Queen Among The Dead by Lesley Livingston
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Web ID: 15733430Ratings & Reviews
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Solid & enjoyable Fantasy Read
Solid YA Fantasy - Not only was the world building strong, there was also good character development and an intriguing plot. Oh...and monsters...there were monsters. Neve and Ronan meet as children when they fight for their lives against a demon. Then when they run into each other again, years later, their actual identities are surprising. But so begins their fated destiny as their lives continue to collide. With a basis in Celtic mythology, this book kept me interested from the beginning. Even though there may have been a few slow spots, it would quickly pick up again. The storyline was one that kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. Neve and Ronan had "battles" to fight in more ways than one and a simmering chemistry that was undeniable. It was a well-balanced read. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own,
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A great story
The synopsis says it is based on “The first true Queen of Ireland”, but it gave me major Merida (Brave) vibes mixed with Galadriel from The Rings of Power. In the beginning of the book, it gives a list of tribes of Eire. The names are so close to each other that it’s really hard to keep them separate (FIR BOLG, FIR DOMNANN, FOMORI, FAOLADH, FÉ FÍADA, etc). Although it’s confusing and I couldn’t pronounce them if my life depended on it, I was able to recognize who each were when they were mentioned. So don’t get stuck on the names. It took me a few chapters to get into the story. But after I understood the world building and history, it was a quick read and a great story. Filled with Magic, druids/priests, shifters, royalty, lost family, claiming the throne, battles, stone circles, Magic-sniffing hounds, murder, betrayal, intertwined fates
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Celtic YA Fantasy
Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2 When I saw that Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston was a fantasy novel based on Celtic folklore, I was intrigued! The novel follows Neve, a princess who is second in line for the throne, but no one sees her as worthy of ruling Eire. Fascinated with her land’s history and her fierce, and maybe slightly maniacal, ancestress known as the Scathach, Neve becomes enthralled with the idea of being a warrior. However, a chain of events leads her to being forced into considering the possibility that she will one day rule Eire. I felt really conflicted about this book for the majority of it. It starts off pretty slow, and doesn’t really pick up until about halfway through. I would have liked to see more interaction between the characters in the first half of the book, and definitely more actions scenes. That being said, the second half of the novel was fantastic! There were a few plot twists that I didn’t see coming, and I was happy with how the story ended. The relationships between the characters were interesting, and I enjoyed seeing Neve grow as a person. Neve’s love for her people and sense of justice added a lot to the story. Her motivations seemed sincere, and as a reader, I couldn’t help but to root for her. I was intrigued by the idea that she did not want to be a queen, but wanted to be a king instead. I get that the author was likely trying to suggest that women are just as worthy and capable of ruling as men, but I almost would have preferred Neve to change the perceptions and connotations around the word “queen” than to strive towards being a “king.” Perhaps this is the feminist in me, but Neve’s adoption of the latter term indicates that she must be like a man in order to rule, whereas embracing the title of queen maybe would have changed her peoples’ perspectives and shown that she didn’t need to change anything about herself. Overall, I’m not sure if there will be a sequel to this book. The ending kind of leaves open that possibility. However, I don’t know if I would read it or not. On the one hand, I did find this book to be a little slow, and on the other, I was content with the ending of this novel. As a whole, it’s not necessarily one of my favorite books, but it was worth the read! I received an ARC of this book, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Everything you could want in a fantasy!
