Review: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Title: Four Dead Queens Written by: Astrid Scholte Published: February 26, 2019 by G.P. Putnam's and Sons Books for Young Readers (Penguin) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: 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. An enthralling fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences, Four Dead Queens heralds the arrival of an exciting new YA talent.

I was really excited to read Four Dead Queens. It sounded like an interesting Ya fantasy with a ton of political intrigue and those are things that I thoroughly enjoy. And while there was a lot to like about this book, it didn’t quite blow me away.

One thing that I enjoyed about this book was the murder mystery aspect. I love a good mystery and I really like being able to solve something along with the characters in the book. This is one of those narratives that let me do that. I also really like being able to solve the mystery and with this book I was able to figure a lot of the twists out. It’s not that they were predictable (honestly there was definitely a more predictable direction this book could have gone in) I just don’t think it was particularly complex. I think because it didn’t have the same emotional impact because the one aspect connected to the main character I had figured out and when the big bad was revealed it didn’t have I enjoyed the mystery, I do however wish the mystery would have been a little more complex.

I also wish we had gotten a little more from the world building. There is a fine line to walk when it comes to developing a world. I prefer books that show instead of tell the readers about what is going on with the fictional world. And while this book leaned a little bit closer to telling us about the world. That is with the information it did reveal of course because it kept a lot to itself. There were some great aspects of their political system I found really interesting but the book kind of just told them to me instead of showing them. There was a lot of opportunity for political intrigue here but it never quite delivered on that as well.

But I think a lot of this just stemmed from the fact that it just didn’t have a compelling enough antagonist. As I mentioned before, the big bad reveal didn’t have an emotional impact and I think that was because we knew almost nothing about that person until they were revealed to be the mastermind. And because we didn’t meet them and learn about their motivations until much later in the book the person just came off as selfish and not all that intimidating. Their the kind of antagonist that could have been amazing if they were revealed to be a character we had known all along pulling the strings in the background. There were a lot of perspectives here and not having the antagonist before they were revealed was a bit of a misstep for me.

But I did however like the other character perspectives. Keralie was a great main character. I’m a sucker for a thief with a heart of gold and that’s what Keralie was. She’s badass and resourceful but with a bit of a grey moral compass and those are the characters I love being in the head of. I also really enjoyed being in the heads of the queens. It helped their deaths make more of an impact because we could get to know them and learn about their secrets which also added a lot to the mystery. I do think the voice for each queen was very similar and it was hard keeping them straight in my head but I liked being in their head.

As far as the plot and pacing goes, I think the book did a good job of capturing my interest throughout the entire story. There was some interesting choices in terms of the timeline but I never really found that confusing. It built to an exciting conclusion with enough twists along the way to keep me reading. Plus I really like the way that it had a definitive ending and didn’t leave us hanging. I was honestly expecting a cliffhanger because I think this is the first book in a series but it read like a standalone. We need more standalone fantasies and even if this is a series, I’m glad it did have a clear ending.

All in all there was a lot of good aspects of this book which I really enjoyed but it wasn’t a perfect read. The murder mystery and political intrigue were great but I wanted more, and the protagonists were great but the antagonists left a little to be desired.

I give Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte 7.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. I think this is the kind of book I would recommend to someone who is looking to dip their toe in the water of YA fantasy. It reads like a standalone and has a good amount of mystery and politics for someone who doesn’t read a ton of the genre. But for those like me who love a complex fantasy, you may find this one slightly lacking.

Have you read Four Dead Queens? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Title: The Witch Hunter Series: The Witch Hunter #1 Author: Virginia Boecker Published: June 2, 2015 by Little Brown Young Readers (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.  Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.   Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.  Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.  But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.  Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and at BEA in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

The Witch Hunter is one of those debuts that I was really excited about reading. It's a high fantasy with historical elements and what sounds like lots of political intrigue and interesting magic. But after seeing a few mixed reviews I went into the book cautiously optimistic, which is exactly how I ended this book. It was an interesting read that I liked but I wasn't quite blown away like I was hoping.

Unfortunately one of the things that didn't work for me was the characters. Most of them just felt a little one-dimensional to me. There were a few halfway decent secondary characters but only a few felt like they had any depth or development for me. I'm not usually the kind of reader who needs to connect with the characters to enjoy a story. In fact I like in likable characters. But I need to understand why the characters are acting this way. For our MC in particular, I didn't understand her motivations. I don't need a kickass female protagonist all the time in fact it's sometimes nice to find a character who is more well-rounded but I found Elizabeth to be a bit of a damsel in distress she started out to be a strong female protagonist, which was especially strange because she started out to be pretty tough and savvy. She did have some decent character development and I thought she was going to take matters into her own hands but it didn't work out that way. But more than that I found her naive, overly-trusting, and even flippant at times. It was hard to connect with her and the story.

