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jenpaul13 's review for:
Four Dead Queens
by Astrid Scholte
A plot to murder four reigning queens crashes into the life a skilled thief to reveal extraordinary truths in Astrid Scholte's Four Dead Queens.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Quadara is ruled by four queens, each one representing their region's people and their interests in courtly matters. When a plot to murder the queens is revealed to an unsuspecting and skilled thief Keralie in the messy aftermath of her stealing the sought-after package off a messenger named Varin, they must decide what to do with this knowledge, though they both have different ideas of the best way to share, and profit from, this vital information. Finding themselves at the center of a much larger conspiracy than merely murdering the queens, the surprised Keralie and Varin reluctantly pair up to save themselves as well as the fate of Quardara.
With a story composed of intrigue as the murders are attempted to be prevented and solved in a rather unique manner, questions of control and autonomy, and the exploration of a matriarchal society, the narrative is engaging and compelling in its portrayals of the varied struggles the four queens and Keralie face. The tale moves swiftly, taking place over a few brief days, although there are glimpses into the past through the shared perspectives of each queen to help contextualize how the situation grew to its current state; the text is ambitious in the six points of view it offers readers to build the story and develop the world the characters inhabit, combining some traditional fantasy elements with some futuristic technologies. While I greatly appreciate a standalone novel in an age of endless series, there did seem to be a larger world and more political intrigue to be explored, which would warrant a second novel or prequel novel(la) to help further explain and develop the Quadara that readers were cursorily introduced to.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Quadara is ruled by four queens, each one representing their region's people and their interests in courtly matters. When a plot to murder the queens is revealed to an unsuspecting and skilled thief Keralie in the messy aftermath of her stealing the sought-after package off a messenger named Varin, they must decide what to do with this knowledge, though they both have different ideas of the best way to share, and profit from, this vital information. Finding themselves at the center of a much larger conspiracy than merely murdering the queens, the surprised Keralie and Varin reluctantly pair up to save themselves as well as the fate of Quardara.
With a story composed of intrigue as the murders are attempted to be prevented and solved in a rather unique manner, questions of control and autonomy, and the exploration of a matriarchal society, the narrative is engaging and compelling in its portrayals of the varied struggles the four queens and Keralie face. The tale moves swiftly, taking place over a few brief days, although there are glimpses into the past through the shared perspectives of each queen to help contextualize how the situation grew to its current state; the text is ambitious in the six points of view it offers readers to build the story and develop the world the characters inhabit, combining some traditional fantasy elements with some futuristic technologies. While I greatly appreciate a standalone novel in an age of endless series, there did seem to be a larger world and more political intrigue to be explored, which would warrant a second novel or prequel novel(la) to help further explain and develop the Quadara that readers were cursorily introduced to.