I have been meaning to read The Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf since I was approved for it on Netgalley in February 2022...

The Queen of the Tiles takes place over the course of one weekend in a hotel/conference centre where a teen scrabble competition brings together a unique cast of characters still reeling after the sudden death of the former champion, Trina, exactly one year prior. Najwa and her fellow competitors are all vying for the coveted role of champion, and but can't help but be distracted when messages and instagram posts begin trickling in through Trina's account. How can someone who they all watched die suddenly start posting on instagram? And what secrets are these posts trying to reveal? Najwa knows her best friend is dead, but this unusual social media activity makes her start to question whether or not Trina's death really was an accident. And with everyone back together again, maybe now is the perfect time to find out what really happened that fateful day one year ago.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a fantastic clean YA, with enough twists and turns to keep readers interested without anything that might be inappropriate for younger YA readers. I truly was guessing as to what exactly happened to Trina right up until the end of the book. The characters were interesting and well developed and the writing was really well done. My only uncertainty had to do with the setting, as I may have missed or was unaware that it took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, so there was the odd word or description I didn't quite understand right away, but I love that it is set there and that it exposes readers (especially those like the ones at my school in North America) to stories set in other countries and featuring diverse characters!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this fantastic book. My only wish is that I got to it sooner than I did!

Synopsis: Najwa’s best friend Trina, the titular Queen of the Tiles, died during the final round of a Scrabble tournament. Najwa is back on the circuit after a year-long break, still struggling with grief but determined to win to honour Trina’s memory. But when Trina’s Instagram account starts posting hints that her death wasn’t an accident, Najwa investigates the other participants to find out if one of them murdered her best friend.

▪ Great, original setting. I loved the way Najwa’s love of Scrabble in entwined with her every thought, and how the tournament setting introduces all kinds of rivalries and motives as well as physically isolating the characters from most adult supervision. It makes for such an interesting, intense closed world in which the mystery can unfold.

▪ Emotional mystery. I don’t want to give away too much here, but Najwa’s drive to solve the mystery is rooted in her grief, which makes for a very tense narrative. Trina was a complex person, and Najwa must process her friend’s bad actions as she processes her loss. Najwa isn’t perfect either, and there are very interesting reasons for which she is not en entirely reliable narrator. All of this spices up the mystery.

▪ Scrabble. I am terrible at Scrabble, and this deep dive into all the strategies and complexities of the game was truly fascinating. You know how great it is when you’re listening to someone who is really knowledgeable in a specific topic and is great at communicating it? That’s just how Najwa (but mostly writer Alfa) is. I feel like this is the part that makes this novel so distinctive.

I loved this complex, emotional mystery, especially the deep dive into the competitive Scrabble world. A must read!

a murder mystery with scrabble? with fabulous diversity and stunning wordplay? This book had everything and more. definitely recommend <3

The cutthroat world of scrabble competitions is the backdrop to young Najwa Bakri’s progress through her grief after the sudden death of her best friend, also a Scrabble competitor, a year ago. Najwa is left with crippling anxiety and a fractured memory of the events surrounding Trina’s death.

Najwa returns to her first Scrabble tournament in a year, determined to win it for Trina, and for herself. Things are difficult for her, but her anxiety spirals out of control when someone begins posting from Trina’s formerly dormant Instagram account, implying she had been murdered. The teens competing all know one another and were familiar with Trina’s moods and behaviours, but no one had ever thought there was something nefarious about Trina’s death.

Najwa and Trina’s former on-again, off-again boyfriend Mark decide to investigate their competitors. This brings up a slew of emotions in Najwa, prompting her to question her relationship with the dead girl.

Hanna Alkaf does a fantastic job of putting us in Najwa's head, and feel her panic and anxiety as someone is manipulating the situation and Najwa's still delicate psyche. That Najwa keeps going forward, despite how badly her anxiety "ants" are plaguing her, is powerful, and shows that despite still dealing with grief and fear, Najwa is freaking amazing.

I'm sure many have played Scrabble at some point in their lives, but I learned, with this book, that there is such a thing as scrabble competitions (what rock have I been living under, huh?) I loved the way Najwa's mind kept deconstructing words and their point equivalents on a board as she sleuthed.

