Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for my copy of The Queen of Days.

This was SUCH an epic fantasy full of action, family, and a call to duty involving a small team of thieves and a magical woman who takes payment in the form of time. As in minutes, hours, days off your life. I had this read in less than 2 days. Amazing!

"If you agree to work with me, you agree to die thirty days sooner than creation intended."

Something I really enjoyed while reading this was the purposeful dialogue. Every word spoken by our characters told the story and explained their realities in a way that flowed so well throughout the book.

"But that's the thing about duty. You don't always get to choose it. Sometimes it chooses you."

If you love fantasy and are looking for a break from Faerie realms, this book should be added to you list!

So I'm kind of smitten with the Queen of Days. Yes I do mean the book, but I also mean the elusive character we know of as the Queen of Days. I love a good shrouded character dripping in mystery and when you add time magic to the mix, I will lay my sword down for her. Not only that, but her character development really blooms throughout as the history, past, and mystery are revealed. That being said, I also enjoyed the ragtag found family group crew dynamic even if we didn't get as much of some of the side characters as I'd have liked.

I am definitely hooked on Fantasy lately, however this did not keep me interested as long as it should have. I struggled to stay engaged with the characters.

I really just did not vibe with this one. It definitely was so so. The main characters all have to use nicknames?? Like really? All of them? I feel like I was supposed to feel the emotional ties between the characters but they all felt 2d.

Action packed , heart warming, and suspenseful. This book was everything I hoped it would be.

To start our story begins with a group of exiled thieves who went from riches to rags. The leader of the pack is named Bal and he and his crew lost their families when the city sacrificed them to the gods. As revenge to the current governor for making that happen, they go along with a crazy plan from a mysterious patron to ruin the concentration of a new temple for the sea god. But they need the help of someone known as the Queen of Days, a magical mercenary known for impossible feats. But this job is far for than they bargained for, they must decide to let the world burn, or save it.

Aspects I loved about this book were the found family , friendships , and dedication everyone in the crew has for one another. Sure they fight and some make dumb decisions but in the end they work it out and stick together. I also liked the aspect that just because someone does not share the same bloodline, it doesn’t mean they are not your family.

The story is fast paced and goes from one crazy scene to the next. It also shows that there are different realms and that humans with short lives and no magic abilities , would assume those with the opposite are gods. But it is only a perspective. Sometimes we have to be careful who or what we worship. If we do.

I loved it when they stepped into the Nethersphere and the imagery given to describe that brutal part of the world. I also liked how the concept of time within each realm was handled. The story also uses time as a currency as if humans are fated for a certain amount and can pay with it.

Overall, I loved this story and I am so grateful for a chance to read and review it!
Thank you to the author and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. It was a blast ! Literally and figuratively.

Bal and his band of thieves embark on a job to steal an idol from the man responsible for his family's murder. He enlists the help of a mysterious woman, nicknamed the Queen of Days, who is unmatched in her skills of battle and magic. Together, they realize that there is a bigger plan that has been set in motion and both are determined to stop the forces from destroying everyone and everything around them.

This book was such an adventurous ride! The found family aspect was one of my favorite parts of the book! Each character has their own distinct personality and together make up this motley crew. They really had a natural flow and banter that was just fun to read. Tass was probably my favorite character because not only was her backstory interesting, her lack of social awareness made her endearing. The heist aspect drew me in and I enjoyed the twists and turns as the story unfolded. The fantastical and the world-building elements were not difficult to understand at all that a beginner fantasy reader would be able to catch on relatively quickly. Overall, a great read and I would definitely be interesting in reading about their further adventures if this continues on as a series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book. Opinions are my own.

Balthazar may be an accomplished thief, but that wasn’t the life his path was on originally. But years ago, a violent mob that blamed his father (the governor) for the city’s misfortunes attacked and killed most of his family, with only Balthazar and a few others able to escape into the night. Now this family has grown into a family of thieves, and they’ve just been hired to do their biggest score yet. Even better, it targets the man who instigated the mob in the first place – and then became governor himself. All Balthazar has to do is steal an idol during a consecration ceremony of a new temple. The catch? Balthazar’s patron demands that he hire the Queen of Days, a mysterious figure known for daring escapades. With her in their back pocket, this job should be a piece of cake. It soon becomes clear, however, the ceremony wasn’t just for show, and now a deadly force has entered the human realm…and it wants its idol back.

