I found myself struggling with the characters and the story even with just the few chapters provide.d. However I can see the appeal to many YA as they will like this so our library will be purchasing.

This story mostly follows Keralie, but we do get some chapters from each of the four Queens which I really liked. It made their possible deaths all the more intense since we get to care about them. Keralie goes through some great character development as she learns to care about others and value more than money. Shes definitely a flawed and complex character. Im really happy the slow burn romance didnt over take the plot. This story could have been just a great had it developped into a friendship instead, but I thought the pair were cute together so I didnt mind. Varin story was super touching and he quickly grew on me. The villains were also freaking amazing. Their connection to the main character and their motivations had me way more invested in their story.

I loved how the country was split into four quadrants with each having different expertise and values. Toria is the commerce quarter, Ludia is the entertainment quarter, Archia is the agricultural quarter, and lastly Eonia is the technological quarter where all emotions are trained out of their citizens in the name of a harmonious society. Out of the four Quadrants I think Id want to live in Ludia since books are a form of art and entertainment I could hopefully spend my days reading and selling books from my own little shop. It was really interesting to get to know the Eonist ways with all their fascinating technology and previously decided death day. I do wonder though why if Eonist are genetically engineered to be perfect than why do two of the few we know about have heart problems.

Since everything is explained in a very approachable way and there isnt any magic system to understand I think this could appeal to a lot of readers. Plus the whole murder mystery aspect kept the pace engaging and exciting. I thought I knew where the plot was going, but I was so wrong. It took me by surprise in the best possible way. As for the writing, I found it totally bingeable. It just had this awesome quality to it that pulled the reader along and completely immersed them in the story. I hope we eventually get more stories in this world.

*review is based on the full ARC I received from the canadian publisher. Thank you

After reading the excerpt, I can very well say that the writing didn't work for me. I was intrigued by the characters and liked the concept of four queens ruling from the same castle, the world perfectly divided and told of its responsibilities, and a thief trying to make a living. The pace was a bit slow to my liking, hence the dilemma of reading the finished book. Maybe I should give it another chance, just because of the characters and how interesting they seem.

Thank you for the excerpt.

Great! We are looking forward to read this book in German soon - hopefully. It is a very good story, with very interesting and living characters who made me feel like to know them for a while ... Thank you for this ebook, it was a pleasure to read it before it will published officially ... Astrid Scholte is an great writer and I will read a lot more books from this talent ;-) ...

Note: This is a review of a sneak peek of the first five chapters. Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam for a copy of this excerpt in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The concept of this book intrigued me: a tech/fantasy setting, a queendom with four co-monarchs who keep dying, and a thief? I had high hopes of a kind of sci-fi, mystery, Thief of Attolia situation.

To be honest, the description "The Red Queen meets Divergent" should have be my first tip-off.

Really unfortunately, the excerpt I read was absolutely formulaic. Without giving away spoilers, this read checks off allll the trope boxes: Teen Girl is a Disappointment to her parents because she earns her keep on the Wrong Side of the Law, but she can't help it because she's simply The Best at what she does, and she has the Spunky Personality and Snarky Wit to prove it. Bonus boxes include Rakish Boy with a Tragic Backstory who's been a Friend Since Childhood, Startlingly Handsome Boy who's Not What He Seems, Family Member with No Access to Medical Treatment, Cruel Dystopian Government, etc.


Pros:
-The premise was interesting. If the rest of the book centers itself around the mystery and political intrigue of the queens, I imagine a read that could be similar to Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn. However, based on the direction the plot seems to be taking, I'd say that chance is slim, and will in all likelihood just result in Keralie's finding out she's secretly in line to one of the thrones and completely overhauling the broken system (that's a complete guess based on the author's formula, sorry if that becomes an accidental spoiler).
-There's a ton of action and drama even in just the first five chapters--we're talking betrayals, and murders, and all kinds of juicy stuff. If you like action-driven plots with multiple POV, this book may appeal more to you than me.
-The world-building seems to have a lot of promise. So far, it feels like a politically-driven fantasy integrated with the technologies and culture of Panem. Lots of fun tech to play with, but the structure monarchy gives history and dimension to the plot (instead of the flatly evil Capital of the Hunger Games).

Cons:
-Trope-y; see above
-The author switches points of view between the queens and the main character Keralie, which would have been great (I found the queens' POV richer and more intriguing), except that she also switches between 1st and 3rd person points of view. To say the least, it disrupted any potential story flow and took a minute or two for me to get back into the plot every time.
-This is incredibly nit-picky, but the names (both geography and character-wise) were all so vanilla. I mean, Quadara. A nation uniting four countries. Come on, now. The notable exception to this was one location with a French name that felt out of place to me. I know it's anal, I KNOW, but etymology can make or break culture-building.
-Maybe I'm getting cranky, and outgrowing YA in my old age of 26, but the whole read fell flat to me. The dialogue, settings, even the characters, just felt predictable and try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to care about what happened to the characters.

It's gotten a lot of excited reviews on Goodreads, so I hope that I'm in the minority, and that other people love this book. I'm just tired of reading the same-old YA fantasy over and over, and this felt same-old to me. But hey, "same-old" to me might be "tried-and-true" for you. So, if you love series like Throne of Glass, The False Prince, or Court of Fives, check it out!

