3.5/.75 stars.

Thank you netgalley for this arc.

I liked this one. The highlight was definitely Tassiel, especially her and Mira’s relationship. Also, still waiting for Tass and Baz to kiss😒. While this definitely does have that soc vibe, something’s missing. The storyline and worldbuilding was good, but I think the scenes needed more intention/energy. They didn’t always promote me to keep ready, they were sometimes just there. I feel similarly about the characters. While I love Tassiel, she has some good quips and I wish we had more of that. I wish some of the personalities felt stronger and more distinct. I really like the chapter/s when they went into Tass’s world. The description of it and how different it was, was fun to read.

It was an interesting read about a band of misfits and I really enjoyed the relationships between the crew. I looked that the world building wasn't confusing and that we were thrown right into the action. Readers who enjoy heist books will devour this. I enjoyed reading it.

Greta Kelly’s The Queen of Days initially held great promise for me, especially following my positive experience with her brilliant Warrior Witch duology. The prospect of a new adventure—a heist story, no less, which is like catnip for me—set in a world teeming with gods and demigods immediately piqued my interest. Ultimately though, I believe the novel would have benefited from a more in-depth exploration of the individual characters and their dynamics.

When the story begins, readers are introduced to Balthazar, a former member of the ruling class whose entire life was upended when his family fell under the attack of a vengeful political rival. Only Bal and his younger sister Miraveena survived, along with a few members of his extended family like his half-brother Malakai, cousin Zeelaya and her husband Edik, all of whom are now on the run. Forced to steal to survive, they become thieves for hire, targeting the nobility that had let them down. But now, they’ve been offered their biggest score yet. Bal’s mysterious patron has hired their crew to steal the idol of Karanis at the grand gala to celebrate the construction of the new temple to the sea god. Sure, it would be difficult in front of all those in attendance, but the pay alone would ensure all their futures. To Bal, nothing is more important than his little sister, and if they pull this off, Mira would be set for life.

There’s only one problem. For unknown reasons, their patron will only give them the job if they agree to take on a sixth member, the legendary thief known as the Queen of Days. Unwilling to let this chance of a lifetime slip through his fingers, Bal reluctantly strikes a deal with the mysterious figure, who introduces herself as Tassiel. When asked about her fee, however, she asks him to pay with thirty days off the end of his life and the same for each of his crew. Skeptical and disbelieving, Bal accepts.

This is just the beginning of what promises to be a whirlwind journey that will challenge not only our characters’ skills as thieves but also their very understanding of the rules that make up their universe. As they’ll soon discover, there is nothing traditional or even ordinary about the ceremony they’re about to crash, and the idol they’ve been tasked to steal is a magical artifact of immense significance, one that will change the fate of both mortals and gods. For Bal, this will mean fighting to maintain the fragile unity of his crew and learning to trust in Tassiel, at least long enough for them to survive this whole ordeal.

Yet while Kelly succeeds in portraying this band of thieves as a loveable found family, I felt that having an ensemble cast both strengthened and challenged the narrative. Yes, having more characters undoubtedly made the story more interesting, but because the focus was also very divided, I found it more difficult to connect to any of them. Notably, the author should have made a stronger case for Bal as the mastermind, the role traditionally filled by the crew’s leader in a heist story. There were several reasons why I found this unconvincing, the main one being his poor decision-making skills and lack of good judgment. His impulsiveness was not a good look and made it harder for me to feel sympathy for him or even root for his success.

Needless to say, I preferred Tassiel’s chapters over Bal’s, though the point-of-view shifts between the two from first-person to third-person took some adjusting. It also resulted in putting a bit of distance between the reader and her character, though in the end, it didn’t prevent me from warming to her personality as more about history was revealed (meanwhile, the more time I spent with Bal, the less I liked him).

This being a heist story, it should also come as no surprise that it stuck hard to heist crew archetypes. That said, I wish we had gotten more complex characters and that the plot moved beyond the usual predictable patterns. Granted, this was by no means a bad book, but nothing about it truly surprised or inspired me.

