4/5 Stars
Author: Astrid Scholte
Publisher/Imprint: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Edition: Hardcover, 413 Pages
Publication Date: February 26, 2019
A Spine that Shines? Fairly Well
Initial Thoughts:
Four Dead Queens is quite an adventure! Keralie, a thief, teams up with Varin, an upstanding citizen, to prevent an assassin from murdering the four queens of Quadara. Astrid Scholte has created a world split into four quadrants: Toria, Archia, Ludia, and Eonia. Each quadrant has its own queen. At first glance, it might seem these are echoes of elements from books like Divergent, but I think Four Dead Queens still manages to stand on its own fairly well.
Another interesting aspect of this book is its structure. The book is fast-paced, but I didn’t finish it as quickly as I had anticipated I would. It alternates between the POVs of Keralie, the four queens, and even the villain in the second half of the book. While this technique does create suspense and allow for us readers to glean insight into the minds and backgrounds of the queens, it does sometimes take away from the sections of the story that are focused on Keralie and Varin. Sometimes, I wish the focus had been more on these two characters rather than on the queens.
Characters:
Here is a brief overview of some of the characters:
Keralie is our Torian thief, trained from a young age to steal from a black market dealer figure named Mackiel. Keralie feels intense grief over an accident she caused that severely injured her father. She is a strong, clever young woman, adept at sneaking into forbidden places.
Varin is an upstanding Eonist messenger who gets caught up in the plot to murder the queens. He teams up with Keralie to try to stop the murders. He is admirably both loyal and honorable. Varin, like other Eonists, doesn’t show much emotion, and his “death date” is set at a young age due to a genetic defect of his. He also functions as Keralie’s love interest, and they do seem like a good match by the end of the story. However, I felt like I learned the least about who Varin is, and I think that has something to do with the focus on the queens’ POVs. I would have preferred to have Varin’s POV inserted somewhere, because by the end of the book, I still don’t know that much about him.
The villain turns out to be someone unexpected, and I won’t spoil who it is. But I will say that I was slightly disappointed. For some reason, she isn’t a compelling mastermind; in my opinion, she came across as more of a selfish, sniveling brat. But I suppose things wrap up well in the end.
Final Thoughts:
Here are some other points to consider:
The events of the book do occur within the span of a few days. That means that Keralie and Varin fall in love very quickly. I believe other reviewers have pointed this out as well. Whether or not this bothers you will depend on your particular readings tastes. If you don’t think about it too hard, it might not bother you.
At times, the characters’ reactions could be a bit dramatic. Here is one example: “His eyes held a flicker of longing, and I thought I might combust under his gaze.” To me, lines like these sound dramatic and a little cliche. The reaction to Varin’s “condition” could also be considered dramatic.
I question some of the Queenly Laws. Rules 7 and 8 require that the queens produce heirs, but they are not allowed to marry the father of their children. This is problematic since their physical intimacy would certainly create an emotional attachment and a desire to get married. Also, is it just me, or do Rules 13 and 11 contradict each other? One Rule says that when a queen takes the throne, she accepts responsibility to “rule the quadrant until her dying day.” But the other Rule says that a queen’s power can be passed to her daughter after death OR abdication. So, are the queens allowed to abdicate? Or does she have to remain queen until they die?
Despite my criticisms, there are some pretty good twists in the second half of the book. Overall, the ending is satisfying and heartwarming. Four Dead Queens is not mind blowing, but it is certainly entertaining. I truly enjoyed the suspense and action! It is fun to follow along with Keralie as she and Varin sneak around the palace.
Thanks for reading! I hope this review was helpful. Has anyone else finished Four Dead Queens yet? What did you think?
*Content warnings: swearing (including several uses of the S-word), kissing/touching, implied sex (not described graphically), murder/violence*
Author: Astrid Scholte
Publisher/Imprint: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Edition: Hardcover, 413 Pages
Publication Date: February 26, 2019
A Spine that Shines? Fairly Well
Initial Thoughts:
Four Dead Queens is quite an adventure! Keralie, a thief, teams up with Varin, an upstanding citizen, to prevent an assassin from murdering the four queens of Quadara. Astrid Scholte has created a world split into four quadrants: Toria, Archia, Ludia, and Eonia. Each quadrant has its own queen. At first glance, it might seem these are echoes of elements from books like Divergent, but I think Four Dead Queens still manages to stand on its own fairly well.
Another interesting aspect of this book is its structure. The book is fast-paced, but I didn’t finish it as quickly as I had anticipated I would. It alternates between the POVs of Keralie, the four queens, and even the villain in the second half of the book. While this technique does create suspense and allow for us readers to glean insight into the minds and backgrounds of the queens, it does sometimes take away from the sections of the story that are focused on Keralie and Varin. Sometimes, I wish the focus had been more on these two characters rather than on the queens.
Characters:
Here is a brief overview of some of the characters:
Keralie is our Torian thief, trained from a young age to steal from a black market dealer figure named Mackiel. Keralie feels intense grief over an accident she caused that severely injured her father. She is a strong, clever young woman, adept at sneaking into forbidden places.
Varin is an upstanding Eonist messenger who gets caught up in the plot to murder the queens. He teams up with Keralie to try to stop the murders. He is admirably both loyal and honorable. Varin, like other Eonists, doesn’t show much emotion, and his “death date” is set at a young age due to a genetic defect of his. He also functions as Keralie’s love interest, and they do seem like a good match by the end of the story. However, I felt like I learned the least about who Varin is, and I think that has something to do with the focus on the queens’ POVs. I would have preferred to have Varin’s POV inserted somewhere, because by the end of the book, I still don’t know that much about him.
The villain turns out to be someone unexpected, and I won’t spoil who it is. But I will say that I was slightly disappointed. For some reason, she isn’t a compelling mastermind; in my opinion, she came across as more of a selfish, sniveling brat. But I suppose things wrap up well in the end.
Final Thoughts:
Here are some other points to consider:
The events of the book do occur within the span of a few days. That means that Keralie and Varin fall in love very quickly. I believe other reviewers have pointed this out as well. Whether or not this bothers you will depend on your particular readings tastes. If you don’t think about it too hard, it might not bother you.
At times, the characters’ reactions could be a bit dramatic. Here is one example: “His eyes held a flicker of longing, and I thought I might combust under his gaze.” To me, lines like these sound dramatic and a little cliche. The reaction to Varin’s “condition” could also be considered dramatic.
I question some of the Queenly Laws. Rules 7 and 8 require that the queens produce heirs, but they are not allowed to marry the father of their children. This is problematic since their physical intimacy would certainly create an emotional attachment and a desire to get married. Also, is it just me, or do Rules 13 and 11 contradict each other? One Rule says that when a queen takes the throne, she accepts responsibility to “rule the quadrant until her dying day.” But the other Rule says that a queen’s power can be passed to her daughter after death OR abdication. So, are the queens allowed to abdicate? Or does she have to remain queen until they die?
Despite my criticisms, there are some pretty good twists in the second half of the book. Overall, the ending is satisfying and heartwarming. Four Dead Queens is not mind blowing, but it is certainly entertaining. I truly enjoyed the suspense and action! It is fun to follow along with Keralie as she and Varin sneak around the palace.
Thanks for reading! I hope this review was helpful. Has anyone else finished Four Dead Queens yet? What did you think?
*Content warnings: swearing (including several uses of the S-word), kissing/touching, implied sex (not described graphically), murder/violence*