Queen Among the Dead Published by Zando on March 6, 2023 Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
Pages: 416
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Paste magazine's Best New Fantasy Books of January
Indie Next Pick
A stunning Celtic YA fantasy adventure set in the ancient kingdom of Eire, inspired by the legend of the first true queen of Ireland, perfect for fans of Shelby Mahurin and Adrienne Young.
In the kingdom of Eire, banshees chill the air, and water-wights lurk in the rivers. But magic is outlawed by the king, and jealously hoarded by his Druid priests.
Neve is the youngest daughter of the king, and Ronan is a Druid's apprentice turned thief, making a living by selling stolen spells. They should be enemies, but their shared hatred of the Druids--and a dark magic that has marked them both--makes them unlikely, if uneasy, allies.
When Eire is threatened by a power struggle, Neve must seize the chance to take her rightful place on her family's throne, with the help of Ronan and the realm's most dangerous outcasts. Their journey takes them to the outskirts of Eire, where magic still runs free . . . and where an outlaw and a warrior princess might carve out a future with spells and swords.
Lesley Livingston vividly reimagines Irish legends and fairytales to craft a YA fantasy adventure that will captivate readers of Brigid Kemmerer and Tricia Levenseller.
Review:
Queen Among The Dead is the story of a Celtic princess named Neve and her desire to escape her family’s restraints. Neve isn’t destined to be queen or anything more than a pawn to be married off. However, one night she encounters a boy named Ronan, who she met previously when she was younger, and the events of that second meeting set off our adventure. Ronana is a druid apprentice turned thief; the two have nothing in common except to see Eire’s peaceful and mysterious ancient magic lying dormant inside each of them. Queen Among The Dead is perfect for fans of Celtic Mythology, magically hidden, hierarchy that needs to be changed, and a romance that blooms slowly between two unlikely characters.
About Lesley Livingston
LESLEY LIVINGSTON is the author of fifteen published books to date. Her first novel, WONDROUS STRANGE, was winner of the CLA Young Adult Book of the Year 2010, a White Pine Honour Book, shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Speculative Fiction, and in 2015 was named one of CBC’s “100 YA Books That Make You Proud To Be Canadian”. DARKLIGHT, the second book in this series was a finalist for the Indigo Teen Read Awards. The concluding volume in the trilogy, TEMPESTUOUS, was a finalist for the Monica Hughes Award. Her STARLING and NEVER trilogies have both won the Copper Cylinder award for Young Adult fiction.
In addition to her books for teen readers, Lesley is also co-author of a Middle Grade series with Jonathan Llyr called THE WIGGINS WEIRD. The first book, HOW TO CURSE IN HEIROGLYPHICS was shortlisted for the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award and was longlisted for the Canadian Booksellers Association’s Young Readers Book of the Year award. It was also chosen as one of the selections for the 2016 First Book Canada All-Star Reading Challenge.
Lesley’s books have sold in over a dozen different countries to date.
Her most recent trilogy, beginning with THE VALIANT, is a sweeping historical epic and tells the story of a 17-year-old girl’s journey from fierce Celtic princess to female gladiator and the darling of the Roman Empire. The first book in the series was a Junior Library Guild selection.
COMING SOON: Lesley’s upcoming new book, QUEEN AMONG THE DEAD, is a Young Adult epic fantasy set in ancient magical Ireland.
Lesley has a Masters Degree in English from the University of Toronto and lives in Ontario, Canada.
