I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: April 19, 2022
Rating: 4/5
Queen of the Tiles takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our main character is a hijabi Muslim teenager named Najwa. It’s been a year since Najwa’s best friend Trina—Queen of the Tiles—died suddenly during a Scrabble tournament. Najwa is now determined to win the Scrabble competition to honour her late best friend. But things get complicated when Trina’s inactive Instagram account starts posting cryptic messages, implying that Trina’s death may have involved foul play. Najwa is then forced to trace Trina’s steps a year ago to find out what really happened to her best friend.
I don’t usually read YA, but I had to pick this one up because HELLO? A hijabi heroine playing detective and solving mysteries?! Yes, pls & thx!! The unraveling of a mystery during a Scrabble competition is so unique! I love the way Najwa’s mind works, the way her brain is wired to associate words with everything and everyone that she comes across. I honestly didn’t realize how dumb I was at Scrabble until I read this book 😂
The beginning of this book explores Najwa’s grief after such a painful loss. I think the author did a really good job exploring themes of death, grief, and mental health. The beginning of this book also introduces the primary set of supporting characters, some of whom later on become suspects. As a result, it takes some time for the mystery-solving to actually start.
As I was reading, I worried about potential plot holes and loose ends. I had so many questions, like, what exactly did the police miss in their initial investigation? And how is Najwa, a teenager, expected to solve something that the police overlooked? But as I got closer to the end of the story, everything made complete sense. And I really like how everything ultimately came together!
Overall, despite the slow beginning, I ended up really enjoying this book. @publishers if you’re reading this review—I need more unique and interesting books with hijabi heroines (not just YA) that are not about tragic Muslim lives and Islamophobia. Better yet, give me an adult mystery novel with an adult hijabi heroine as the main character, pls & thx!
Romance Library 