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theespressoedition's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: War and Violence
keepcalmblogon's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects for my e-ARC of Queen Among the Dead. I was so excited to get into this book because I am massively intrigued by Celtic history and legends!
From the get-go, Queen Among the Dead is all action; Neve is a strong-willed, independent female ready to defend herself and her nation at all costs. She finds her match in Ronan, a thief with loyalty to the end.
The courtly intrigue, magical mayhem, and battle drama never cease throughout the story and I was truly hooked. There were a few things that were hard to follow though, namely, the magic system was a little confusing, especially since the writing style used an immersion technique in which things were named but not explained, so the reader had to figure it out on their own.
One of the antagonist’s plotlines didn’t sit well with me though, it was obviously meant to be a twist, and it was, but upon reflection, if Gofannon wanted to prevent the Scathach from returning, why would he fight against Neve? If he felt like she was being possessed by the Scathach (which she partly was, but she and her friends were doing fine to keep her at bay) that would have made a little more sense, but he literally told Neve that she was his last hope of preventing the Scathach from returning. And, how would going to battle against Neve have gotten Anonn back for Cormac? I don’t think battling her daughter would have endeared Anonn to him. If it had been a little more straightforward without the “twist” of Gofannon being “good” and he had remained the antagonist, there still would have been the question of why return the Scathach after having banished her, but the overarching plot would have been less convoluted. Ultimately, Cormac should have wanted to battle Neve for the throne, not her mom, and Gofannon’s story could have been smoothed out, no plot necessary and just throw in a reason for him to change his mind, fickle people change their minds all the time.
In the end, this book was 4 stars for me for good action, Celtic inspiration, a strong female warrior, and a cute love story thrown in.
Check out my full review, with some spoilers, on GoodReads!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, and Violence
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