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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I was intrigued by the description...An Agatha Christie-like mystery? Shrouded in fantasy? With a female-centric world? Yes!
No.
I had such high hopes, but maybe that’s why it fell flat. It wasn’t awful, and I kept reading, but it was not nearly as deserving of the hype it got before its release. A good portion of this book was just repeating the same concept over and over (it’s told from multiple POVs and they all had to make SURE you knew that any ruling system with anything less than four queens would be a DISASTER), and it annoyed me quite a bit. There is an inspector who I think she might have modeled after Poirot? But he wasn’t a dynamic character and I am not sure why he was even in there...
I am also very protective of dear, old Agatha.
No.
I had such high hopes, but maybe that’s why it fell flat. It wasn’t awful, and I kept reading, but it was not nearly as deserving of the hype it got before its release. A good portion of this book was just repeating the same concept over and over (it’s told from multiple POVs and they all had to make SURE you knew that any ruling system with anything less than four queens would be a DISASTER), and it annoyed me quite a bit. There is an inspector who I think she might have modeled after Poirot? But he wasn’t a dynamic character and I am not sure why he was even in there...
I am also very protective of dear, old Agatha.
3.5 stars
Things I Liked
So this book had some genuinely great surprises that kept me engaged and wanting more. One completely took my by surprise and I literally gasped out loud. It was such a clever idea and moved the story forward creatively. Another turned your expectations on their head. Overall the twists and surprises made sense, moved the story forward creatively, and kept me engaged.
So I loved Quadra’s politics and worldbuilding. I like that each region is responsible for different facets of life (technology/medicine, arts, crops) and seeing how these places shaped their ruling queen was really cool.
I think that the multiple POVs were used really effectively to not only introduce all the important characters but to move the story along at a quick pace. It was truly impossible to bored while reading this because the story did not let up at all.
Things I Didn’t Like
The romance was just so unnecessary. There really isn’t much else for me to say besides that I felt absolutely no chemistry between the romantic pairing and I didn’t get anything from them.
Even with all the great surprises and the engaging fast pace, I felt an overall lack of tension and suspense in the story. Resolutions happened quickly and consequences didn’t seem to have a lasting impact. This could be because this is a standalone story and a lot had to happen so there wasn’t time to draw things out and really create a build. But I do think this would have made a fantastic duology, and really given more depth to the world and characters.
I do think it was hard to tell how time was framed in the story. Because the story is so fast paced it seemed like everything was happening instantaneously. But sometimes days had went by within the story. It was just a bit jarring a few times.
Four Dead Queens was truly an excellent fantasy debut with wonderful worldbuilding and plot progression. Keralie is a spunky main character who is so easy to follow. I really liked getting to know the four Queens and seeing their distinct personalities. While the overall story let me down, there are some really great elements that makes this a great read.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Rule thirteen: Only a queen may sit upon the throne. When she takes the throne, she accepts the responsibility to rule the quadrant until her dying day.The good news, I started reading again. The bad news, I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted too. But I will forever be grateful to this book for pulling me out of such a horrible slump. Four Dead Queens follows renowned thief Keralie Corrington as she’s thrust into a dark conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadra’s queens dead. Keralie teams up with the stoic and logical Varin to try and clear their names before their lives are forfeit in this fast-paced and tangled story.
Things I Liked
So this book had some genuinely great surprises that kept me engaged and wanting more. One completely took my by surprise and I literally gasped out loud. It was such a clever idea and moved the story forward creatively. Another turned your expectations on their head. Overall the twists and surprises made sense, moved the story forward creatively, and kept me engaged.
So I loved Quadra’s politics and worldbuilding. I like that each region is responsible for different facets of life (technology/medicine, arts, crops) and seeing how these places shaped their ruling queen was really cool.
I think that the multiple POVs were used really effectively to not only introduce all the important characters but to move the story along at a quick pace. It was truly impossible to bored while reading this because the story did not let up at all.
Things I Didn’t Like
The romance was just so unnecessary. There really isn’t much else for me to say besides that I felt absolutely no chemistry between the romantic pairing and I didn’t get anything from them.
Even with all the great surprises and the engaging fast pace, I felt an overall lack of tension and suspense in the story. Resolutions happened quickly and consequences didn’t seem to have a lasting impact. This could be because this is a standalone story and a lot had to happen so there wasn’t time to draw things out and really create a build. But I do think this would have made a fantastic duology, and really given more depth to the world and characters.
I do think it was hard to tell how time was framed in the story. Because the story is so fast paced it seemed like everything was happening instantaneously. But sometimes days had went by within the story. It was just a bit jarring a few times.