In other words, unlike Greta Kelly’s The Frozen Crown which I felt was a glorious debut, this one simply didn’t shine quite as bright. Don’t get me wrong, for readers who are looking for a pacy, entertaining, and action-packed heist story set in a fantasy world, I think The Queen of Days will be perfectly satisfactory. Nevertheless, those who are very familiar with the conventions of the genre and are looking for something more by way of characters and plot may find it somewhat wanting.

What’s it about?

Inspired by her love of D&D and other tabletop games, Greta Kelly’s latest book sends us on a heist adventure with a crew of loveable, and at times annoying, adventurers. We follow Bal, the leader of the Talion, who signs up his crew for a dangerous mission – without their knowledge, at first: steal an idol of the god Karanis from the brutal Governor Paasch during an opening ceremony and return it to a mysterious man known only as The Curator. Simple enough, he thought – until Tess, the titular Queen of Days, enters to help. Why is this god-like, infamous woman, who wears a silver mask, called to aid in this mission? Her appearance means one thing – this heist is dangerous. How far will Bal go to protect his found family?

How was it?

For the first quarter, I struggled to get a sense of place. We jump right into the action with only some exposition of the characters’ surroundings. What kind of land is the City of Ashaar? What do the homes look like? What kind of attire do the citizens wear? What or who do they worship? We don’t really get those lush descriptions I expect from a fantasy novel; there were a lot of fantasy-esque names dropped with little context of how they fit into the world.

What saved this for me was the characters. Kelly does a superb job of letting us love the Talion crew, even if their actions were purposely sometimes obnoxious. But that’s family, right? This is a dual-POV novel with Bal and Tess, yet the reader can still discover the unique traits, backstory, and motivations of the entire Talion crew. Also, the banter is epic.

As with most heist books, I found myself more engaged when the action got going. The setup always feels like a slog (Greta — it’s me, not you), but I couldn’t put this down when the proverbial shit hit the fan. Minor spoiler – something goes wrong and puts our heroes in a…scary position. If the heist was immediately successful, this would be a very short book.

Another aspect I enjoyed, without giving too much away, was the theme of science vs. faith, and how beliefs can shift when faced with the unthinkable. I’ve read plenty of books that approach this topic, but The Queen of Days gives it a unique spin.

The verdict:

This is well worth the read, especially if you love Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, tabletop RPGs, and witty banter.

reviewed by Erin Hawley for RIOT-US.com

The Queen of Days is a high-stakes, action-packed fantasy featuring a crew of thieves and a time-eating demon.
It's told through dual POV which follows Bal and Tass as they go from simply working together to complete a single mission to fighting to save the world. I really liked the character growth and friendship that develops between Bal and Tass throughout the book. I also adored the entire crew.

There’s honestly so much to love about this - hijinx, wrathful gods, magic and great world-building. I’m only taking a star off because it took me several attempts to really get into this. But once I did mange to get into it, I was absolutely hooked and couldn’t get enough.

I definitely recommend picking this up if you’re a fan of Six of Crows!

Epic fantasy heist. Those three words in the subject line of an email were all it took for me to windmill slam “yes” on getting an eARC of The Queen of Days from NetGalley and publisher HarperVoyager. Some marketing person knew the magic words that would pique my interest instantly. I was excited to dive in, and thankfully, the book lived up to the hype! This is a delightful, powerful adventure that left me wanting more in all the right ways.

Balthazar, aka Bal, is a scion of a noble family that has fallen on hard times. He now makes a living as a thief in the city that his family once ruled, and his latest heist sees him reluctantly partnering up with the mythical and mysterious Queen of Days. The heist, as heists often do, goes pear-shaped. On the run and outgunned, Bal and his crew and the Queen of Days find themselves as unlikely allies on a quest to kill a god, save their city (and possibly the world), and keep their skins intact.

The book opens with Bal meeting the Queen of Days, whose name we soon learn is Tassiel, or Tass. From there, we quickly move into meeting the supporting cast and the heist itself. I appreciate this pacing—I don’t mind when a heist book builds up to the heist-as-climax, but I also like when they do what Kelly does here. The heist, you see, is actually an appetizer before the real plot takes off. After a brief diversion into a mysterious Archive for some exposition and raising of stakes, Bal and Tass and the crew are back out into the city, on the run, trying to figure out what to do next.