THE QUEEN OF DAYS is a quick and breezy adventure with a spectacular finale, though full of largely forgettable characters. As a standalone story, it wastes no time getting to the heart of the action, picking up on the eve of this daring heist. The result, however, is that we don’t really get a chance to meet the crew or see them developed in any meaningful fashion. For instance, I could tell you very little about Zee beyond the fact that she’s a tinkerer and a scientist, makes bombs, and is married to another crew member. Kai is Balthazar’s half-brother…and…I think the brawn? You get my point.

The plot itself is decent, definitely saving its best for last in a show-stopping final confrontation that I thoroughly enjoyed. The middle of the book, however, definitely lost momentum, as the crew spends most of its time either trying to find a way to avoid having to deal with the consequences of their heist, or learning the backstory of what was unleashed in the first place. But with most of the trust shattered between the crew in the fallout of the heist, it really takes until the finale before we see any kind of daring and well-executed plan, the very element that usually draws one to a heist story to begin with.

In short, THE QUEEN OF DAYS is a serviceable enough fantasy adventure, one that I personally think would have benefited from additional length to flesh out the crew and its dynamics. If you’re here for the fantasy shenanigans and can accept the premise at face value, it’s a quick read that delivers a solid ending. But as someone who prizes characters above all else, this one didn’t click with me as much as I was hoping.

Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Really struggled to get into this. I stopped and started a million times and I just couldn’t finish it. It’s me I think and not you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Voyager and Ms. Kelly for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I love fantasy and I love a good heist book and I LOVE the two together (see: Locke Lamora, of which I despair of ever seeing a new book) so, needless to say, I was very excited about Queen of Days. To paraphrase the synopsis, Balthazar is the son and heir of the deposed governor of a Venice-like state, who accepts a contract to steal something from Paasch, the murderer of his father (and most of his family) and new governor. The contract stipulates that Bal must team up with the near-legendary fixer, the Queen of Days, to do the job.

Tassiel (the titular Queen)'s arrival into a prison to meet up with the Balthazar is awesome. She is such a COOL character. It's quite clear she's not an average human, even before the full extent of 'what' she is is revealed. The book bounces between her POV and Bal's and frankly I looked forward to her chapters. I really liked that she and Bal formed a found-family type friendship (refreshing not to see yet another romance) and I found her relationship with her own family members fascinating (albeit completely messed up).

Bal suffers by comparison; although he is the leader of his gang he makes some pretty poor decisions for a heist mastermind (including decisions that weren't necessarily his to make) and has a major weakness in his ex-fiancee, whom he just. Can't. Quit.

Despite some holes in the plot this was a fun ride and the story overall was engaging enough to have me reading non-stop. I finished the book ready to check out Ms. Kelly's other work, which is recommendation enough for me. I will be on the lookout for more from this author, particularly if it features Tassiel or her siblings (I feel like there might be good stories there).

Full of adventures and surprises, The Queen of Days is an entertaining and immersive fantasy novel that kept me immersed from beginning to end.

The story is told from two different perspectives. On one side, there is Balthazar. Born from one of the most powerful families in the city of Cothis, Bal and his siblings were forced to flee after the murder of their family by the hands of the now governor. But now, he and his band of thieves are back in search of revenge and a huge pay off that will allow them to start a new life. All they have to do is to steal a statue during the celebrations of the god Karamis and, in doing so, disgracing the man who killed their family. But, to do that, they need the help of the Queen of Days. Also known as Tass, the Queen of Days is certainly not human, but she gets things done, even though her price is high and it’s not money, but time. Bal is determined to get his revenge, no matter the cost, even when the statue they were supposed to steal is broken in half and a door is open to a wrathful god.

I must admit that I really enjoyed this novel. The world-building is quite interesting and there are twists and turns at every corner, lots of action, bored gods who want to conquer the human world, time magic, and loyalties questioned.

The characters are interesting. Their motivations are realistic and, despite frequent arguing and secrets, they love each other and always come together. Bal’s obsession for revenge can be his weakness and sometimes puts in question his leadership, but I liked how his character develops towards the end. Tass/the Queen of Days’ perspective were some of my favorite parts to read. Her confusion to human’s actions and emotions and her desire to belong somewhere made her an authentic and fascinating character.

The Queen of Days is a well-written story of revenge, action, love, and found family and I am already looking forward to its sequel.

