I really loved how Astrid had every Queen’s death detailed out on the page for the reader to experience and theorise over whom the killer could be.

I can in no way add spoilers into this post because the way this novel twists and turns and tells you that every theory you have about what is to come is rubbish, is artistic. Four Dead Queens is a novel that explores the human behaviour and by extension brings to life very realistic characters with emotions, ambitions, secrets and the ability to manipulate others.Īstrid has created an entirely new word that is easy for a reader to digest and which characters that are so realistic, it’s almost a warning to watch the intentions, words and hands of those we hold close to us. It may include sparks of happiness and a hidden Disney moment, maybe even a happy ever after, but it is nothing of the sort. This made it interesting while I was reading is trying to pick the killer and motives, it made reading the novel far more engaging and inclusive experience. I attended the Melbourne launch for this novel which was MC’d by none other than our Queen of space fiction, Amie Kaufman who asked some wonderful questions of Astrid, giving us some wonderful insight into the background and making-of the novel/Īnother secret we were privy to is that like us, Astrid herself didn’t know the murderer of the Queens until she was near the end of the first draft. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation's four dead queens.Īn enthralling fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences, Four Dead Queens heralds the arrival of an exciting new YA talent. 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. 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 Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara's queens dead. Varin runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger.

Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara's most enlightened region, Eonia. Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but in fact, she's one of Quadara's most skilled thieves and a liar. I kept thinking about that one quote from the book launch where Astrid, prompted by a Harry Potter loving Amie Kaufman, said that Four Dead Queens is a novel about a “Slytherin dragging a Hufflepuff on an adventure”.

You never really know what’s coming with this novel.

4 dead queens