Four Dead Queens caught my attention with its sleek cover and tight description, but Netgalley's five chapter sneak peek GRIPPED me. In a small amount of time I got murder, danger, mystery, intrigue, backstory, a sassy heroine, con-artists, and a NEED to have this book in my hands. Thank God the wait isn't too much longer, but it seriously needs to hurry!

I completely missed that this is only a sneak peek! I reached a WTF moment and wanted to know what next and there is nothing! I really, really need the rest of this book.

I wanted to read this book since when I found about this book in September. However, I already voiced my concerns that this book with its title and maybe even cover may confuse some people into believing that it's an instalment in the Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake. It was my first reaction when I saw it before noticing a different author name. And I think it would be a shame if people missed this because of the confusion.

So, what can I say after reading this 66 pages long sneak peek? I'm excited about this book. We get the action right away! Something is happening from page one; we are already in action and, so far it does not feel like an information dump. I'll admit that I have a hard time remembering which Queen is a Queen over which quadrant and what they do there. But we are only five chapters in, so, nothing terrible.

I like how the Queens are different, but thankfully it does not seem like they will try to kill each other. And I'm really excited about Queen Stessa; she seems like a headstrong young lady.

I'm looking forward to seeing where Keralie's story is going. However, I can already say that I will be obsessed with Mackiel. He already seems like my kind of character.
Though I have to wonder about the whole "thief" part of the story, it seems to be getting a tad bit overused.

The only thing that's getting a bit on my nerves is the whole "Four quadrants of the Quadara." A bit more originality hear it would go a long way, at least for me.


Anyway, all I want to say that I feel more confident about this book than I did before reading this sneak peek. And now, can I get the whole book, pretty please? 😇

I found myself having a really hard time reading this. I feel like I’m missing something?
The writing seems like there’s something us readers should already know so I got confused.

The listing of names of places and whatnot just made it hard for me to immerse myself in this

Though I only received a sneak peek, I can officially say I CANNOT WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON THE WHOLE BOOK. The writing is descriptive, engaging, and evocative. The Queens are AMAZING and the world they live in is one of my favorites this year so far.

I really liked this sneak peek! It's full of drama and politics. I can't wait to read more. The writing style and the world are interesting -- if a bit confusing. The characters are compelling, though the Queens are my least favourite characters.

Although I only got a sneak peek and not a full novel I cannot give a well rounded review but boy what a sneak peek.!!!!!
Very descriptive and engaging.
I can imagine it as a mini series in the future.
I look forward to obtaining a full copy of the book upon its release.

Thoroughly enjoyed this sneak peek. Can't wait to see what happens next. I have pre-ordered the book and will be recommending it to my friends.

This sneak preview was exciting and captivating. The characters and plot are interesting and I can't wait to see what happens next. 

Although I only got to read a preview of this book, the first few chapters were captivating and exciting. This world seems so unique and interesting I really want to see how Astrid Scholte builds on the interesting characters and the world she has introduced us to.

Keralie is such a great character. She’s sassy, funny and clever. I love how her character built in the first few chapters. Although we briefly meet the queens, their characters will play a much greater role in the overall plot. I hope to see more of Keralie though, as she is already a favorite.

The story starts off with an exciting action scene that left me with so many questions. The plot is going to be an exciting story. There are so many questions to be answered and I guess I will have to wait to buy the book to get all the answers I need.

Such an interesting storyline arises in the first few chapters. It was intriguing and fun to read. 

This sneak peak ended on a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see what Astrid Scholte does with the interesting world and great characters she introduced us to. I can't wait for the publication date so I can buy and read the rest of this exciting book. 

“There’s a way in, and always a way out.” Astrid Scholte

I feel cheated! To be given only a sneak peek of this book is almost cruel. I need to know what happens next. The novel started off a little choppy, but it recovered quickly and definitely has the potential to become a fun and exciting read. The characters are interesting, the descriptions are vivid and the storyline, from what I’ve read, looks to be engaging and full of intrigue. I would LOVE to get my hands on a complete ARC because, like I said before, I need to know what happens next.

This book was received as an ARC from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book drew me in from beginning to end and was really fascinating to read. However, there were a lot of spots in each chapter that jumped off course with the plot and it made a few moments were I was scratching my head thinking that I am lost and it was hard to follow along. Once I got back on track, the book was at its breaking point and the climax hit and then it really started to get good. I am so intrigued when I read books of two unlikely heroes joining forces together and they become stronger than ever just like how Keralie and Varin.

We will consider adding this book to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This was an amazing start to the novel, and cut off just when it was getting good! I love the fact that we dive in right away, yet still have plenty of world building and characterization for the lands, the queens, and how they relate to one another. We also see how the underworld works, and how they're able to get away with everything. I was drawn into each story thread right away, and felt a connection with the characters.

I'm definitely going to be on the look out for the full version of this book!

It was a thrilling excerpt and I was on the edge of my seat throughout. I can't wait to read the entire book!

Thank you so much for the preview. I am totally fan girl-ing this book!! I love the cover and I will be rushing out to buy it on release day. I can not wait to see what happens in the land of Quadara!

I haven't read the full book, just teaser chapters, but it seems promising. Can't wait to read the full book!

Wow. I read this sneak peek in one sitting, I simply couldn't put it down! The world building and characters gripped me and the intrigue is keeping me on my toes...

I'm now counting the days until the book is published.