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 never really listen to audio books (don't worry I am not one those people who don't believe audio books are reading, I just have a hard time with this thing called *focus*), but this book made me wish I listened to an audiobook just so I could hear the accents. I just know I would be drooling.

Okay, so we have Eire. A land that was once filled with magic but now it's pretty much gone and outlawed by the powers that be. Neve - the defiant second-born princess who has all of your sassy, bad ass YA MC characteristics and wants to be King. Not an entirely original concept but the world is built nicely and the history of the world is enough to make up for that. (Hint: it involves unhinged murderous women).

What makes this book different and why should you read it, you may ask?
- It's full of Celtic mythology (which I know very little about but I feel like its objectively interesting) There's rune magic, creepy apparition demons, sketchy Druids, magic artifacts, shapeshifters etc.
- Women aren't allowed to rule/ become warriors - which is not uncommon in stories with this type of setting. But the WHY is the best part. Remember that mention of unhinged murderous women? Women aren't allowed to rule not because men just find them "incapable" or "weak", but because history has made men SCARED of them. If that isn't enough to make you smile.
- It's supposed to be inspired by the legend of the first true Queen of Ireland - and there are some historical elements and landmarks mentioned throughout the story that would probably be really cool if you knew anything about Ireland/ the legend.

Overall, I had a good time reading the story and the world building that some people said was the hardest part to get into was actually my favorite part. I do feel like the ending/ the climax was rushed or at least could have been stronger. The pacing of the first 75% of the story did not match the last 25% and I was a little underwhelmed. I would still definitely recommend this to anyone who likes Adrienne Young's books, it especially reminded me of Sky in the Deep. You're thrust into this fascinating cultural landscape quickly and it never really slows down.

QUEEN AMONG THE DEAD, out TODAY, was a fun young adult novel that gave me Sorcery of Thorns vibes throughout. There is magic, mythology, action, dual POV, some romance, and strong characters, which are all what make this book so fun.

If you've read any of my reviews by now, you know that I am a fan of strong, female protagonists. A character that is not afraid to take charge, take what she wants, and not feel bad about it is right up my alley. Neve is that protagonist. She is a powerful, axe wielding, patriarchy smashing, fight winning woman who takes no prisoners. Throughout the novel, she is often compared to her more reserved and traditionally feminine sister, but she never compromises who she is or what she wants. She fights what is expected of her as a princess. I related to that and enjoyed Neve's journey throughout the novel.

I also felt the book was well written, and it was interesting to learn about facets of Celtic mythology and how the author combined this into the fantasy world she created. I don't know much about Celtic mythology, but I found the aspects that were in there interesting. However, I will say that because I didn't know much about this particular mythology, I did get confused at times. I think the author does their best to incorporate and explain those elements without information dumping, but with world building needed and having to explain facets of the mythology to the reader, I did find myself not completely understanding the world she created at all times.

I also had a hard time with the pacing. While it starts off with lots of action, which was awesome, it becomes less action based and a bit slow. I think this is, again, because of the world building, mythology, and then character development needed between two characters AND setting up for the plot twists and big reveals later in the book. Then the action picks back up again, but at the end of the story I felt like major, big events happen fast and without much detail. The plot just felt a bit choppy to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and I think it is worth the read! It is a perfect young adult novel for most. Just make sure you brush up a little of Celtic mythology!

Thank you to @netgalley and @zandoproject for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Queen Among the Dead is a fresh YA fantasy adventure that I enjoyed reading. Admittedly, there were a lot of terms I most definitely couldn’t pronounce, but the story itself was engaging and entertaining and I easily fell into this beautiful world. The story follows Neve, a second daughter princess, and Ronan, a former Druid apprentice and thief as they weave in and out of each other’s lives until they realize maybe there’s more to it than just coincidence.

I really enjoyed this book and I felt that the ending wrapped it up well enough that it stands great as a standalone, but I would love to get more books in this world! I want more Neve and Ronan!