Najwa’s fragile mental health, the competition tensions and Najwa’s assumptions about a lot of things kept me reading avidly, wondering if the mysterious poster and their intentions would be unmasked. An enjoyable book, and though my first by Alkaf, it won’t be my last.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Simon &Shuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story. The character was well written, the scrabble aspect was divine. The mystery was fun to follow and the way the investigation took place felt very realistic. I highly recommend this one.

3.5/5 stars

Queen of the Tiles is a YA mystery set in the world of competitive Scrabble.

The narrator is 16 year old Najwa (1st person POV).

I've never read anything set in the world of competitive Scrabble. I enjoyed that the setting was a teen Scrabble tournament in Malaysia. I also loved seeing a Muslim heroine with mental health issues.

This book mostly takes place over one weekend, which was interesting. This book deals with the loss of a friend (this is a big part of the story).

The book did start off a bit slow for me. But I enjoyed it more once the mystery aspect was the focus. The end wasn't bad, but I'm not sure if the resolution was completely satisfying. But overall there was definitely much to like about the book.

fun! intriguing and interesting! thank you netgalley for the review copy! i thought the plot, the pacing and the characters were great and original. i look forward to reading more books from this author as well!

I really, really enjoyed this YA story set in the world of competitive scrabble players!! (Who knew that was even a thing?? I sure didn't!)

Najwa gets ready to start playing in her first scrabble tournament since her best friend Trina, the Queen of the tiles, unexpectedly died playing a year ago. During this tournament though Najwa gets a message that suggests maybe Trina was murdered. This sets Najwa down a path to discover the killer, win the title of Queen for herself and discover secrets about people she thought she knew.

Najwa gave me lots of Veronica Mars vibes. Very smart, observant and sly. She's great at spotting her opponent's 'tells' but someone is just always two steps ahead of her. Highly recommended and perfect for fans of A good girls guide to murder or Ace of spades. This book was original and so much fun! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!!

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Hanna Alkaf. This was a good read. I wanted to read it for the Scrabble part alone. It was so fun to read.

📚 BOOK REVIEW: Queen of the Tiles, by Hanna Alkaf

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5

I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I expected to struggle with reading this book because I hate reading on my phone, but I COULD NOT put it down! This book is so unique, so fresh and so different from anything else I’ve read. I absolutely loved the scrabble and Najwa’s passion for words, it made me want to learn more about language and maybe play scrabble competitively?? She’s such an incredible main character, emotionally complex and so, so passionate about the thing that she loves, it’s wonderful to read.

I feel like the book handled heavy topics well, particularly discussions of grief and PTSD, as well as less concrete topics having to do with reconciling a person you love with their flaws. I found the mystery compelling, all the side characters interesting, and I just really loved the journey this story took me on.

If you’re looking for a quick YA contemporary with some mystery and suspense and a really fun, unique setting (again, it all takes place during an amateur scrabble tournament!) definitely check this one out, it comes out tomorrow, April 19th.

To hear more of my thoughts, check out my review on tiktok @meg_mazzaferro.

[Queen of the Tiles content warnings: on-page death, descriptions of anxiety/PTSD/panic attacks, discussions of grief and loss]

The Queen's Gambit meets Pretty Little Liars in this riveting scrabble-themed mystery from young Malaysian author Hanna Alkaf.

When Trina Low, the “Queen of the Tiles,” dies after a shocking defeat at a prestigious Scrabble competition, the world of words is rocked to its very core.

But her BFF, Najwa, and ex-boyfriend, Mark, seem to be the only ones concerned with the unusual circumstances of her untimely demise.

That is until her former competitors start to receive a series of cryptic Instagram messages from Trina’s account on the one-year anniversary of her death.

Can Najwa solve the mystery and preserve Trina’s memory before time runs out, or will her desire to take the crown throw her off the trail?

I was absolutely enamoured with this thrilling new novel, and I found myself reading into the wee hours of the morning just to find out what happened next.

I can’t wait to recommend this book to my students in class tomorrow, and to add the title to our book list for future Huskies to enjoy.

The vocabulary extension opportunities alone are 👌.