This book was so highly anticipated after how much I loved the Warrior Witch duology, but I thought it was just okay. I struggled with the pacing as the book spans just a few days; the first 25% felt so fast I could barely keep up, but the rest dragged a bit for me. The stakes were high, but I wanted more complexity from the heists, and it took awhile for me to feel invested in the characters. I don't think I every quite fully understood the rules of the magic system, but it was pretty cool. We got glimpses of some very unique world building! I always love meddling gods and a good underdog story! The ending was very exciting and action packed. This works well as a standalone, although there are definitely more stories in this world to tell! While this wasn't the book for me, you should give it a try if you like heist fantasy, meddling gods, found family, and Dungeons & Dragons!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve never read Greta Kelly before, but I was drawn to The Queen of Days because the blurb mentioned “a flawed-but-lovable family of thieves,” and a comparison to The Lies of Locke Lamora. And this is one of those cases where the comp absolutely fits, while also doing its own thing.
The world is pretty interesting, and I liked the concept of time magic. But it definitely was more subtle, with the characters and the action taking precedence. And while I did wish the ARC included the map (the copy suggests there will be one in the final copy), I didn’t find it too jarring without it for that reason.
The characters are pretty fun. While I did think the crew’s relationships being pre-established made things a bit odd, as it felt like you should know them, I did like that there were those bonds to suggest a history between them. There’s a great balance between Bal, who is the leader, providing that sense of familiarity, and the newcomer, Tass, allows the reader to acquaint themselves with the crew from her perspective. I loved that Tass had this mysterious “Queen of Days” persona, and she never takes off her mask. I also was pleasantly surprised that the story didn’t try to push a romance for the two of them. While I obviously love romance, romantic subplots in fantasy are so frequently hit-or-miss, so to have one that focused on them as part of a larger crew of friends was nice.
The plot and pacing is another area it also shines. While the plot itself is fairly simple, it remains exciting throughout, and it’s fast-paced, keeping my attention consistently throughout.
If you’re looking for a fantasy heist book, a la Lies of Locke Lamora or Six of Crows, I’d recommend checking this out!

The Queen of Days is a standalone heist novel following a group of thieves about to go on their last heist. The payout is tremendous and they’re planning to retire to a normal, law-abiding life once they cash in with their patron. The pièce de résistance is an idol that’s to be used in a ceremony to the city’s patron deity, Karanis, god of the sea and their job is to steal it and bring it back to their patron for his collection. What our group of thieves, the Talion, doesn’t know is that the ceremony is to bring Karanis into their world to inhabit the idol.
I think the biggest appeal to this novel is our group of characters, who call themselves the Talion. They’re the remnants of the noble Vadalen family that was nearly wiped out in a coup and this particular heist is special for several reasons, the main one being that the person they're stealing from is the man responsible for the death of their family. They bring in a mysterious woman known as the Queen of Days to assist in what they know will be a difficult job. It’s unknown how she’s managed to pull off the impossible, but the group quickly learns she’s something other than human. Tassiel, or Tass as she prefers, is the half human child of one of the gods and she can manipulate time. Tass once had a family of her own, but she finds she enjoys the company of the Vadalens and she also doesn’t want Karanis or any of the other gods entering the moral realm.
The plot is quite fast paced and I found myself absolutely eating through the pages of this story. It took a mere two sittings to read through this book! There’s not a lot of time wasted and our characters swiftly move from one important moment to the next with very little dithering. Surprisingly, the lore of the world is quite well fleshed out considering it’s a standalone and the rapid pace of the plot. The city itself and the larger world as a whole are somewhat bare bones, but the mythos is deep and this feels like it’s a mere snapshot in what could be an incredible world full of stories to be told.
Overall, The Queen of Days was a strong story that would be perfect for fans of Six of Crows. The emphasis on family is something I enjoy, especially thanks to the contrast between the Vadalen family and Tassiel’s family. I would love to see more stories set in this world, as I think there are many opportunities to explore the lore and address the conflict amongst the gods.

If The Italian Job had a baby with Six of Crows, it would probably come out looking a lot like Greta Kelly's The Queen of Days.

The latest from the author of the Warrior Witch duology is an action-packed adult fantasy following a ragtag crew of thieves hired to pull off an extremely dangerous heist involving the man who murdered their family years earlier. Toss in healthy doses of revenge, found family, and magic, as well as a powerful, otherworldly ally (aka the titular 'Queen of Days') who refuses to ever reveal her face, is more demon than woman, and only takes payment in the form of time (as in coughing up literal days of your life in exchange for her help, eek), and you end up with a fast-paced, well-written adventure.

There are a lot of moving parts involved in piecing together the narrative, but with an author like Kelly, I don’t think you’ll feel lost or buried in nonessential details (something that can easily happen in complex fantasy worlds). She has a talent for cutting to the heart of the matter, whether that’s in a devastating conversation between two characters or the middle of a blood-splattered fight to the death.

Of course that ‘pro’ does have a ‘con’ when you look at it from another angle — occasionally I wished that the story would dig deeper into Bal and his crew’s background, specifically growing up on the island as royalty. That element of the book definitely isn’t ignored, but it did feel glossed over, which was a disappointment for me. Getting a more fleshed-out glimpse of their childhoods compared to their current predicament would’ve provided an interesting contrast.

