Scan barcode
eleanorefiore's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
⚔️ Main character with little agency
⚔️ Love interest that had the same amount of personality as a video game npc
⚔️ Interesting worldbuilding, but needed a little more
Queen Among the Dead is a historical fantasy inspired by Celtic history and mythology. It sounds intriguing but ultimately ended up bland and lacking the feminist messages it promises.
The worldbuilding is the only part that I somewhat enjoyed. Queen Among the Dead focuses on how stories change over time and how women are represented in history, which sounds interesting, but it needs to go deeper. I got surface-level commentary, and I needed to be able to sink my teeth into more.
I wanted the religion fleshed out as well. The book overly relied on the "I just had a feeling" or "something was telling me" or "A god chose me for SOME reason..." and never truly gave me a picture of the gods or their role in the world. It felt like plot convenience because it was so under-explained.
Our main character is Neve, and she's...so frustrating. Neve tricks you into thinking she has agency by being an active main character with a strong personality who can fight. But she just gets dragged from place to place, and the only choices she ever truly makes are the ones where she chooses to leave the palace. Inevitably, she gets caught up in something, is forced to go back, or happens to stumble on the exact answers she needs. I can't think of very many times she moved the story forward.
We're supposed to believe she's some great leader, but she never grows into that label or shows any leader-like qualities. This is frustrating because she sees these qualities in other people. She points out side characters with fantastic leadership skills, which was the perfect opportunity for her to try to emulate as part of her arc. Yet, she does nothing but continue to be bull-headed and stumble into situations that resolve themselves for her.
The dual POV and LI is Ronan, and he has as much personality as a wet paper bag. What are his goals? What are his dreams? What are his opinions on the monarchy? What does he think about the gods? What is his ten-year plan? I have no idea, and neither does he.
This made his romance with Neve...nothing. Absolutely nothing. About halfway through, Neve says she's wanted to kiss him since they first met, but she didn't do us the honour of relaying that information. It was so out of left field and awkward, especially as they've both explicitly said they don't like or trust each other.
BUT WAIT. There's more. There's another man who Neve has a genuine connection with, is an excellent character, has many qualities that she's attracted to, and he explicitly likes her. He's set up as the other LI, because, of course, there's a love triangle, and I don't understand why she keeps going to Ronan. She tells and shows us that this other man is significantly better, and she even likes and trusts him more, and yet...why Ronan. Why. The series has more books, but I can't be dragged out only to watch her settle for the blandest man ever.
As a final note, Queen Among the Dead is set up to be very feminist, but, honestly, I wouldn't say I like the kind of feminism it went for. It's the kind where she chooses to abandon any feminine labels to rise to power. For example, she explicitly says not to call her Queen and instead call her the King....but they already have a gender-neutral label for the ruler? Dagda.
The first Dagda was originally going to be a woman, Neve's ancestor, and then she was betrayed. So Neve taking back this title and becoming Dagda would have been more powerful to me than shunning any feminine labels to be seen as valuable in society. She had other options.<--- I know this is entirely my preference. I'm sure this speaks to some people, just not me.
Look, I wouldn't say I liked this book. Clearly. However, would I recommend it to someone looking for books that have a historical focus? Sure. There aren't many Celtic-inspired SFF novels, so maybe you should read it.
But also, don't.
⚔️ Love interest that had the same amount of personality as a video game npc
⚔️ Interesting worldbuilding, but needed a little more
Queen Among the Dead is a historical fantasy inspired by Celtic history and mythology. It sounds intriguing but ultimately ended up bland and lacking the feminist messages it promises.
The worldbuilding is the only part that I somewhat enjoyed. Queen Among the Dead focuses on how stories change over time and how women are represented in history, which sounds interesting, but it needs to go deeper. I got surface-level commentary, and I needed to be able to sink my teeth into more.
I wanted the religion fleshed out as well. The book overly relied on the "I just had a feeling" or "something was telling me" or "A god chose me for SOME reason..." and never truly gave me a picture of the gods or their role in the world. It felt like plot convenience because it was so under-explained.
Our main character is Neve, and she's...so frustrating. Neve tricks you into thinking she has agency by being an active main character with a strong personality who can fight. But she just gets dragged from place to place, and the only choices she ever truly makes are the ones where she chooses to leave the palace. Inevitably, she gets caught up in something, is forced to go back, or happens to stumble on the exact answers she needs. I can't think of very many times she moved the story forward.
We're supposed to believe she's some great leader, but she never grows into that label or shows any leader-like qualities. This is frustrating because she sees these qualities in other people. She points out side characters with fantastic leadership skills, which was the perfect opportunity for her to try to emulate as part of her arc. Yet, she does nothing but continue to be bull-headed and stumble into situations that resolve themselves for her.
The dual POV and LI is Ronan, and he has as much personality as a wet paper bag. What are his goals? What are his dreams? What are his opinions on the monarchy? What does he think about the gods? What is his ten-year plan? I have no idea, and neither does he.
This made his romance with Neve...nothing. Absolutely nothing. About halfway through, Neve says she's wanted to kiss him since they first met, but she didn't do us the honour of relaying that information. It was so out of left field and awkward, especially as they've both explicitly said they don't like or trust each other.
BUT WAIT. There's more. There's another man who Neve has a genuine connection with, is an excellent character, has many qualities that she's attracted to, and he explicitly likes her. He's set up as the other LI, because, of course, there's a love triangle, and I don't understand why she keeps going to Ronan. She tells and shows us that this other man is significantly better, and she even likes and trusts him more, and yet...why Ronan. Why. The series has more books, but I can't be dragged out only to watch her settle for the blandest man ever.
As a final note, Queen Among the Dead is set up to be very feminist, but, honestly, I wouldn't say I like the kind of feminism it went for. It's the kind where she chooses to abandon any feminine labels to rise to power. For example, she explicitly says not to call her Queen and instead call her the King....but they already have a gender-neutral label for the ruler? Dagda.
The first Dagda was originally going to be a woman, Neve's ancestor, and then she was betrayed. So Neve taking back this title and becoming Dagda would have been more powerful to me than shunning any feminine labels to be seen as valuable in society. She had other options.<--- I know this is entirely my preference. I'm sure this speaks to some people, just not me.
Look, I wouldn't say I liked this book. Clearly. However, would I recommend it to someone looking for books that have a historical focus? Sure. There aren't many Celtic-inspired SFF novels, so maybe you should read it.
But also, don't.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexism
More...