Enjoyment: 4
Total rating: 4.14

Trina is known as 'the Queen of Tiles' for her achievements in the competitive circle of scrabble. During a tournament, she dies suddenly and mysteriously. Her BFF Najwa has had a hard time moving one. As part of her healing journey, she decides to get back into the scrabble horse and joins her first competition since Trina's death the year before.
Only things can't be that easy - someone is posting cryptic messages using Trina's accounts. And things seem to indicate that Trina might have been killed. Najwa is now determined to find out the truth - and survive the weekend.

I enjoyed reading Queen of tiles. Even though I am not a scrabble player, nor have I been to Southeast Asia, I was totally immersed in this story. Alkaf introduced both worlds organically, without taking away from the plot. I love to read diverse own voice stories, especially when the author transports me to their world.

I enjoyed the clever scrabble references that served as "landmarks" to the plot. Queen of Tiles is a solid, entertaining YA mystery that plays fair with the reader and is a must-read for everyone.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of Queen of the Tiles.

Queen of the Tiles takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our main character is a hijabi Muslim teenager named Najwa. It's been a year since Najwa's best friend Trina—Queen of the Tiles—died suddenly during a Scrabble tournament. Najwa is now determined to win the Scrabble competition to honour her late best friend. But things get complicated when Trina's inactive Instagram account starts posting cryptic messages, implying that Trina's death may have involved foul play. Najwa is then forced to trace Trina's steps a year ago to find out what really happened to her best friend.

I don't usually read YA, but I had to pick this one up because HELLO? A hijabi heroine playing detective and solving mysteries?! Yes, pls & thx!! The unraveling of a mystery during a Scrabble competition is so unique! I love the way Najwa's mind works, the way her brain is wired to associate words with everything and everyone that she comes across. I honestly didn't realize how dumb I was at Scrabble until I read this book 😂

The beginning of this book explores Najwa's grief after such a painful loss. I think the author did a really good job exploring themes of death, grief, and mental health. The beginning of this book also introduces the primary set of supporting characters, some of whom later on become suspects. As a result, it takes some time for the mystery-solving to really start.

As I was reading, I worried about potential plot holes and loose ends. I had so many questions, like, what exactly did the police miss in their initial investigation? And how is Najwa, a teenager, expected to solve something that the police overlooked? But as I got closer to the end of the story, everything made complete sense. And I really like how everything ultimately came together!

Overall, despite the slow beginning, I ended up really enjoying this book. @publishers if you're reading this review—I need more unique and interesting books with hijabi heroines (not just YA) that are not about tragic Muslim lives and Islamophobia. Better yet, give me an adult mystery novel with an adult hijabi heroine as the main character, pls & thx!

ENTHRALLED
14 Points
Definition - how I felt inhaling this book

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

I wasn't really sure what to expect of a book described as The Queen's Gambit but with Scrabble and murder, but I do know I am incredibly thrilled that this fell into my lap. This is a murder mystery that takes place over the course of a Scrabble weekend tournament in a Malaysian hotel, exactly one year after the so-called Queen of Tiles Trina Low suddenly died in the middle of her game. Najwa was her best friend, and after a year off the Scrabble circuit, she's back to claim the title on behalf of Trina. Except someone isn't willing to let what happened last year go, and a lot of secrets are ready to be revealed.

This was just so darn good! I could not put it down at all. It is so well-thought out as a whole and kept me on my toes all the way through. Alkaf crafted an incredible mystery that never once faltered. For one, it is clever as heck! The use of word play took my breath away. First, some of these words are insane? I don't know how adept Alkaf is at playing Scrabble but she must have dug deep to get some of these words/definitions to fit. I mean, the anagrams that pop up on Trina's instagram? The words that have two completely different meanings yet apply perfectly to every situation they appear in? Absolute masterpiece.

I was worried the short timespan of only a few days would hinder the trajectory of the mystery, but that was foolish of me. Not once did this feel rushed or half-assed. Everything was discovered in perfect time and realistically so. It kept me wholly engaged and left me constantly changing my guess on who was responsible! If it wasn't so entertaining I would be frustrated because I could not figure it out. But I suppose that's the mark of an excellent mystery. And of course, the reveal of the culprit was terribly satisfying and oh so right.

Finally, the fabulous cast of characters! Of course, we have our star, Najwa. She is a young Muslim woman from Kuala Lumpur, and I loved being inside her head. She is incredibly smart, observant, and just overall appealing as a character. Her struggles with grief, of figuring out where to fit in without Trina, and of overcoming her own doubts and hesitations -- all of it was relatable and made her a well-developed individual you can't help but root for. The rest of the cast was diverse and intriguing. Every character could easily be a suspect, and Alkaf does a great job of weeding that list of culprits down as secrets come out and we get to know each person individually.

This was my first Hanna Alkaf book but it most certainly won't be the last, that's for sure.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A year after Scrabble champion Trina mysterious dies during a competition, her best friend Najwa returns to the same contest, her first time back in the game since the incident. It has been a hard year for her, but she is hoping that this will be a way for her to heal and move on from her grief, and win the tournament in her friend’s memory. But the competition is at an all time high this year – with Trina gone, everyone is vying to be the new champion. When Trina’s Instagram account suddenly becomes active and starts posting cryptic messages implying that her death may not have been as natural as it was deemed, Najwa is determined to uncover the truth. As nearly everyone starts to appear suspicious, she begins to piece together the sequence of events from that day, all the while trying to figure out who is behind the posts and why they chose now to come forward.

The concept behind this book was such an interesting and unique one! I’ve never read any book set at a Scrabble competition. Reading this book reminded me of how much fun I used to have playing the game and made me get my board out again. Each chapter started with a word and its definition, foreshadowing what is to come which was a really nice touch and an excellent choice considering the genre of this book – it certainly helped raise the tension!

Najwa was an excellent main character. I thought that her struggle with mental health issues stemming from the shock of her friend’s death was very well portrayed, including how the trauma has affected her memories of that day. I generally don’t enjoy an unreliable narrator, but in this instance, Najwa’s rather choppy recollection of the events opens up a wealth of possibilities from the mystery angle. Thought the story is entirely from Najwa’s POV, the secondary characters had a lot of depth. They provided a very interesting contrast in terms of how different people viewed Trina as opposed to Najwa’s rather rose tinted memories of her friend.

The one question that I had throughout as Najwa continued to uncover more information about how Trina died was how she didn’t already know this information – surely she would have known her friend’s cause of death, even if was deemed natural? Najwa’s trauma based amnesia added an interesting layer to the story, adding the question of whether Najwa herself might have done or witnessed something on that day that she doesn’t recall, but I felt it wasn’t really used to full effect from the mystery standpoint as it could have been.

The story had a lot of potential, but the ending made the mystery fall flat after what was some great build up. As some key plot points were revealed, it was not too hard to make an educated guess at what might have really happened to Trina and the suspect pool was only so large. Queen of the Tiles was an intriguing, fast paced read with a unique concept. I really enjoyed it and learned a few new words too. I would highly recommend this book to mystery fans, particularly younger YA readers!

‘Queen of the Tiles’ by @hanna.alkaf takes place at a Scrabble competition, and the minute I saw that, I knew I had a responsibility to read it as a Scrabble lover. An engaging, well-paced mystery peppered with high scoring, obscure Scrabble words and interesting characters, this is a fun addition to any YA collection.
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At last year’s Scrabble competition, Najwa Bakri’s best friend and reigning champion Tina died suddenly during the final match. Since Tina’s death Najwa has suffered from panic attacks and crushing depression. Now, a year later, Najwa is returning to the Scrabble arena for the first time, trying to conquer her anxiety and honour Tina’s memory. All the other major players are back, and with the top spot open it is clear the game is afoot. When someone starts posting from Tina’s Instagram, Najway is thrust back into the events of last year and suddenly wonders - was in an accident after all? And if it wasn’t an accident, who was responsible?
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Word nerds unite! Najwa often makes word associations for people and situations, and considers the world through the lens of Scrabble tiles. I found this incredibly endearing, and was fascinated by the Scrabble history peppered throughout. Najwa’s tense relationship with her mother, friendship with her sister and Muslim identity all give us a clear picture of this grieving teen. Alkaf does an excellent job of exploring Najwa’s grief and trauma as well as having her reconsider her relationship with Trina through a new lens. Assumptions are made and red herrings are followed, building the story to a satisfying conclusion. The supporting characters are interesting, diverse and representative of the ethnic diversity found in Malaysia (where the story is set). They add a fun layer of intrigue as Najwa scrambles to solve the mysteries within. I really loved this story and look forward to putting it in the hands of students after it publishes on 4/19/22!!
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Thank you to @simonschusterca for a #NetGalley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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#diverseteensbooks
#diversebooks
#diverseYA
#weneeddiversebooks
#teenbookrecommendations

I couldn't help myself when I saw a novel centred around a Scrabble competition. Not only that but one with a murder mystery and representation. I knew that Queen of the Tiles was the book for me.

