Not that the title wasn't attention-getting enough, but the cover of 'Four Dead Queens' is what caught my attention enough to read the synopsis of the book ... and even that didn't prepare me for the immediate sense of time and place and character the sample provided.
I know a romance - even a romantic triangle - has become a trope of fantasy fiction, but I really enjoyed how Keralie and Mackiel came off so much more realistic as friends, even mentor and student, with the undertone of something potentially there put upfront straight away, as opposed to having the two leads hate each other ... yet still feel attracted/drawn to each other ... yadda-yadda. Keralie and Mackiel feel more real than most characters I've read in recent fiction, and that was a treat. I also like that Kera's segments are in first person; the sense of immediacy that you are there with her all the way.
But WOW, the story of the four queens and what happens to them is already freaking me out. The world-building has a good start with this sample, and one thing that impressed me was that with SO many characters introduced straight off, it never seemed overwhelming and you never got confused. I was just truly starting to like Iris, a lot, when the bee stung, but all the characters really come to life on the page, and for me that's #1 - your characters lay out the story, and if the characters are real their choices and goals and successes/failures will be, too.
I really, REALLY am dying to read/review the rest of 'Four Dead Queens', it's a great opener to a book that - had I not run out of pages and had to type this instead - I'd still be reading now, and probably into the night. It's a beautifully constructed novel that I can't believe is a debut, and my fingers are crossed to the point of pain hoping to get my hands - and eyes - on a copy asap! Great job, Ms. Scholte - and thanks BookishFirst for providing enough of a preview to really sink your teeth into (thought it does, SORELY, leave you wanting more)!!
I know a romance - even a romantic triangle - has become a trope of fantasy fiction, but I really enjoyed how Keralie and Mackiel came off so much more realistic as friends, even mentor and student, with the undertone of something potentially there put upfront straight away, as opposed to having the two leads hate each other ... yet still feel attracted/drawn to each other ... yadda-yadda. Keralie and Mackiel feel more real than most characters I've read in recent fiction, and that was a treat. I also like that Kera's segments are in first person; the sense of immediacy that you are there with her all the way.
But WOW, the story of the four queens and what happens to them is already freaking me out. The world-building has a good start with this sample, and one thing that impressed me was that with SO many characters introduced straight off, it never seemed overwhelming and you never got confused. I was just truly starting to like Iris, a lot, when the bee stung, but all the characters really come to life on the page, and for me that's #1 - your characters lay out the story, and if the characters are real their choices and goals and successes/failures will be, too.
I really, REALLY am dying to read/review the rest of 'Four Dead Queens', it's a great opener to a book that - had I not run out of pages and had to type this instead - I'd still be reading now, and probably into the night. It's a beautifully constructed novel that I can't believe is a debut, and my fingers are crossed to the point of pain hoping to get my hands - and eyes - on a copy asap! Great job, Ms. Scholte - and thanks BookishFirst for providing enough of a preview to really sink your teeth into (thought it does, SORELY, leave you wanting more)!!