It took me awhile to get into this book, I originally received it as an ARC from Netgalley and I struggled on my first go. I gave it another try and really enjoyed this Celtic fantasy! I really like stories where the characters have to hide their magic! Pacing was a bit slow, but overall I enjoyed this.

I really loved the worldbuilding and and where the story is leading I just did not love the writing style as much as I thought I would. I love this type of stories but in a way this book did not feel for me. I might have to pick it up at some other time and see then how I feel about it.

This was a good time. It was great seeing something different in YA fantasy, I loved the Irish inspiration and mythology. The romance was alright, not my favorite part as I feel like they kind of loved each other way quicker than they should have but it was still very sweet and It isn't like I hated that. The magic was also really cool!

I just loved this book so much! Everything was so amazing : the world building, the characters, the main story as well as the "side" stories. Really a big YES for me and I truly hope there will be a sequel to this book as I feel like I can't get enough of this story!!

This was a fun read and packed with action. I loved the Celtic folklore in this. I've always been interested in that and seeing it come to life was really fascinating. The story did have a few parts that felt a bit off and I had to reread to get the gist but over I did like the story.

one of my favorite tropes is found family- this has loads of it! i also loved the feel of the book and it was easy to immerse myself in the celtic lore thanks to livingston's prose!

I enjoyed this story, but I think it lacked in the pacing department a bit. It stars of amazing and strong and fast, but then it slowes too much for my liking.

All in all it was a fun read.

If you ask me about my favorite places that I have ever been, Ireland often tops the list. Sure, there are others, but you can thank Darkfever for introducing me to Fae Dublin.

Less so lately, but I've read a lot of YA fantasy in my day. I don't remember seeing any that are Celtic inspired. Between that and the beautiful cover, I had to request.

For those that love the genre, I'm sure this will be a win. I personally think I've outgrown it, but I did enjoy the bits of worldbuilding. This isn't super romance heavy, which is very nice in a sea of romantasy.

I liked Neve and Ronan's characters equally. Sometimes when we have dual characters, one tends to shine. I think the magic system was explained quite well. I wasn't expecting the twists and turns, although I admit they added to a nice conclusion of the story.

If this genre is your safe space, I'd say give this a try. It's not exactly the norm, but it feels very familiar. Does that even make sense?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

3.75/5

content warning: potential suicide, economic-societal disparity, death of a loved one, parental death, political secrets and betrayal...

> Celtic Mythology... (YES! I always need more)
> Inspired by the legend of the first true Queen of Ireland...
> Princess-turned-Dagda-turned-King and a badass Warrior...

These three points alone, I was hooked. And, while I did greatly enjoy Queen Among the Dead, it didn't wow me as much as I had hoped and wanted it to.

The world-building, though dense at times, was beautifully done. I could see in my mind's eye what Livingston was describing to us. It was atmospheric and really set the tone for the story overall.

At the centre is Princess Neve, the second daughter of the King and Dagda of Eire (Ireland). Strong-willed and stubborn, wanting to learn how to use weapons and fight/battle strategies over the how-tos of court politics, Neve is always getting into some kind of trouble, much to the chagrin of her father, the King/Dagda. Her father on the other hand, with his trusted Druid counsel, has outlawed magic and has been hoarding it for themselves in the creation of a temple of sorts.

On the other side of the tracks, we have Ronan. Not of royalty, or any aristocracy, Ronan is an ex-druid's apprentice-turned-thief, who typically steals small spells/spell scrolls, either for himself or for someone who pays him greatly. Though he is not of royal blood, he and Neve are connected and have been since the first time they met, when they were children.

There were a couple of twists in the side stories that I saw coming and some that took me by surprise. In a good way. With all the secrets and betrayals that come out, at times, I was invested in knowing the outcome, and other times, not so much.

The reasons I didn't give Queen Among the Dead a full five stars...
1 - With how dense the world-building is, the beauty and atmosphere weren't enough for how fast the story came to an end. I feel that it could have definitely been flushed out more.
2 - I don't mind instalove, enemies-to-lovers, or even situational love tropes. And Neve and Ronan went through all these tropes and back again. But, I felt that their relationship was far too forced for my liking.
3 - The titular person, Queen Among the Dead, wasn't who I thought it was going to be. (I was okay with who it was though.)

Overall, I would still recommend Queen Among the Dead as a good fantasy to read. Especially if you like fantasies that are inspired by/based on Celtic Mythology, Folklore, and Legends.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Zando Young Readers, and of course Lesley Livingston, for the opportunity to read Queen Among the Dead for an honest review. My thoughts, feelings, and opinions, are my own.

I was very interested in this book it sounded really different and unique! But after reading it I realized it wasn’t my cup of tea. I really struggled with the characters and world building. I was confused on every page.

