This was a solidly enjoyable story following 🐺Neve Arann Eriu🐺 the 2nd daughter to Dagda Ruad of the Tuath De!

I love Neve’s fiesty spirit, she speaks her mind, doesn’t mind getting dirty and fights for what she believes in!

💰Ronan a thief crosses paths with Neve and their lives forever become entwined. We get to see destiny’s plans for them and the path they must walk.

Again, a secondary but relevant character steals my heart in yet another book. 🐎Sakir a Prince in his own right is reserved, loyal, stable, fierce and anticipates needs! What isn’t there to love!

This world has ✨magic, an injustice that must be righted and a mysterious villain(s).

You will have to read to see what happens!

I did find myself getting lost while reading at times. I would get confused how one event or conversation would move into the next and sometimes would need to reread to make sure I was getting everything straight.

There was a gentle ease into the world building which really allowed the world that Livingston was creating to flourish.

This was a great read, with enjoyable characters and a great ease into the genre of fantasy!

Thank you to @netgalley and @zandoyr for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I requested this on a whim and then kept putting it off. I'm glad I did finally read it, because it surprised me. I feel bad now, for feeling a bit 'meh' about going into the book because this was a lot of fun and really easy to get lost in. Once I was invested, I was utterly captivated. It felt like a sweeping multibook fantasy series, condensed down into one book, but it really didn't feel lacking. It was engaging and the characters were interesting. I could very easily read another book set in this world.

I was unable to read this book because it was an acsm file. I was able to purchase a copy and I absolutely adored the book. The plot was unique and the writing was incredible. I love everything the author puts out. Thank you!

I really enjoyed this book!! I loved the Celtic lore aspect to it and it was a great fantasy read. It wasn't perfect and there were some pacing issues as well as other elements that didn't meld cohesively for me, however, I found it really engaging. So whether it is just my mood or the type of book I needed right now or it is just a great book, I'm giving it a 5! I really enjoyed the main characters and hope they will be back for more fun in a follow up! There were definitely some unanswered questions that may be plot holes or poorly explained, but I'm hoping those things will just be explained in a next book as the end certainly set it up for a potential sequel.

Queen Among the Dead has given me some mixed feelings. The whole first half the of the book was mostly set up and you still didn't really know who the antagonist is or where it was going but I assumed there would be a battle somewhere. It just took almost the whole book to get there and then it felt underwhelming. I liked the characters and I think that is what kept me reading.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a way to embody Celtic fantasy. Eire is a beautifully described kingdom with equally brutal rulers. Magic is outlawed, but why? I read every page of this book like it was life support and I was desperate to stay alive.

In the land of Eire, water wights lurk in the rivers, and banshees chill the air. The monarch, however, forbids magic, which his Druid priests zealously guard. Neve is the eldest daughter of the king, and Ronan is a former Druid’s apprentice who now makes a fortune by stealing spells and selling them as stolen goods. They should be rivals, but instead, they find themselves uncomfortable partners due to their common hatred of Druids and the terrible magic that has stained them both. Neve must grab the opportunity to ascend to her family’s throne when Eire is threatened by a power struggle, with Ronan’s assistance and the kingdom’s most perilous misfits. They travel to the margins of Ireland where magic is still prevalent and an outlaw and a warrior princess may forge a future with spells and swords.

She has great skill, a powerful voice, and the capacity to make you think about magic in a world full of regulars, therefore I would gladly read something by her again. The names of the animals and clans were a little confusing, but that was only an issue for me because I am not familiar with Celtic mythology. After some time, you grow used to it, so naturally, it gets simpler to recall as you read more. Although I am aware that this isn’t the final version, the content had several mistakes and major formatting concerns. When it is finally published, this work will probably go through a few more rounds of editing.

The character of Neve was enjoyable. She may be a little disorganized, but her passion for her people and Eire is evident and wonderful. The underlying premise takes a while to emerge, but once it does, I was drawn into the narrative. The novel picks up quickly and there is a lot of action straight away. Notwithstanding the aforementioned faults, I immediately became completely engrossed in the plot. The novel has one of the finest fantasy stories I’ve ever read, in addition to a fantastic fantasy universe, fierce characters, and a terrific romance. If you’re looking for a fantastic adventure with a spice of politics and romance, this is something I highly suggest.

Queen Among the Dead – Lesley Livingston

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.

Lesley Livingston is a Canadian author who was a principal performer in a Shakespearean theatre company for more than a decade. She is also the award-winning author of the Wondrous Strange trilogy.



