Queen Among the Dead
Ratings3
Average rating2.3
A stunning Celtic YA fantasy adventure set in the ancient kingdom of Eire, inspired by the legend of the first true queen of Ireland, perfect for fans of Shelby Mahurin and Adrienne Young. In the kingdom of Eire, banshees chill the air, and water-wights lurk in the rivers. But magic is outlawed by the king, and jealously hoarded by his Druid priests. Neve is the youngest daughter of the king, and Ronan is a Druid's apprentice turned thief, making a living by selling stolen spells. They should be enemies, but their shared hatred of the Druids--and a dark magic that has marked them both--makes them unlikely, if uneasy, allies. When Eire is threatened by a power struggle, Neve must seize the chance to take her rightful place on her family's throne, with the help of Ronan and the realm's most dangerous outcasts. Their journey takes them to the outskirts of Eire, where magic still runs free . . . and where an outlaw and a warrior princess might carve out a future with spells and swords. Lesley Livingston vividly reimagines Irish legends and fairytales to craft a YA fantasy adventure that will captivate readers of Brigid Kemmerer and Tricia Levenseller.
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2.5 stars
Neve is the daughter of the Dagda. He rules the land. Magic has been banned except when used by his trusted advisors, the Druids. A sense of unease can be felt as different groups plot against the Dagda.
Neve can feel it and knows that something is going to happen. She just needs to figure out what's coming and which side she should be on.
The only thing I enjoyed about this book is the Celtic mythology. The characters were okay, but not my favorite. The plot was definitely not seamless. The world building was there, but in an info-dumpy way. I also would have liked a glossary. This was not for me.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
DNF @ 26%. I gave it the good ol' college try, alas - I had to call it quits. On paper, I like the conceit of the story, centered around Irish myth and legend (a topic I'm sorely uneducated about) but the book fell totally flat for me, and for once, I don't think it's me. As impossible as it may sound, the book starts both too early AND too late in the narrative timeline. We open with a chapter when the MCs first meet when they're quite young and they battle a monster. Next chapter, time skip - the FMC is holding a knife to the MMC's throat after he'd just picked someone's pockets. Why couldn't we start with the pickpocket scene? Like, actually see it on the page?
It started off rocky, and didn't improve. With phrases like “his jaw drifting open” I had a sinking feeling that this was going to be rough. The exposition is clunky with characters explaining concepts they already know to one another, falling into the pit of “As you know” territory. Like I mentioned before, I don't have a lot of experience with Irish myth, and I wish that there was an easier way to introduce concepts and names within the narrative naturally, rather than the glossary at the beginning, which I would need to keep flipping back to in order to understand anything. I didn't understand the stakes, or the world, and wasn't willing to invest much more time past the 26% mark to see more.