Queen Among the Dead is a Celtic YA fantasy adventure set in the ancient kingdom of Eire, inspired by the legend of the first true queen of Ireland. The story follows Neve, the youngest daughter of the king, and Ronan, a Druid’s apprentice-turned-thief, who become uneasy allies when Eire is threatened by a power struggle.

Despite dfn-ing the book around the 60% mark, there’s a lot that I liked about this book. I really like Neve and Una’s characters, who were not only strong but passionate about their people and kingdom in their own way, and their sisterly bond. On a side note, I would’ve actually loved it if Una had been the protagonist since I preferred her over Neve, who was a bit too similar to other princesses in YA fantasy who want freedom, to fight, and hate dresses. Nevertheless, they were both solid characters with interesting personalities, which made it fun to follow them.

I also really liked the writing. The author has a beautiful way with words, and they often managed to immerse me in a scene. However, unfortunately, more often than not, the writing led to chunks of description and info-dumping. Which is unfortunate as the world the author painted was fascinating and the scenes interesting, but they were buried by words.

Another shortcoming that stuck out for me was the pacing/plotting. The pacing of at least the first half of the book is really slow, and I didn’t really have an idea where the story was going. The characters didn’t have clear goals, and even if the writing and events are fun, they seem unimportant and confusing when we don’t know why they're happening.

Nonetheless, while the execution fell short and there was quite a bit of info-dumping, there were aspects that I enjoyed and would be interested in giving the author’s other books a go.

[Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review]

Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston - 4/5
Romance - Sci Fi & Fantasy - Teen & YA

In the kingdom of Erie, magic is outlawed by the King but when Erie starts to decline the Kingdom must act fast. This book gave me strong Disney's Brave vibes and I was all for it! The characters were it for me. I loved them from beginning to end, rooting for them at every chance. The magic works and the monsters were intriguing, keeping you waiting to see what would happen next when they encountered each other.

Thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects for the eARC.

I wanted to love this book. The story is epic and action packed. I loved the mythology and actually learned a lot (the story was compelling enough to send me googling trying to find out where the mythology ended and the story began) but I just couldn't get behind the writing style. Things that felt like they should be big events were glossed over in sentences and I felt little to no emotion or development from the characters.

The story was unique though and I've not read another YA fantasy with this kind of Irish lore. I'll recommend the book but with reservations.

omg this book was ... well... MAGICAL!!

the politics, the worldbuilding, the magic. I loved almost every aspect of this book. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Queen Among the Dead was addictive, intriguing, and head over heels swoon-worthy—a true uncontrollable page turner. I never fell so hard for a book boyfriend the way I did for Ronan. This is such a grumpy-sunshine romance with a witty princess and a morally grey Druid and I loved every single sentence in this book.

Forbidden magic, a tragic meet-cute, terrifying creatures and narrow escapes from death, Queen of the Damned is an absolutely delightful whirlwind of adventure and slow-burn romance.

It tells the tale of a princess who is more powerful than she knows. It was an epic fantastical adventure and I wish I could erase it from my memory so that I can experience the greatness of this book all over again.

I have always been up for a Celtic Mythology storyline and I do think Lesley Livingston had a great idea with this story! I enjoyed the characters and. I appreciated the complexity of the world that she created. I also appreciated that the storyline kept me intrigued, however the pacing of Queen Among the Dead felt very inconsistent at times. The beginning and end felt especially rushed and I think I would have enjoyed it more if the ending especially was given more time to shine.

I really wanted to love this one. Celtic Mythology is so fascinating and I really don’t get to read about it as much as I’d like to. Unfortunately, this book fell quite flat for me.

I spent most of the book confused about what the actual plot was. I couldn’t tell what the endgame was really and it read like a series of events, not a story.

I did love the world itself as well as the references to mythology but found the story to be muddled.

I’m not sure if I’d read a sequel or if I’d read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have tried and tried and tried to finish reading this but I just cannot.
It’s clunky and I keep getting bored with the lack of anything really happening. The characters were flat and just didn’t interest me.

The world building was decent and I was excited to read this because it does sound wonderful but it’s just not for me.

Thank you Netgalley.

Unfortunately, I didn't like this book. I felt bored reading it and am surprised I even finished it.

I may try picking it up again at a later date.

I can see why the book blurb mentions Tricia Levenseller, the writing is similar, and the pacing is quick though the book feels almost superficial in a way. The worldbuilding is one of the best parts of the book, it can be heavy and descriptive at times, but it immersed me entirely in the world. I'd recommend it to teen readers who are fans of Levenseller but I couldn't justify purchasing it for our library because there are similar stories on the shelf. It didn't necessarily add to the narrative.