Four Dead Queens

From the Publisher:

Four dead queens. Three days to catch a killer. Two forbidden romances.
One shocking twist you won’t see coming.

Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but she’s, in fact, one of Quadara’s most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara’s most enlightened region, Eonia. He runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger. When Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie both find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara’s queens dead.

With no other choices and on the run from Keralie’s former employer, the two decide to join forces, endeavoring to discover who has killed the queens and save their own lives in the process. When their reluctant partnership blooms into a tenuous romance, they must overcome their own dark secrets in hopes of a future together that seemed impossible just days before. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation’s four dead queens.

An enthralling fast-paced mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences, Four Dead Queens heralds the arrival of an exciting new YA talent.

My Thoughts:

If you like mystery wrapped in fantasy, this is indeed an exciting read. I questioned Keralie's motives and why she always seemed to do the wrong thing, however, once the mystery part of the story unfolded, I understood. Still, because mystery is not my usual genre, I found while I was reading it, that I was losing patience with this character.

Keep in mind that this takes place in three days so there is an immediacy and chaos. There is also not a lot of time to talk about a lot of back story so character development is sacrificed for the fast pacing.  

However, if you liked this, which I thought was just ok, then you may also like:
Fawkes court intrigue, conspiracy
What the Woods Keep fast paced
What Happened to Cass McBride the immediacy, the need to save her keeps this moving
and the classic, canonical American literature piece that also takes place in three days:
Of Mice and Men