What do you think?
Rate this book
The Queen of the Dead #1-3
The Queen of the Dead
Now available in omnibus format, the Queen of the Dead trilogy tells the gripping tale of a teenage girl who discovers her powers of necromancy after the death of her boyfriend.
It began in the graveyard...
Ever since her boyfriend Nathan had died in a tragic accident, Emma had been coming to the graveyard at night. During the day she went through the motions at her prep school, in class, with her friends, but that's all it was. For Emma, life had stopped with Nathan's death. But tonight was different. Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery. There were two others there--Eric, who had just started at her school, and an ancient woman who looked as though she were made of rags. And when they saw Emma there, the old woman reached out to her with a grip as chilling as death....
Emma was not quite like other girls. It was true that other girls had experienced grief. Other girls had also lost their fathers, or had their boyfriends die in senseless accidents. But though she hadn't known it till that night in the graveyard, unlike those other girls, she could see, touch, and speak with the dead. Follow this gripping saga as Emma must learn to navigate her powers and the responsibilities that accompany them.
It began in the graveyard...
Ever since her boyfriend Nathan had died in a tragic accident, Emma had been coming to the graveyard at night. During the day she went through the motions at her prep school, in class, with her friends, but that's all it was. For Emma, life had stopped with Nathan's death. But tonight was different. Tonight Emma and her dog were not alone in the cemetery. There were two others there--Eric, who had just started at her school, and an ancient woman who looked as though she were made of rags. And when they saw Emma there, the old woman reached out to her with a grip as chilling as death....
Emma was not quite like other girls. It was true that other girls had experienced grief. Other girls had also lost their fathers, or had their boyfriends die in senseless accidents. But though she hadn't known it till that night in the graveyard, unlike those other girls, she could see, touch, and speak with the dead. Follow this gripping saga as Emma must learn to navigate her powers and the responsibilities that accompany them.
736 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2021
About the author
Michelle Sagara
53 books1,821 followersSee also:
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle West
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle West
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 30, 2022
A disappointing YA read I gave up on. Suffers from excessive dialogue, particularly about morality and a spineless main character. This is a soap opera story.
I personally dislike female characters that are innocent and super kind who are given extraordinarily powerful magic just because they're NICE. Then when people's lives are on the line they stand around ringing their hands. Of course two action heroes have to step in and do all the fighting for the nice girl who's too nice to hurt anyone but saves the day by accident anyway (but that just happens because she's nice.)
The Scooby gang she has as her loyal friends are standard teen tropes, the bossy rich girl, the shy plain girl and a token outcast male.
I personally dislike female characters that are innocent and super kind who are given extraordinarily powerful magic just because they're NICE. Then when people's lives are on the line they stand around ringing their hands. Of course two action heroes have to step in and do all the fighting for the nice girl who's too nice to hurt anyone but saves the day by accident anyway (but that just happens because she's nice.)
The Scooby gang she has as her loyal friends are standard teen tropes, the bossy rich girl, the shy plain girl and a token outcast male.
May 25, 2022
What do you do with death? Sagara deals with that question in the guise of urban fantasy. I admit up front that I've never been a particular fan of urban fantasy. Some people like it. At some level I wish I could have liked the book better. The writing was fine. But for me there were two problems with the book. The first was that I didn't really care about the characters. Some writers have a knack for making you care about their characters, even though you know that they are fictions. Sagara doesn't have that knack. Or maybe I'm just too old. The second is that the last part of the trilogy was too long. It was by far the longest part of the trilogy, and it felt padded.
February 1, 2022
Don't miss this trilogy because it's marketed as YA. Yes the main protagonists are teenagers. This book deals with big ideas life, death, grieving, friendship. Very well written and treats all the characters, even the minor ones with respect and without stereotyping. Recommended for all ages.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews