>
Critique de TigrisLeonum
My new favourite fantasy young-adult fiction of all time.
“One big lie. Two forbidden romances. Three days to catch a killer. Four Dead Queens.”
I am not quite sure what I expected when I started to read “Four Dead Queens”. The resume was really intriguing, the cover was more than beautiful but I never read any of Astrid Scholte's books before. Plus, I don't really read that much in English, as I'm a French-speaking person. But I was intrigued, I wanted to test my English as well, so I just…started reading it, I guess. I'm not really sure I stopped before the book was finished, or maybe just to eat and drink (it was a really hot day…). So to summarize it, I loved it.
Everything was perfectly set up, from the beginning to the end. I love Keralie's character because she's the deepest character in the novel, with a challenging backstory and a really interesting hero arc. I did sympathize with her from the start, being this poor girl who decided to steal to live, with a very strong will, funny lines and quick actions and the final twist made me love her more, seeing her become this adorable young lady that finally accept her past and make peace with herself. She really is a terrific young lady and I truly do love the way she was written.
“Rule One: To protect the fertile land of Archia, the Queen must uphold the society's humble but hardworking way of life.”
I think the Queens were really well build as well, even if they're not actually the main character (Keralie is). I thought I was going to hate Iris at first, seeing her being bossy and unfriendly, but I grew to love her as I continue reading. She turned out to be my favourite Queen of all, standing up for what she believed in. Stessa was adorable and a “baby jewel bean” to me (don't let her know I said that). I was really sad to hear about her backstory, being “forced” to become Queen this young is a burden no one should have to carry.
As for the two other Queens, I think the only one I didn't really felt drawn to was Corra. But that's only my opinion, I just never felt like she stand out compared to the others. She was sticking to what she was supposed to be and not once are her secrets discovered anyway… Marguerite was probably the second best, being Iris. I loved her “mother” role, being the eldest Queen and the way she cares about everyone. I really loved her too.
Then you have Varin, the only character who doesn't have any chapter dedicated to him… And it didn't help making him likable. I did enjoy his part in the book, but I would have loved to learn more about him and his thoughts. He was a really interesting character, with a lot of theory about him, what he truly is, what he can feel, not feel etc… And it feels kind of lost because he has no chapter with his point of view, unlike every other female characters of the book. That's the only thing I actually disliked about my reading.
“Rule Eight: A Queen cannot waste time or emotion on love. She is forbidden to marry, for it is a distraction from her duties.”
In the end, I think “Four Dead Queens” is a fantastic (no pun intended there) thriller/medieval fantasy book, and not just for young-adult. Every twists and turns were shocking but it made sense. I truly believe that this book deserve your attention and even more than that, it deserve a movie about it. Or a TV show taking place in this world. That would actually be awesome. To me, this is the next “Game of Thrones” !
Lien : https://thereadobot.weebly.c..
“One big lie. Two forbidden romances. Three days to catch a killer. Four Dead Queens.”
I am not quite sure what I expected when I started to read “Four Dead Queens”. The resume was really intriguing, the cover was more than beautiful but I never read any of Astrid Scholte's books before. Plus, I don't really read that much in English, as I'm a French-speaking person. But I was intrigued, I wanted to test my English as well, so I just…started reading it, I guess. I'm not really sure I stopped before the book was finished, or maybe just to eat and drink (it was a really hot day…). So to summarize it, I loved it.
Everything was perfectly set up, from the beginning to the end. I love Keralie's character because she's the deepest character in the novel, with a challenging backstory and a really interesting hero arc. I did sympathize with her from the start, being this poor girl who decided to steal to live, with a very strong will, funny lines and quick actions and the final twist made me love her more, seeing her become this adorable young lady that finally accept her past and make peace with herself. She really is a terrific young lady and I truly do love the way she was written.
“Rule One: To protect the fertile land of Archia, the Queen must uphold the society's humble but hardworking way of life.”
I think the Queens were really well build as well, even if they're not actually the main character (Keralie is). I thought I was going to hate Iris at first, seeing her being bossy and unfriendly, but I grew to love her as I continue reading. She turned out to be my favourite Queen of all, standing up for what she believed in. Stessa was adorable and a “baby jewel bean” to me (don't let her know I said that). I was really sad to hear about her backstory, being “forced” to become Queen this young is a burden no one should have to carry.
As for the two other Queens, I think the only one I didn't really felt drawn to was Corra. But that's only my opinion, I just never felt like she stand out compared to the others. She was sticking to what she was supposed to be and not once are her secrets discovered anyway… Marguerite was probably the second best, being Iris. I loved her “mother” role, being the eldest Queen and the way she cares about everyone. I really loved her too.
Then you have Varin, the only character who doesn't have any chapter dedicated to him… And it didn't help making him likable. I did enjoy his part in the book, but I would have loved to learn more about him and his thoughts. He was a really interesting character, with a lot of theory about him, what he truly is, what he can feel, not feel etc… And it feels kind of lost because he has no chapter with his point of view, unlike every other female characters of the book. That's the only thing I actually disliked about my reading.
“Rule Eight: A Queen cannot waste time or emotion on love. She is forbidden to marry, for it is a distraction from her duties.”
In the end, I think “Four Dead Queens” is a fantastic (no pun intended there) thriller/medieval fantasy book, and not just for young-adult. Every twists and turns were shocking but it made sense. I truly believe that this book deserve your attention and even more than that, it deserve a movie about it. Or a TV show taking place in this world. That would actually be awesome. To me, this is the next “Game of Thrones” !
Lien : https://thereadobot.weebly.c..
