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A review by c3rem0nials
Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
this book was a mixed bag for me. the weight of our sky really set a high bar for me, and i hoped that it would be similar feeling going into hanna's more recent work. but queen of the tiles was enjoyable, in a large picture. i liked that najwa is deeply flawed and grieving, i liked the way teenagers were being teenagers - releasing their frustrations with competitive scrabble, and the collective "grief" that hangs over everyone post trina low's death. also, a canon nonbinary character whose pronouns are respected throughout the book (even if they're just a side character..) was really nice to see, especially within the YA and southeast asian publishing industry (let alone malaysia, which i highly commend alkaff for - thank you for affirming that you are for the gays!!)
however i'm not sure if i would call this a murder mystery. i really wanted it to be, but the pace of the book was not racey enough for me to invest in the idea of a murder. i had a hard time empathising with trina low as a posthumous character, and the twist ending felt very disneyesque. i think i just really wanted the excitement and anxiety of the potential murder to be amplified- especially since najwa didnt actually ask to investigate this whole thing. what set out to be an attempt to find closure and rekindle a passion went a completely different way and i wish i felt that raceyness more. i would put down this book and honestly not feel that compelled to keep reading, but i guess in a way it did work because ultimately i was still curious enough to find out how trina died.
however i'm not sure if i would call this a murder mystery. i really wanted it to be, but the pace of the book was not racey enough for me to invest in the idea of a murder. i had a hard time empathising with trina low as a posthumous character, and the twist ending felt very disneyesque. i think i just really wanted the excitement and anxiety of the potential murder to be amplified- especially since najwa didnt actually ask to investigate this whole thing. what set out to be an attempt to find closure and rekindle a passion went a completely different way and i wish i felt that raceyness more. i would put down this book and honestly not feel that compelled to keep reading, but i guess in a way it did work because ultimately i was still curious enough to find out how trina died.