⭐️3/5 stars.
This book was interesting. It felt a little like a fever dream. I was enjoying it, but when I woke up, I wondered if any of it made any sense?
I was originally intrigued by the Celtic mythology in this story. I am not as familiar with this mythology and was eager to use it as a jumping off point. However, it was the mythology aspect that had me confused and sometimes contemplating DNFing. As far as I can tell, the author is very well-versed in Celtic mythology. But she wrote the story almost as if we knew it as well. A lot of the names were similar and some of the tales could have probably been told in a better way to inform the reader, even if the characters already know. Because of this and a few other things, I think this story probably needed to go through a few more rounds of edits. However, I still enjoyed this story. Every time I contemplated DNFing, something about it kept me going.
I would probably recommend this book, but maybe be like me, and keep a post it note with all the Celtic names and what they are in the mythology.
Thank you to NetGalley & Zando for providing the audiobook ARC for my honest review.

I don't believe that Queen Among the Dead is really a book that appealed to me as much as I thought it might. While I do think there is plenty of promise with what was created here, there is a lot about the story that just didn't hit. Whether that be because of when I read it, or just overall this not being suited to me, I'm not sure I'm the target audience.

** spoiler alert ** Princess Neve of Eire and a common thief, Ronan, share one thing in common, magic. After forming an unlikely bond and with the help of a stable boy, embark on a journey to stop the Scathach Queen from reentering their realm and restore Eire with the one true Dadga and lost magic.

I absolutely loved the Celtic mythology of this story. Lesley Livingston did a really good job with the world building and really brought the characters to life. I would have given this book 4 stars, if it weren't for the last 20 minutes of the book. This whole time the book is about Neve realizes the power she has and making sure that the Scatach Queen, her cruel ancestor, does not return to their realm, but once she actually gets to the point of stopping her, its done and over in a minute. The ending was just too rushed, and not alot of was explained as to how Scatach was stopped or how Ronan survived. And when Ronan does not actually die and its just brushed over as not knowing where his heart was, I was thrown from a loop... I was expecting that part of the story to be a lot more powerful considering he was a huge part of this book and I had no time to mourn the loss of him.

All and all I loved the writing and mythology behind the story, but the ending was a missed opportunity for something great, in my opinion. I will still be reading more of Lesley Livingston's work and am grateful to the author, netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

2.5

I’m not too familiar with Celtic mythology, so I thought that this would be a really interesting book to pick up. However, I found it surprisingly difficult to get through. The world building and fantasy elements were so so rich yet so so hard to understand. I felt like the author didn’t explain things clearly and tended to info-dump, so the whole history and context of the book was never apparent to me. The characters were more or less likable, but the instant romance was featured quite strongly. At one point, Ronan thinks to himself how much he loves Neve, and I genuinely put down my book like “When did this happen??” The climax and resulting conflicts were also resolved rather quickly, so the pacing felt off.

Received a free copy from Netgalley..

The writing in this book is seamless. The world building whole slow at times (which is expected) is so great and easy to follow. The characters and plot are amazing! You can tell the author loves her Celtic mythology which makes the story even better because it makes the story stimulating and fun to read. Def. Will be recommending this to everyone I know

This was my first book by this author and it did not disappoint. This had a slower beginning but once things were laid out and sorted, the story had me hooked. The characters were enjoyable, and the story really moved along well. It was nice to have a stand alone and the mythology and world building was well done as well. This was a good book with a Celtic adventure that was an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from this author. Would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

The book is captivating from the very beginning thanks to Neve's defiant nature, something she shares with Ronan. Their meeting an instance of the wrong place at the right time.
I really like how the magic is depicted, legends brought forth in an engrossing manner, the author's creativeness shining through. The same can be said for the action too. An important theme of this book is woman power. So is the seductiveness of power, championing for what is right and true freedom.
It is truly unlike any book I've read.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and reviewed it voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 64%

I was very excited to dive into this book since I've never read anything regarding Celtic mythology and this would be my first try in coming in contact with it. I felt that there was so much focus into the worldbuilding of this story that the plot and the characters were both forgotten.

Regarding the worldbuilding, I think the author did a great job in creating and giving life into a new (fantasy) world. It really made you believe that this particular world existed and, honestly, I could sense the author's love and appreciation for this story through their writing. But both the plot and the characters seem to be lacking. More than halfway through the story and nothing in particular is happenning. There are no "major" events that can be seen as plot nor do the characters have any goal. The two main characters have zero chemistry and, to be honest, their IQ levels reach the earth's core when they're in the same scene. I wish we could have got to know them as individuals with developed personalities before they got thrown into the same "adventure".