Other than that, my only genuine complaint about this one was a prose issue: modern-day slang and phrases would creep into the dialogue here and there, jolting me out of the world of the story. Not a deal-breaker by any means, but something that grated on me nonetheless. Overall, though, The Queen of Days is such a fun read for both established fans of the genre and fantasy newbies alike.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Queen of Days is out now.

Heaven knows I’ve had an up and down experience with these multi-POV heist books. And yet I keep coming back! I guess it simply feels like one of those situations where if multi-POV is going to work, a heist book is the place to find it! And I’ve read the good, the bad, and man oh man, the ugly. This one stood out, however, in that it has been marketed as an adult high fantasy novel, rather than the typical YA fare that we’ve usually seen. So, let’s see how it stands up to all the other books like this!

I’ll just lead with the bad news: while this wasn’t the bad or the ugly, it was also just on the edge of good for me. In that, I enjoyed this book overall, but the reading experience was also frustrating at times and left me feeling a bit let down in the end. But let’s get into what did work. First off, the writing was strong, vividly depicting the rich world-building that went into this story. It was easy for me to quickly settle myself in this world and look forward to what was to come. I also appreciated the style choice to use both first person and third person to distinguish between a few of the view points. As I mentioned in my review for “Starling House,” I think this “one simple trick” can do a lot to help elevate a multi-POV book into a more interesting reading experience all around.

That said, I’m not sure that the first person style helped with some of the characters themselves. Bal, the leader of the group, reads as the main character of the book, something that the first person tense further emphasizes. However, he was also the most frustrating character, often making choices that seemed to prioritize his own goals while risking the safety of his crew. Using the first person perspective, the reader has an up close and personal look at some of the inner workings of these decisions, and, frankly, that didn’t help matters as he fixated on his ex-fiancé and other similarly frustrating topics. On the other hand, I did enjoy the other characters more, something that was probably helped by the more omniscient view from the third person perspective. Plus, cool magical powers are always a draw!

This was also one of those rather frustrating reads where I was able to get into the book quite quickly but struggled to maintain my focus over the course of the book. Much of the plot and pacing felt very familiar, and I wasn’t truly surprised by any of the twists and turns the story took. Of course, a book doesn’t need to be surprising to be a success, but something about the reading experience felt familiar in a bland way, for me. That said, if you’re a high fantasy reader who really enjoys multi-POV books, this one may be worth checking out!

Rating 7: While the world-building was compelling, I struggled to maintain my interest in a story that felt very familiar.

(Review will go live on Nov. 4 on The Library Ladies)

Bal and his crew are used to skating the line of the law, so when they are asked to steal a statue during the annual celebration of the god Karanis, they didn't think anything of it. The payout would have been enough to snare their interest, but this job also gives Bal the added benefit of sticking it to the man who was behind the murder of his parents. They even don't question when the client asks them to recruit the 'Queen of Day's' a mysterious figure who is only to be used as a last resort. When their plan and the celebration goes off with a quite literal bang, the crew start to realise that magic might just be real. And not just any old magic, but the kind that can rip portals through worlds and bring the revered God Karanis into their own. Bal and his crew quickly come to realise that they are being used by figures much older and more powerful than they could ever imagine. Figures who care little for the lives of humans. And if the crew, and the rest of the people of Cothis are going to survive, they will need to use every skill in their handbook, including potentially trusting one of the God like people who are trying to bring them down.

The Queen of days was a high octane and entertaining read. One filled with relatable and lovable characters, plenty of intrigue and enough action to ensure you stay glued to the pages. If you're a fan of a good 'found family' style novel then I would definitely check this one out. The characters and their interactions are what absolutely made this book for me. Though Bal and his main crew and indeed family, when The Queen of Days gets recruited, we see them having to deal with an outsider, someone not part of their group, but someone desperate for somewhere to belong. It's not an easy ride, thanks to secrets she is keeping the crew aren't too eager to trust her at first, but as time goes by, the more time they spend together, the more battles where they have each others backs, the crew and The Queen of Days start to realise they may have found somewhere she fits.

