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Pretty Dead Queens
Seaview High's homecoming queen is dead . . . and she's not the first. From the critically acclaimed author of The Ivies comes a nonstop thriller about a deacades-old mystery, a copycat killing, and the teen who won't stop until she discovers the truth.
After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. On the surface, life is utterly ordinary in the California coastal town . . . until the homecoming queen is murdered. And she’s not Seaview’s first pretty dead queen.
With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother’s books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town’s secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.
After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. On the surface, life is utterly ordinary in the California coastal town . . . until the homecoming queen is murdered. And she’s not Seaview’s first pretty dead queen.
With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother’s books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town’s secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,042 reviews
March 14, 2023
I’m a big fan of YA thriller mysteries! And this book is definitely a good fix for my craving!
There so many alluring elements in this book attract your full focus and make you get lost in gripping mystery:
-Two murdered homecoming queens in the same town in 2 decades and bodies found by a grandmother and her granddaughter in 50 years time range at the exact same place and at the exact same stage: the drowned victim’s hair covering the pool water like a magnifying halo!
17 years old Cecelia who is kind of Bella Swan: moving from LA to small town, attracted the school’s popular kids’ full attention. She’s the granddaughter of most powerful woman of the town: the famous thriller author eccentric Maura Weston lives in a Victorian mansion, knows everything happens in the town, has written her first bestseller about her best friend Caroline Quinn’s murder: who was the angelic homecoming queen turning into a biggest symbol of the entire town.
And now new homecoming queen is also dead! Is there a copycat killer out there to show his tribute to the scandalous crime as the anniversary of Caroline Quinn’s murder is approaching?
Cecelia is still grieving her mom, struggling with the shock of finding dead body of her new friend . Best way to cope with drama is sharpening her investigating skills that runs in the family. Everybody keeps big secret in this small town and even the poor victim homecoming queen is not so innocent. There are so many people out there may benefit from her murder including her close circle friends that Cecelia lately became a part of it.
Cecelia puts herself in dangerous position, surrounded by her grandmother’s obnoxious thriller fans, her lying friend circle and a love triangle between school mascot/ her grandmother’s devoted intern Ben and football player, Bronte’s brother Gabriel. Interestingly both of the guys have a shady past with the poor victim.
Cecelia has to open the box of Pandora, revealing town’s dirty secrets to find the culprit which change the entire townies’ lives forever!
Overall: I like young girl detective/ Nancy Drew themes as they are portrayed at A good girl’s guide to murder and Agathas.
This book is fabulous example of this interesting theme. Even though I guessed the perpetrator a little bit earlier, I didn’t see the final twist coming which was extremely jaw dropping. Just because of that delicious revelation I gave extra half star and rounded 4.5 stars to 5!
This book started as slow burn mystery but especially last third was outstandingly fast pacing and exciting!
That semi open end made me hope this book may turn into series and there will be more books. I cannot say no to any book bringing back Cecelia Ellis’ detective adventures.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Crown Books for Young Readers for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
There so many alluring elements in this book attract your full focus and make you get lost in gripping mystery:
-Two murdered homecoming queens in the same town in 2 decades and bodies found by a grandmother and her granddaughter in 50 years time range at the exact same place and at the exact same stage: the drowned victim’s hair covering the pool water like a magnifying halo!
17 years old Cecelia who is kind of Bella Swan: moving from LA to small town, attracted the school’s popular kids’ full attention. She’s the granddaughter of most powerful woman of the town: the famous thriller author eccentric Maura Weston lives in a Victorian mansion, knows everything happens in the town, has written her first bestseller about her best friend Caroline Quinn’s murder: who was the angelic homecoming queen turning into a biggest symbol of the entire town.
And now new homecoming queen is also dead! Is there a copycat killer out there to show his tribute to the scandalous crime as the anniversary of Caroline Quinn’s murder is approaching?
Cecelia is still grieving her mom, struggling with the shock of finding dead body of her new friend . Best way to cope with drama is sharpening her investigating skills that runs in the family. Everybody keeps big secret in this small town and even the poor victim homecoming queen is not so innocent. There are so many people out there may benefit from her murder including her close circle friends that Cecelia lately became a part of it.
Cecelia puts herself in dangerous position, surrounded by her grandmother’s obnoxious thriller fans, her lying friend circle and a love triangle between school mascot/ her grandmother’s devoted intern Ben and football player, Bronte’s brother Gabriel. Interestingly both of the guys have a shady past with the poor victim.
Cecelia has to open the box of Pandora, revealing town’s dirty secrets to find the culprit which change the entire townies’ lives forever!
Overall: I like young girl detective/ Nancy Drew themes as they are portrayed at A good girl’s guide to murder and Agathas.
This book is fabulous example of this interesting theme. Even though I guessed the perpetrator a little bit earlier, I didn’t see the final twist coming which was extremely jaw dropping. Just because of that delicious revelation I gave extra half star and rounded 4.5 stars to 5!
This book started as slow burn mystery but especially last third was outstandingly fast pacing and exciting!
That semi open end made me hope this book may turn into series and there will be more books. I cannot say no to any book bringing back Cecelia Ellis’ detective adventures.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Crown Books for Young Readers for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
December 28, 2025
I freaking loved this. A 5-star YA Mystery that's highly underrated, IMO. Pretty Dead Queens is perfect for fans of Kara Thomas or Karen M. McManus!!
In this story, which is set in a small coastal town called Seaview, in California, we follow 17-year old, Cecelia Ellis, who goes to live with her estranged Grandmother following her Mom's untimely death.
Cecelia's Grandmother isn't an ordinary Grandmother though. She happens to be a world-renowned Mystery author. She's wealthy, feisty, lives in a gorgeous Victorian mansion, and pretty much has the entire town of Seaview wrapped around her little finger.
As the granddaughter to such a powerful figure, it's no surprise that once she starts school, Cecelia gets enveloped by the popular crowd.
Her transition to her new environment is going way better than she ever could have expected. She has friends, a comfortable new home and even a couple of love interests. Even though she misses her Mom with every breath, it's hard to complain about her current circumstances.
The town of Seaview is preparing for Homecoming, which is also a time when they think back on a tragedy that shocked the town decades before, when the Homecoming Queen was slain on the night of her coronation.
50-years earlier, Caroline Quinn's body was found in the school pool, drowned on what should have been the most fun night of her life. A local man was convicted of the crime and is still serving time in prison.
Cecelia's grandmother based her first novel on this crime and to this day, it remains one of her most popular stories.
On the Friday of Homecoming weekend, Cecelia finds herself in desperate need of a bathroom. She's been watching the football game and at halftime all the bathrooms closer to the field are full. She can't wait.
Cecelia knows there are locker rooms by the pool, so maybe she can find a free stall there. Unfortunately, what she finds instead is a dead body floating in the pool, practically a mirror-image of Caroline, all those years ago.
It seems the town has a copycat killer on their hands. Cecelia becomes obsessed with finding out the truth behind the crime. The dead girl was her friend, she needs to find justice for her, but what if one of her other friends is to blame?
I had so, so, so much fun with this story. The set-up and cast of small town characters were straight out of a classic mystery book. I loved the seaside setting and a new girl trope is something I always enjoy.
