Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this book in audio format from Listening Library in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.

Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Get in quick, get out quicker.

These are the words Keralie Corrington lives by as the preeminent dipper in the Concord, the central area uniting the four quadrants of Quadara. She steals under the guidance of her mentor Mackiel, who runs a black market selling their bounty to buyers desperate for what they can’t get in their own quarter. For in the nation of Quadara, each quarter is strictly divided from the other. Four queens rule together, one from each region:

Toria: the intellectual quarter that values education and ambition
Ludia: the pleasure quarter that values celebration, passion, and entertainment
Archia: the agricultural quarter that values simplicity and nature
Eonia: the futurist quarter that values technology, stoicism and harmonious community

When Keralie intercepts a comm disk coming from the House of Concord, what seems like a standard job goes horribly wrong. Upon watching the comm disks, Keralie sees all four queens murdered in four brutal ways. Hoping that discovering the intended recipient will reveal the culprit – information that is bound to be valuable bartering material with the palace – Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the Eonist messenger she stole from, to complete Varin’s original job and see where it takes them.

Review:
When I first saw the title and cover of Four Dead Queens, by Astrid Scholte, I immediately thought of the Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake.  Would this be a copycat story of Queens fighting to the death?  Thankfully, no.  With a richly built setting, characters that all are deeper than they appear, and a lovely romance, this was a unique whodunit and a compelling page-turner.  
World-Building:
The society of this Queendom is quite complex.  There are four quadrants, each with a different function, that provide agriculture, innovation, entertainment, or education to the culture.  The Queens rule their separate quadrants.  But they rule the whole country equally together.

The author spent a good deal of time detailing what made each quadrant unique.  There were different rituals, food, clothing, attitudes, and customs for each quadrant.  The amount of planning and detailing that author Astrid Scholte must have done was truly impressive.

Narration:
The book alternates between Keralie's viewpoint, and that of the four queens.  The two voice actors, Amy Shiels and Elizabeth Knowelden, perfectly embody the characters.  Keralie is spoken with a lovely Irish accent, while the queens are all spoken in the poshest of British voices.  I loved it.

Characters:
The story focuses on not just the would-be detectives, Keralie and Varin, but also on each of the four queens.  They may each be sovereigns, but they essentially live in a gilded prison.  Every aspect of their lives are regulated by "queenly laws".  But following these traditions means they will give up love, companionship, and even more.  While they are expected to have daughters, once they are born they are taken away to be raised by others.  They only return to be crowned queen themselves once their mother dies.

What sad lives they lead.  Is it any wonder that each found ways to fight back from all the rules imposed on them?  I loved this.  


Romance:
I enjoyed the romance between Keralie and Varin.  They come from different quadrants, and thus have very different opinions on everything.  But this was better than the standard "hate at first sight" trope.  I think that while they couldn't agree on anything, they respected each other from the start.  As the story progresses, they learn details about each other's lives.  This lead to greater empathy towards each other, and made it inevitable they would fall in love.

              
via GIPHY
Keralie always wanted to be a thief.  This was her choice, and she wasn't forced into it.  I liked that she was unapologetic about getting what she wanted in the easiest way possible.  It was refreshing.  But Keralie also didn't really grow as a character.  She showed no guilt for a variety of morally ambiguous actions.  No one else seemed to have a problem with what she did either.  Wouldn't there be a few judgemental people out there who would be demanding punishment for what happened?  Wouldn't she feel more than a passing moment of guilt?

The "Twist":  
Of course, I am NOT going to say what this is, but I was not happy with the big reveal at the climax of the book.  While I was truly surprised by it (which is a good thing), I felt like the twist came out of left field.  I freely admit that there were a few clues as to what would happen, but the hints were so subtle that I missed them.



Rating: 





Release Date:  February 26th, 2019

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Author:  Astrid Scholte

Audio Publisher:  Listening Library

Audio Length:  11 hours, 33 minutes

Narrators:  Amy Shiels, Elizabeth Knowelden

Print Publisher:  Putnam

Page Length:  432 Pages 

Source:  Publisher

Format:  Audio Book

Recommendation:  This was a fun book with surprising characters, and a sweet romance.  The world-building, alone make this a very special experience.