The banter between all of Bal's crew was top notch, and I enjoyed how Kelly shows the lows as well as the highs. These are a group of people all carrying their own traumas from their past and all trying to deal with it in different ways. Bal is the leader and someone with his sights on revenge, a path he has dragged his crew on for years now. Alongside his half brother, Kai, a lovable rogue who quite fits into the life of thiefdom. His cousin Zee a society lady turned scientist and heR husband Edrick a disgraced soldier, and their final member, Mira, Bal's little sister who he does whatever he can to protect. I loved all of these characters equally, but I would have loved to get more POV's. The book is split between Bal's and Tass' (The Queen of Days), and because of this some of the other characters lost a little flare and lacked development, I would have loved to see certain scenes from different POV's and think this would have added to the tension and drama.

The story itself is pretty similar to most other heist stories, but what sets it apart is the magic system and world building that Kelly creates. Kelly's world building brings the island of Cothis to life, with it's religion and belief system, and I especially enjoyed how we get to see those beliefs tested when people realise who and what their so called 'God's' actually are. The world and magic are developed throughout the story ensuring no torturous info dumps, and I especially like how natural it felt, with Tass slowly feeding the crew the truth of their world and the God's that claim to rule it. There are plenty of plot twists, and the perfect blend of high octane and slower scenes meaning it's an easy story to get lost in and I found myself flying through the pages.

I think one of the things I loved about this was the lack of romance. This story was family based through and through, and I enjoyed seeing all the different relationships get explored. Though the main story of this book is tied up in the end, Kelly leave it open enough that there could easily be more books in this world, something I am hoping for because I would love to spend more time with these characters.

I really enjoyed Greta Kelly’s first series, so I assumed I would love this one as well. I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t love it.

In fact, I found the beginning wasn’t all that engaging to me, and by about 10% I wanted to DNF, but I also wanted to give the book a further chance so I kept going. I’m generally not a huge fan of heists, unless they’re done very well. Again, I enjoyed her other series enough that I was willing to take a chance on this one.

This book takes place from third and first person, which was a bit distracting at first for me. I’d have almost preferred if it didn’t shift between first and third and just stayed all in one or the other.

Kelly is a fabulous world builder though – this world was just as well built as her previous books, albeit it was different. Which again, shows how talented she is at creating a world. The writing was also excellent.

I think my biggest problem is I just wasn’t invested in the characters or their motivations which is a little disappointing to me.

Overall, I really wanted to like the book, but it was a miss for me.

DNF @ 71%

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! This book contained a lot of elements I’m a fan of - heist, found family, unique mythology, and dual povs. If anything, the weaker aspect of the novel is the development of the characters themselves. There’s a hatred of the MMC’s love interest that’s not really elaborated on, and decisions / behavior of the characters at time are a bit whiny. I think more could have been done to make the MMC more likeable or at least justify his actions. I enjoyed the read and the unique premise otherwise.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this and review before it comes out!! We LOVE a found family of thieves! The world this Greta Kelly built for us all to visit is amazing. The plot is also such a cool concept I haven’t read before. This gives major Six of Crows vibes. As far as the characters, I wish there was more development there. It was also hard to believe Bal is their leader when his priorities and focus are questionable most of the time. I loved Tass and her magic and she ended up being my favorite. Fans of YA epic adventures will find a wonderfully written and engaging story here.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC!

Queen of Days starts off like a fairly regular heist novel; the twist (mentioned in the blurb, so no spoilers here) is that the heist you *think* you’re getting happens, and goes wrong, early on.

There's some promise here. The writing is clear and understandable, and the world is full of interesting politics and magic. This is a really original take on time as magical currency, which I hadn't read before, and I was INTO it.

That said, I struggled to sustain my interest through a lot of this. Part of this has to do with the structure—as said above, the initial heist is over by the thirty percent mark. This hurts the pacing a bit.

The other part—and, to me, the more important part—was the characters. I wanted to see the gang get fleshed out more/earlier on in the book. Much of the fun of a good heist story is the camaraderie of the crew, and for that you need strong personalities and strong relationships between them. Some of this can be done in shorthand—for example, you’re automatically going to care about the little sister figure because she’s the little sister figure—but it needs to be backed up by more. A lot of the moments I enjoyed most early on were scenes that gave us a glimpse of the relationships between the characters, and I craved more of that. Conversely, the moments that frustrated me the most were ones where characters behaved in ways that didn’t make sense for what we knew of them. Kai, Zee, and Edik in particular *really* needed more depth; and Balthazar, whose POV we are in for half the book, wasn’t convincing as the leader of a group. He talks about how important it is that they are family, this crew, that they trust each other and take care of each other, yet he constantly makes decisions without telling them, withholds important information from them, and then acts surprised when they are upset at this.

While this book didn’t quite land for me, I think there are folks out there who’d really like this one! I’d recommend to readers who want a fantasy heist novel that’s less dense than something like The Lies of Locke Lamora.

Final verdict: 2.5 stars rounded up