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QBD Reviews: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte 

Four Queens. A divided nation. A ruthless pickpocket. A noble messenger. And the murders that unite them.

Astrid Scholte's debut novel is an enthralling fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences. 

Keralie Corrington is a talented pickpocket. She steals for the black market in her quadrant. Her nation is divided into four regions, each strictly separated from the other. Four queens, one from each quadrant, rule as one.

When Keralie steals a particularly valuable item from a messenger, she discovers she's intercepted instructions to murder the queens. Hoping to find the culprit, Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt. But with Keralie and Varin each keeping secrets, everything is at stake. And no one can be trusted in a world full of ruthless thieves, black markets, a golden palace, daring heists, royal intrigue, noble messengers, forbidden love, four queens - each with a secret, and, of course, murder.

Four Dead Queens is released on March 4th 2019. To pre-order Four Dead Queens click here.

 

What an impressive debut! I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reading copy and upon seeing the cover and synopsis was instantly excited; devouring this wondrous story as fast as my eyes could take me. My imagination worked overtime attempting to create accurate images in my mind of the vastly different quadrants, all the while failing to truly grasp how these sectors are so geographically close together yet feel like they are from completely different worlds. I was taken from period costume with corsets and bonnets and a quadrant with no electricity to dermasuits and comm chips and technology so advanced it blew my mind! I was introduced to characters I immediately wanted to know more about and as the story progressed, was constantly surprised to discover new things about them I wouldn't have guessed.

This was a pretty cruise-y novel to begin with, an easy read that wrapped me up in the stunningly creative world Astrid has created until just past half way when the rugs started ripping out from under me with twists I never saw coming- much praise for an author who can still do that so successfully! I truly loved this book, a standing ovation from me as I (not so) patiently wait for Astrid's next masterpiece (please!)

~ Taegen , QBD Loganholme

By ~ Taegen , QBD Loganholme   0 Comments

Reviewsday: The Survivors by Kate Furnivall

The Survivors was one of the most complex, gripping historical thrillers I have read. This is the first novel I have read of Kate Furnivall's, and I was thoroughly engrossed from the first page.

Following a story line not common of novels set in the Second World War, The Survivors is not a story of concentration camps or war scenes, but the aftermath of war and the long lasting effects on civilians who have lost everything. The shadow of war lingers heavily over the characters of this novel. Klara and her daughter Alicja suffered through a long and almost deathly journey to get to the Graufeld Displaced Persons Camp after being reunited after the war. After losing Klara's hubsand, Alicja's father during the war, their home was bombed, leaving them with nothing. Far from finding the safety and security they expect at the camp, Klara discovers that a mysterious figure from her past has arrived at the camp, and she fears for both her life and her daughters'.
Who is this man, and what events of her past have led her to fear him so much? And what did Klara do to fear his revenge?

The Survivors shows the depths of a mother's love, and the lengths she will go to in order to protect her child. A story of love and loss, of hope and of despair, it will keep you hooked from the first page. It kept me on the edge of my seat through the intense war scenes, the thrilling journey to freedom, and a fight for survival. The twist at the end had tears streaming down my face, and I wanted to read this book all over again.

I highly recommend The Survivors for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Love That I Have, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, or just for any fans of well written and researched historical fiction.

~ Coreena, QBD Morayfield

By Coreena, QBD Morayfield   0 Comments

Introducing: Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

It was in 2005 that Markus Zusak's 'The Book Thief' first hit shelves. Death’s narration of Liesel Meminger’s love affair with books in Nazi Germany remains an international bestseller and modern classic beloved by millions. Now he is back with a new gripping page turner -  Bridge of Clay!

Bridge of Clay is about a boy who is caught in the current – of destroying everything he has, to become all he needs to be. He’s a boy in search of greatness, as a cure for memory and tragedy. Clay Dunbar builds a bridge to save his family, but also to save himself. It’s an attempt to transcend humanness, to make a single, glorious moment: A miracle and nothing less.

