Four Dead Queens

By: Astrid Scholte

Narrated by: Amy Shiels, Elizabeth Knowelden

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Four dead queens. Three days to catch a killer. Two forbidden romances. One shocking twist you won’t see coming.

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 mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences, Four Dead Queens heralds the arrival of an exciting new YA talent.

Praise for Four Dead Queens:
An Indie Bestseller
An Amazon Best Book - March 2019

“A good, devious mix of some of the best fantasy and murder mystery that YA has had to offer recently.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Astrid Scholte’s propulsive debut YA novel checks all the boxes for an addictive read.” (Refinery29)

“Four Dead Queens is a darkly delicious tale that keeps you in constant suspense. A thrilling, genre-blending book perfect for fans of both fantasy and murder mysteries. I just might be the fifth dead queen because this story - with its labyrinthine twists and turns - slayed me in every possible way.” (Kerri Maniscalco, number one New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series)

“A cinematic thrill ride brimming with murder, mayhem, and twists that will shock you, Four Dead Queens is sure to be your next obsession. Absolutely riveting.” (Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series)

“Astrid Scholte breaks into the fantasy genre with a triumphant, exciting debut that will keep readers guessing all the way to final chapter. Four Dead Queens is not to be missed!” (Beth Revis, New York Times best-selling author of Give the Dark My Love)

©2019 Astrid Scholte (P)2019 Penguin Random House LLC

It’s 3:06 in the morning I loved this book

I’m very picky with what I read but when I saw this book on the @literaryllama instagram account I was intrigued. After reading this book I can honestly say it was a page turning adventure. The twists and turns were unexpected and the characters Vivid. Not only that but the storytelling of the audio made it all the more thrilling. I completely recommend this book. I could not put it down such a great find can’t wait to see more from this author.

almost gave up...

I almost gave up on this book. I struggled to finish it, but it picked up in the end and I'm glad I stuck through. Great book but took a bit for me to wrap my head around it all. Overall...would recommend.

Pretty good

Very good performance! I recommend for many people who love this type of genre. Good

Fun crime fiction

This was a fun book with lots of twists and turns.
I enjoyed it.. it was light and an easy listen.

one of the best

the book: Honestly, I thought this book was going to be a bore at the beginning but it turns out that this was a amazingly intense murder mystery. Loved it.

the audio: beautifully narrated and the voice sounded so powerful and commanding. perfect.

Great book

The plot really was not what I expected in the end & I mean that in a great way - it kept my attention and kept me guessing at every turn! Overall, it definitely lived up to its hype & if you’re into YA fantasy at all, it’s a good pick.

Great book, would recommend

This book gave me whiplash (in an amazing way), it was truly amazing. What I would give to read this again for the first time.

Entertaining & Enjoyable

This novel was enjoyable and appropriate for young audiences. It may start out formal and a little slow; but the story captures your attention and provides interesting entertainment.

lovely story with so many twist

fell in love with the story had so much sadness and pain in it, but still brought hope within it

"Sometimes failure is the beggining of success"

And even through this book was clearly not a failure, I have a feeling that Astrid will evolve with every book she writes and will become a success. Especially for the thriller-mystery genere.
I got this book in the March 2019 OwlCrate Box. So I had no choice but to either read it or give it away. And I don't like doing that. Not before I read the book because I can't escape the feeling that this book that I just give away might have been my new favourite book if I was just giving it one little chance.
So I've read it as an audiobook.
And from the perspective of someone who never reads, nor likes thriller-mystery books, it wasn't bad.

PROS:
-The Writing Style
-The World-Building
-The Twisty-Turns of the Plot

CONS:
-The Characters
-The Romance

Please, keep in mind that this is purely my opinion. I liked this book. I really liked it. But many of the characters felt really flat and the romance, in my opinion, was utterly useless.