I liked how easily Cecelia slipped into her new life. It made sense in the context of who her Grandmother was that everyone would want to be close to Cecelia, and count her as one of their friends. She was an auto-It Girl.
I think Donne did an excellent job of tying in the history of the town, in particular, the case of the murder of Caroline all those years before, with the current mystery. I absolutely love stories that are set in small towns full of secrets, which describes this book to a tee.
I also appreciated how quickly this one kicks off. The setting itself provides a bit of an ominous tone, and you know something is going to happen, but it was fun getting there.
Cecelia also took to her role of amateur sleuth so well. She really wanted answers and was willing to put herself at risk in order to get those answers. I like that. It was dogging her and she wasn't going to back down.
I feel like in a way, the mystery took her mind off the loss of her Mom, so I'm sure in that respect, it was helpful to her.
The side characters were all great too. I found myself really getting swept up in the town drama. It was interesting to watch Cecelia, as the outsider, navigate it all.
I feel like this is so underrated at this point and I feel like I am going to be championing it from here on out.
If you love YA Mysteries, you should absolutely check this one out. It's so much fun. It's got a classic, campy feel that I will always show up for.
Thank you to the publisher, Crown Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm so sorry it took me such a long time to get to it.
Silver lining: it was well worth the wait!!!
In this story, which is set in a small coastal town called Seaview, in California, we follow 17-year old, Cecelia Ellis, who goes to live with her estranged Grandmother following her Mom's untimely death.
Cecelia's Grandmother isn't an ordinary Grandmother though. She happens to be a world-renowned Mystery author. She's wealthy, feisty, lives in a gorgeous Victorian mansion, and pretty much has the entire town of Seaview wrapped around her little finger.
As the granddaughter to such a powerful figure, it's no surprise that once she starts school, Cecelia gets enveloped by the popular crowd.
Her transition to her new environment is going way better than she ever could have expected. She has friends, a comfortable new home and even a couple of love interests. Even though she misses her Mom with every breath, it's hard to complain about her current circumstances.
The town of Seaview is preparing for Homecoming, which is also a time when they think back on a tragedy that shocked the town decades before, when the Homecoming Queen was slain on the night of her coronation.
50-years earlier, Caroline Quinn's body was found in the school pool, drowned on what should have been the most fun night of her life. A local man was convicted of the crime and is still serving time in prison.
Cecelia's grandmother based her first novel on this crime and to this day, it remains one of her most popular stories.
On the Friday of Homecoming weekend, Cecelia finds herself in desperate need of a bathroom. She's been watching the football game and at halftime all the bathrooms closer to the field are full. She can't wait.
Cecelia knows there are locker rooms by the pool, so maybe she can find a free stall there. Unfortunately, what she finds instead is a dead body floating in the pool, practically a mirror-image of Caroline, all those years ago.
It seems the town has a copycat killer on their hands. Cecelia becomes obsessed with finding out the truth behind the crime. The dead girl was her friend, she needs to find justice for her, but what if one of her other friends is to blame?
I had so, so, so much fun with this story. The set-up and cast of small town characters were straight out of a classic mystery book. I loved the seaside setting and a new girl trope is something I always enjoy.
I liked how easily Cecelia slipped into her new life. It made sense in the context of who her Grandmother was that everyone would want to be close to Cecelia, and count her as one of their friends. She was an auto-It Girl.
I think Donne did an excellent job of tying in the history of the town, in particular, the case of the murder of Caroline all those years before, with the current mystery. I absolutely love stories that are set in small towns full of secrets, which describes this book to a tee.
I also appreciated how quickly this one kicks off. The setting itself provides a bit of an ominous tone, and you know something is going to happen, but it was fun getting there.
Cecelia also took to her role of amateur sleuth so well. She really wanted answers and was willing to put herself at risk in order to get those answers. I like that. It was dogging her and she wasn't going to back down.
I feel like in a way, the mystery took her mind off the loss of her Mom, so I'm sure in that respect, it was helpful to her.
The side characters were all great too. I found myself really getting swept up in the town drama. It was interesting to watch Cecelia, as the outsider, navigate it all.
I feel like this is so underrated at this point and I feel like I am going to be championing it from here on out.
If you love YA Mysteries, you should absolutely check this one out. It's so much fun. It's got a classic, campy feel that I will always show up for.
Thank you to the publisher, Crown Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm so sorry it took me such a long time to get to it.
Silver lining: it was well worth the wait!!!
July 26, 2022
4.5 stars - First & most important disclaimer: I am friends with the author. I obviously am sharing what I experience as my honest opinion here, but I fully acknowledge that unconscious bias is a thing
That said... I absolutely loved this. I think this is the best book Alexa has written so far in terms of quality of writing, plotting, and theming. It helps that this could not be more up my alley trope wise: secrets from the past, small town secrets, and an homage to Murder She Wrote/Cabot Cove. My own critique is that it takes a while for the main story/mystery to get going because there is such a large cast to introduce; that said, I still found that interesting, so just know it is a bit of a slow burn on the front end that cascades into a rush to find whodunnit by the end
That said... I absolutely loved this. I think this is the best book Alexa has written so far in terms of quality of writing, plotting, and theming. It helps that this could not be more up my alley trope wise: secrets from the past, small town secrets, and an homage to Murder She Wrote/Cabot Cove. My own critique is that it takes a while for the main story/mystery to get going because there is such a large cast to introduce; that said, I still found that interesting, so just know it is a bit of a slow burn on the front end that cascades into a rush to find whodunnit by the end
October 13, 2022
Cecelia Ellis has just moved to a very small coastal town to live with her famous, author grandmother after her mother passed away. Cecelia is now seventeen-years old and hasn't seen her grandmother (Maura) since she was a small girl when her mom and Maura has a severe falling out and they were estranged throughout all of her growing up. The dreaded new school, making new friends and stuck in a truly old fashioned town from the past, Cecelia wishes she could just flee and be on her own but from the first day things started looking up. Maura wasn't so bad either, then she made friends right away and even a possible romance down the road (maybe). Homecoming is around the corner and a couple of her friends are a shoe-in for Homecoming queen until one of them is murdered in the same manner that another queen was murdered over fifty years ago. Maura had based her first book on this murder so it was easy to see it was a copycat killing but why now?
Cecelia can't resist playing detective and needing to solve the crime not only because it was her friend but also it's a way for her to stop dwelling on her heartache and loneliness from missing her wonderful mom. The more digging Cecelia does the more other mysteries and secrets emerge bringing many individuals to the front of the suspect list. Before long Cecelia knows she is a target of the killer after suspicious incidents that seem to have her name name clearly spelled out and with almost everyone a suspect she knows she can't trust anyone and feels completely alone again for the second time in her young life.
This was a terrific YA mystery that was engaging, entertaining as well as fun. The author Alexa Donne did a wonderful job with the writing making it enjoyable for adults as well as a teenage audience and older. There was a lengthy list of characters which for me made the story that much more enjoyable and I had a hard time figuring out who the killer was. I read in several reviews where they stated the story fell flat at the end but I absolutely disagree. In my opinion the story really ramped up and had an exciting and unexpected finale. If any adult readers enjoyed the "Twighlight" series or "Pretty Little Liars" then you should enjoy this book as much as I did. I highly recommend this story and hope the author has much success with it and I will be looking forward to reading more of Alexa Donne's books!
