I received an absolutely gorgeous uncorrected proof copy of Four Dead Queens – thank you Allen& Unwin! And just quietly – I loved it!
Title: Four Dead Queens
Author: Astrid Scholte
Genre: YA Fantasy/Science Fiction
Age Classification: YA
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication Date: 4th March 2019
Australian RRP: $19.99
Blurb:
Four Queens. A divided nation. A ruthless pickpocket. A noble messenger. And the murders that unite them.
Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington is one of Quadara’s most skilled thieves, but when she steals an unexpectedly valuable package from a messenger she is soon entangled in a conspiracy that leads to all four of Quadara’s queens being murdered.
With no other choices and on the run from her former employer, Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the Eonist messenger she stole from, and together they race to discover who has killed the queens. But when dark secrets threaten their reluctant partnership and put everything at stake, Keralie and Varin must use all their daring to stay alive and untangle the mysteries behind the nation’s four dead queens.
Thoughts:
There are very few books that I am instantly enthralled with after the first chapter. This however, is the exception and is one of those lucky books. I was absolutely riveted. It kept me up at night, just so I could finish it and find out what happened. Scholte seamlessly blends science fiction, fantasy and a murder mystery into the one superb standalone story. Told from 5 altering perspectives, one might think that it would be hard to keep track of what was happening at any given point, but the way Scholte weaves her story makes it incredibly easy to understand what is happening – except when she doesn’t want you to i.e. figuring out who our murderer is!
There were so many twists and turns in this book that I was so completely sucked in! I was living the story with Keralie. While set in a fantastical world, Scholte still creates realism with her characters. Keralie’s relationships and her want to feel loved and accepted are universal. Finding someone who accepts you and trusts you – Keralie’s search for this is also our search for this. You feel her pain when thinking of her family relationships and her insecurity when talking about her work situations. These types of characters bring a story to life, and Scholte has succeeded in this wonderfully.
As a new YA author, I feel that Astrid Scholte has given us a fantastic and addictive glimpse into her talent. even though this is a standalone story, I cant help but want more from this world! I hope we may – one day – get other stories set here, but for now, I’ll be happy to read anything that Scholte writes. This gets a great ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️out of 5 stars from me!
Grab a copy here, and be sure to let me know what you think!
What books have been your 5 star reads this year?
Happy readings loves.
-B x
Bec's Bookish Reads 