own."

"Or who has a very great faith in the one standing behind him," says Eugenides. "Poor man," he adds, looking at Beshelar again. "He practically breathes loyalty. I almost feel bad for making fun of him."

"Only almost, my king?"

"Ten gold cups," says Eugenides, and Costis feels his own face heat.

• Csevet and Kamet sizing each other up like two very similar cats.

• Csevet trusts Relius about as far as he can throw him, but tolerates him for Pheris' sake. Csevet thinks Pheris is a delight, and finds a way to have him meet the members of the clockmaker's guild visiting the court.

• Pheris doesn't know what the architects of this palace complex were on. Each element is mathematically brilliant but as a whole it does Not Work.

• The wisdom bridge works very well, in his opinion.

• Maia and Pheris going riding, with Idra, Mireän, and Ino.

• Helen, Irene, and Csethiro dinner party.

#queen's thief #the goblin emperor #also please note that csevet has kamet's dream job #and kamet is absolutely acting weird about it

[thecrenellations]

Thick as Thieves Undead-Blog, Part One | when your liveblog falls in a well then climbs out covered in flour | my notes from reading the book for the first time, Spring 2017

Expect yelling, lines that stuck out to me, and references that might only make sense in my head! Do not expect any meaningful analysis; I was simply reading this book, losing my mind, and feeling like I was falling in love. (Context provided in italics.)

Part Two

Chapters 1-5:

Ch. 1 - Kamet meets Costis and finds out about Nahuseresh’s “death” 

1. similar start to KoA and ACoK? and Thief?? feeling stupid

2. smashed bottle of remchik (amphora motif?)

RUSTICATE

oh no Nahuseresh why you’re married!

3. a new character! (Laela)

5. u look like a pomegranate

6. how old is Kamet?

8. “crooked men assume others are crooked as well” like thieves and philanderers...

10. Laela thinks Attolia is doomed?

ORNON????

“nature of world” is that what you really think?

trained as a child

11. poor eyesight

PAH COSTIS IS BACK i’m emotional

A VERY LARGE ATTOLIAN

12. THANK THE ETERNAL GODS HE WAS A CHATTY ATTOLIAN THAT’S WHAT YOU THINK

13. everyone is smart

a deep well of spite, low cunning

14. physical description of Costis?!?

he says he has so much power but he ... hides in alcoves? behind urns?

15. backward Attolia

a match made in hell (Kamet’s assessment of Gen and Irene)

K’s backstory

what does he like? does he WANT wealth and power?

16. *****“There is freedom and power” ***** (this quote was featured in some of the promotion before publication, I think, so it stuck out to me as especially important, though it probably would have anyway because it says a whole lot about Kamet’s perspective!)

oh no well there goes my wish for insight into Nahuseresh RIP (I didn’t LIKE Nahuseresh and particularly want to get to know him better, but I did go into this book hoping we’d get a more nuanced view of some of the Mede court ... turns out we absolutely DID get some serious insight into Nahuseresh despite him not appearing in person ... oof. I do still hope that RotT gives us even more Mede characters or fleshes out the other ambassadors - Akretenesh and Melheret (though we we just see them through the eyes of people like Sophos who vehemently oppose them) still seem less unique/complex/human compared to other antagonist-types like Ambiades, Sejanus, reader’s choice of baron.)

17. tears ... not for him though

 21. Shesmegah = Philia?

22. Rabbit and Lion!!!

23. Bear ... thx mwt <3 plz don’t be foreshadowing (Gen compares himself to a dancing bear ... so “there had been a white bear once, a gift from the Braelings in the north, but it had died in the heat” is pretty ominous, especially considering the animal allusions to another character on the previous page!)

24. he’s leaving the gates an enemy of king!

Ch. 2 - Kamet bumps into Immakuk and then Costis, the Anet’s Dream burns

28. how do they know who’s a slave?

clothes, chain

it’s Odin (listen. Odin and Immakuk both have one eye and show up a lot! I was totally on the right track. Shoutout to The Saga of the Volsungs ;) )

Enforcers of Imperial Peace give me a break! (i mean, in the US police are often officially called “peace officers” so, fair)

is he a god? srsly

32. the first of my many lies (“you said after noon”)

is this post-annuxing? no?

We went to the theater

34. I am a good judge of men

35. “i could evade the attolian far more easily than the palace guard” he is a palace guard <3

36. HIS ACCENT IS STILL HORRIBLE also your god’s favor

37. uhhh omg

38. omg OMG OMGOMG OMG (this was me generally losing it at Kamet’s assessment of Costis and at “he told me his name, as if he expected me to use it” I still cannot get over that line)

that’s one way to get Ornon out of your hair

39. Has C picked up the mind-reading habit

“take a seat” ... parallel to first KoA scene with Costis and Gen?