I want to thank the publisher "Random House Children's" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given this fun story a rating of 4 SCRUMPDiLYLICIOUS 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!
Cecelia can't resist playing detective and needing to solve the crime not only because it was her friend but also it's a way for her to stop dwelling on her heartache and loneliness from missing her wonderful mom. The more digging Cecelia does the more other mysteries and secrets emerge bringing many individuals to the front of the suspect list. Before long Cecelia knows she is a target of the killer after suspicious incidents that seem to have her name name clearly spelled out and with almost everyone a suspect she knows she can't trust anyone and feels completely alone again for the second time in her young life.
This was a terrific YA mystery that was engaging, entertaining as well as fun. The author Alexa Donne did a wonderful job with the writing making it enjoyable for adults as well as a teenage audience and older. There was a lengthy list of characters which for me made the story that much more enjoyable and I had a hard time figuring out who the killer was. I read in several reviews where they stated the story fell flat at the end but I absolutely disagree. In my opinion the story really ramped up and had an exciting and unexpected finale. If any adult readers enjoyed the "Twighlight" series or "Pretty Little Liars" then you should enjoy this book as much as I did. I highly recommend this story and hope the author has much success with it and I will be looking forward to reading more of Alexa Donne's books!
I want to thank the publisher "Random House Children's" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given this fun story a rating of 4 SCRUMPDiLYLICIOUS 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!
October 21, 2022
Oh my god that ENDING!!!
Okay, so I was enjoying Pretty Dead Queens. A very solid, interesting YA murder mystery with lots of small town secrets and a heroine grieving the death of her mother and adjusting to living with her grandmother who is a famous author of murder mysteries. Interesting characters, past and present murders of homecoming queens to solve, generally a good time and already something I would have rated pretty high.
But then the TWISTS at the end had me yelling at the book! And I mostly didn't expect them, but they were so good, and made sense! Sometimes you get a twist that comes out of left field which is annoying. This wasn't like that. The clues were seeded through it, but not in a way that made it super obvious. At least to me. I'm sure there's a seasoned mystery reader out there who saw things coming, but I was taken by surprise. Absolutely loved the way this wrapped up and found it so satisfying.
I also think this book makes really good use of technology, which isn't always done well! It feels naturally integrated, from cell phones to video surveillance and more. I always enjoy Alexa Donne's books, but this really feels like a step up in terms of complexity and weaving together narratives in a way that works. Loved it! Caveat that I am friends with Alexa, so I'm sure I'm more inclined to be positive, but I was genuinely a fan of this book. I received a copy for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Okay, so I was enjoying Pretty Dead Queens. A very solid, interesting YA murder mystery with lots of small town secrets and a heroine grieving the death of her mother and adjusting to living with her grandmother who is a famous author of murder mysteries. Interesting characters, past and present murders of homecoming queens to solve, generally a good time and already something I would have rated pretty high.
But then the TWISTS at the end had me yelling at the book! And I mostly didn't expect them, but they were so good, and made sense! Sometimes you get a twist that comes out of left field which is annoying. This wasn't like that. The clues were seeded through it, but not in a way that made it super obvious. At least to me. I'm sure there's a seasoned mystery reader out there who saw things coming, but I was taken by surprise. Absolutely loved the way this wrapped up and found it so satisfying.
I also think this book makes really good use of technology, which isn't always done well! It feels naturally integrated, from cell phones to video surveillance and more. I always enjoy Alexa Donne's books, but this really feels like a step up in terms of complexity and weaving together narratives in a way that works. Loved it! Caveat that I am friends with Alexa, so I'm sure I'm more inclined to be positive, but I was genuinely a fan of this book. I received a copy for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
September 13, 2024
Pretty dead queens is one heck of a good book. I was astonished to say the least. I went into this knowing nothing about it and judging it 100% on its book cover 😂
When a teenage girl loses her mother, she hast to move in with her grandmother. But she doesn’t have an ordinary grandmother, she has a best selling author, grandmother. And her best seller was based on one of the small towns, most shocking murders. This book is full of shocking twist. It’s an easy fast read that keeps your attention. So glad I stumbled upon it!
When a teenage girl loses her mother, she hast to move in with her grandmother. But she doesn’t have an ordinary grandmother, she has a best selling author, grandmother. And her best seller was based on one of the small towns, most shocking murders. This book is full of shocking twist. It’s an easy fast read that keeps your attention. So glad I stumbled upon it!
November 30, 2022
1.5 stars.
This was such a drag. The writing style really wasn't for me, it was so cringy and really highlighted how childish and immature the main character was. She was so annoying and honestly kind of dumb, but still thought she was the smartest person alive. She solved the mystery by just accusing every single person of having done the murder except for the person who actually did it. Really not for me.
This was such a drag. The writing style really wasn't for me, it was so cringy and really highlighted how childish and immature the main character was. She was so annoying and honestly kind of dumb, but still thought she was the smartest person alive. She solved the mystery by just accusing every single person of having done the murder except for the person who actually did it. Really not for me.
June 12, 2022
My.
Goodness.
SO. MANY. MOTIVES. OMG.
Literally kept me guessing until the climax. As soon as I hit that halfway point, I was caught up in a whirlwind of spicy secrets and insane (but in a good way) drama. My suspect list just grew and grew and never really narrowed in until the end. And then I was jaw-on-the-floor, knocked-off-the-couch kind of impressed. All the pieces were there but SO WELL DISGUISED to me that NOTHING turned out the way I expected (well except one little tidbit but I think that one was supposed to be obvious).
The major characters had me so invested. Alexa is so skilled at bringing believable teens (well, characters of all age, really) into her stories that I feel like I'm actually in a high school watching real teen drama unfold. Of course I'm an adult and I can't verify how much high school has changed since I was there, but I get the sense of everyone being very acutely adjusted for the current times, rather than reading about adults making adult decisions while stuck in children shapes.
Cecelia was an absolute treat. I never once felt like she wasn't real even though we have very different personalities. The only thing I wish I got to see more from her was her "girly" style she claimed to have had in SoCal.
Ben... oh boy I liked him straight from the start. Which made me a little biased when it came to the love triangle but come on, who can resist a boy who looks cute in glasses?
Unfortunately I can't truly remember if I guessed who was going to die. I don't think I did.... I remember having it down to 2 possible victims but I think the set up was perfect to keep me on my toes.
And lastly, I did notice a trend again in this book where things were narrated when they didn't need to be in order for the reader to make the connections. But overall it didn't take me out of the story all too much so I just carried on reading to that extremely juicy ending!
Goodness.
SO. MANY. MOTIVES. OMG.
Literally kept me guessing until the climax. As soon as I hit that halfway point, I was caught up in a whirlwind of spicy secrets and insane (but in a good way) drama. My suspect list just grew and grew and never really narrowed in until the end. And then I was jaw-on-the-floor, knocked-off-the-couch kind of impressed. All the pieces were there but SO WELL DISGUISED to me that NOTHING turned out the way I expected (well except one little tidbit but I think that one was supposed to be obvious).