The found family vibes are strong here. Kelly alternates chapters between Bal and Tass’s perspectives. Something I really liked is how the chapter titles for Tass evolve. At the start of the book, they provide her full name and title; as the story continues, they shorten to “Tassiel” and then eventually “Tass,” signifying her acceptance of this identity and her connection to Bal and his crew.

The mystery of Tass’s identity—who she is, where her magic comes from, where she herself comes from—is one of the earliest and most central mysteries in this book, and it’s fun. The way that Kelly teases out the mystery, not giving us everything at once yet also never lingering too long before dropping another clue, is tantalizing and kept me reading. I needed to know more about Tass, more about the magic in this world—and the others. Kelly artfully combines several standard tropes in a way that breathes new life into them.

Similarly, Bal’s own character arc, though less dramatic, is no less important in this story. At the beginning, he is fixated on revenge and protecting his kid sister. That second desire never changes, of course. Yet Bal must confront what “revenge” means against the backdrop of bigger, more existential threats, and it’s in this crucible that he demonstrates his ability to be heroic. I really like how his friendship with Tass develops. There is a kindness to the core of his character that often feels lacking in male protagonists of his mould. He isn’t quite a lovable rogue, and he also isn’t a blustering blowhard of a fighter. Kelly has carved out an unique and interesting man who, despite numerous flaws, brings people together in a way that is its own kind of magic.

Though I praised the pacing earlier, if I were to critique anything about this book, it would actually be how too much happens. This is a book with a lot of side quests. Not all of them held my interest. I’m thinking of one in particular, a foray finally into Tass’s home—I can see why Kelly includes this, but at the same time, I kept thinking, “I just want us to get back to the main conflict here.” This is the problem when you try to write an epic fantasy story that also wants to be a cozy, family-centric heist story: the two genres are difficult to mash together since they have diametrically opposed atmospheres. That Kelly manages to make them work as well as she does is, in and of itself, quite impressive.

If one of those two genres wins out, it’s the latter. The Queen of Days is indeed epic on paper; there is no denying that. There are gods. An entire city trembles. The stakes are real. Yet we don’t really care about that. The readers are here for Bal and Tass and the lovable crew that surrounds them.

The Queen of Days raised me from a reading slump. It elevated my resting, reading heart rate. If you could hook me up to a faucet of hot-and-cold running fantasy in this style, I would be a happy woman. As it is, I am left wanting more—in a good way—and I can’t recommend this book enough to people who want epic fantasy with cozy characters.

The Queen of Days is a richly developed fantasy story that features a band of misfits that intend to embark on the heist of a lifetime. Balthazar is convinced that this heist will be their last, and that the windfall will fund their early retirement. The only thing is, he’s been asked by his patron to recruit the mysterious and unpredictable “Queen of Days” to their team. Nevertheless, he’s convinced that the heist will go off without a hitch, giving him both the money and the revenge he craves. But you know what they say about the best laid plans…

The strength of this story lies in the rich worldbuilding that’s inserted into the text so casually amidst the action. The story leaps off the pages in lyrical prose, with vivid settings and a complex magic system. The story is told in first person, past tense, both from the point of view of Balthazar, the crew’s leader, and the mysterious Queen of Days. It’s immediately apparent that the Queen of Days is not human–at least not entirely–and without spoiling anything, one of my favourite character arcs of the entire story is hers. While I loved Balthazar, his younger sister, and the Queen of Days, I wasn’t as enchanted by the other characters. They weren’t quite as well developed. This makes sense for a novel with a complex plot and setting to not spend as much time focusing on secondary character development.

This book is about revenge and relationships with blood family, but it’s also about found family. It’s heartfelt, but features lots of fighting and action scenes to keep the blood pumping.

This novel is a standalone, but there’s potential for a sequel, or maybe even a series set in this world. I know the author has other fantasy books, but I’m not sure if they’re set in this world. Regardless, you can go into this book without any familiarity with the author’s other work.

All in all, this book is recommended for those who enjoy a fantasy heist novel with an emphasis on worldbuilding.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for my copy of The Queen of Days.

This was SUCH an epic fantasy full of action, family, and a call to duty involving a small team of thieves and a magical woman who takes payment in the form of time. As in minutes, hours, days off your life. I had this read in less than 2 days. Amazing!

