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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
3.5/5
this was a really weird one from me and i’m not entirely sure how i feel about it
[note: i found this review on my notes from a few days after i finished reading this book. i changed a few things, but kept it almost identical to my original thoughts]
to be totally transparent, for some reason, i was under the impression that this book was part of a series, and that really may have effected how i read it. because for the majority of it, i was thinking ‘this is part one’ and it is not.
on the other hand, i think this might’ve benefited from being part of a series (hypocritical since i keep looking for non series books). i have so many questions, especially regarding the world, that just did not get answered, and i thought would in the sequels that did not exist. while the combination of genres and aesthetics was fascinating — i thought it was interesting that a sort of dystopian technologically advanced sector could exist while other areas had limited to no technology — it didn’t entirely make sense. yes, subjects request technology from their queen, but sounds like a revolution waiting to happen in my mind
the romance also seemed super rushed, and i’m not sure if that’s because i thought it was meant to be a series or not. it felt sudden and kind of weird, but that might have just been me. it felt Too Fast, all things considered.
i’ll admit, some of the plot twists got me, but i’m not entirely sure [and still am not sure] if that’s necessarily a good thing. the ending felt unearned and kind of weak, and frankly left me feeling disappointed
but there were good things!! i really enjoyed some of the povs! i thought the mashup of genres was unique and intriguing, even if i had questions. i liked some of the characters— if not the main ones cause i thought they were kind of flat. the concepts of this were super interesting to me. the execution… let’s just say i felt like it left a lot to be desired.
(I received an advance uncorrected galleys of Four Queens at SDCC)
I'm kind of torn on this one, to be honest. A lot works for me, but a lot is kind of trapped by plot beat tropes that pulled me from the story. The main romance couldn't hold me, and it made it difficult to connect to the main characters. Which was disappointing, because some other characters has wonderful chemistry. I give it 3.5 starts for some of the concepts and the queens. 1.5 dinged for some of the plot contrivances, weak chemistry and YA 'tough girl'/'stoic guy' tropiness, and the murder mystery being strung along until it was obvious what was going on.
Would love to see more from the world, especially as a result of what happens in this book.
I'm kind of torn on this one, to be honest. A lot works for me, but a lot is kind of trapped by plot beat tropes that pulled me from the story. The main romance couldn't hold me, and it made it difficult to connect to the main characters. Which was disappointing, because some other characters has wonderful chemistry. I give it 3.5 starts for some of the concepts and the queens. 1.5 dinged for some of the plot contrivances, weak chemistry and YA 'tough girl'/'stoic guy' tropiness, and the murder mystery being strung along until it was obvious what was going on.
Would love to see more from the world, especially as a result of what happens in this book.
2.5 maybe. I feel like the set up of this book was cool. The second half seemed a bit rushed and that she was trying jam it all in to keep the book short. Was a bit disappointed in the ending.
For fans of Six of Crows and Red Queen! Very cool story (though the ending may have wrapped up too tidily?) And how refreshing to have this as a stand alone!
Grades 7 and up.
Grades 7 and up.
This one was a ton of fun. Scholte managed to build an intricate and unique world, but didn’t bog down the narrative with the construction of it. It flowed really well and I didn’t find it confusing or lacking in detail. I don’t read a ton of mystery so I’m not usually one who can guess the twist, so that definitely caught me off-guard and was really fun to experience. And it’s really nice to occasionally go on a fun fantasy ride that starts and finishes in a single book.
ATY Prompt: A cross genre novel
ATY Prompt: A cross genre novel
I flew through this book. I loved the concept so I knew I had to pick this book up! The characters are very fun and interesting and the way the book was written was really interesting! I loved the switch from the past to the present and the different POVs!
I listened to the audiobook and while it was engaging enough to want to know what happened, I found myself impatiently listening. The pace is slow and honestly could have been sped up a TON.
It feels like the author tried to cram to much into the book, which made it difficult to want to keep reading. I had to renew it twice from my library and make myself finish it.
It feels like the author tried to cram to much into the book, which made it difficult to want to keep reading. I had to renew it twice from my library and make myself finish it.
This was good! I wasn’t really sure how I felt about it at first but I eventually became hooked and listened to like 3/4 of the audiobook in one day. There were some twists I didn’t see coming (though I had plenty of predictions). The only thing is the ending felt a little too…wrapped up for lack of a better word (at least without spoiling anything). Glad I finally got around to reading it!
This was a fun and entertaining read. I loved the murder mystery aspect in a fantasy world.
I went through a few emotions through this book. I’d summarize them with: this world is cool, Keralie has spunk, ooh who is the assassin, why is our main character useless, oh that’s who is behind the plan, main character still useless, oh that’s better now thank god, well that was interesting, this romance insta necessary, and of course a somewhat happy ending considering the situation.
This was a very good debut book so I can look past some flaws. The writing was really good but not all the concepts made sense to me. Also there was a pointless romance that I think would have been better as a friendship left open for guessing at romance. I don’t really understand why some of the Queenly Laws are in place, at least some still change at the end of this book.
I went through a few emotions through this book. I’d summarize them with: this world is cool, Keralie has spunk, ooh who is the assassin, why is our main character useless, oh that’s who is behind the plan, main character still useless, oh that’s better now thank god, well that was interesting, this romance insta necessary, and of course a somewhat happy ending considering the situation.
This was a very good debut book so I can look past some flaws. The writing was really good but not all the concepts made sense to me. Also there was a pointless romance that I think would have been better as a friendship left open for guessing at romance. I don’t really understand why some of the Queenly Laws are in place, at least some still change at the end of this book.
A 2.5 starrer
Ok Ok kind of book. Definitely YAish all the way through. This story really isnt quite as smart or devious as it wishes to be. The non-linear unreliable hoodwinking-the-audience kind of storytelling is possibly the only angle that works well through the book. Else it is fairly derivative that works to a certain degree.
Ok Ok kind of book. Definitely YAish all the way through. This story really isnt quite as smart or devious as it wishes to be. The non-linear unreliable hoodwinking-the-audience kind of storytelling is possibly the only angle that works well through the book. Else it is fairly derivative that works to a certain degree.