A review by jkreads
Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did but it had me hooked very quickly! It gave me the same vibes as the early seasons of Pretty Little Liars (don’t judge me okay!) with the dead friend supposedly sending messages from beyond the grave. The mystery element combined with the world of competitive Scrabble isn’t something that you would expect to mesh together well, but it really did in this case.

The themes of parental pressure, discovering who you are and building confidence are all things you can generally expect to find in most YA novels, and this was no exception.

I felt this book explored these themes quite well. I really enjoyed the main character Najwa’s journey of not only finding herself, but stepping out of her best friend’s shadow. I do wish we’d gotten to know Najwa a little better, it felt like we only scratched the surface of what felt was a great main character.

I’ve seen some reviews from people saying they didn’t like the ending, that it felt anti-climactic, but I personally disagree. I felt it was an ending that was realistic, if not a little melodramatic. I really enjoyed this book and felt like the Scrabble setting really differentiated it from all the other YA books I’ve read lately.