I was hooked from the very beginning into this action-packed tale. It’s a story full of mystery and wonder, with darkness lurking in every corner. Reading this book is a tangible experience. I was sucked into everything that was happening. Sometimes it can take me a while to get my feet firmly into a story, but that was not the case for this one. I love how in-depth everything is. I often find that sometimes details are glanced over that could really add to a story’s strength, but this one is delightfully detailed without being fluffy. It finds a perfect balance that I think all fantasy readers will appreciate. I immediately adored the sassy and fierce Neve. I love a good strong heroine that breaks the mold she is being forced into. If you like a girl with grit, you’re going to love Neve. And who can resist the wily bandit, Ronan, that she finds her path inexplicably linked with. I love their chemistry and banter from the moment they meet. The author does a great job of showing us the characters’ personalities and motivations through their actions and dialogue. And we really get a transformative adventure seeing Neve’s growth as she evolves into the woman she both needs to be and truly is in her core. Full disclosure, I know next to nothing about Celtic mythology, so I cannot speak to any accuracies as far as things in the story that are based on fact or purely fictional. But I think that is a good perspective to have on behalf of other readers because, even with no prior knowledge, I was able to follow along nicely with the story without any confusion. So, if you are like me and don’t know anything about Celtic lore, don’t worry. This book gives all the explanations you need to understand the world-building. And what a wonderfully magical world it is, at that. If you love a story that is richly steeped in dense legends and magical gods, this is the perfect book for you. It’s an emotional story, at times, with lots of political intrigue through different factions of rebels and royalty vying for power. The complexity and layering of the plot is exquisite and the insight into the mythology is mesmerizing. The writing style and tone is perfectly matched with the atmosphere of the story. The author paints vivid scenery that immerses you into every page. I felt as though I could envision every part of this journey. The ending is both compelling with its surprising twists and satisfying with its neat conclusion of events. I highly recommend this book and it definitely deserves all five stars. I’m super excited to add this author to my list of favorites and I can’t wait to read anything she writes next. Recommend for readers who love: - Fierce female protagonist - Rich lore and world-building - Action-packed plot sequence - Enemies-to-lovers - Raw and gritty - Tales of destiny
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Strong female warrior and Celtic myth!
Thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects for my e-ARC of Queen Among the Dead. I was so excited to get into this book because I am massively intrigued by Celtic history and legends! From the get-go, Queen Among the Dead is all action; Neve is a strong-willed, independent female ready to defend herself and her nation at all costs. She finds her match in Ronan, a thief with loyalty to the end. The courtly intrigue, magical mayhem, and battle drama never cease throughout the story and I was truly hooked. There were a few things that were hard to follow though, namely, the magic system was a little confusing, especially since the writing style used an immersion technique in which things were named but not explained, so the reader had to figure it out on their own. One of the antagonist’s plotlines didn’t sit well with me though, it was obviously meant to be a twist, and it was, but upon reflection, <spoiler> if Gofannon wanted to prevent the Scathach from returning, why would he fight against Neve? If he felt like she was being possessed by the Scathach (which she partly was, but she and her friends were doing fine to keep her at bay) that would have made a little more sense, but he literally told Neve that she was his last hope of preventing the Scathach from returning. And, how would going to battle against Neve have gotten Anonn back for Cormac? I don’t think battling her daughter would have endeared Anonn to him. If it had been a little more straightforward without the “twist” of Gofannon being “good” and he had remained the antagonist, there still would have been the question of why return the Scathach after having banished her, but the overarching plot would have been less convoluted. Ultimately, Cormac should have wanted to battle Neve for the throne, not her mom, and Gofannon’s story could have been smoothed out, no plot necessary and just throw in a reason for him to change his mind, fickle people change their minds all the time. </spoiler> In the end, this book was 4 stars for me for good action, Celtic inspiration, a strong female warrior, and a cute love story thrown in.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Irish Mythology and a Headstrong Queen
