Four Dead Queens was Astrid Scholte’s first book, and goodness, did she deliver. I read this 2019 Goodread’s Choice Nominee over the course of three days–and I loved every second of it.

Four Dead Queens is a YA fantasy murder mystery, featuring our seventeen-year-old witty thief and liar, Keralie Corrington. She’s made a life for herself in Quadara, working for the famed Makiel Delore Jr. as the best thief in his black market business. When Karalie snags an intriguing package from an upstanding–and handsome–citizen, Varin of Eonia, she brings it back to Makiel, expecting nothing more than a pretty penny and more of his favor. Little does she know, that theft will lead her on a wild conspiracy full of romance, secrets, and a mystery that leaves all four of Quadara’s queens dead.

How can you not pick up this book with a cover and a title like that? And it’s not just the cover–even from the first page, Scholte’s charming characters and fascinating worldbuilding had me hooked.

Of course, we have our daring heroine, Keralie. She just wants to keep her balance between her and her best friend–and employer–Makiel. She doesn’t mind too much that it all has to come from stealing. In fact, she prefers it this way. The thrill. The freedom. Even if her parents don’t quite approve. She knows what’s best for herself. Right?

I really enjoyed reading from Keralie’s point of view. She has a wonderful amount of snark and sass, but she’s also interestingly thoughtful. Her thievery skills give her room to show us all the cool details of Quadara, but not in a mind-numbing way.

And oh my goodness, the character dynamics? I was rooting for so many of them the whole way through. Even writing this review, I want to go back and reread it again, just to spend more time with these characters…

I mean, come on. We get a cool, witty thief heroine, a daring black market businessman, and we can’t forget the intriguing third personnel, the Eonia messenger, with an unusual eye for beauty. All wrapped up in a royal race against time? Count me in.

“[Makiel] moved to drape his arm heavily around my shoulder. “Who do you feel like being today? A sweet young girl? A damsel in distress? A reluctant seductress?” He puckered his lips at me.

I laughed and pushed him away. “I’ll be whatever makes us the most money.” I usually picked my targets, but Mackiel had been in a good mood this morning, and I didn’t want to tip the boat. He submerged easily into darkness these days, and I’d have done anything to keep him in the light. “

— Four Dead Queens, pp. 3-4

Scholte’s style shows us the details and imagery beautifully. Painting mesmerizing details throughout the story, pairing description with actual character development.
And long with Keralie’s endeavor, we get to enjoy the point of view of the queens of Quodara–as well as some dark twists, that I shall not spoil.

Iris would never set foot in her quadrant again, never soak in the beauty of Archia or see the stags and deer roam the mountains.

She sat back in her wooden settee; it sank into the grass while her black skirt swallowed the frame. She removed her heavy crown and placed it on the table beside her. She tilted her head, enjoying the sunlight on her pale skin. The warm springs bubbled nearby, reminiscent of the gentle brook that trickled no far from her childhood home.

— Four Dead Queens, pp. 16

Plot-wise, I was literally screaming over this thing. As an author, I tend to have pretty good intuition for plot twists. I can usually tell what’s going to happen in a scene, based off cues and whatnot.

But even with my intuition, I did not see those twists coming. I was glued to this book and at the edge of my seat. This was the first book this year I’ve read that’s ending has actually satisfied me. I was able to sit the book down (after 3 days of a thrilling read) happy and accepting of the ending, rather than bothered or confused.

Content warning wise, this book is fairly mild compared to most YA fantasies these days. There are a few mentioned uses of the middle finger, some mild romance, LGBTQ+ couples. There’s also some quite descriptive scenes containing blood and death–it is a murder mystery, after all. I was initially a bit turned off by the violence, but I honestly got used to it. And it was written vividly and tastefully enough to not be disturbing.

All of it fits right into place for the plot. Scholte does a wonderful job of weaving together a story full of twists, turns, and a new fantastical look on the classic take of thieves vs. queens hiding away in their castle until someone decides to strike.

I rate Four Dead Queens five out of five stars. A stellar read for fans of Jessica Brody’s System Divine series, or readers looking for fantasy romances without all the graphic sexual scenes. Highly recommended for readers 14+.