"If you agree to work with me, you agree to die thirty days sooner than creation intended."

Something I really enjoyed while reading this was the purposeful dialogue. Every word spoken by our characters told the story and explained their realities in a way that flowed so well throughout the book.

"But that's the thing about duty. You don't always get to choose it. Sometimes it chooses you."

If you love fantasy and are looking for a break from Faerie realms, this book should be added to you list!

So I'm kind of smitten with the Queen of Days. Yes I do mean the book, but I also mean the elusive character we know of as the Queen of Days. I love a good shrouded character dripping in mystery and when you add time magic to the mix, I will lay my sword down for her. Not only that, but her character development really blooms throughout as the history, past, and mystery are revealed. That being said, I also enjoyed the ragtag found family group crew dynamic even if we didn't get as much of some of the side characters as I'd have liked.

I am definitely hooked on Fantasy lately, however this did not keep me interested as long as it should have. I struggled to stay engaged with the characters.

I really just did not vibe with this one. It definitely was so so. The main characters all have to use nicknames?? Like really? All of them? I feel like I was supposed to feel the emotional ties between the characters but they all felt 2d.

Action packed , heart warming, and suspenseful. This book was everything I hoped it would be.

To start our story begins with a group of exiled thieves who went from riches to rags. The leader of the pack is named Bal and he and his crew lost their families when the city sacrificed them to the gods. As revenge to the current governor for making that happen, they go along with a crazy plan from a mysterious patron to ruin the concentration of a new temple for the sea god. But they need the help of someone known as the Queen of Days, a magical mercenary known for impossible feats. But this job is far for than they bargained for, they must decide to let the world burn, or save it.

Aspects I loved about this book were the found family , friendships , and dedication everyone in the crew has for one another. Sure they fight and some make dumb decisions but in the end they work it out and stick together. I also liked the aspect that just because someone does not share the same bloodline, it doesn’t mean they are not your family.

The story is fast paced and goes from one crazy scene to the next. It also shows that there are different realms and that humans with short lives and no magic abilities , would assume those with the opposite are gods. But it is only a perspective. Sometimes we have to be careful who or what we worship. If we do.

I loved it when they stepped into the Nethersphere and the imagery given to describe that brutal part of the world. I also liked how the concept of time within each realm was handled. The story also uses time as a currency as if humans are fated for a certain amount and can pay with it.

Overall, I loved this story and I am so grateful for a chance to read and review it!
Thank you to the author and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. It was a blast ! Literally and figuratively.

Bal and his band of thieves embark on a job to steal an idol from the man responsible for his family's murder. He enlists the help of a mysterious woman, nicknamed the Queen of Days, who is unmatched in her skills of battle and magic. Together, they realize that there is a bigger plan that has been set in motion and both are determined to stop the forces from destroying everyone and everything around them.

This book was such an adventurous ride! The found family aspect was one of my favorite parts of the book! Each character has their own distinct personality and together make up this motley crew. They really had a natural flow and banter that was just fun to read. Tass was probably my favorite character because not only was her backstory interesting, her lack of social awareness made her endearing. The heist aspect drew me in and I enjoyed the twists and turns as the story unfolded. The fantastical and the world-building elements were not difficult to understand at all that a beginner fantasy reader would be able to catch on relatively quickly. Overall, a great read and I would definitely be interesting in reading about their further adventures if this continues on as a series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book. Opinions are my own.

Balthazar may be an accomplished thief, but that wasn’t the life his path was on originally. But years ago, a violent mob that blamed his father (the governor) for the city’s misfortunes attacked and killed most of his family, with only Balthazar and a few others able to escape into the night. Now this family has grown into a family of thieves, and they’ve just been hired to do their biggest score yet. Even better, it targets the man who instigated the mob in the first place – and then became governor himself. All Balthazar has to do is steal an idol during a consecration ceremony of a new temple. The catch? Balthazar’s patron demands that he hire the Queen of Days, a mysterious figure known for daring escapades. With her in their back pocket, this job should be a piece of cake. It soon becomes clear, however, the ceremony wasn’t just for show, and now a deadly force has entered the human realm…and it wants its idol back.