Neve is the youngest daughter of the great Dagda – the troublesome daughter. Her older sister Una is the one that does as she is told, the one that knows about diplomacy and how to be a good queen. Neve knows how to fight, ride a chariot and escape the palace to roam among the common people with no one the wiser.

Her father, however, is lead along by his adviser, the powerful Druid known as Gofannon, who is more powerful than any people of the land know. But he is also much more than anyone could ever know or guess.

But now an old enemy that everyone was led to believe was long removed from this world is threatening to bring their downfall once again- then Una, Neve’s older sister, is suddenly found murdered on the eve of her wedding.

Now the troublesome daughter, the one no one ever wanted to see in a position of power or leadership, must make her father and his general see sense. It is up to her to become the rightful Dagda, protect the people of the land and vanquish the enemy coming unbidden to destroy them all.



“Queen Among the Dead” is a Celtic themed YA fantasy novel and is inspired by the legend of the first true Queen of Ireland. This story is beautifully written and is a unique and creative story. I have read a lot of fantasy stories, as it is my favourite genre, but I have read very few Celtic themed ones – so to read this was literally a breath of fresh air. A breath of fresh air that was a joy. The storyline was rich with details, the world and the characters – it all just came together so well. The author has a clear passion and equal talent for her work. I hope there is more to come in the tale of Neve.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I loved the fact that is was set with a Celtic feel and the world building was on point! I liked the society make up within this universe and how our MC had to come together even though society told them they really shouldn't.

The one thing I wasn't very fond of was the romance aspect. It was suppose to be an enemies to lovers but they were never truley enemies. They might have mistrusted each other but that hatred that comes with enemies to lovers wasn't there for me.

Not a bad fantasy read!

This was an alright read. I didn't love it or hated and it wasn't an overly memorable read. It was pretty well written and the plot moved along nicely but nothing happened that will stay with me long term.

I don’t know much about Celtic mythology but I did like this read to an extent. Do I feel the ending was rushed, yes. But I don’t think that took away from the book It did leave me feeling a type of way. I can’t really give my 100% review because I just don’t know how I really feel about it but I didn’t hate it.

Rating: 2.5

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really enjoy the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Listen, I'm here for all sorts of mythical retellings and what not. I loved that this had an Irish twist to it. it was so fun to read. of all the book I've read, this is the first one that is using Ireland as their mythical inspiration and I think that is awesome. it is rare and I think that gives the book an edge to it.

I thought this book was pretty good. the characters were interesting and the story was evenly placed. I thought there could have been a little more depth to the magic system. I felt like the author was just scratching the surface there.

overall I thought it was a decent read and I loved the idea of it. I'm here for more books based on Irish myth.

The Celtic setting and mythology that forms the base of this move is really cool and intriguing, and I liked the premise of the book before starting t read it. I was very interested in Neve’s personality and the beginning seemed promising, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the character dynamics developed and never felt very connected to anything that happened in the plot. I experienced a similar reaction with The Valiant, the first book in Lesley Livingstone’s previous series, where it was a really cool idea and setting but I just didn’t get invested in what was happening and was never motivated to read the rest of the series. I thought that too much effort and time got put into creating the setting and incorporating the mythological aspects that the characters, relationships and plot felt a bit like an afterthought, but if you like setting-driven books then this would probably be a good fit for you!

I loved The Valiant by this author so I had such high hopes.

Livingston knows how to weave an enchanting story set in a rich historical setting. Her last series The Valiant was set during the Roman Empire, and for Queen Among the Dead is a Celtic tale in the land of Éire (google says its what Ireland used to be called before Britain made them change it). It's a story that involves the deities of the the Irish, but also surprisingly also the Egyptian deities. Personally, I don't know much but it was a bit of a surprise seeing both within this story, entwined with the fae, werewolves and wights.

Personally, I don't believe the synopsis does this book justice. It feels wanting, and almost deceitful. It says that Neve, the youngest daughter of the king, will become allies with an ex-Druid apprentice to seize the throne taking them to the outskirts of Eire, carving their future out with spells and swords. Sure, thats technically true but most of all that, the outskirts, the seizing of thrones, the carving of spells happens in the 80% mark. Thats almost the entire book before we get to what the synopsis tells us. Again, sure, Neve and the ex-Druid apprentice Ronan become allies but I think they are barely allies but people in a bad situation that are thrust in to each others orbit.

One of my many issues with this book was the emotional connection I felt towards most characters. I was starkly aware of this during big climatic scenes and I felt an overwhelming sense of apathy. I was more interested in finishing the book than what was going on in the book.

