Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
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
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
you know the book is gonna be fire when it starts with a map and the country's main laws
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4 ⭐ CW: Death, violence
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte is a YA fantasy standalone and a murder mystery. I really enjoyed this one. It was nice to have an easy read after the last book I read. This was a nice blend of scifi and period fantasy.
We follow Keralie Corrington, a thief in Toria part of Quardara. Her job is to pickpocket valuable items for her boss Mackiel to auction off. Then one day he directs her to steal from an Eonian messenger in possession of memory chips. When the messenger comes to the auction house to retrieve what had been stolen, Keralie ingests the chips and sets off a chain of events that changes, not only her life, but changes all of Quardara. The four queens are dead.
We alternate between Keralie's pov and the povs of all the queens up to their deaths. Kera and the Eonian boy, Varin try to tell the palace about who might have done the murders. I really liked that Kera was a flawed character. She was allowed to be messy. I thought the world building was interesting. Quardara is split into four quadrants: Eonia, the land of stoics bent on technological advancement and abhor emotion; Archia, the fertile land that values simplicity and hard work; Toria, a land of trade and seafaring and values curiosity and knowledge; Ludia, the land of frivolity, pleasure, and art.
I love when a mystery can keep me guessing! I had no idea who was behind the murders until it was revealed, and the red herring had me. There was a little bit of romance between Kera and Varin, but it was very minor compared to the rest of the story. It also seemed to be a queer normative world, at least as far as same gender romance.
This was a fun read!
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte is a YA fantasy standalone and a murder mystery. I really enjoyed this one. It was nice to have an easy read after the last book I read. This was a nice blend of scifi and period fantasy.
We follow Keralie Corrington, a thief in Toria part of Quardara. Her job is to pickpocket valuable items for her boss Mackiel to auction off. Then one day he directs her to steal from an Eonian messenger in possession of memory chips. When the messenger comes to the auction house to retrieve what had been stolen, Keralie ingests the chips and sets off a chain of events that changes, not only her life, but changes all of Quardara. The four queens are dead.
We alternate between Keralie's pov and the povs of all the queens up to their deaths. Kera and the Eonian boy, Varin try to tell the palace about who might have done the murders. I really liked that Kera was a flawed character. She was allowed to be messy. I thought the world building was interesting. Quardara is split into four quadrants: Eonia, the land of stoics bent on technological advancement and abhor emotion; Archia, the fertile land that values simplicity and hard work; Toria, a land of trade and seafaring and values curiosity and knowledge; Ludia, the land of frivolity, pleasure, and art.
I love when a mystery can keep me guessing! I had no idea who was behind the murders until it was revealed, and the red herring had me. There was a little bit of romance between Kera and Varin, but it was very minor compared to the rest of the story. It also seemed to be a queer normative world, at least as far as same gender romance.
This was a fun read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Four Dead Queens, written in four parts, is mostly told from the point of view of Keralie, a seventeen-year-old thief. She unwittingly steals comm chips holding the memories of the Queens' murders and must team up with Varin (the messenger she took the chips from) to work out who the murderer is. By the time you get to part four, you'll think you know who did it. You'll most likely be wrong.
While part one and two is spent setting up the inventive fantasy world, its Queenly Rules, and getting to know Keralie, Varin, and the four Queens, part three and four twists everything you've learned and brings together all the clues expertly dropped and foreshadowed by author Astrid Scholte in her entertaining prose. It's an adventure worth reading, and a world worth visiting.
While part one and two is spent setting up the inventive fantasy world, its Queenly Rules, and getting to know Keralie, Varin, and the four Queens, part three and four twists everything you've learned and brings together all the clues expertly dropped and foreshadowed by author Astrid Scholte in her entertaining prose. It's an adventure worth reading, and a world worth visiting.
I was one of 300 to receive Four Dead Queens earlier this year at BookCon.
3.5/5 stars
Four dead queens by Astrid Schlote is one of the first no- IS the first great fantastical mystery. In an age of women’s murder club 20 and jack ryan 12 it is a breath of fresh air for a book like this to appear in the mystery section. A well written mystery with twists, turns, and a true heart that makes you feel for and understand every character is something not found normally, and is even less found with a fantasy genre receiving second billing.
The book consistently surprises. Hints are hidden deep within the pages, and once everything is revealed, you feel as if it was both impossible and easy to see coming. The inspector himself, while a bit of a stock character, is interesting to see inhabiting this fantasy realm. Imagine Poirot investigating a mystery.
