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librarygirlreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
giuls02's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Ringrazio NetGalley per la copia ARC che mi ha mandato.
Ero molto curiosa di leggere questo libro. I miti e le leggende mi hanno sempre affascinato e non conoscevo granchè di quelli celtici.
Mi ha piacevolmente stupito questo libro. Pieno di avventure, pericoli, dei e magie.
Il worldbuilding è pazzesco e ben scritto, i personaggi li ho trovati ben caratterizzati, sia quelli principali che quelli secondari. Neve e Ronan li ho adorati! Già dal primo incontro sapevo come sarebbero finiti anche se in certe scene avevo paura per il loro futuro. Alla Livingston le piace farti prendere degli infarti.
Ma poi la fine mamma mia che girl power!!!!!!
L'unica cosa che non sono riuscita molto ad apprezzare sono tutti i nomi celtici delle varie creature magiche che, per uno che come me non ha molta conoscenza, è un pò complicato ricordarseli tutti e capire bene chi sono.
A parte questo, è un libro che ho approvato, se vi piacciono i miti, un regno in pericolo a causa di qualcosa di misterioso, una principessa che deve farsi valere, vi consiglio di leggerlo.
Il linguaggio in inglese è un pò difficile, lo sconsiglio a chi si è approcciato da poco alla lettura in lingua. Spero infatti che venga tradotto per dare la possibilità anche ad altri lettori di conoscere il regno magico di Eire.
🇬🇧
I thank NetGalley for the ARC copy he sent me. I was very curious to read this book. Myths and legends have always fascinated me and I didn’t know much about Celtic ones. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Full of adventures, dangers, gods and spells.
The worldbuilding is crazy and well written, the characters I found well characterized, both the main ones and the secondary ones. I loved Neve and Ronan! From the very first meeting I knew how they would end even though in some scenes I was afraid for their future. Livingston likes to give you heart attacks. But then the end my god that girl power!!!!!!!
The only thing I haven’t been able to appreciate are all the Celtic names of the various magical creatures that, for someone like me who doesn’t have a lot of knowledge, is a bit difficult to remember them all and understand who they are.
Apart from that, it’s a book that I’ve approved, if you like myths, a kingdom in danger because of something mysterious, a princess who has to stand up, I suggest you read it.
The language in English is a bit difficult, I do not recommend it to those who have recently approached reading in english. In fact, I hope it will be translated to give the opportunity to other readers to know the magical kingdom of Eire.
Ero molto curiosa di leggere questo libro. I miti e le leggende mi hanno sempre affascinato e non conoscevo granchè di quelli celtici.
Mi ha piacevolmente stupito questo libro. Pieno di avventure, pericoli, dei e magie.
Il worldbuilding è pazzesco e ben scritto, i personaggi li ho trovati ben caratterizzati, sia quelli principali che quelli secondari. Neve e Ronan li ho adorati! Già dal primo incontro sapevo come sarebbero finiti anche se in certe scene avevo paura per il loro futuro. Alla Livingston le piace farti prendere degli infarti.
Ma poi la fine mamma mia che girl power!!!!!!
L'unica cosa che non sono riuscita molto ad apprezzare sono tutti i nomi celtici delle varie creature magiche che, per uno che come me non ha molta conoscenza, è un pò complicato ricordarseli tutti e capire bene chi sono.
A parte questo, è un libro che ho approvato, se vi piacciono i miti, un regno in pericolo a causa di qualcosa di misterioso, una principessa che deve farsi valere, vi consiglio di leggerlo.
Il linguaggio in inglese è un pò difficile, lo sconsiglio a chi si è approcciato da poco alla lettura in lingua. Spero infatti che venga tradotto per dare la possibilità anche ad altri lettori di conoscere il regno magico di Eire.
🇬🇧
I thank NetGalley for the ARC copy he sent me. I was very curious to read this book. Myths and legends have always fascinated me and I didn’t know much about Celtic ones. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Full of adventures, dangers, gods and spells.
The worldbuilding is crazy and well written, the characters I found well characterized, both the main ones and the secondary ones. I loved Neve and Ronan! From the very first meeting I knew how they would end even though in some scenes I was afraid for their future. Livingston likes to give you heart attacks. But then the end my god that girl power!!!!!!!
The only thing I haven’t been able to appreciate are all the Celtic names of the various magical creatures that, for someone like me who doesn’t have a lot of knowledge, is a bit difficult to remember them all and understand who they are.
Apart from that, it’s a book that I’ve approved, if you like myths, a kingdom in danger because of something mysterious, a princess who has to stand up, I suggest you read it.
The language in English is a bit difficult, I do not recommend it to those who have recently approached reading in english. In fact, I hope it will be translated to give the opportunity to other readers to know the magical kingdom of Eire.
catherine_dalton08's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
princessydniee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
2.5 highest 3 stars....I had so much hope for this book. I loved the concept but in my opinion it was not executed properly. I honestly could not even describe this book and I just finished it about 3 seconds ago. I loved the magic element and the monsters, the " forbidden" love aspect. I just wished there was more, it felt like it was missing something.
edensreadingcorner's review against another edition
I’d like to thank Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
I dnf’d about a third of the way into this book because this book is essentially a reverse colonialism fantasy where Ireland was colonized by Egypt. Going in I knew it was Celtic based which was what I was expecting and as you read you learn about how Neve’s ancestors « conquered » (read: colonized) this land/country. First warning sign that the colonizers were Egyptian was a mention of gods with animal heads. Second was when it said her ancestor that came and colonized the land was from Kemet. I tried to push a bit further but the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I was so I had to drop it.