The major characters had me so invested. Alexa is so skilled at bringing believable teens (well, characters of all age, really) into her stories that I feel like I'm actually in a high school watching real teen drama unfold. Of course I'm an adult and I can't verify how much high school has changed since I was there, but I get the sense of everyone being very acutely adjusted for the current times, rather than reading about adults making adult decisions while stuck in children shapes.
Cecelia was an absolute treat. I never once felt like she wasn't real even though we have very different personalities. The only thing I wish I got to see more from her was her "girly" style she claimed to have had in SoCal.
Ben... oh boy I liked him straight from the start. Which made me a little biased when it came to the love triangle but come on, who can resist a boy who looks cute in glasses?
Unfortunately I can't truly remember if I guessed who was going to die. I don't think I did.... I remember having it down to 2 possible victims but I think the set up was perfect to keep me on my toes.
And lastly, I did notice a trend again in this book where things were narrated when they didn't need to be in order for the reader to make the connections. But overall it didn't take me out of the story all too much so I just carried on reading to that extremely juicy ending!
June 26, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
This was a quick and easy read. One POV from a teen girl. It had Good Girl’s Guide to Murder vibes! Ultimately, this teen girl is trying to solve a current day murder that parallels a historical murder in town. It is a different format to GGGTM though. I liked the homecoming element and that there was a decent amount of characters. However, I did peg the outcome of this relatively early, but still enjoyed the novel. It didn’t reinvent anything in the YA mystery genre, but will still good! As a true crime fan, I laughed out loud when she mentioned that she needs to sit up straighter in the police interview room because she imagines it showing up on the ID channel someday 🤣
This was a quick and easy read. One POV from a teen girl. It had Good Girl’s Guide to Murder vibes! Ultimately, this teen girl is trying to solve a current day murder that parallels a historical murder in town. It is a different format to GGGTM though. I liked the homecoming element and that there was a decent amount of characters. However, I did peg the outcome of this relatively early, but still enjoyed the novel. It didn’t reinvent anything in the YA mystery genre, but will still good! As a true crime fan, I laughed out loud when she mentioned that she needs to sit up straighter in the police interview room because she imagines it showing up on the ID channel someday 🤣
Want to read
February 24, 2021After watching Alexa's video about this I am dying to read it
April 19, 2022
_ review
*Thanks to Alexa Donne and netgalley for the arc*
oh my. This book was spectacular!
it had everything I like. Plot twists, amazing characters, plot twists, copycat killer vibes, did I mention plot twists? this book has A LOT of them.
This book felt like a cozy read-infront-of-a-fire-in-a-cabin mystery. Because of that, the start felt slow paced, but I didn't mind as the last quarter of the book is literally perfection.
I did predict one of the biggest twists, but it was a wild guess, so I was really excited when it actually happened. It was literally genius.
I loved the whole living in a victorianesque mansion with your grandma that writes murder mystery books. It was such a cool vibe!
overall I really loved this book so much! The plot, The idea, The characters, urghh it was all so good!!
I'd recommend Pretty Dead Queens to anyone and everyone. 8/10.
_ prereview
NEVERMIND I GOT AN ARC
from 'murder she texted' to 'pretty dead queens'?!?! i cant believe i have to wait a year :((
*Thanks to Alexa Donne and netgalley for the arc*
oh my. This book was spectacular!
it had everything I like. Plot twists, amazing characters, plot twists, copycat killer vibes, did I mention plot twists? this book has A LOT of them.
This book felt like a cozy read-infront-of-a-fire-in-a-cabin mystery. Because of that, the start felt slow paced, but I didn't mind as the last quarter of the book is literally perfection.
I did predict one of the biggest twists, but it was a wild guess, so I was really excited when it actually happened. It was literally genius.
I loved the whole living in a victorianesque mansion with your grandma that writes murder mystery books. It was such a cool vibe!
overall I really loved this book so much! The plot, The idea, The characters, urghh it was all so good!!
I'd recommend Pretty Dead Queens to anyone and everyone. 8/10.
_ prereview
NEVERMIND I GOT AN ARC
from 'murder she texted' to 'pretty dead queens'?!?! i cant believe i have to wait a year :((
August 5, 2022
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Pretty Dead Queens was such a fun book to dive into. I, for one, didn't see who was behind the murders until it was way too late. I was easily distracted by everything else happening that I definitely missed some important clues. Still, it was so good, and I could easily see myself rereading this once again.
In this, you will meet Cecelia. She's seventeen years old and now lives with her grandmother. She's famous around here due to her amazing thriller books. It also doesn't hurt that one of her books revolves around a famous murder that happened within the very same town that they live in. After making some friends, it comes to a shock when she finds one of them murdered. It also doesn't help that she's the homecoming queen either.
With this recent murder looking almost identical to the first one, all anyone could think about is who did it. The list of suspects is long because honestly, everyone in this town has secrets or dirt on someone. It also doesn't help the homecoming queen had so much blackmail on her friends either.
Cecelia and her friends playing detective definitely had its fun moments. Yet, they put themselves in really sticky and dangerous positions. Again, until the big reveal came, I honestly had no idea who was behind it all. So, my jaw fell down to the ground with each secret that came out. Seriously, it was so good and I'm in awe. Still trying to put the puzzle pieces together so I can know what I missed and how I did.
In the end, I can't wait for Alexa to write another book.
Pretty Dead Queens was such a fun book to dive into. I, for one, didn't see who was behind the murders until it was way too late. I was easily distracted by everything else happening that I definitely missed some important clues. Still, it was so good, and I could easily see myself rereading this once again.
In this, you will meet Cecelia. She's seventeen years old and now lives with her grandmother. She's famous around here due to her amazing thriller books. It also doesn't hurt that one of her books revolves around a famous murder that happened within the very same town that they live in. After making some friends, it comes to a shock when she finds one of them murdered. It also doesn't help that she's the homecoming queen either.
With this recent murder looking almost identical to the first one, all anyone could think about is who did it. The list of suspects is long because honestly, everyone in this town has secrets or dirt on someone. It also doesn't help the homecoming queen had so much blackmail on her friends either.
Cecelia and her friends playing detective definitely had its fun moments. Yet, they put themselves in really sticky and dangerous positions. Again, until the big reveal came, I honestly had no idea who was behind it all. So, my jaw fell down to the ground with each secret that came out. Seriously, it was so good and I'm in awe. Still trying to put the puzzle pieces together so I can know what I missed and how I did.
In the end, I can't wait for Alexa to write another book.
November 12, 2022
In a vacuum I would say that this is the best book by Donne that I have read. We didn't spent the third act doing three dozen reveals that existed only to outsmart the reader. In fact I would guess that most readers will zero in on who did the killing rather quickly and be annoyed by that. I'll always be of the belief that the culprit, or culprits, should always be identifiable; it doesn't make sense that the person ultimately responsible was some mystery figure moving in the shadows that no one could have ever seen coming. I think that's a sign of bad plotting and generally a poor use of my time, even if I'm not the kind of reader that is going out of my way to play detective alongside our protagonist.
So what really kept me from caring about this book anymore than just thinking it was a solid experience were the characters. They give the trappings of teenagers that definitely exist today, I didn't think that they were unrealistic in any spectacular fashion, I simply did not care. They were all giving bland, not that they started to run together for me, but there is just no reality that exists wherein I will remember any of them a week from now.
It was a solid time, if not a remarkable time. If you're looking for the fall vibes that come with watching a teenager try and get to the bottom of a decades old mystery with the present starting to mimic the past you could probably do a lost worst than the few hours it'll take to get through this.
So what really kept me from caring about this book anymore than just thinking it was a solid experience were the characters. They give the trappings of teenagers that definitely exist today, I didn't think that they were unrealistic in any spectacular fashion, I simply did not care. They were all giving bland, not that they started to run together for me, but there is just no reality that exists wherein I will remember any of them a week from now.
It was a solid time, if not a remarkable time. If you're looking for the fall vibes that come with watching a teenager try and get to the bottom of a decades old mystery with the present starting to mimic the past you could probably do a lost worst than the few hours it'll take to get through this.
October 23, 2022
MEH.
It sounded like the kind of book I like: there's been a murder and a girl and their friends somehow end up investigating it (or sometimes, the investigation finds them). And this one was specially interesting: a pretty girl in a pretty dress who drowned in the school's pool.
But it was a disappointment. Cecelia was an arrogant kid, certain that she and only she was capable of finding out the truth, because obviously the police are idiots (unlike her). It depended only on her that the murdered girl found some sort of justice.
Also, I kept thinking that Cecelia wasn't very clever and tended to jump into conclusions. I figured out what happened early on, waaaay sooner than she did.
It sounded like the kind of book I like: there's been a murder and a girl and their friends somehow end up investigating it (or sometimes, the investigation finds them). And this one was specially interesting: a pretty girl in a pretty dress who drowned in the school's pool.
But it was a disappointment. Cecelia was an arrogant kid, certain that she and only she was capable of finding out the truth, because obviously the police are idiots (unlike her). It depended only on her that the murdered girl found some sort of justice.
Also, I kept thinking that Cecelia wasn't very clever and tended to jump into conclusions. I figured out what happened early on, waaaay sooner than she did.
June 30, 2022
Two murdered homecoming queens in the same town five decades apart. Both drowned. Both found floating in the school pool. But how are they connected? The original killer is behind bars...or is he? Some people in the town of Seaview seems to think he's innocent. Has the wrong person been in jail the whole time? Or is this a copycat killing? One thing is for sure: Cecelia is determined to learn the truth of what really happened to both homecoming queens. But there's someone lurking in the shadows, determined that she never will.
Cecelia found the dead body of her friend not long after moving to Seaview High and soon throws herself into the investigation as a way of distracting herself from the grief she feels over her mother's death.
Strangely enough, Cecelia's grandmother -Maura- found the body of her friend 52 years ago. And Maura made no qualms on cashing in on the tragedy. Her fictional account of the murder has put the town of Seaview on the map and made it a tourist hotspot. (As well as making Maura a wealthy and well respected writer).
But what do these two murders really have in common?
This book was so good! Cecelia is a modern day Nancy Drew: smart, cunning and quick witted. But she's not the only character with a strong presence. All the characters were fleshed out and interesting. I really got attached to them and invested in their lives. Many of them have dealt with tragedy, and the concept of grief was handled very honestly and realistic.
Additionally, the plot was fantastic! I was on board hook, line and sinker from the beginning. There were a lot of suspects with varying degrees of motive, making it hard to guess who the villain really was. I love that it wasn't obvious. I also love how to old murder tied in with the new one. The plot was so well thought out.
I did have one small gripe. It wasn't enough to deduct a star or to kill my enjoyment of the book, but Donne strongly tried to compare this book to Twilight. She made reference to Cecelia being like Bella Thorne a lot during the first half....like an eyeroll-inducing amount. And a weird and forced love triangle a la Bella, Edward and Jacob was thrown in just to drive the point home. This is me being nitpicky, but I don't like when authors force comparisons to other books in their writing...Their writing should stand on its own merit. And-IMO-this book was better than Twilight (not to mention a different genre).
If you're a fan of YA mysteries, I definitely recommend this book. It's one of the better ones I've read, and I'm eager to read more of Alexa Donne's books.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Cecelia found the dead body of her friend not long after moving to Seaview High and soon throws herself into the investigation as a way of distracting herself from the grief she feels over her mother's death.
Strangely enough, Cecelia's grandmother -Maura- found the body of her friend 52 years ago. And Maura made no qualms on cashing in on the tragedy. Her fictional account of the murder has put the town of Seaview on the map and made it a tourist hotspot. (As well as making Maura a wealthy and well respected writer).
But what do these two murders really have in common?
This book was so good! Cecelia is a modern day Nancy Drew: smart, cunning and quick witted. But she's not the only character with a strong presence. All the characters were fleshed out and interesting. I really got attached to them and invested in their lives. Many of them have dealt with tragedy, and the concept of grief was handled very honestly and realistic.
Additionally, the plot was fantastic! I was on board hook, line and sinker from the beginning. There were a lot of suspects with varying degrees of motive, making it hard to guess who the villain really was. I love that it wasn't obvious. I also love how to old murder tied in with the new one. The plot was so well thought out.
I did have one small gripe. It wasn't enough to deduct a star or to kill my enjoyment of the book, but Donne strongly tried to compare this book to Twilight. She made reference to Cecelia being like Bella Thorne a lot during the first half....like an eyeroll-inducing amount. And a weird and forced love triangle a la Bella, Edward and Jacob was thrown in just to drive the point home. This is me being nitpicky, but I don't like when authors force comparisons to other books in their writing...Their writing should stand on its own merit. And-IMO-this book was better than Twilight (not to mention a different genre).
If you're a fan of YA mysteries, I definitely recommend this book. It's one of the better ones I've read, and I'm eager to read more of Alexa Donne's books.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 2, 2022
Review coming soon.
November 15, 2022
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
I was really excited to read this book because it sounded so interesting and I have been wanting to read more mysteries. Unfortunately this one didn't quite work for me.
Pretty Dead Queens follows Cecelia Ellis, who moves in with her famous writer grandmother after her mom dies. On her first day of school, she learns about Caroline Quinn, a teenager who died shortly after she was crowned homecoming queen 50 years earlier, and then a couple weeks later, another girl is found dead in a similar fashion.
Honestly, I think one of the biggest issues was that the victim didn't die until 30% into the book, so the lead up to it feels really long because we know it's going to happen and it takes forever. But then on top of that, I feel like there is this huge cast of one dimensional characters, so I don't really care about any of them (and honestly, the victim is probably the one character who I cared least about as they were just a bully). I think the writing was fine, and the book was fairly atmospheric, which was a nice touch, but the actual mystery was really pretty predictable (I didn't predict everything but in retrospect, I think it's because I was thinking it couldn't truly be that obvious, and yet it was).
Also, maybe it's just me, but if I were to find a dead body, my first reaction certainly wouldn't be, 'well the cops are incompetent and can't do their jobs so I need to solve this mystery because no one else can.' Like, I get it, she was still grieving her mom, and then she finds her classmate, but at the same time, it felt so over the top and forced that she HAD to solve the mystery.
I do think the book was fairly fast paced (after the murder happened) and I read most of it in one day, so there's that.
Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc for review.
I was really excited to read this book because it sounded so interesting and I have been wanting to read more mysteries. Unfortunately this one didn't quite work for me.
Pretty Dead Queens follows Cecelia Ellis, who moves in with her famous writer grandmother after her mom dies. On her first day of school, she learns about Caroline Quinn, a teenager who died shortly after she was crowned homecoming queen 50 years earlier, and then a couple weeks later, another girl is found dead in a similar fashion.
Honestly, I think one of the biggest issues was that the victim didn't die until 30% into the book, so the lead up to it feels really long because we know it's going to happen and it takes forever. But then on top of that, I feel like there is this huge cast of one dimensional characters, so I don't really care about any of them (and honestly, the victim is probably the one character who I cared least about as they were just a bully). I think the writing was fine, and the book was fairly atmospheric, which was a nice touch, but the actual mystery was really pretty predictable (I didn't predict everything but in retrospect, I think it's because I was thinking it couldn't truly be that obvious, and yet it was).
Also, maybe it's just me, but if I were to find a dead body, my first reaction certainly wouldn't be, 'well the cops are incompetent and can't do their jobs so I need to solve this mystery because no one else can.' Like, I get it, she was still grieving her mom, and then she finds her classmate, but at the same time, it felt so over the top and forced that she HAD to solve the mystery.
I do think the book was fairly fast paced (after the murder happened) and I read most of it in one day, so there's that.
Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc for review.
December 5, 2024
ok the twists are crazyyyy😭 i loved Alexa Donne's other book so I was super excited to read this one, and it was awesome! her writing is well done, fast paced but not too quick. i had NO idea who the killer was (still reeling tbh) but honestly it all makes sense!! the characters were good, if a little shallow. i gave it 3 stars for a few reasons, but the main one is the excessive language....we did not need an F word every sentence y'all! 😭 i feel like at certain points the book dragged on, and at the same time I feel like the characters were not developed enough. and i was a lil confused about Gaberial but that's ok lol. I loved suzanne and the town setting was fun! i just feel like this is a very mid murder mystery even tho it kept me on my toes and was super fun to read! so i would recommend but i wouldn't say it's my fav, if that makes sense lol!
『 tw's; racism, adult/minor relationship mentioned, alcohol/drug use, minor gore description, grief/loss, death of a mother, violence, drowning 』
『 tw's; racism, adult/minor relationship mentioned, alcohol/drug use, minor gore description, grief/loss, death of a mother, violence, drowning 』
Want to read
February 19, 2021💜💜💜💜So excited!💜💜💜💜
February 21, 2023
Thank you so much to Alexa Donne and PRH Audio for my copy of Pretty Dead Queens. The premise is amazing and I was so excited to read it. The book was about Cecelia, a 17 year old whose mom just passed away from cancer. She goes to live with her grandmother, a popular crime fiction author who lives in a creepy old mansion in Northern California. Shot to notoriety after writing a book based on the murder of her homecoming queen, Cecelia’s grandmother even has a crime conference to celebrate her. Shortly after Cecelia starts school, she discovers that a copycat killer is on the hunt. She decides to try to investigate the case, but the closer she gets to finding answers, the more dark secrets she finds out about the town.
Thoughts: I LOVED this premise. A fun YA mystery set in a small town with lots of secrets. I loved that Cecelia’s grandmother was a mystery writer and that there were so many references to “book speak”. The idea of a copycat killer was intriguing and Cecelia was a really easy character to root for. She felt like Nancy Drew, following the clues and searching for a killer.
I listened to this book on audio and the narrator did such a great job! I loved the way she had me totally immersed in the book. Her audio was FIVE STARS- I need more books by Phoebe Strole ASAP! This is a spoiler, so don’t read the next sentence if you don’t want to know.
SPOILER:
The other surprise was also…not surprising. Regardless, this was a super fun book and a very quick and easy read. I recommend it to anyone who loved One of Us is Lying or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. 3.5 stars!
Thoughts: I LOVED this premise. A fun YA mystery set in a small town with lots of secrets. I loved that Cecelia’s grandmother was a mystery writer and that there were so many references to “book speak”. The idea of a copycat killer was intriguing and Cecelia was a really easy character to root for. She felt like Nancy Drew, following the clues and searching for a killer.
I listened to this book on audio and the narrator did such a great job! I loved the way she had me totally immersed in the book. Her audio was FIVE STARS- I need more books by Phoebe Strole ASAP! This is a spoiler, so don’t read the next sentence if you don’t want to know.
SPOILER:
The other surprise was also…not surprising. Regardless, this was a super fun book and a very quick and easy read. I recommend it to anyone who loved One of Us is Lying or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. 3.5 stars!
September 29, 2022
Just saw the cover, love it! Can't wait to read this.
September 8, 2022
This book had such a fun and interesting concept but I found it lacked the excitement the summary gave me when I read it. First Cecelia described her grandmas house with the knowledge of a house flipper. “A show stopping cast-iron stove alongside state-of-the-art appliances, an updated subway-tile back splash and farmhouse sink, a sprawling kitchen island with barstools set up like soldiers, and original wood cabinets.” Like Jesus why do I need to know all of that? Cecelia is described to us as a strong willed and stubborn girl. We see this in her drive to investigate the murder but not in her social life. Natalie is clearly a mean girl and treats her friends like toys yet Cecelia just goes along with it even though she's aware of how Natalie is treating her. Cecelia was also constantly drooling/swooning over any little thing Gabe or Ben did. Anything they did made her blush. She and Ben went from 0 to 60 so quick.
SPOILERS
She's fully Ben's girlfriend and sleeps with him but we find out Ben is the killer. Then over that's all resolved we find out she's now dating Gabe??? Like that's traumatizing to date and be intimate then have him try and kill you! Why would you immediately date someone after? The "love triangle' was barely there because Ben was always there and we got so few scenes with Gabe. Also the double reveal could have been so cool and shocking but it was so clear that A.) there was another killer B.) it's someone older C.) that it's clearly grandma. We barely spend time with grandma so there's no emotional attachment to this betrayal. It was an okay murder mystery but it took too long to get to the action and the writing of teenage characters felt like someone older was trying to remember how to be a teen.
SPOILERS
She's fully Ben's girlfriend and sleeps with him but we find out Ben is the killer. Then over that's all resolved we find out she's now dating Gabe??? Like that's traumatizing to date and be intimate then have him try and kill you! Why would you immediately date someone after? The "love triangle' was barely there because Ben was always there and we got so few scenes with Gabe. Also the double reveal could have been so cool and shocking but it was so clear that A.) there was another killer B.) it's someone older C.) that it's clearly grandma. We barely spend time with grandma so there's no emotional attachment to this betrayal. It was an okay murder mystery but it took too long to get to the action and the writing of teenage characters felt like someone older was trying to remember how to be a teen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2022
After having read The Ivies, and knowing the general plot outline from AD's YT channel, this is one of my most anticipated books for 2022.
Update: Just completed the audiobook(great narrator), and I feel pretty neutral. There are two main mysteries in this book, both of which are easy to figure out the answers to within the first quarter of the book if you've read enough thrillers/mysteries. However, I would recommend this to someone who is just getting into the genre. For that reason I gave it a 4/5, even though it was more of a 3/5 for me personally as a reader.
The main character is probably my most disliked character in a long time. She is quite insufferable throughout the book, but Donne adds pieces of humor in around the character, who is always so sure of herself, being wrong and those moments were enjoyable because the author was clearly aware that this is a very flawed character.
Donne's writing style for thrillers is interesting. I would compare it to the maturity level of a Christopher Pike book(YA but has no problem pushing sometimes deeply into adult themes/actions), except where Pike's commentary tended to be heavy handed in religion, Donne's is more commentary based in inclusion/progression.
While I did not enjoy this as much as The Ivies, this book did have a pretty breakneck paced exciting final act. Also, for anyone still reading - her next book is a closed room mystery called The Bitter End - expected 2024 - and knowing how much Donne loves closed room mysteries, I am excited for it.
Update: Just completed the audiobook(great narrator), and I feel pretty neutral. There are two main mysteries in this book, both of which are easy to figure out the answers to within the first quarter of the book if you've read enough thrillers/mysteries. However, I would recommend this to someone who is just getting into the genre. For that reason I gave it a 4/5, even though it was more of a 3/5 for me personally as a reader.
The main character is probably my most disliked character in a long time. She is quite insufferable throughout the book, but Donne adds pieces of humor in around the character, who is always so sure of herself, being wrong and those moments were enjoyable because the author was clearly aware that this is a very flawed character.
Donne's writing style for thrillers is interesting. I would compare it to the maturity level of a Christopher Pike book(YA but has no problem pushing sometimes deeply into adult themes/actions), except where Pike's commentary tended to be heavy handed in religion, Donne's is more commentary based in inclusion/progression.
While I did not enjoy this as much as The Ivies, this book did have a pretty breakneck paced exciting final act. Also, for anyone still reading - her next book is a closed room mystery called The Bitter End - expected 2024 - and knowing how much Donne loves closed room mysteries, I am excited for it.
December 1, 2022
pretty dead queens is a YA mystery set in a small town being haunted by a copy cat killer.
It took a while to actually get into it, and start getting ramping up - but that’s okay.
There was some stuff I liked about this book, and some stuff I didn’t.
The whole idea for the book was really mapped out, and well thought out. There wasn’t any loose strings and we weren’t left with any questions at the end. There was though, A LOT to keep up with. You were essentially solving two cases from one p.o.v and one time line. I think maybe it could have been better if it was told in a dual timeline between Caroline and Natalie.
I think the ending was shocking, but I knew what was coming. I didn’t think it was going to go that far, but I definitely knew who killed Caroline.
On the basis of it being well thought out, I feel like finding out one part of the truth was honestly really easy. The ending does make up for it with the complete 180 it does.
I did like the small town thriller author aspect. I liked the town history, and everyone knowing everything. It did keep me intrigued, but I found myself skimming toward the end.
I did enjoy this book & i think it’s good for someone getting started with mystery, or ya mystery. it wasn’t my personal favorite but was a strong ya mystery!
// i did receive this arc from the author! all thoughts are my own and honest.
It took a while to actually get into it, and start getting ramping up - but that’s okay.
There was some stuff I liked about this book, and some stuff I didn’t.
The whole idea for the book was really mapped out, and well thought out. There wasn’t any loose strings and we weren’t left with any questions at the end. There was though, A LOT to keep up with. You were essentially solving two cases from one p.o.v and one time line. I think maybe it could have been better if it was told in a dual timeline between Caroline and Natalie.
I think the ending was shocking, but I knew what was coming. I didn’t think it was going to go that far, but I definitely knew who killed Caroline.
On the basis of it being well thought out, I feel like finding out one part of the truth was honestly really easy. The ending does make up for it with the complete 180 it does.
I did like the small town thriller author aspect. I liked the town history, and everyone knowing everything. It did keep me intrigued, but I found myself skimming toward the end.
I did enjoy this book & i think it’s good for someone getting started with mystery, or ya mystery. it wasn’t my personal favorite but was a strong ya mystery!
// i did receive this arc from the author! all thoughts are my own and honest.
Want to read
February 8, 2022I am literally SO excited for this book. I've been a fan of Alexa Donne since Brightly Burning, and it's so gratifying to watch her level up as a writer with each book. I know this one is going to be epic and I cant wait to read it!
September 24, 2022
I've been forcing myself to read it for a while but no, it's not working. Then I decided to DNF but I didn't want to waste my timr for nothing so I skimmed it and it was a right decision.
November 18, 2022
For fuck's sake.
This is beyond ridiculous.
It's unclear why Cecelia decided to play amateur detective. She knew Natalie all of--what?--two weeks before she was murdered. And because this is a small town Cecelia automatically comes to the unsupported conclusion that the cops are useless??
I enjoy books where someone investigates a crime after some time has passed and it's considered a cold case. I enjoy cases where the heroine finds clues and hands them over to the police.
What I do not enjoy is reading about an idiotic teenage girl who sees no problem with interfering with an active investigation and contaminating evidence. Most of the evidence Cecelia finds would be inadmissible in court since she literally broke the law in order to find it.
And how the hell is Cecelia--the person who found Natalie's body--seeing a therapist who also happens to be Natalie's mom ethical?? Who the hell would allow that?? Not to mention it was already weird that everyone found it completely normal for Cecelia to have therapy sessions with her friend's mom even before Natalie's murder!
This book is a perfect example showing why civilians shouldn't interfere in active investigations. Especially not teenagers inundated with hubris. She almost gets herself (stupidly) killed for the sole reason she's not a trained detective and couldn't put the clues together correctly.
Cecelia should've been arrested for interfering with an active investigation, tampering with evidence, and being dishonest with the police.
This is beyond ridiculous.
It's unclear why Cecelia decided to play amateur detective. She knew Natalie all of--what?--two weeks before she was murdered. And because this is a small town Cecelia automatically comes to the unsupported conclusion that the cops are useless??
I enjoy books where someone investigates a crime after some time has passed and it's considered a cold case. I enjoy cases where the heroine finds clues and hands them over to the police.
What I do not enjoy is reading about an idiotic teenage girl who sees no problem with interfering with an active investigation and contaminating evidence. Most of the evidence Cecelia finds would be inadmissible in court since she literally broke the law in order to find it.
And how the hell is Cecelia--the person who found Natalie's body--seeing a therapist who also happens to be Natalie's mom ethical?? Who the hell would allow that?? Not to mention it was already weird that everyone found it completely normal for Cecelia to have therapy sessions with her friend's mom even before Natalie's murder!
This book is a perfect example showing why civilians shouldn't interfere in active investigations. Especially not teenagers inundated with hubris. She almost gets herself (stupidly) killed for the sole reason she's not a trained detective and couldn't put the clues together correctly.
Cecelia should've been arrested for interfering with an active investigation, tampering with evidence, and being dishonest with the police.
June 18, 2022
the ONLY reason i’m rating this as high as i am is because i had a BOMB bowl of ramen while reading it and i feel like it affected my reading experience tremendously
2.5/5 stars
ok this book was literally so predictable like every single twist was predictable every plot point was predictable sorry to those who blurbed this but i'm just built different ig i hated how stagnant the characters seemed to be in their own story and also just the way the story flowed idk it's not memorable or special
2.5/5 stars
ok this book was literally so predictable like every single twist was predictable every plot point was predictable sorry to those who blurbed this but i'm just built different ig i hated how stagnant the characters seemed to be in their own story and also just the way the story flowed idk it's not memorable or special
June 5, 2022
This will be the 4th chance Alexa Donne gets to wow me (like she has with every other books she's released) and I can't WAIT to read this book because I know it'll be a hit for me!! I already feel the fear street vibes and I can't hold my excitement!
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Pretty Dead Queens
Author: Alexa Donne
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Filipino American Lesbian character, Lesbian character, Filipino American character, Indigenous character, Bisexual characters, Achillean romance between two side characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, mystery, thriller, prom, unsolved murders
Publication Date: October 7, 2022
Genre: YA Mystery Thriller
Age Relevance: 15+ (death, cancer, grief, animal death, animal gore, language, drugs, gore, classism, racism, homophobia, murder, child abuse, sexual content, sexual assault of a minor, violence)
Explanation of Above: There is death and murder shown in the book and mentioned. There are mentions of cancer and grief is shown in the book. There is two animal deaths (rabbit and dog) and animal gore (rabbit) mentioned in the book. There is some cursing in the book. Drugs are mentioned briefly in the book. There is some violence with knives and gore with blood. There is classism, racism, and homophobia shown and mentioned in the book. Child abuse is mentioned and sexual assault of a minor is vaguely mentioned in the book (there is an adult character in the book who is having a relationship with a child under 18 but nothing explicit is shown). There is also some sexual content mentioned and one fade to black sex scene.
Publisher: Crown
Pages: 336
Synopsis: After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. On the surface, life is utterly ordinary in the California coastal town . . . until the homecoming queen is murdered. And she’s not Seaview’s first pretty dead queen.
With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother’s books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town’s secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.
Review: For the most part I really loved this book! The book was a great thriller mystery novel about past murders and a current killer. There’s a lot of twist and turns and it’ll keep you guessing on the whodunit for the longest time. It definitely has a Karen McManus feel to it and one of my newer favorite mystery books. I loved all of the funny pop culture moments as well. The character development was well done and the world building was great. I loved the writing and I had 2/3 overall guesses come true, which surprised me as I’m usually able to accurately guess the end of mystery books.
The only issue I had with the book is that I feel like the planting evidence on a Filipino character should have been called out a bit more for what it was and condemned more. I also feel like the book had some confusing moments that could be cleared up a little bit.
Verdict: I loved this one!
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Pretty Dead Queens
Author: Alexa Donne
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Filipino American Lesbian character, Lesbian character, Filipino American character, Indigenous character, Bisexual characters, Achillean romance between two side characters
Recommended For...: young adult readers, mystery, thriller, prom, unsolved murders
Publication Date: October 7, 2022
Genre: YA Mystery Thriller
Age Relevance: 15+ (death, cancer, grief, animal death, animal gore, language, drugs, gore, classism, racism, homophobia, murder, child abuse, sexual content, sexual assault of a minor, violence)
Explanation of Above: There is death and murder shown in the book and mentioned. There are mentions of cancer and grief is shown in the book. There is two animal deaths (rabbit and dog) and animal gore (rabbit) mentioned in the book. There is some cursing in the book. Drugs are mentioned briefly in the book. There is some violence with knives and gore with blood. There is classism, racism, and homophobia shown and mentioned in the book. Child abuse is mentioned and sexual assault of a minor is vaguely mentioned in the book (there is an adult character in the book who is having a relationship with a child under 18 but nothing explicit is shown). There is also some sexual content mentioned and one fade to black sex scene.
Publisher: Crown
Pages: 336
Synopsis: After the death of her mom (screw cancer), seventeen-year-old Cecelia Ellis goes to live with her estranged grandmother, a celebrated author whose Victorian mansion is as creepy as the murder mysteries she writes. On the surface, life is utterly ordinary in the California coastal town . . . until the homecoming queen is murdered. And she’s not Seaview’s first pretty dead queen.
With a copycat killer on the loose, Cecelia throws herself into the investigation, determined to crack the case like the heroines in her grandmother’s books. But the more Cecelia digs into the town’s secrets, the more she worries that her own mystery might not have a storybook ending.
Review: For the most part I really loved this book! The book was a great thriller mystery novel about past murders and a current killer. There’s a lot of twist and turns and it’ll keep you guessing on the whodunit for the longest time. It definitely has a Karen McManus feel to it and one of my newer favorite mystery books. I loved all of the funny pop culture moments as well. The character development was well done and the world building was great. I loved the writing and I had 2/3 overall guesses come true, which surprised me as I’m usually able to accurately guess the end of mystery books.
The only issue I had with the book is that I feel like the planting evidence on a Filipino character should have been called out a bit more for what it was and condemned more. I also feel like the book had some confusing moments that could be cleared up a little bit.
Verdict: I loved this one!
May 27, 2022
One line summary: Murder Turducken.
Just like with The Ivies, I can’t help but feel Donne’s writing fits this genre SO well. Pretty Dead Queens is a YA mystery following our main character Cecelia who goes to live with her grandmother in a coastal town in Northern California after her mom passes away from cancer. Her grandmother is a famous mystery writer whose first book was about a real life prom queen from their town that was killed in the 70’s. When history seems to repeat itself and another queen ends up dead, Cecelia’s the one to find the body and takes it upon herself to solve the murder.
This was one of my most anticipated books for 2022, and am so grateful I was able to get an early read. I loved that throughout this book, there were SO many possibilities for who could’ve been the murderer, and the build up to the final scenes felt pretty epic and satisfying.
Criticism-wise, I do think it was a little slow in parts while introducing possibly too many characters. Since this is really solving 2 murders from decades apart, it’s just natural that there would be 2 sets of characters from both eras, but I do think it slowed the pace down a little for me personally. I also want to note that this is probably going to be listed as a “thriller” but I think I’d set my expectations going into it more so as a “mystery” for the pacing. However, the last quarter I’d say was just complete perfection in my eyes and an absolute page-turner.
4.5
Just like with The Ivies, I can’t help but feel Donne’s writing fits this genre SO well. Pretty Dead Queens is a YA mystery following our main character Cecelia who goes to live with her grandmother in a coastal town in Northern California after her mom passes away from cancer. Her grandmother is a famous mystery writer whose first book was about a real life prom queen from their town that was killed in the 70’s. When history seems to repeat itself and another queen ends up dead, Cecelia’s the one to find the body and takes it upon herself to solve the murder.
This was one of my most anticipated books for 2022, and am so grateful I was able to get an early read. I loved that throughout this book, there were SO many possibilities for who could’ve been the murderer, and the build up to the final scenes felt pretty epic and satisfying.
Criticism-wise, I do think it was a little slow in parts while introducing possibly too many characters. Since this is really solving 2 murders from decades apart, it’s just natural that there would be 2 sets of characters from both eras, but I do think it slowed the pace down a little for me personally. I also want to note that this is probably going to be listed as a “thriller” but I think I’d set my expectations going into it more so as a “mystery” for the pacing. However, the last quarter I’d say was just complete perfection in my eyes and an absolute page-turner.
4.5
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