In a land touched by wondrous magic that has been forbidden by its king, for all except the Druids who hoard it. The youngest princess of Eire, Neve, and Ronan, an ex-druid apprentice turned thief discover their magic as their lives keep colliding. Due to circumstances, Neve needs to win the throne and a mythical golden mask comes into play...

The book is captivating from the very beginning thanks to Neve's defiant nature, something she shares with Ronan. Their meeting an instance of the wrong place at the right time.

A narrative that oozes epicness from its wordplay, interweaving vibrant, singing-their-lyricism descriptions, the spinning of legends, a witty sense of humor and the trimmings of great adventure. There is a lot of information to devour but I think that the author does her best to serve us the morsels in timely fashion, always piquing our interest. The buildup is slow but enticing.

The evolution of the protagonists and their relationship is something to behold. Even though hate should rule it is not able to. One POV flows into the other without barriers constituting a driven with purpose storyline, all-encompassing for the reader. There are parts where there is a lot going on, where you really must pay very close attention or get confused. I admit I reread some passages.

I really like how the magic is depicted, legends brought forth in an engrossing manner, the author's creativeness shining through. The same can be said for the action too. An important theme of this book is woman power. So is the seductiveness of power, championing for what is right and true freedom.

A Celtic-flavored fantasy full of danger, magic, devious plots and 'heroes' coming into their power.

I loved the Celtic mythology, the author did a great job of bringing that to life. I was really sucked into this book for the first few chapters when we are first introduced to Neve and Ronan. Then something happened and I'm not sure exactly what, but it just majorly slowed down for me. Then Neve and Ronan would meet again and clash and I would get excited that something was coming... Then it slowed down again... Toward the end, things picked up and stayed at a good pace, especially when secrets started getting revealed and the truth emerges. I liked Neve and Ronan together, every time they were on the page at the same time the story just became more vivid and interesting for me and I wanted to keep reading. Although I didn't really get the enemies to lovers part.
While Queens among the dead wasn't a complete win for me, I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy the story though at times I did not feel as connected to the characters. There was a lot of world building in this book. The pace of the book didn't feel too slow or too fast it was a nice pace really. I do not know anything really about Celtic mythology and I felt there wasn't a lot explained there for me to understand when it popped up. I liked having a bit of backstory of Neve and Ronan and how they met to how they are now grown up having to work together. I loved the side characters more Neve's sister Una, and Sakir. Overall it was was a good read but would I reread it? Probably not. If there is a second book I would probably read it and see where things go from there.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I found this book pretty hard to read, partly because of the narration and partly because I am not very aware of Celtic mythology (and there seemed to be a lot of lore mixed in with this story). However, I enjoyed reading Neve's chapters, and I especially loved the reveals at the end!

Thank you for netgalley and the publisher for giving me an EARC if this book.
I normally don't like to read books that have political intrigue in them but the synopsis of this one instantly gripped me. The world building is great I loved how the author described everything precisely and connected all of it together. Also I was amazed that this is based on Irish history it's such an interesting thing! The book literally had everything from a great fantasy world to badass characters to a great romance and finally one of the best plots I've read in fantasy. I recommend this if you're in for a wild ride if fantasy with a little dash of politics and romance, yes all this combine perfectly.

Overall, the story was very entertaining, and I loved the Celtic theme (I am a fan of all things Celtic). As entertaining as it was, however, I likely won’t reread it.

Queen Among the Dead was described as, "a stunning Celtic YA fantasy adventure," and I'm not sure "stunning" is a good enough word to accurately portray its majesty – but it's a start.

The idea of reading a Celtic fantasy adventure honestly hooked me from the beginning, but what I ended up reading was so much more than what I expected. From the moment I started reading I was transported to Eire. Lesley Livingston's ability to make you feel the wind chill your skin, feel the urgency of threats find a home deep in your bones, and become electrified by the magic sizzling in the air is masterful. Neve's story is one I'll return to many times and I sincerely hope to experience more of it. Her character stood out to me and was both relatable and inspiring, a true legend in her own right. I also appreciated seeing the many facets of Neve, showing how a woman in power can be badass but still full of and expressive of emotions typically portrayed as detrimental to a woman in power. Not to mention the great, supportive men beside her. The way this book is written reads like a fable and I loved the way Livingston was able to tie in the in-novel legends that informed the story we were experiencing live.