Four Dead Queens was truly an excellent fantasy debut with wonderful worldbuilding and plot progression. Keralie is a spunky main character who is so easy to follow. I really liked getting to know the four Queens and seeing their distinct personalities. While the overall story let me down, there are some really great elements that makes this a great read.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
(3.5) There was a lot I liked about Four Dead Queens and some parts that I didn’t.
I liked this book. I liked how we get so much diversity from this book. The only thing I didn’t enjoy that much was that it felt so rushed. I feel like this needs a series to stretch out the details because the world building is so interesting that it’s a shame that it’s condensed into one book. Overall, though, I loved that Keralie was morally grey throughout the book.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Buddy read with my darling Julia!
Four Dead Queens was an extremely fun and cleverly done book. It entwined a murder-mystery with sci-fi factors and some adorable romance, as well as creating it's own universe with 4 different quadrants. The characters were well done (mind you, I did get annoyed a bit at Varin towards the end) and I loved the storyline and the romance, I can't wait to read more from Astrid Scholte!
Four Dead Queens was an extremely fun and cleverly done book. It entwined a murder-mystery with sci-fi factors and some adorable romance, as well as creating it's own universe with 4 different quadrants. The characters were well done (mind you, I did get annoyed a bit at Varin towards the end) and I loved the storyline and the romance, I can't wait to read more from Astrid Scholte!
THIS WAS FREAKING AMAZING!! There were so many plot twists I could not tell where the story was going to go!!
Four Dead Queens felt so unique to me! I have been reading fantasy for a while now, and I find that coming across books that really surprise me, and that really really stand out, is very rare. Well, Four Dead Queens was that for me. When I first heard about it, I thought that this would be a typical high fantasy book about four queens who were dead. I was intrigued, but I wasn’t ready to fight an army or orcs in order to get his book in my hands and start reading it.
Luckily for me, Four Dead Queens is the Indigo Staff Pick for this month (in the teen category), and I received a finished copy. The cover of the book is what finally pulled me in, and I’m so glad that I decided to sit down and read the very first page so that I would see whether this book was for me or not.
I think that it’s very difficult to blend genres, and it’s even more difficult to do it right. Like I said, before reading this book, I thought that it would just be high fantasy. However, it turns out that Four Dead Queens is actually a seamless blend of a murder mystery, high fantasy, and science fiction! I liked the world right away, and how unique it felt for me. I also liked that we get to see things from the perspective of the main character, Keralie, and from the perspective of the queens.
The mystery was great in this book! And there were so many twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the end (which was awesome)! I loved Four Dead Queens and am kind of sad now that it’s a standalone. I’m greatly looking forward to what Astrid Scholte will publish next (whether it’s set in the nation of Quadara or not … even though I’m hoping for more Quadara)!
Luckily for me, Four Dead Queens is the Indigo Staff Pick for this month (in the teen category), and I received a finished copy. The cover of the book is what finally pulled me in, and I’m so glad that I decided to sit down and read the very first page so that I would see whether this book was for me or not.
I think that it’s very difficult to blend genres, and it’s even more difficult to do it right. Like I said, before reading this book, I thought that it would just be high fantasy. However, it turns out that Four Dead Queens is actually a seamless blend of a murder mystery, high fantasy, and science fiction! I liked the world right away, and how unique it felt for me. I also liked that we get to see things from the perspective of the main character, Keralie, and from the perspective of the queens.
The mystery was great in this book! And there were so many twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the end (which was awesome)! I loved Four Dead Queens and am kind of sad now that it’s a standalone. I’m greatly looking forward to what Astrid Scholte will publish next (whether it’s set in the nation of Quadara or not … even though I’m hoping for more Quadara)!
In the fantasy world of Quadara a teenage pickpocket and her mark will find themselves in the middle of a plot to kill the standing queens and shift the political power.
Four Queens is a tale of intrigue and ambition, filled of twists that managed to surprised me more than once. The plot captured my interest since early on and I enjoyed the story, but something prevented me from actually loving it. I felt it was a bit Hunger Games meets Logan's Run and, though it wasn't boring, it was too long for my taste.
Still, the story is a very good one for a debut author.
Four Queens is a tale of intrigue and ambition, filled of twists that managed to surprised me more than once. The plot captured my interest since early on and I enjoyed the story, but something prevented me from actually loving it. I felt it was a bit Hunger Games meets Logan's Run and, though it wasn't boring, it was too long for my taste.
Still, the story is a very good one for a debut author.
An intriguing murder mystery. Kept me guessing for quite some time. The world-building was fantastic and I want so much more of these fabulous queens.