It is, by all accounts, a vivacious debut. It makes sense that Schlote has worked in cinema. Every place is deeply enriched with description. The seedy Jeétte, the glorious palace, split into four quadrants, and the towering Eonian skyscrapers.
The originality of this book is hard to write down, but I have never read anything like it before. Even in its unedited first draft glory, the book fits together like a puzzle. I imagine the book would be almost impossible to write, with the parallel narratives intertwining in such a way.
However, there are some things I disliked. I found Keralie and Toria/the jeétte a bit boring, especially the backstory. Additionally, the book experiences a strange and jarring tonal shift near the end and everything is resolved far too easily. Also, I think the fact that Keralie gets HIDRA and nobody else, effectively sentencing another person to death is an antithesis to most of what the book is trying to prove, which is the unfairness of the restrictions placed upon most of the quadrants. For example, Mackiel using the HIDRA to heal his hands is portrayed negatively, but it’s essentially the same as Keralie taking the HIDRA selfishly for her father. To be honest, I could do without the inclusion of most of the adventure type story and have it be mainly about the inspector trying to solve a case, and making Keralie and Varin side characters that show up halfway through, but I understand that this is the story that Schlote wants to tell.
As this is an unedited galley, and an unfinished book, I have faith and will not mention any grammatical mistakes or awkward sentences, as they will most likely be cleaned up.
The blurb needs a serious retooling, as it essentially is one giant spoiler and a summary of a lot of events. The first paragraph is perfect and in my opinion, is all of the information anyone needs. The second paragraph reveals far too much, including their romance, which doesn’t develop until over 3/4ths through the book.
In summary, I have faith that Four Dead Queens will prove to be extremely successful, and I hope it will spawn more original novels in the vain of fantasy mystery. It coasts by on its charm, heart, and sheer originality. I, for one, am excited to see what Astrid Schlote will cook up next.
3.5/5 stars
Four dead queens by Astrid Schlote is one of the first no- IS the first great fantastical mystery. In an age of women’s murder club 20 and jack ryan 12 it is a breath of fresh air for a book like this to appear in the mystery section. A well written mystery with twists, turns, and a true heart that makes you feel for and understand every character is something not found normally, and is even less found with a fantasy genre receiving second billing.
The book consistently surprises. Hints are hidden deep within the pages, and once everything is revealed, you feel as if it was both impossible and easy to see coming. The inspector himself, while a bit of a stock character, is interesting to see inhabiting this fantasy realm. Imagine Poirot investigating a mystery.
It is, by all accounts, a vivacious debut. It makes sense that Schlote has worked in cinema. Every place is deeply enriched with description. The seedy Jeétte, the glorious palace, split into four quadrants, and the towering Eonian skyscrapers.
The originality of this book is hard to write down, but I have never read anything like it before. Even in its unedited first draft glory, the book fits together like a puzzle. I imagine the book would be almost impossible to write, with the parallel narratives intertwining in such a way.
However, there are some things I disliked. I found Keralie and Toria/the jeétte a bit boring, especially the backstory. Additionally, the book experiences a strange and jarring tonal shift near the end and everything is resolved far too easily. Also, I think the fact that Keralie gets HIDRA and nobody else, effectively sentencing another person to death is an antithesis to most of what the book is trying to prove, which is the unfairness of the restrictions placed upon most of the quadrants. For example, Mackiel using the HIDRA to heal his hands is portrayed negatively, but it’s essentially the same as Keralie taking the HIDRA selfishly for her father. To be honest, I could do without the inclusion of most of the adventure type story and have it be mainly about the inspector trying to solve a case, and making Keralie and Varin side characters that show up halfway through, but I understand that this is the story that Schlote wants to tell.
As this is an unedited galley, and an unfinished book, I have faith and will not mention any grammatical mistakes or awkward sentences, as they will most likely be cleaned up.
The blurb needs a serious retooling, as it essentially is one giant spoiler and a summary of a lot of events. The first paragraph is perfect and in my opinion, is all of the information anyone needs. The second paragraph reveals far too much, including their romance, which doesn’t develop until over 3/4ths through the book.
In summary, I have faith that Four Dead Queens will prove to be extremely successful, and I hope it will spawn more original novels in the vain of fantasy mystery. It coasts by on its charm, heart, and sheer originality. I, for one, am excited to see what Astrid Schlote will cook up next.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes