Four Dead Queens

** 3.5**
I have mixed feelings about this book the more I think about.

The world building and shifting points of view were very fascinating, but I feel it was missing continuing development. I particularly enjoyed the queens stories, and wished there was more focus on them and their backgrounds. All the queens held secrets, but they weren't all revealed, so while some of this shifting of the politics at the end make sense to the reader, it feels flat coming from characters who didn't experience the same journey and same shifting perspectives the reader did.

The murder-mystery aspect definitely kept me drawn in and wanting more, however it unraveled very quick and felt slightly unsatisfying of an end to the story. Also, I love a good romance, but given how different they were in personality, it did feel rushed.

WARNINGS FOR THOSE WANTING TO READ
-I appreciate when queer characters are included in a book, but lament at how often they fall into the bury your gays trope. This book does that.
- There's a theme of denouncing this attainment for perfection (genetic perfection), but it doesn't quite ring true at the end, and falls flat of calling out the idea of having to fit in a perfect cookie cutter mold at the end. I understand that can be triggering and feels triggering to me as someone who carries her own invisible medical labels and is looked at something to erase/improve in order to be as worthy as others.

Regardless, this was an entertaining reading and definitely kept me engaging as I went through this journey.