And I was right. Our protagonist, Najwa, returns to a Scrabble competition a year after the sudden death of her best friend. She wants to heal and learn to love the competition and the game again. But that is until the others begin acting strangely and Najwa realizes that there are too many secrets for her to just sit back and play Scrabble. Someone at the competition knows something about her friend's death.

I share Najwa's love of words and it made me empathize with her immediately. I love the way she moves through the competition and the interactions with her friends, using complex and less well-known words to more accurately speak her mind. I also loved the value put on words, based on the Scrabble values. It was a very interesting way to bring important words to the forefront.

The mystery plot was put together solidly. I had no idea who had done it at the end. The person I suspected was innocent and the actual perpetrator made so much more sense once they were revealed. Anyone who loves books, Scrabble, or other word games should definitely give Queen of the Tiles a read! I have no doubt it will become a favourite of the bookish community after it's publication.

Spoiler FREE Review:

Queen of the Tiles kept me on my toes and wondering who was behind the mysteries in the story. I felt as though I was solving the puzzle as the main character was. Sometimes I was ahead if her while other times she was ahead of me.

The characters are diverse and authentic and flawed and very clearly kids. We have a main character who is POC and Muslim, side characters who are as well, as well as a non-binary character who’s role doesn’t have anything to do with them being non-binary! These teens have flaws and morals and they’re very interesting. We see them get nervous, solve problems, make bad decisions and make good ones too. I’ve never read a book with teen characters so accurately teens.

The plot was quite interesting, and kept my focus. The clues were laid well, hard enough that I guessed wrong a few times, but simple enough that it lost a small bit of excitement, instead opting for a solution that was satisfying.

I cant say much without spoiling, but I really enjoyed the world building. Unlike many other fiction novels that take place in our world, mysteries rely on the accuracy of how our world is reflected to work properly. This book did a great job at connecting its story, random scrabble facts and our world together to create the mystery and its solution.

The story takes place over a weekend and paces itself very well. There weren’t a lot of filler scenes which was fun because we got to focus on the mystery, but it wasn’t so fast paced that it stressed you out. It dragged a bit at times but thats not a big deal. It wasn’t perfect pacing, but it was good enough.

I only gave it a 3 star rating because the exposition really bothered me in this novel. I didn’t like how the author chose to explain the past and background information that sets up the current plot. The writing style in these parts is not to my liking, and reads a bit too simple and choppy. This book is also pretty heavy on the exposition. In addition, the story itself didn’t blow me away, it was good, but not fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it, it just wasn’t my favourite.

this one is so fun! I'm not a huge YA reader and I'm definitely not a big YA mystery reader but this is now my exception! I loved Najwa so much and I was rooting for her the whole time. It's also so refreshing to have a protagonist that isn't just blatantly dumb? Every time the reader got a clue or another piece of the puzzle fell into place Najwa was right there with us instead of that annoying character that just feels dense for the sake of plot. So yeah, this was super fun and easy to fall into! The last 40% is super engaging and I really liked the twist. It's only a 4 not a 5 purely because it's not my preferred genre and I could see all the YA things that I don't specifically like but if you are a YA person and a YA mystery person this is a must read this year!

Mini review:

I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have had my eye on this book was quiet some time now. It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. When I saw the arc on Netgalley I didn't hesitate to request it.

My feelings about this book are a bit complicated. I didn't hate it nor did I love it. I appreciated it and don't regret reading it. Though I don't see myself purchasing the final copy or re-reading it.

I think what it comes down it is, that this novel isn't what I expected. And that's not a bad thing. I just think it was advertised well. It isn't exactly a murder mystery, Though it was a fantastic thriller. I am not a fan of thrillers but surprisingly I love murder mysteries.

Let's talk about the positives. It was nice to read about a setting outside of the USA, UK, and Canada. The writing style was very gripping. The rep was done well (I'm a Muslim). The way the author addressed mental health, and toxic relationships was amazing!

I do still recommend it. I really think thriller fans will love this novel.