THE QUEEN OF DAYS is a quick and breezy adventure with a spectacular finale, though full of largely forgettable characters. As a standalone story, it wastes no time getting to the heart of the action, picking up on the eve of this daring heist. The result, however, is that we don’t really get a chance to meet the crew or see them developed in any meaningful fashion. For instance, I could tell you very little about Zee beyond the fact that she’s a tinkerer and a scientist, makes bombs, and is married to another crew member. Kai is Balthazar’s half-brother…and…I think the brawn? You get my point.

The plot itself is decent, definitely saving its best for last in a show-stopping final confrontation that I thoroughly enjoyed. The middle of the book, however, definitely lost momentum, as the crew spends most of its time either trying to find a way to avoid having to deal with the consequences of their heist, or learning the backstory of what was unleashed in the first place. But with most of the trust shattered between the crew in the fallout of the heist, it really takes until the finale before we see any kind of daring and well-executed plan, the very element that usually draws one to a heist story to begin with.

In short, THE QUEEN OF DAYS is a serviceable enough fantasy adventure, one that I personally think would have benefited from additional length to flesh out the crew and its dynamics. If you’re here for the fantasy shenanigans and can accept the premise at face value, it’s a quick read that delivers a solid ending. But as someone who prizes characters above all else, this one didn’t click with me as much as I was hoping.

Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Really struggled to get into this. I stopped and started a million times and I just couldn’t finish it. It’s me I think and not you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Voyager and Ms. Kelly for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I love fantasy and I love a good heist book and I LOVE the two together (see: Locke Lamora, of which I despair of ever seeing a new book) so, needless to say, I was very excited about Queen of Days. To paraphrase the synopsis, Balthazar is the son and heir of the deposed governor of a Venice-like state, who accepts a contract to steal something from Paasch, the murderer of his father (and most of his family) and new governor. The contract stipulates that Bal must team up with the near-legendary fixer, the Queen of Days, to do the job.

Tassiel (the titular Queen)'s arrival into a prison to meet up with the Balthazar is awesome. She is such a COOL character. It's quite clear she's not an average human, even before the full extent of 'what' she is is revealed. The book bounces between her POV and Bal's and frankly I looked forward to her chapters. I really liked that she and Bal formed a found-family type friendship (refreshing not to see yet another romance) and I found her relationship with her own family members fascinating (albeit completely messed up).

Bal suffers by comparison; although he is the leader of his gang he makes some pretty poor decisions for a heist mastermind (including decisions that weren't necessarily his to make) and has a major weakness in his ex-fiancee, whom he just. Can't. Quit.

Despite some holes in the plot this was a fun ride and the story overall was engaging enough to have me reading non-stop. I finished the book ready to check out Ms. Kelly's other work, which is recommendation enough for me. I will be on the lookout for more from this author, particularly if it features Tassiel or her siblings (I feel like there might be good stories there).

Full of adventures and surprises, The Queen of Days is an entertaining and immersive fantasy novel that kept me immersed from beginning to end.

The story is told from two different perspectives. On one side, there is Balthazar. Born from one of the most powerful families in the city of Cothis, Bal and his siblings were forced to flee after the murder of their family by the hands of the now governor. But now, he and his band of thieves are back in search of revenge and a huge pay off that will allow them to start a new life. All they have to do is to steal a statue during the celebrations of the god Karamis and, in doing so, disgracing the man who killed their family. But, to do that, they need the help of the Queen of Days. Also known as Tass, the Queen of Days is certainly not human, but she gets things done, even though her price is high and it’s not money, but time. Bal is determined to get his revenge, no matter the cost, even when the statue they were supposed to steal is broken in half and a door is open to a wrathful god.

I must admit that I really enjoyed this novel. The world-building is quite interesting and there are twists and turns at every corner, lots of action, bored gods who want to conquer the human world, time magic, and loyalties questioned.

The characters are interesting. Their motivations are realistic and, despite frequent arguing and secrets, they love each other and always come together. Bal’s obsession for revenge can be his weakness and sometimes puts in question his leadership, but I liked how his character develops towards the end. Tass/the Queen of Days’ perspective were some of my favorite parts to read. Her confusion to human’s actions and emotions and her desire to belong somewhere made her an authentic and fascinating character.