40. so certain of my place in the world

DIVESTED himself of his shirt

41. soooooooo bad bad institution (Kamet is thinking about the other slaves being executed)

42. Mercy buds (Kamet and Costis/Shesmegah and Philia)

44. more retrospect/depth in narration than Sophos, even (“I should have had more respect for his quick thinking” etc)

"i wanted to believe i steered the course of my future” no it’s Gen aka the gods

47. Story time!

friends

53. Ziggurat vs tower?

54. Costis is good in a crisis

55. what is this (Kamet’s swimming struggles)

“cooped up”

Ch. 3 - Kamet and Costis stay in Sherguz, then leave by caravan

62. making excuses to hang w Costis 4eva

who set the boat on fire?

who was the merchant on it?

68. know my secret??

wtf Costis you put a rock in your breastplate?

73. holy shit “eloquent”

lol this scene! (Costis negotiating with Roamanj)

“you are asking this because i look like your generous old uncle” his uncle is NOT generous tho

75. what is palm grease? :o 

does C really not know N is dead? what if he isn’t ....? (lol don’t give me too much credit for this thought, I quickly dismissed it)

76. sign of the idiot!

78. Aris! <3 Wish I hadn’t been spoiled for this! (by the character list absolutely crammed full of spoilers in all the new paperbacks)

79. Are these like the large caravans Eddis took?

85. around the fire interesting education vibes + romance?

I’m so proud of Costis!

Ch. 4 - Contains lions and backstory

89. Yes! (Namreen attack. I don’t know what in particular I was excited about. Possibly Costis’s comment that the guy who stabbed Kamet didn’t have his guard up? Or just everything.)

90. Wow! When u get over it, compare to Costis w/ Gen hurt!

93. “why namreen” OMG Kamet tell him!!! it’s important!

94. no one knows what my king knows

95. a herd of cats!

damn yeah issues

A LION!!! wtf 

I would LOVE to hear Costis hiss

OMG COSTIS NO

96. prayers ouch ... oxe harbrea?

98. oh my god

101. Costis is kind

105. Costis is accustomed to passing the day in silence - but he fills the silence here w/ Kamet w/ horrible jokes!

god what was K’s childhood

106. OMG sand in food

107. OMG so cute (Costis telling stories about Gen)

108. So so so! :)

110. I am aghast I continue to be aghast I’m surprised This Incident wasn’t common knowledge tho (How did you come to Ianna-Ir? I punched the king in the face.)

112. well that was a long and slightly weird story (abt Costis’s story of the above. I was channelling something Martin says in the Cabin Pressure episode “Fitton” about the sauce?)

116. Attolian slang omg

literally the main suspense/climax is when is Kamet going to call Costis by his name?!?!!!

117. [doodle of caggi conversation, see photo at top of post]

126. omg they were both in Attolia but not together

if Kamet was in the kitchen then does he know Sandy? (LJ fandom name for Brinna before we knew who she was)

127. OMG nutcakes vs Irene (“She was as beautiful as the Queen of the Night, but the Attolian nutcakes ... were even more beautiful -- and they wouldn’t kill you.”)

looks like a nutcake is actually a nutcake

looks like a nutcake could actually kill u? (I THINK ABOUT THIS CONCEPT A LOT. someday I will make a post about it)

Ch. 5 - Road trip continues, Ne Malia/Koadester

131. So proud of Costis’s acting! (losing money to sell the chain)

136. the truth? (Kamet’s backstory)

we’re just getting more (as readers)

140. IT’S ODIN (onion farmer)

143. fastener?

144. wooo (thoughts about “new authority as a free man”)

151. crack in china cup returns

153. Costis you’re sharing your king’s confidence!

154. Eugenides here to break up your empire!

lol Melheret Gen why

156. “squabbles” wars all reduced to reliable trade route!

apparently I became too engrossed to take notes as their pursuers caught up to them, because that’s all for this chapter! The journey will continue when I’ve typed up more ... let me know if anything is incomprehensible. Thanks for reading!

#this got ... quite long so i'll post the rest later #thick as thieves #queen's thief #this was fun to revisit! thank you to everyone who encouraged me #it's so strange to see what i chose to comment on and what I just read #picture me walking across campus to printmaking class clutching the book and my notebook to my face #scribbling costis's name in all caps #heart pounding #etc #something i