Reviews

As Quatro Rainhas Mortas by Astrid Scholte

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jenbruton's review against another edition

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5.0

Seriously awesome. Kept me reeling, the ending was a surprise, very unique.

Loved it.

amyapple's review against another edition

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4.0

Fantastic standalone.

At first I was thinking it would be a standard Queens Kingdom type story, it ended up being a mystery who-dun-it which was totally not what I expected.

Just when I thought I guessed it, nope. That’s not it!

There are plot holes here and there, and some things felt like it was added in to explain the story to make the “twist” work, but overall engaging story and a fun read.

The romance was really not required though and the chemistry was definitely lacking.

writer6's review against another edition

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3.0

I definitely went into reading Four Dead Queens with a great deal of excitement and anticipation. In the end, I liked this book, but sadly, I definitely didn't love it. It's definitely difficult for me to decide what aspect of the book disappointed me the most, but I would say that the most disappointing aspect of the book is the fact that I felt like pretty much all of the characters were underdeveloped. There also quite a few times throughout the book that I found at least some of the characters being various degrees of unlikable. I personally definitely would have liked to have seen the queens be featured in the book more than they were. As for my thoughts on the world building aspect of Astrid Scholte's writing for Four Dead Queens, I found most of the queenly laws that were mentioned throughout the book rather ridiculous and annoying; namely the whole thing about the queens not being allowed to leave their respective quadrants. That just seemed incredibly stupid, and it didn't make any sense to me.

Ultimately, Four Dead Queens came across to me as being a second rate version of Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns series. While I'm a HUGE fan of YA fantasy series, I really appreciate the fact that this is a standalone YA fantasy novel; especially since standalone novels seem to be a very rare thing when it comes to the YA fantasy genre. Plus, even though I did like Four Dead Queens, I'm not sure that I liked it enough to have a burning desire to continue on with the series, if it were the first book in a series; rather than being a standalone novel like it is. Even though I wasn't blown away by Four Dead Queens, I'll probably give Astrid Scholte a second chance, and read more of her books that she writes in the future.

My Goodreads Rating/Score: 3 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads' rating system. 6 out of 10 on my own personal scoring system.

jenpaul13's review against another edition

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4.0

A plot to murder four reigning queens crashes into the life a skilled thief to reveal extraordinary truths in Astrid Scholte's Four Dead Queens.

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

Quadara is ruled by four queens, each one representing their region's people and their interests in courtly matters. When a plot to murder the queens is revealed to an unsuspecting and skilled thief Keralie in the messy aftermath of her stealing the sought-after package off a messenger named Varin, they must decide what to do with this knowledge, though they both have different ideas of the best way to share, and profit from, this vital information. Finding themselves at the center of a much larger conspiracy than merely murdering the queens, the surprised Keralie and Varin reluctantly pair up to save themselves as well as the fate of Quardara.

With a story composed of intrigue as the murders are attempted to be prevented and solved in a rather unique manner, questions of control and autonomy, and the exploration of a matriarchal society, the narrative is engaging and compelling in its portrayals of the varied struggles the four queens and Keralie face. The tale moves swiftly, taking place over a few brief days, although there are glimpses into the past through the shared perspectives of each queen to help contextualize how the situation grew to its current state; the text is ambitious in the six points of view it offers readers to build the story and develop the world the characters inhabit, combining some traditional fantasy elements with some futuristic technologies. While I greatly appreciate a standalone novel in an age of endless series, there did seem to be a larger world and more political intrigue to be explored, which would warrant a second novel or prequel novel(la) to help further explain and develop the Quadara that readers were cursorily introduced to.

indigoiversen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Somewhat a riveting page-turner. It was fast-paced, plot thriving in complexities with murder mysteries, fantasy, and romance tied together with morally ambiguous characters. Honestly it was a fun read, especially when you think the plot is so boringly obvious, the author takes the tropes you’re used to and completely flips it in an unexpected but appreciative way. Also I wouldn’t call the romance between Kearalie and the dude an “enemies to lovers” for those who are keen, it was more reluctance and annoyance to lovers. The story was suspenseful, heist driven with a touch of magic. All of which I genuinely enjoyed.

Favourite quote: “Let love guide your heart, and everything else will fall into place.”