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A review by novel_sarahndipity
Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Queen Among the Dead is a stand alone Celtic young adult fantasy. I’m not usually one for stand alone novels. I like drawn out character and plot development, twists and turns, etc. When it comes to stand alone novels though this one wasn’t bad.
I will say that the ending felt very rushed. The story really progresses and builds and I felt like the ending was anticlimactic in a way. I don’t think this will be a book I think about a year from now but I enjoyed reading it in the moment.
The magic system was fun and unique and the premise of the story was also something I haven’t seen. As captivating as they were, I would have liked a deeper dive into them. Even as a duology I think we could have received more with a less rushed conclusion. I struggled to get into the story near the beginning, it was a bit slow paced but near the middle and especially the end I was hooked and then I felt let down by the ending, hurried and a bit too open ended for my liking.
I’m a very character driven reader and love my fantasy romances. That being said, the romance with this book felt forced, and yes, following a trend… rushed. This is a book I will say has really great side characters and a few I even preferred.
All in all I enjoyed the read and would find myself picking up books from this author in the future, and would definitely gravitate towards duologies or trilogies by the author myself.