I dnf’d about a third of the way into this book because this book is essentially a reverse colonialism fantasy where Ireland was colonized by Egypt. Going in I knew it was Celtic based which was what I was expecting and as you read you learn about how Neve’s ancestors « conquered » (read: colonized) this land/country. First warning sign that the colonizers were Egyptian was a mention of gods with animal heads. Second was when it said her ancestor that came and colonized the land was from Kemet. I tried to push a bit further but the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I was so I had to drop it.
thebiasedbibliophile's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
When I saw that Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston was a fantasy novel based on Celtic folklore, I was intrigued! The novel follows Neve, a princess who is second in line for the throne, but no one sees her as worthy of ruling Eire. Fascinated with her land’s history and her fierce, and maybe slightly maniacal, ancestress known as the Scathach, Neve becomes enthralled with the idea of being a warrior. However, a chain of events leads her to being forced into considering the possibility that she will one day rule Eire.
I felt really conflicted about this book for the majority of it. It starts off pretty slow, and doesn’t really pick up until about halfway through. I would have liked to see more interaction between the characters in the first half of the book, and definitely more actions scenes.
That being said, the second half of the novel was fantastic! There were a few plot twists that I didn’t see coming, and I was happy with how the story ended. The relationships between the characters were interesting, and I enjoyed seeing Neve grow as a person.
Neve’s love for her people and sense of justice added a lot to the story. Her motivations seemed sincere, and as a reader, I couldn’t help but to root for her. I was intrigued by the idea that she did not want to be a queen, but wanted to be a king instead. I get that the author was likely trying to suggest that women are just as worthy and capable of ruling as men, but I almost would have preferred Neve to change the perceptions and connotations around the word “queen” than to strive towards being a “king.” Perhaps this is the feminist in me, but Neve’s adoption of the latter term indicates that she must be like a man in order to rule, whereas embracing the title of queen maybe would have changed her peoples’ perspectives and shown that she didn’t need to change anything about herself.
Overall, I’m not sure if there will be a sequel to this book. The ending kind of leaves open that possibility. However, I don’t know if I would read it or not. On the one hand, I did find this book to be a little slow, and on the other, I was content with the ending of this novel. As a whole, it’s not necessarily one of my favorite books, but it was worth the read!
bananabread98's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
3.25
Good. Nothing spectacular but the world building was interesting.
taun's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thank you to Zando Young Readers for sending me this ARC. All reviews are honest reflections of my own opinions, always.
In the lush kingdom of Eire an ancient magic begins to stir. Magic forbidden by the king himself, secretly hoarded by druids, seething below the surface.
Neve, second daughter of a jealous king, more warrior child than princess. Ronan, an outcast druid turned cutpurse, dealing in stolen magic.
When a chance encounter between these two begins to weave their fates together, truth begins to surface and magic leaves its own markings. Sworn revenge, a bid for the throne, secrets & a reluctant alliance.
I'm going to echo many other reviewers here & give this a very middle of the lane rating. While not outstanding, the book was still unique & interesting enough, especially given the not often seen Celtic lore.
Our main characters, which we switch viewpoints on & off with, are well formed, but not incredibly captivating. An outcast princess, a down on his luck ragged boy, an invisible and unexplainable force pulling them together, even against their will. A lot of the book deals with their own indecisions concerning one another, which is wearing on the reader.
When it comes to world building, there is a lot to consume, keep straight, and ultimately pronounce wrong. Info dumping is a strong presence, making it nearly impossible for the reader to keep all the clans, sects, peoples, wars, etc sorted. To make matters more difficult, there is, as should be expected, a vast array of Celtic names, which would benefit from an appendix with pronunciation guides.
The plot is a little thin, but entertaining enough against it's Celtic background (which really is the saving aspect of this book), to hold the attention of the reader, but not necessarily the imagination.
In the lush kingdom of Eire an ancient magic begins to stir. Magic forbidden by the king himself, secretly hoarded by druids, seething below the surface.
Neve, second daughter of a jealous king, more warrior child than princess. Ronan, an outcast druid turned cutpurse, dealing in stolen magic.
When a chance encounter between these two begins to weave their fates together, truth begins to surface and magic leaves its own markings. Sworn revenge, a bid for the throne, secrets & a reluctant alliance.
I'm going to echo many other reviewers here & give this a very middle of the lane rating. While not outstanding, the book was still unique & interesting enough, especially given the not often seen Celtic lore.
Our main characters, which we switch viewpoints on & off with, are well formed, but not incredibly captivating. An outcast princess, a down on his luck ragged boy, an invisible and unexplainable force pulling them together, even against their will. A lot of the book deals with their own indecisions concerning one another, which is wearing on the reader.
When it comes to world building, there is a lot to consume, keep straight, and ultimately pronounce wrong. Info dumping is a strong presence, making it nearly impossible for the reader to keep all the clans, sects, peoples, wars, etc sorted. To make matters more difficult, there is, as should be expected, a vast array of Celtic names, which would benefit from an appendix with pronunciation guides.
The plot is a little thin, but entertaining enough against it's Celtic background (which really is the saving aspect of this book), to hold the attention of the reader, but not necessarily the imagination.