This book is a hefty one. I'm not a speed reader by any means, but I'll take off reading a book without a second thought. This required more focus and intention to understand the gravity of the situations Neve found herself in. I read it more slowly than other books I've read but I enjoyed every second of it. Usually, when I read at this pace, I tend to abandon the story but Queen Among the Dead called out to me to return and finish the story. It's easy to take, fun to follow and slightly addictive.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an adventure with magic, powerful and confident women, and a story that will stick with you.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lesley Livingston for providing me with my ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the Celtic Lore in this story. The world building was done well and i wish there was a map included because I would have been referring to that the entire time reading. The set up of the story was cool in terms that the women of the Dadga line are the true key holders to the kingdom. Never and Ronan's story was so great, they kept somehow running into each other whether it be intentional or accidental but I lived for those moments.

I cannot wait to see where this story continues

I have never read any Celtic Mythology and so I was excited to read this. I enjoyed the interactions between Neve and Ronan and Sakir. Although I wish there was more time to get to know them and explore their relationships. The pacing of the story was a bit of an issue as some parts were dragging and other parts were just too fast especially near the end. But overall, it was a good fantasy adventure book.

I loved this book so much was a super fun read for me I couldn't put it down and honestly didn't want it to end.

This wasn't really my cup of tea. I think that if I had a little more outside understanding of the lore present in the story, I would have enjoyed this a lot more. I liked the narrative voice of the story, but the meat of it I just couldn't dig into. I appreciate the glossary but having to try and flip back and forth (especially in an e-format) just made reading this feel tedious. I really liked Neve, though I think that all the time spent trying to make the reader understand the lore took away from the time needed to really develop Neve into a character I felt for. Overall, not bad and I liked the writing style and narrative tone, but my lack of knowledge-base, inability to get into the story, flipping back and forth from glossary to text, etc. really hindered me from falling in love with this story.

Anyone who is familiar with this blog knows that I am a huge Juliet Marillier fan. I mean, I devoted an entire years-long running series to re-reading all of her books and reviewing them here. So it will come as no surprise that all it would take for me to request a book might be the barest hint of a book sounds similar to Marillier's work. And such was the case here!

Long ago, Neve, the younger daughter of the king of Eire, met a strange boy and they fought a powerful and dangerous demon, only barely escaping with their lives. Through this experience, both have now grown to distrust the powerful Druid order that both outlawed magic but also hoarded it to themselves. When they meet again as adults, seeming enemies in the grand scheme of their society, they find that this similar distrust and their own hopes for their country tie them more closely together than they ever could have imagined. And when a powerful darkness begins to seep across the land, they find that, together, they possess a rare and powerful magic that is just what is needed to re-shape the future.

There was a lot to like about this book right from the very start. For one thing, it was apparent that the writing was excellent from the first page. It perfectly fit the tone of a historical fantasy story, being both lyrical but also clear enough to depict a world and culture that has one foot in the world we're familiar with, but another foot clearly placed in a realm of magic and mystery. It's a difficult balance, to capture both the historical tone and the whimsical. I also really liked the dialogue. Especially when we first see Neve and Ronan interacting as adults. It was funny and yet still felt natural to the characters, again balancing modern sensibilities of humor alongside a sort of pseudo-historical vocabulary.

Ronan and Neve were also very interesting characters in their own right. I enjoyed the duel mysteries regarding their different natures. It's one thing to pull off one character with a "strange past," but quite another to do it with both of your protagonists without one of them dropping in quality. I think I particularly liked Neve, however, if I had to choose between the two. Her character had to work through some very interesting family dynamics (even a few that came in the form of a nice twist towards the end), while also grappling with the restrictions on women and the unique history of Eire that lead to some of these restrictions. Ronan's story is much more straight-forward in this regard, but still very enjoyable.

I will say, however, that the story stumbled when it came to their relationship. I saw this book billed as an "enemies to lovers" romance, and I just don't think it really fits into that. I was never able to really identify the "enemies" portion of it, rather than a few brief instances where they each decide not to trust the other. Frankly, the primary emotion this relationship inspired was frustration. The characters made fairly random decisions to suddenly not trust one another, but then the very first second this decision would be tested, they'd be right back to working together and having all the feelings. Not only did the wishy-washy-ness feel unrealistic, but it didn't serve any purpose to the story other than forced conflict (and like I said, even there, there wasn't any real conflict, just talk of potential conflict that was immediately dismissed in reality).

Overall, while I think the story did have a weak romance and a bit of a pacing problem (there was a decent amount of the middle of the book that felt like it was dragging), I still came away feeling like this was a pretty solid historical fantasy. The mythology, in particular, was very interesting, and I do think it will appeal to readers who like books like those produced by Marilliar or other historical fantasy authors.

Rating 8: A bit rocky in the pacing and romance departments, but saved by its solid writing and interesting mythological history.

(Link will go live 01/25/23)