Started when he was a teenager, Bridge of Clay has been many years in the making for Markus Zusak ; “Thirteen years is probably long enough between books, and I quit this one so many times …The thing is, I also knew I could never quite give it up completely. People would say, ‘Just write one of your other ideas,’ but that was the thing – there were no other ideas. Everything was going into this. Now I can finally say I love it, but not in a way of thinking it’s good, or great; it isn’t. It’s itself – and if nothing else, I know it’s big-hearted. It’s a boy in search of a miracle, and that’s how I feel about finishing it. Every book we write means something to us, but sometimes a book means everything – and Bridge of Clay, for me is that latter type: the book you have to fight for, but is all the more rewarding.”

Bridge of Clay will be published by Pan Macmillan Australia on the 9th of October 2018.

Preorder your copy in store or online here: Bridge Of Clay

Read a sample chapter: Growing Up The Dunbar Way

All quotes and descriptions have been obtained from media releases authored by Pan Macmillan Australia

About the author:

Markus Zusak is the author of five books, including the international bestseller, The Book Thief, which spent more than a decade on the New York Timesbestseller list, and is translated into more than forty languages – establishing Zusak as one of the most successful authors to come out of Australia.

His books have been awarded numerous honours ranging from literary prizes to readers choice awards to prizes voted on by booksellers. In 2013, The Book Thief was adapted to film, starring Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and Sophie Nelisse (as Liesel Meminger). 

Zusak’s much-anticipated new novel, Bridge of Clay, is set for release in October 2018 in the USA, the UK and Australia, with foreign translations to follow.

Markus Zusak grew up in Sydney, Australia, and still lives there with his wife and two children.

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Introducing: The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Crime fiction lovers rejoice! Australian best selling author Jane Harper has a new book coming out on October 23 2018! 

Titled "The Lost Man", Jane's new book is a standalone novel set around the sudden and unexplained death on a remote cattle farm in outback Queensland.

"I’ve absolutely loved the opportunity to make the most of that incredibly harsh and isolated landscape." Jane Harper on Facebook 

Three brothers, one death, a fenceline stretching to the horizon.

Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of outback Queensland.

They are at the stockman's grave, a landmark so old, no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron.

The Bright family's quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish.

Something had been troubling Cam. Did he lose hope and walk to his death? Because if he didn't, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects...

For readers who loved The Dry and Force of Nature, Jane Harper has once again created a powerful story of suspense, set against a dazzling landscape.

Pre-order your copy in store or online here: The Lost Man

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Reviewsday: King of Ashes by Raymond E Feist

Brand new fantasy from the master of the genre!

With King of Ashes, scheduled for release in April 2018, Feist once again proves he is a master of epic fantasy. Unique world-building, memorable characters and political intrigue are all exquisitely rendered and the story moves at an incredible pace, pulling you into Feist's brand new world, Garn. The five kingdoms of Garn knew a long-lasting peace until King D betrayed King Steveren, destroying his kingdom and butchering his entire family. the Firemane's legacy was ended and the One Church gained a foothold in Garn, burning heretics and political enemies alike.

Apalled at the betrayal of a great king, Baron Daylon Dumarch takes it upon himself to hide the last remaining child, spiriting the baby away after the battle is over.

Hatu is an orphaned boy growing up in the shadow of criminal underworld, alongside best friends Donte and Hava. His 16th birthday approaches and he's almost ready to make his way into the world, when his friends are ripped away from him and he learns he is the long lost Foremane heir, thought long dead by his father's enemies. Hatu has to learn fast who he can trust and hone every skill he learned at the hands of the Nocusara.

It's also the story of Declan, a talented blacksmith who grew up under one of the last masters who taught him the secret of King's Steel. Whispers of a new war arising, and a perculiar family resemblance lead to Baron Daylon encouraging Declan to set up in his province, where his fate becomes entwined with Hatu's.

King of Ashes is a wonderful, easily read introduction to Feist's new world, and I'm looking forward to exploring Garn and watching the elemental magic introduced in this first novel expand.

Reviewed by Shannon, QBD Mandurah

Like the sound of this book? Pre-order your copy here

By Shannon, QBD Mandurah   0 Comments
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