Four Dead Queens

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.

Literature & Fiction

Scholte, Astrid

Genre Fiction

G.P.Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers'

A bestselling murder mystery fantasy with a shocking twist you won't see coming. Now in paperback. Keralie Corrington is a talented pickpocket in the kingdom of Quadara. But when a routine theft goes horribly wrong, Keralie discovers what she's stolen is actually a video of the four queens of Quadara being murdered. Hoping that discovering the intended recipient will reveal the culprit—valuable information that she can barter with—Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the messenger she stole from, to complete his delivery and uncover the murderer. But with Keralie and Varin each keeping secrets—and lives hanging in the balance—everything is at stake, and no one can be trusted. Four Dead Queens is an enthralling fast-paced mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences.

Teen & Young Adult

Penguin??Books

The Vanishing Deep

Bestselling author Astrid Scholte, returns with a thrilling adventure in which the dead can be revived...for a price. Seventeen-year-old Tempe was born into a world of water. When the Great Waves destroyed her planet five hundred years ago, its people had to learn to survive living on the water, but the ruins of the cities below still called. Tempe dives daily, scavenging the ruins of a bygone era, searching for anything of value to trade for Notes. It isn't food or clothing that she wants to buy, but her dead sister's life. For a price, the research facility on the island of Palindromena will revive the dearly departed for twenty-four hours before returning them to death. It isn't a heartfelt reunion that Tempe is after; she wants answers. Elysea died keeping a terrible secret, one that has ignited an unquenchable fury in Tempe: Her beloved sister was responsible for the death of their parents. Tempe wants to know why. But once revived, Elysea has other plans. She doesn't want to spend her last day in a cold room accounting for a crime she insists she didn't commit. Elysea wants her freedom and one final glimpse at the life that was stolen from her. She persuades Tempe to break her out of the facility, and they embark on a dangerous journey to discover the truth about their parents' death and mend their broken bond. But they're pursued every step of the way by two Palindromena employees desperate to find them before Elysea's time is up--and before the secret behind the revival process and the true cost of restored life is revealed.

Children's Books

Bestselling author Astrid Scholte, returns with a thrilling adventure in which the dead can be revived...for a price. Seventeen-year-old Tempe was born into a world of water. When the Great Waves destroyed her planet five hundred years ago, its people had to learn to survive living on the water, but the ruins of the cities below still called. Tempe dives daily, scavenging the ruins of a bygone era, searching for anything of value to trade for Notes. It isn't food or clothing that she wants to buy, but her dead sister's life. For a price, the research facility on the island of Palindromena will revive the dearly departed for twenty-four hours before returning them to death. It isn't a heartfelt reunion that Tempe is after; she wants answers. Elysea died keeping a terrible secret, one that has ignited an unquenchable fury in Tempe: Her beloved sister was responsible for the death of their parents. Tempe wants to know why. But once revived, Elysea has other plans. She doesn't want to spend her last day in a cold room accounting for a crime she insists she didn't commit. Elysea wants her freedom and one final glimpse at the life that was stolen from her. She persuades Tempe to break her out of the facility, and they embark on a dangerous journey to discover the truth about their parents' death and mend their broken bond. But they're pursued every step of the way by two Palindromena employees desperate to find them before Elysea's time is up--and before the secret behind the revival process and the true cost of restored life is revealed.

Vanishing Deep

In this fantasy thriller, four teens charged with murder and caught up with the illegal use of magic band together to devise the ultimate jailbreak. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows and How to Get Away with Murder.\nEver since his mother was killed, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal—to see illegal users of magic brought to justice. People who carelessly use extradimensional magic for their own self-interest, without a care to the damage it does to society or those around them, deserve to be punished as far as Cayder is concerned. Because magic always has a price. So when Cayder lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apprentice under a premier public defender, he takes it. If he can learn all the tricks of public defense, the better he’ll be able to dismantle defense arguments when he’s a prosecutor. Then he’ll finally be able to make sure justice is served.\nBut when he meets the three criminals he’s supposed to defend, it no longer seems so black and white. They’re teenagers, like him, and their stories are . . . complicated, like his. Vardean, the prison where Cayder’s new clients are incarcerated, also happens to be at the very heart of the horrible tear in the veil between their world and another dimension—where all magic comes from.\nLeague of Liars is a dark and twisty mystery set in a richly-drawn world where nothing is as it seems, rife with magic, villains and danger.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 7 Up-Since his mother's death in an edem-summoning accident when he was 10, 17-year-old Cayder Broduck has dedicated his life to making sure edem criminals get the justice they deserve. Edem-time-and-space warping magic that exists only in shadows-has posed a threat to the nation of Telene for over 100 years, ever since the veil opened on the edge of the sea and poured edem into the world. Using edem is strictly prohibited by Telene's iron-fisted government, and Cayder has taken on an apprenticeship with the nation's top public defender to learn the other side of the law. But when three high-profile edem-related murders happen in quick succession and all three cases drop in his lap, Cayder soon realizes that justice is not always so black-and-white, especially when he finds out one of the criminals is his own sister. Scholte's third novel is a mash-up fantasy/legal drama/heist story whose parts don't become a cohesive whole. Several aspects of the worldbuilding are interesting, but aren't explored deeply enough to create a sense of immersion. The cast of characters is diverse, with several characters described as having dark skin, but shallow; it's difficult for readers to sympathize or be involved with the characters due to their lack of fleshing out. However, the plot contains just enough hooks to keep readers wondering what will happen next and find out who-or what-is behind these murders. VERDICT An interesting but not-fully-realized fantasy legal drama. Recommended for shelves that are light on those genres, but feel free to skip.-Tyler Hixsonα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

League of Liars

In this fantasy thriller, four teens charged with murder and caught up with the illegal use of magic band together to devise the ultimate jailbreak. Perfect for fans of Six of Crows and How to Get Away with Murder. Ever since his mother was killed, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal―to see illegal users of magic brought to justice. People who carelessly use extradimensional magic for their own self-interest, without a care to the damage it does to society or those around them, deserve to be punished as far as Cayder is concerned. Because magic always has a price. So when Cayder lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apprentice under a premier public defender, he takes it. If he can learn all the tricks of public defense, the better he’ll be able to dismantle defense arguments when he’s a prosecutor. Then he’ll finally be able to make sure justice is served. But when he meets the three criminals he’s supposed to defend, it no longer seems so black and white. They’re teenagers, like him, and their stories are…complicated, like his. Vardean, the prison where Cayder’s new clients are incarcerated, also happens to be at the very heart of the horrible tear in the veil between their world and another dimension―where all magic comes from. League of Liars is a dark and twisty mystery set in a richly-drawn world where nothing is as it seems, rife with magic, villains and danger.

PENYU

Allen& Unwin

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Shadows of Truth (2) (League of Liars Duology)

A & U Children

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Scholte, Astrid. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Scholte, Astrid

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Scholte, Astrid. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Four Dead Queens

Four Dead Queens

The Vanishing Deep

The Vanishing Deep

Vanishing Deep

League of Liars

League of Liars

Four Dead Queens

The Vanishing Deep

Shadows of Truth (2) (League of Liars Duology)