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A review by queer_bookwyrm
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
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
4.0
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