Given this is a Celtic tale, there are many Celtic mythology, words and meanings that not only need to be explained well but also used effectively. I was enjoying the mythology and learning more about a mythology I wasn't overly versed in. I soon realised the lore really bogged down the story, stopping the flow and changing the At a certain point I realised I was just generally confused about the world-building and how the fantasy aspects connected to the mythology. It was all muddled together in my head, with certain aspects explained more complicated than it needed to be.

"The heart of the tale is a woman. A woman loved and grieved and wanted - and took for herself - what men have always taken for granted. Power."

As much as I wanted to be invested and immersed within this story, I found myself checked out around 40% the way through. The overarching story is about Neve, and how she ascends into power, both in magic and into the seat of power in Éire. It is also about the threat of war. What I found confounding nothing much happened until 70% of this book. I kept looking at how much time was left in the book at the bottom of my kindle, and I was getting frustrated when I reached 80% only around then did the war start. The war didn't even last very long, only a few pages and then everything is resolved with a pretty little bow quite quickly afterwards. It was non-sensical as there are many issues that were never brought up like Neve's heritage and how she will navigate that, her relationship with the Ronan and their future as well as the logistics of the invaders settling onto the Éire. The ending felt rushed and I truely felt nothing during any harrowing moments.

Ronan's characterisation felt all over the place. He was annoying and unnecessarily mean towards Neve, which I think is uncalled for as she doesn't do anything too illicit such a reaction. Yes, in his P.O.V.'s its shown he wants to push her away for both their sakes but it comes so abrasive I don't really care about his reasonings and wish he would kick rocks. The love story was flat and I wished was developed more.

My last (small) gripe was the name of the book. I was lead to believe the main character was going to be the Queen Among the Dead, but not only is Neve who the book is named after, it isn't explained until the very end. I found myself forgetting what the name of this book was because it felt like there wasn't any connection to what the story was about.

I loved this author's work before but this was honestly very disappointing. I would read from them again but maybe after seeing reviews, and lowering my expectations.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Initially, I was intrigued with the premise as I did not have a lot of familiarity with Celtic folklore. The way this book was described, marketed, pitched -- it ultimately felt like something that I would've loved, especially having a strong female main character in the lead of a YA fantasy.

Did the book have those things? Yes. But it also felt like there was no diversity in the book and when there was, the depiction was of a BIPOC character being depicted as "angry" and "aggressive" which did not feel necessary. And then for *spoiler* to have the white sister "take over" the character's soul in the afterlife to "control" the soul of the "angry female" and make sure she stays in line and behaves? It really rubbed me the wrong way.

I wish there was a more thorough glossary at the beginning of the book and pronunciation guide. It would've been super helpful, especially if people are not familiar. The writing also felt clunky. It made me feel like it was a new author getting familiar with their writing style, until I saw this author had multiple books previously written.

Not sure if there are more books planned for this book, but after finishing this one, I'm not exactly inclined to read it again or recommend.

Overall, I would give this 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up to 4.

This book was entertaining, and I found myself heavily invested (at times) in the plot and characters. However, there were two things that knocked the rating down for me.

1. The romance felt forced. I understand feeling a connection, but it felt a bit like insta-love/fated love to me, which is not a favorite trope of mine.
2. The ending was too fast. It went from a pretty good pace to breakneck.

Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised by the book.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Queen Among the Dead is a stand alone Celtic young adult fantasy. I’m not usually one for stand alone novels. I like drawn out character and plot development, twists and turns, etc. When it comes to stand alone novels though this one wasn’t bad.

I will say that the ending felt very rushed. The story really progresses and builds and I felt like the ending was anticlimactic in a way. I don’t think this will be a book I think about a year from now but I enjoyed reading it in the moment.

The magic system was fun and unique and the premise of the story was also something I haven’t seen. As captivating as they were, I would have liked a deeper dive into them. Even as a duology I think we could have received more with a less rushed conclusion. I struggled to get into the story near the beginning, it was a bit slow paced but near the middle and especially the end I was hooked and then I felt let down by the ending, hurried and a bit too open ended for my liking.

I’m a very character driven reader and love my fantasy romances. That being said, the romance with this book felt forced, and yes, following a trend… rushed. This is a book I will say has really great side characters and a few I even preferred.

All in all I enjoyed the read and would find myself picking up books from this author in the future, and would definitely gravitate towards duologies or trilogies by the author myself.

What a wild ride! This story was packed full of adventure, strong characters, and pretty decent world building. Some of it felt a bit rushed, and didn't make a lot of sense because of a lack of further explanation, but on the whole, it was a really good read

The world-building took so much of space that I couldn't be bothered about the details. I did like the plot and the story was stimulating.