A compelling murder mystery!

filled star filled star filled star filled star star unfilled
neonbrights Avatar

By

Four Dead Queens is a standalone young adult fantasy novel that really surprised me, with an intriguing nation concept, a page-turning murder mystery, and a refreshing main character without any intentions of being any sort of hero. I loved the twists and turns!

In Four Dead Queens, Keralie is a skilled thief in Quadara, a nation divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant is ruled by its own queen - but when Keralie steals a package that reveals the murders of all four queens, she joins forces with an unexpected ally to discover the truth behind the murders.

The concept of the quadrants and the four queens are fascinating, but aside from the basics, Four Dead Queens focuses more on the characters than on world-building. If you like character-driven stories, this may be up your alley! Keralie was a wonderful main character - smart and confident but also self-interested and brash. Although I found Varin rather bland and his storyline predictable, Mackiel was very compelling. My only major criticism is that a reveal in part four felt unearned.

Overall, Four Dead Queens was a very quick and enjoyable read that elegantly blended genres.