This one was too slow. You lose interest pretty early on. Hard to stay focused. I personally wouldn’t recommend it.

Thanks NetGalley for the copy. Queen Among the Dead was nice. It didn't outstand itself, or brought anything revolutionary to fantasy, but it was fun. The characters were fun, and the narrative had a good development. It gave me some Disney fairytales vibes, with the adventure and romance and twists. A nice read.

Did not finish. I got through the first third of the book without excitement or anything to keep me engaged. I continued reading hoping for a slow burn fantasy that would start to draw me in. I didn't get there. Maybe I will pick it up again in the future, but for now the Queen Among the Dead is going in the DNF pile unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I enjoyed this book, especially the characters. Neve and Ronin were very interesting and well rounded. I had gotten annoyed at Neve over her assumptions about Ronin, but that was quickly remedied as she found out other things. I’m not entirely positive of the plot of this book, and the world building wasn’t the most extravagant. However, the characters were enough for me.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. When I read the blurb for this book I was like that is something that I have to read. I did find that is was a little slow to get into, but I am glad that I kept reading. I did enjoy the world building and the characters, but I did want a bit more of interaction of them earlier in the story. Going along for the adventure was amazing and there were some twists and turnss that I did not see coming that made it worth the read.

queen among the dead was an interesting read! First of all, I really enjoyed the setting. The village is full of all kinds of people and the castle is full of royalty. Vastly different lives coming together.

It gave me Aladdian vibes!! The princess escapes the castle, meets a thief, and together they run away from the palace guards. I instantly liked the characters!

The magical element was exciting and since there isn't a lot of info about it you have to peice things together a bit. I wish there was more info about the MC mom... she seemed like a bad ass!

Overall, the story was a fun read. It wasn't anything amazing but it was entertaining!

I decided not to finish this one around 30% into the book. I was having a hard time following all the world building and Celtic folklore—too much information. This may be a case of wrong time, wrong book, so maybe I would like it another time. However, from the reviews I’ve seen, I don’t think I’m in the minority. This book just wasn’t for me at this time.

I will not be reviewing Queen Among the Dead on my social media as I don’t think it’s fair that I didn’t finish the book.

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

I’ve had Lesley Livingston on my TBR for a while, most particularly her “The Valiant” series which follows a female gladiator. That sounded really interesting to me…and I just haven’t actually picked it up yet. So this is my first experience with her writing. But I’m also a sucker for books based on legends and fairytales and mythology, and I find Celtic tales to be fascinating, so that definitely made me keen to pick this one up.

A lot of terms and names get thrown out into the story in the beginning, and it can be a bit difficult to follow for a little while and get your bearings near the start if you don’t have basic understanding of Celtic lore. But stick with it, and the pieces will begin to fall into place.

Both Neve and Ronan are interesting characters, and between the two of them there is plenty of tension and conflict, which brings about action and magic. That is what kept me going in the early parts of this book, the fact that these two characters were so compelling. I wanted to know more about them.

The summary of this book says it is for fans of Shelby Mahurin, Adrienne Young, Brigid Kemmerer, and Tricia Levenseller…well those are some big comparisons to try and make. I can see where the stories have similar elements and vibes. But I didn’t fall into this story as quickly as I do with books by the aforementioned authors.

That doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy this book. After I really started to get drawn into the story, it didn’t take much longer to devour the rest of the story. The magic and lore and action and mystery of it all kept me flipping pages late into the night.

So…I guess this means I should probably pick up The Valiant sooner rather than later.

brilliant, show stopping, incredible, amazing. I could rave on and on about this book that took me into an amazing world and had me gripped immediately.

The Celtic elements that were in this fantasy-ish world were absolutely fantastic. I was gripped by the characters and their growth. The PLOT TWISTS. HOLY PEARLS THE PLOT TWISTS

I was taken aback, shocked, stuttering and clutching my pearls whenever they were built up, did a 180, and took me on a wild ride. You think you might know what would happen- but no- no you don’t (and I adored it!!!!)

This world is one that I will constantly be revisiting and loving more and more and more. Easily a re read and a favorite book of the year!

I just finished reading this last night. Great story. I really enjoyed it.


I received a eArc of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

3.5/5 stars

This book was a quick, easy and captivating read. The characters were well fleshed-out and well-written. The two POVs were distinguishable to each other and there was never a problem knowing which MC the chapter was about. As for the world building I believe it could have been done better. There should have been given more information about the magic system as it could sometimes be hard to understand, especially for someone new to Celtic mythology. In my opinion the characters were the best part of the book and drove the story along. You want to keep reading to understand what their secrets are and to know where their stories end. I had high expectations when heading into this book and sadly it fell a little flat for me. That being said, I still think Queen Among the Dead is a good book with high stakes and interesting characters and it was worth the read. I will definitely be checking out more by this author.

I don't know much about celtic mythology and was interested in reading more about it, This book has got great world building. I didn't like the main character Neve. Ronan was more likable, but I didn't feel connected to either of them. The plot felt slow, especially at the start of the book. This book was okay, but I was not grabbed by the story.

Not really one for me this one, it felt a bit too Disney Celtic rather than the genuine thing to me, but if you like that it’s definitely a book for you just not me

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion

Why is there not more YA Celtic-inspired fantasy? I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and I found the characters likable, too. The writing flowed well. The slow burn was both amazing and agonizing. I also love an included glossary! I think this will be a win for any YA fan and I’m a bit shocked by the low rating.

The moment that I saw this book was based on Celtic lore, I was excited to jump right in. The depth of the world building was evident from the very beginning, as the reader is thrown right into the action. I was drawn in and couldn't stop turning the pages for the first quarter of the book. From the magic system to the unexpected relationships, the beginning of the book left me with so many questions that I couldn’t wait to have answered.

Unfortunately, after that first quarter, the book began to stall for me. While I appreciated the depth of the world building, it quickly became too much for just one book. There were so many characters and connections that I struggled to keep track of it all. Letting the characters flesh out and breathe a bit would have helped this book along, possibly even separating it into two novels.

Other than the pacing issues, I enjoyed the story itself and would definitely recommend it for anyone who loves a story with strong world building.

Thank you to Netgalley and Zando Projects for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Pretty mediocre fantasy. Maybe it just wasn't for me. The writing style felt off in places and the characters were hard to distinguish at times.

Solid YA Fantasy - Not only was the world building strong, there was also good character development and an intriguing plot. Oh...and monsters...there were monsters.

Neve and Ronan meet as children when they fight for their lives against a demon. Then when they run into each other again, years later, their actual identities are surprising. But so begins their fated destiny as their lives continue to collide.

With a basis in Celtic mythology, this book kept me interested from the beginning. Even though there may have been a few slow spots, it would quickly pick up again. The storyline was one that kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. Neve and Ronan had "battles" to fight in more ways than one and a simmering chemistry that was undeniable. It was a well-balanced read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own,

I feel like I'm missing the point of the book a lot. Nothing really happens. It's also really hard to follow all the characters.

Unfortunately this one just didn't work for me. The story was confusing and vague from the beginning, so I never really got into it and to be honest I still don't really understand the world building!!

I loved Lesley Livingston when I was younger, but I think this could have used more editing.

It took me so long to get into this book but once I did I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the writing but felt like I had to put it down a lot. That's not to say it was not enjoyable as a whole. I would definitely recommend it to a friend.