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mandkips's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Drug abuse, and Infidelity
snowwhitehatesapples's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
What would you do when your best friend suddenly dies right in front of you? Would you let others replace her legacy as the reigning champion? Or, would you claim it for yourself, for the sake of her memory?
In Queen of Tiles , Najwa refuses to let others erase Trina’s legacy, though her return to the competitive scrabble scene is more than just that. She’s looking to heal and move on with her life…until Trina’s inactive Instagram starts posting again, leaving cryptic messages that suggest that she was instead, murdered and someone at the competition is the killer. So, what can Najwa do now that the closest people around her are suspects? Report to the authorities? Psssh, no. She’s gonna figure everything out to save both Trina and herself.
Keeping in mind that the characters are all underage and they’re stuck in a hotel where the scrabble tournament is held, there’s a limit to how much can be done. Even so, the way the mystery unravels is quite engaging—ridiculous at times, plenty predictable (for me, as someone who reads quite a bit of crime, mysteries and thrillers) and a little too neatly wrapped up, but still engaging. The truth behind Trina’s death is refreshing too, though it does feel rather anti-climatic since the entire story hinges on the mystery.
Other than that, I like that Queen of Tiles is more about the way different people mourn and handle their grief. Whether they liked Trina before she died, felt indifferent about her or cared deeply for her, they’ve all been touched by her death somehow and we get to see that through Najwa’s eyes. However, I do think that this aspect could’ve been stronger if the other characters were better fleshed out. They all have strong foundations for their identities but they’re also rather…typical. Don’t get me wrong, I like Najwa and her obsession with words and their meanings. She’s relatable and definitely the best-developed character here. But, it also felt like I was reading stereotypes instead of complex characters and that weakened the emotional impact of the story on me.
All in all, this was a solid read. If you’re looking for a lighter Young Adult mystery with an uncommon setting (scrabble tournament + Southeast Asian rep), give Queen of Tiles a read.
What would you do when your best friend suddenly dies right in front of you? Would you let others replace her legacy as the reigning champion? Or, would you claim it for yourself, for the sake of her memory?
In Queen of Tiles , Najwa refuses to let others erase Trina’s legacy, though her return to the competitive scrabble scene is more than just that. She’s looking to heal and move on with her life…until Trina’s inactive Instagram starts posting again, leaving cryptic messages that suggest that she was instead, murdered and someone at the competition is the killer. So, what can Najwa do now that the closest people around her are suspects? Report to the authorities? Psssh, no. She’s gonna figure everything out to save both Trina and herself.
Keeping in mind that the characters are all underage and they’re stuck in a hotel where the scrabble tournament is held, there’s a limit to how much can be done. Even so, the way the mystery unravels is quite engaging—ridiculous at times, plenty predictable (for me, as someone who reads quite a bit of crime, mysteries and thrillers) and a little too neatly wrapped up, but still engaging. The truth behind Trina’s death is refreshing too, though it does feel rather anti-climatic since the entire story hinges on the mystery.
Other than that, I like that Queen of Tiles is more about the way different people mourn and handle their grief. Whether they liked Trina before she died, felt indifferent about her or cared deeply for her, they’ve all been touched by her death somehow and we get to see that through Najwa’s eyes. However, I do think that this aspect could’ve been stronger if the other characters were better fleshed out. They all have strong foundations for their identities but they’re also rather…typical. Don’t get me wrong, I like Najwa and her obsession with words and their meanings. She’s relatable and definitely the best-developed character here. But, it also felt like I was reading stereotypes instead of complex characters and that weakened the emotional impact of the story on me.
All in all, this was a solid read. If you’re looking for a lighter Young Adult mystery with an uncommon setting (scrabble tournament + Southeast Asian rep), give Queen of Tiles a read.
Thank you so much Pansing for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! Queen of Tiles by Hanna Alkaf is available at all good bookstores.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, and Grief
Minor: Drug abuse and Infidelity
sarah984's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a breezy, super fast read but also a sensitive portrayal of grief and how that changes people. The Scrabble content was actually really fun and exciting - I have no idea how the author manages to pull off high tension while describing Scrabble plays - and most of the characters were interesting. Some of them made very over the top decisions but they are teenagers so I'll allow it. I did think the amnesia was a bit silly and things got a little convoluted toward the end but overall I really liked this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Child death
Minor: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Infidelity, and Cursing
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