Title Four Dead Queens
Author Astrid Scholte
Description from Amazon
Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but she’s, in fact, one of Quadara’s most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara’s most enlightened region, Eonia. He runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger. When Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie both find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara’s queens dead.
With no other choices and on the run from Keralie’s former employer, the two decide to join forces, endeavoring to discover who has killed the queens and save their own lives in the process. When their reluctant partnership blooms into a tenuous romance, they must overcome their own dark secrets in hopes of a future together that seemed impossible just days before. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation’s four dead queens.
Initial Thoughts
The cover of this book is just insanely beautiful. I saw it a few months before it came out and honestly, I didn’t even care what it was about, I just new I had to have it on my shelf. I was actually lucky enough to get the original blue cover through my obessive pre-ordering on Amazon and a special edition red cover from OwlCrate (link to subscribe below).
Ok, enough about the drool-worthy covers. Once I peeled my eyes off the stunning cover, I found the description to be equally mesmerizing. Murders, theives, royalty… this book is right up my alley.
Writing Style
As you might already know, I am a big fan of alternating POV writing. Not only do we get the main character, Keralie’s POV, but we also get to see events unfold from the eyes fo the four queens of Quadara.
In principle, I love this idea. However, execution made this a little confusing. The alternating POVs do not take place on the same time line so it can be a bit confusing to follow until near the end of the story when everything lines back up.
Favorite Character
Varin – although he didn’t have any POV chapters himself, he was actually my favorite character. It seems crazy to think that in a book about four queens and a female thief, my favorite character is the only male main character, but I couldn’t help but feel for him. Keralie basically teaches him how to have emotions and I thought he was the most relatable of all the characters.
Final Thoughts
Stunning cover, creative set up of the monarchy, interesting blend of technology without overt sci-fi themes.
It seems like this is a stand-alone novel but, I would defnitely go back to the nation of Quadara.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendations for Further Reading
- Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye – writing style similarities, assassins, murder
- The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross – rivaling nations, plots, murder
- A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn – solving a murder, royalty, mystery
Links
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