Four Dead Queens
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4.6 • 7 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Four dead queens. Three days to catch a killer. Two forbidden romances. One enthralling, fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences.
“A thrilling, genre-blending book perfect for fans of both fantasy and murder mysteries.”—Kerri Maniscalco, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series
“A cinematic thrill ride . . . Absolutely riveting.”—Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series
Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but in fact, she’s 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. Varin 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 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Astrid Scholte’s young-adult debut is an imaginative murder mystery disguised as a wildly clever fantasy novel. In the fictional world of Quadara, 17-year-old Keralie is a thief whose latest steal entangles her in a plot to assassinate the land’s four female monarchs. Four Dead Queens brings together the dangerous deceptions of Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series with The Hunger Games’ themes of violent territorial divisions. Once we encounter the title characters, the stakes get even higher. There’s palace intrigue, delicious double-crossing, and exhilarating action, all made even better by a perfectly landed ending.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this fast-paced debut by Australian author Scholte, a thief and a messenger engage in a race against time to unravel a conspiracy aimed at murdering the four queens who rule their nation, Quadara. Seventeen-year-old Keralie is a master "dipper," able to effortlessly steal just about anything, but her latest assignment takes a deadly turn when she's left in possession of evidence linked to the gruesome assassinations of the queens. Now on the run from her employer, her only ally is Varin, her former target. When the two attempt to take their information to the palace, they discover that events are even more complicated than they originally believed, and the assassin may be closer than they realized. While dodging murder and manipulation at every turn, the law-breaking Keralie and the scrupulously honest Varin find an unexpected emotional connection. Despite science fiction trappings advanced technology such as genetic engineering and chips that record memories this novel feels just like an epic fantasy. Scholte has created an intrigue-heavy adventure in a world filled with characters whom readers will want to revisit. Ages 12 up.)