Thank you Netgalley and Zando Young Readers for the chance to read an advanced copy of Queen among the dead by Lesley Livingston. I have been a fan of the author since I first picked up Wondrous strange. I looked forward to reading this new YA book based on Celtic lore, Unfortunately, I found this book to be difficult to get through, because of the constant Celtic terminology, which kept me looking in the glossary at the beginning. While I had issues with Queen among the dead, I think some young readers will not have the same experience I did. I do totally recommend the author's earlier series, especially Wondrous strange and Starling. 21/2 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book promised Celtic mythology, a narrative inspired by the legend of the first true queen of Ireland in the fictional kingdom of Eire, a land of magic and conquerors. I found the premise of how wild magic in this world could be hoarded as well as the various characters inspired by mythology to be really interesting and engaging. However, there were a few things that stopped me from being completely absorbed into the story and could be improves.

1. The relations between the two main characters could be build up with more momentum, Some of their interactions felt cliche.
2. The world building felt a little jumbled and did not flow that well with the writing. This left me confused at times and took me out of the story.
3. Despite the story having an interesting start, here were beats in the story I easily predicted.

To summarise, if you are a fan of strong warrior queens, mythology inspired worlds and enemies to friends to enemies to lovers, you will probably enjoy this story.

The story about Neve had a lot of potential. The first chapter is very interesting and alluring. You're very interested in how the story will continue, but after the first half of the book, the only things that happened where quite convenient and predictable.

Though I enjoyed most chapters, the writingstyle was pretty hard to get through. I felt like skipping some passages, just because I wanted more to happen, Neve and Rowan's encounters were ofcourse the best to read and I also liked Una, Neve's sister. But in the mean time there were so many other names and places mentioned, I couldn't really keep up with it and it took so effort to read these weird names all the time, it made it hard to keep reading in a fine pace.

Unfortunately after 200 pages, this was a 'did not finish' for me.

Queen Among the Dead is a Celtic YA fantasy with amazing world building. The details are on par with other YA fantasy novels and Lesley Livingston really went all out on this. I liked the idea behind how magic is attained especially since it was banned. It put a clever twist to normal fantasy novels. This is why I gave a 3 star rating for the read.
There were a few formatting issues and I got lost sometimes in the writing and would have to reread things multiple times to understand what happened. The story didn’t really keep my attention and I kept finding myself putting it down.
I received my ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was engaging, well written and overall an excellent novel.The world building was thorough, though I did find it took a while before I could remember what the names of each group of people and place meant. The story itself was full of adventure and mystery, I found myself fully engaged and not wanting to put the book down. The main female character Neve is strong and fierce in her fight to be all she can be, and the main male character Ronan is brave and cunning. Getting povs from both these characters added depth to the story and helped develop the many facets of the kingdom using the perspectives of a princess and a Druid-turned-thief.

A fascinating tale with tragedies and parallel story lines. This story features a strong female protagonist, relationships that are more than they seem, and a fight for a kingdom. This book explores the questions of classism vs everyone having a voice. A brilliant, and sometimes scary, YA fantasy journey.

Well. I hate negative reviews.

BUT.

I wanted to love this story so badly. I felt such a great connection when reading the brief description that it was such a let down when I finally read it.
I appreciate the amount of care and obvious dedication that the author out into the world building, but it was SO much to take in that it actually made it difficult to keep track of so many names and places and past and present.
I also found it hard to connect with the characters as there wasn’t much going on in that area either for the amount that I read.
Unfortunately, for those reasons, I DNF’d this book at about the 30% mark.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this story. It took a while for me to care about the characters., mostly the princess. I did like the worldbuilding and the mythology.

I unfortunately DNF'd this story around the 25% mark. The world building felt jumbled and confusing-- I had to keep referring back to the glossary at the beginning because I just could not hold these Celtic words in my head! This isn't so much the author's fault as it is my own, and I fully own that. I could have pushed through if Neve and Ronan had been more interesting, but they also fell flat. There will certainly be an audience for this book, it just isn't me.

I really enjoyed this however it took a while to get into it as there was a lot of explaining going on in the book instead of just letting the reader experience with the characters. This may have also benefitted being in first person and dual pov. Other than that it was really enjoyable.

If you love fantasy, fierce warrior women, and Irish folktales, then you absolutely need to check out Lesley Livingston’s “Queen Among the Dead.”

A reimagining of the legend of the first queen of Ireland, this book is a richly woven tale focused on Neve, the youngest daughter of the king who is more interested in fighting than court politics, and Ronan, an orphaned Druid apprentice-turned-thief, whose lives are intricately connected by supernatural forces.

I really enjoyed the world-building and character development here, was delighted by Ronan’s wit and charm, and loved the dynamic between Neve, Ronan, and Saqir, Neve’s horse lord. Though the pacing felt a bit slow at times, there were a couple places where plot twists and reveals genuinely took me by surprise – which is always a good thing.

Though this is classified as YA, it is a mature story that includes scenes of explicit violence and war, as well as a dose of romance (but it’s decidedly not a spicy romantasy).

So if you’re looking to get swept away in some misty, intriguing, magical Irish folklore, don’t miss this!

3.25🌟

Queen Among the Dead takes Celtic legends, focuses on the feminine power, and weaves the complex and adventurous story of Neve. Neve is the rejected daughter of the king, the Dagda. She is too adventurous, too curious, and too untamed for the court's taste, and can't seem to do anything right, including dealing with a boy who has crossed her path and continues to cross her path, every time causing some kind of upheaval. Their lives continue to intertwine until they realize that there is very much a reason that they can't seem to shake each other, and it could change the fate of Neve's beloved land of Eire.

Though I really did enjoy this book, it did have quite a bit of bog-down with exposition that lasted nearly the whole first half of the book. It was interesting, but it also felt like things weren't happening until the 50% mark, and until then, I wasn't sure where the story was going. The last half of the book was really strong and interesting, but I still felt a little lost every now and then. (I kept looking for a reason for things, and sometimes that reason was simply, magic.)

Overall, a fun story, especially if you loved the Jasmine storyline of the most recent Aladdin movie, and like to see women coming into their power!

Thanks to Netgalley and Zando Young Readers for the e-ARC!

This story is told in third person from the perspectives of Neve and Ronan. I initially wanted to read this one for the Celtic inspiration and I enjoyed the world-building and setting for the fantasy; however, I felt like the folklore could have been presented in a better format. The pacing suffered from an information dump to discussion to an event then repeat, which made me feel like I was spinning wheels waiting for the next event and tidbit of information that would lead to the next.

I enjoyed the characters and their backstories. I even had a few surprises that I didn’t see coming. The battles and beasties sections were vivid and fun to read. I had a little difficulty with discerning the motives and rational behind a few of the supposed bad guys’ actions and I feel like it wrapped up without answering a few of my questions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Zando Young Readers for a copy provided for an honest review.

What a fun ride! This book started off a bit slow for my taste, but once it got going I was hooked!

I particularly loved how magic was used, and the way it connected with the world-building and history of the world. It was really fun to learn about the different powers and types of creatures/people able to wield it. I also found it interesting how magic was used by those in power to control others.

Not only did I enjoy the magic and plot of this book, but I adored the characters. Neve irritated me a little at first, but she really grew on me as the story progressed. And Ronan was so delightful. I honestly just wanted to wrap them all in a big hug and keep them safe!

I would highly recommend this book if you like fantasy stories with magic and political intrigue, but also strong characters. I hope we get to see more from this world soon!

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.

Queen Among the Dead may be for you if you like…
Forbidden romance
Enemies to lovers
Internal conflict
Political intrigue
Mythology
YA

Pros:
-gripping plot
-magic system and its ties to politics was fascinating!
-It’s giving me Hawkgirl vibes, although I can’t pinpoint why. She was my favorite Justice League hero when I was a kid, so that’s a pro for me regardless😂
-Pulls heavily on Irish mythology, which I haven’t seen much in the mythology/retelling subgenre. Unique and compelling!
-The characters’ backstories were really intriguing to me!

Cons:
-love triangle-ish thing doesn’t add much to the story and is underdeveloped
-The writing itself seemed amateur to me starting out, both from writing style and beats in the pacing (rushing scenes, lots of infodumping, etc). However, I haven’t read any of Livingston’s other books and am not familiar with how she writes.
-The world building needed better execution. For example, How exactly does druid magic work? Additionally, the mythology aspect, arguably its biggest lure, was confusing, and the glossary is extremely brief. I kept having to remind myself of who’s who, what happened in the myth, etc.