The Queen of Days is a well-written story of revenge, action, love, and found family and I am already looking forward to its sequel.

This book was so highly anticipated after how much I loved the Warrior Witch duology, but I thought it was just okay. I struggled with the pacing as the book spans just a few days; the first 25% felt so fast I could barely keep up, but the rest dragged a bit for me. The stakes were high, but I wanted more complexity from the heists, and it took awhile for me to feel invested in the characters. I don't think I every quite fully understood the rules of the magic system, but it was pretty cool. We got glimpses of some very unique world building! I always love meddling gods and a good underdog story! The ending was very exciting and action packed. This works well as a standalone, although there are definitely more stories in this world to tell! While this wasn't the book for me, you should give it a try if you like heist fantasy, meddling gods, found family, and Dungeons & Dragons!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve never read Greta Kelly before, but I was drawn to The Queen of Days because the blurb mentioned “a flawed-but-lovable family of thieves,” and a comparison to The Lies of Locke Lamora. And this is one of those cases where the comp absolutely fits, while also doing its own thing.
The world is pretty interesting, and I liked the concept of time magic. But it definitely was more subtle, with the characters and the action taking precedence. And while I did wish the ARC included the map (the copy suggests there will be one in the final copy), I didn’t find it too jarring without it for that reason.
The characters are pretty fun. While I did think the crew’s relationships being pre-established made things a bit odd, as it felt like you should know them, I did like that there were those bonds to suggest a history between them. There’s a great balance between Bal, who is the leader, providing that sense of familiarity, and the newcomer, Tass, allows the reader to acquaint themselves with the crew from her perspective. I loved that Tass had this mysterious “Queen of Days” persona, and she never takes off her mask. I also was pleasantly surprised that the story didn’t try to push a romance for the two of them. While I obviously love romance, romantic subplots in fantasy are so frequently hit-or-miss, so to have one that focused on them as part of a larger crew of friends was nice.
The plot and pacing is another area it also shines. While the plot itself is fairly simple, it remains exciting throughout, and it’s fast-paced, keeping my attention consistently throughout.
If you’re looking for a fantasy heist book, a la Lies of Locke Lamora or Six of Crows, I’d recommend checking this out!

The Queen of Days is a standalone heist novel following a group of thieves about to go on their last heist. The payout is tremendous and they’re planning to retire to a normal, law-abiding life once they cash in with their patron. The pièce de résistance is an idol that’s to be used in a ceremony to the city’s patron deity, Karanis, god of the sea and their job is to steal it and bring it back to their patron for his collection. What our group of thieves, the Talion, doesn’t know is that the ceremony is to bring Karanis into their world to inhabit the idol.
I think the biggest appeal to this novel is our group of characters, who call themselves the Talion. They’re the remnants of the noble Vadalen family that was nearly wiped out in a coup and this particular heist is special for several reasons, the main one being that the person they're stealing from is the man responsible for the death of their family. They bring in a mysterious woman known as the Queen of Days to assist in what they know will be a difficult job. It’s unknown how she’s managed to pull off the impossible, but the group quickly learns she’s something other than human. Tassiel, or Tass as she prefers, is the half human child of one of the gods and she can manipulate time. Tass once had a family of her own, but she finds she enjoys the company of the Vadalens and she also doesn’t want Karanis or any of the other gods entering the moral realm.
The plot is quite fast paced and I found myself absolutely eating through the pages of this story. It took a mere two sittings to read through this book! There’s not a lot of time wasted and our characters swiftly move from one important moment to the next with very little dithering. Surprisingly, the lore of the world is quite well fleshed out considering it’s a standalone and the rapid pace of the plot. The city itself and the larger world as a whole are somewhat bare bones, but the mythos is deep and this feels like it’s a mere snapshot in what could be an incredible world full of stories to be told.
Overall, The Queen of Days was a strong story that would be perfect for fans of Six of Crows. The emphasis on family is something I enjoy, especially thanks to the contrast between the Vadalen family and Tassiel’s family. I would love to see more stories set in this world, as I think there are many opportunities to explore the lore and address the conflict amongst the gods.