Speaking of that story, I did ultimately enjoy it despite the fact that it felt a little basic at times. The synopsis makes it sound like a dark tale of political intrigue but that's not what it was at all. There was a little political intrigue but it was thrown in at the end and almost felt like an afterthought. To me, the real plot was different. It was much more mysterious, which I liked. It was one of those quest type of stories which can be hit or miss for me, but here it worked. The character went searching for clues, interpreting prophecies, and generally attempting to find something. Unlike a lot of mysteries in YA fantasies I didn't find this one predictable and when a plot twist seemed obvious to me, it was pointed out to the character too. The mystery felt genuine and engaging. But even better than that was the action of the story. This was definitely a thrilling read. It was full of fight scenes, near deaths, and lots of adventure. I seriously cruised through this book once it started diving into that mystery. But it did take a little while for that to kick into gear. The beginning of the book was a little slower paced and there were more than a few things that happened which didn't seem to connect to the overarching plot and mystery. Then like I said, the political intrigue in the end seemed to come out of nowhere. If the mystery had been the focus in the beginning I think I may have liked it a little bit more. But on the whole it was a thrilling and interesting read, if a little basic.

The other thing I found basic but still engaging was the world of this book. It's an alternative 16th Century which you see a lot of in high fantasy novels, but it's one of the things I like out of the genre. It gave the book a much more historical feel and as a fan of that genre as well I enjoyed the It fit so well with the magic of the book too. It was a little bit of folk magic and a little bit of mysticism. It was subtle and didn't overpower the world or the plot. It felt more realistic that way. If you are a follower of My Thoughts Lit you know that I usually like my magic to be big and flashy but here it was nice that it was more subtle. The magic that we did see was interesting and like all good magical systems had clear rules and was specific to that character. It gave the book a little more depth and made it more engaging.

The Witch Hunter was a good read with a lot going for it but my inability to connect with the main character and a slower plot development in the beginning made it feel a little basic for me.

I give The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker 7.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. Though this book wasn't totally for me it was a good read. If you are a fan of YA fantasies and quest stories definitely check this book out. It's a fast and interesting read with lots of action that I think will appeal to a lot of different people.

Have you read The Witch Hunter? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Review: Ettiquette & Espinoge by Gail Carriger

Title: Etiquette and Espionage Series: Finishing School #1 Author: Gail Carriger Published: 2012 by Little Brown Books (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.  Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.  But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.  Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail's legions of fans have come to adore.

*** I recieved a copy of this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion***

Gail Carriger has been on my list of authors to read for awhile now. I had first heard about her years ago when her adult series The Parasol Protectorate was first out. At that time I had no idea what steampunk was but it sounded really interesting, however something held me back from picking it up. But lately I have been really enjoying YA steampunk novels and these sort of alternate histories so when I saw copies of this series, which combined a topic I've been loving and an author I've been wanting to try, available on NetGalley I requested right away. And while I enjoyed the book, I didn't fall head over heels like I expected to.

But one thing I did love about this book was the world. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've really been enjoying steampunk worlds these days. Gail Carriger definitely created an interesting and unique one in this series. She took a well-know trope, the Victorian boarding school, and adding a creative and interesting spin on it. Not only is this not your average finishing school in terms of its curriculum but even its appearance it out of the ordinary. She created a world and a school of steam engines, blimps, and inventions unlike anything I had previously read about. And this unique setting was explained in a way that I could not only imagine the world but I was easily immersed into it.

Then Carriger took this world and inhabited it with quirky and unique characters. The book was full interesting characters that were likable and complex. There were strong female characters, people with secrets I wanted to learn about, and a sprinkling of supernatural creatures. I was pretty fond of the main character Sophronia. She's plucky, intelligent, and tough which makes her perfectly fit in with this setting and the books plot. But there were also some great secondary characters. My only real problem with the characters was their names. I was trying really hard not to be bothered by how weird and confusing they were but it didn't work very well. I mean one of the only character whose name wasn't unpronounceable is Soap! I spent more time trying to learn or pronounce their names than I did trying to get a feel for their personalities. It really did take me out of the story at times, especially in the beginning when the world was being built.

My major criticism of this book, however, was the pacing and plot development. I expect a lot of exposition in the first book in a series. I expect it but that doesn't mean I like it. But this took that concept to a whole new level. It was seriously all about establishing the world and what I would call a "training montage" for almost the whole book. And for a book that is only 300 pages that is kind of problematic. It wasn't until two-thirds of the way through the book that it developed into anything that even resembled real plot development. But when it did pick up, the book was action-packed and engaging. That's when things became less like a Fantasy set in a boarding school and more like a spy thriller or mystery. Those last 100 pages are what will keep me reading this series.

I did also really like Gail Carriger's writing style. Her world-building was on point and the book was full of humor. There were so many moments that made me laugh out loud and so many silly little puns that had me giggling at the subtlety of the humor. The reason why they call it "finishing" school still makes me laugh. But it was a fast and fun read. It's probably more on the lower age-range of the YA spectrum. I would encourage some of the middle grade crowd to check it out if they are trying YA for the first time before moving on to something a little bit more aged up. Fans of more complex and "older" YA may want to try something different though.

I give Ettiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger 7.5 out of 10 

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. A fun and fast read with a unique and interesting world and complex and likable characters that would be a great library score but I may not suggest buying it until you try it.

Have you read Etiquette & Espionage? What did you think? What are some of your favorite steampunk books that I should check out. Leave me a comment with your thoughts and of course, HAPPY READING!