Kings & Queens Review

Kings & Queens
Courtney Vail

Publisher: Little Prince Publishing
Release Date: July 16, 2011
Series: N/A
Genre: YA, Mystery
Pages: Paperback, 316 pages
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5 (Avg 4/5)

Seventeen-year-old Majesty Alistair wants police to look further into her father’s fatal car wreck, hopes the baseball team she manages can reclaim the state crown, aches for Derek…or, no…maybe Alec…maybe. And she mostly wishes to retract the hateful words she said to her dad right before slamming the door in his face, only to never see him again.

All her desires get sidelined, though, when she overhears two fellow students planning a church massacre. She doubts cops will follow up on her tip since they’re sick of her coming around with notions of possible crimes-in-the-works. And it’s not like she cries wolf. Not really. They’d be freaked too, but they’re not the ones suffering from bloody dreams that hint at disaster like some crazy, street guy forecasting the Apocalypse.

So, she does what any habitual winner with zero cred would do…try to I.D. the nutjobs before they act. But, when their agenda turns out to be far bigger than she ever assumed, and even friends start looking suspect, the truth and her actions threaten to haunt her forever, especially since she’s left with blood on her hands, the blood of someone she loves.

This book... was something else. I'll start with the outside and work my way in so I can form the right words for what I want to say about Kings & Queens. The cover is gorgeous. I love the colors, I love the slight grunge feel to it with the text and brushes. The lips and everything about the cover sums up what you'll get to look forward to in the book. Confused? You should be.

I think the best way for me to describe the book is quirky. "Beautifully unique" would be another term I'd use. I just.. I love this book, and I don't know how to review this book without giving away too much. Reading the book through will keep you frustratingly frazzled most of the time, and you will think you're more confused than you really are. Once I was done with the story, I sat it down and just thought about it for a few moments. To my absolute amazement, I understood everything that went on in the book in almost perfect detail. Brilliant!

Each character, especially Majesty, was like a 20-Layer Cake. There was so much dimension and character development that it was almost too much to take... almost. The book was both character-driven and plot-driven, which promises to be an exciting ride for every type of YA reader. Add to this Courtney's incredible writing style and you have a story that you want to devour in one sitting.

When the spindly finger of doom first poked Majesty five months ago, she’d shrugged it off with a “yeah, right,” only to have her father end up near-headless in a ditch under a blanket of safety glass.