Thank you so much Zando Projects Publishing for sending me an eARC to read and give an honest review! "'Do you think Eire is invulnerable, lords? Impervious to assault? I don't think that. I can't know that. I only know this: in the face of a darkness rising - and darkness follows dusk follows bright daylight, always - an unjust kingdom will never stand. A false king will ever come to ruin. And faithless tuaths will, in the end, burn to ash and scatter on the winds.'" *4.5 stars* This book was SO good. I absolutely loved the Irish mythology, the political intrigue, the worldbuilding, and the characters! There is so much to say, but I want to start off with the one thing I did NOT like, so I can move on to all of the good parts: the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I loved the past and then fast-forward to the future, but there was also a LOT of info-dumping near the beginning, courtesy of both Neve and Ronan. However, that was truly my only complaint about the whole book. Now to the good parts! The way that Livingston wrote about Irish mythology displayed her deep passion and respect for it. It was very well done (though I would have liked to see a glossary for the meanings instead of them being explained by the narrator). I read the first book in her other series, Valiant, in 2020 and enjoyed it for the same reason. I also enjoyed the political side of the worldbuilding. The reader is told that Úna understood and manipulated the politics in Eire, and near the end, we really see how the political system is important to the story I have seen some complain that they couldn't anticipate the trajectory of the story since the characters had no clear goals, which led to them disliking the book. I personally enjoyed this fact (although I did have theories as to where it was going based on Livingston's subtle hints throughout the first couple of chapters), as it keeps the reader guessing and on the edge of their seats to see what happens next. Additionally, the pacing was perfect because it built suspense. It is definitely YA though. Next, the characters were good. I suppose this is a minor complaint, but I feel like the side/main characters weren't QUITE fleshed out enough. Neve was pretty much the only one I felt was, as her characterization was on-point the whole novel: headstrong, stubborn, and not afraid of the consequences. She was kind of an anti-hero/ morally gray character too because she made decisions based on her desires. On the other hand, Ronan, Sakir, her father, her mother (who I wished I could've seen more backstory for, by the way), Úna, and Lorcan could've all used a little more characterization. However, the lack of this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book overall (I mean, I BINGED this book in one sitting). And then the romance . . . enemies to lovers, a knife-to-throat scene, and a sarcastic thief? I mean, what more could I want?? Also, this was a dual POV story told in the third person, which didn't confuse me as I read that a lot (SUPER common in YA fantasy), but it can be confusing to some readers. Finally, while this is a standalone, I'm glad Livingston left the ending open so that we may one day return to the land of Eire.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Entertaining and Great World-Building
I enjoyed this Celtic YA fantasy adventure set in the ancient Kingdom of Eire and inspired by the first true queen of Ireland. There are quite a few groups to keep straight at first, but once they become familiar it’s exciting to watch Princess Neve come into her own, mastering her magical abilities, uniting her kingdom and fighting an ancient darkness both in the present world and in the Other Realm. Plenty of tragedy and treachery but also some good examples of female bravery and powerful leadership. Oh yeah, and a little romance. Not sure if this will be continued (no obvious cliffhanger), but I’d read another. My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Zando Young Readers for providing the free early arc of Queen Among the Dead for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
So Much Promise, Fell A Little Short
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Zando Young Readers for a free ARC in return for a fair and honest review. This really could have been something truly special. From the beginning, this book looked so promising. I fell in love with the Celtic inspiration, with Neve and Una and - dare I say it - even Rowan. Not only was the setting beautiful, but the opening of the book had me absolutely hooked! And then... well, it fell short. First, the writing style felt really clunky. It made reading the book hard and I would manage a chapter and feel like I had run a marathon. I think it was mostly down to the author over-utilising 'impactful' one-liners that brought the flow of the book to a stand-still. We were promised an enemies-to-lovers plotline, but what we received was not that. The 'enemies' part of this book seems to be resolved within about 40 pages, and then whenever the two run into each other, they just seem... mad. Not enemies, though. And then when there's a moment they could be enemies about 2/3 of the way through the book, it once again lasts about 20 seconds until we find out they're actually not enemies. There was so much promise there, but it just... didn't. However, I did really like Neve and Una's characters. I found Neve to be really strong and a great female role model. Her undying love for her people was something that I truly admire in her. Una deserved better - she was lovely and would have been a beautiful queen. She was really very kind and Lorcan was a lucky man. The Celtic influence on every aspect of this book was a very refreshing twist on the YA fantasy genre. It was unique and exciting and exceptionally well done. Overall, Queen Among The Dead is a very solid YA fantasy novel that lacks a little in the writing department but makes up for it with wonderful characters and gorgeous Celtic inspiration.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com