The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel

I loved this book beyond measure. I fell in love with the characters, the plot and the kingdom. If you love fantasy, you will love this book! The heroine is strong and smart and just amazing. I wanted to jump inside this book in fight alongside the queens guard. The best book I've read in a very long time.

Amazing story about a strong female character. Quick, and enjoyable read for anyone who likes this genre. I would highly recommend reading this novel and can't wait to read the rest of the series as it is released!

A female protagonist who could form a club with Arya Stark and Lyra Bellaqua. Awesome world building like ASOIAF, magical elements like A Wise Man's Fear, a country road trip like Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT? I wish this book existed when I was 13, but enjoyed it very much at 32. I cant wait to get my hands on the sequel.

Kelsea is a girl turned to woman in this book, and not just any woman a queen!

There's magic,treachery,maliciousness, and above all love in all of the pages.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

More of a 4.5. I like the plot, the characters, how the story turns out. Can't wait for the next instalment. My only problem was with the romance, uh rather infatuation, not romance. I do not like the I saw hime I love him theme. The male protagonist did nothing to evoke a romantic feel in the heroine. If this starting infatuation will turn out to be life lesson for our heroine then I won't mind, but if they stay the main pairing I am not a fan.

This series is a builder. The world, characters, and plot are built slowly but steadily over the course of the trilogy. The plot doesn't cut out on a cliffhanger, but you will not have many answers by the end of the first book, and you won't quite have all of them by the end of the second. If this sounds like something that would drive you nuts, skip this series. Personally, I loved it.

It's not a matter of leaving loose ends; rather, the author knows where she's going and she's going to take her own time getting there. And she WILL get there. I like complex world-building stories, and this one feels like a comfortable entry-level offering. The writing doesn't have the lyrical quality of Name of the Wind, or the driving action of The First Law, but I was just as absorbed by this series as I was by those two. Kelsea, as a heroine, actually managed to feel fresh, not very cliché at all. My only complaint would have to be that the simplistic writing style felt better suited to a younger audience, and this series is definitely for older teens and adults. I don't really care about sex (and in fact there isn't much of it), and the violence wasn't notably gruesome, but there was a surprising amount of rape. At least A Song of Ice and Fire feels like an adult story. This series reads like the younger end of YA, which made it that much more jarring. I will say, though, that it does not glory in it.

All in all, though, this is an excellent series, and an author to watch.

Don't read it. Seriously, just don't. And do not let your daughter read it. As other reviewers have described, it is extremely graphic and deals with very mature subject matter. I mean, "why is she bothering to save this world I hate these people" subject matter. See the other reviews for good descriptions of what is wrong with this book. The idea that it has been optioned for film is just an insult to all the good writers out there who don't have a book/film deal. Self publish, people. Self. Publish.

I have no idea why this book has four stars. That beautiful cover has been wasted on this story. The editor should be fired for incompetence. I finished The Queen of the Tearling a couple of days ago. I intended to give it two stars because I actually finished it despite it's failings. But I find myself so irritated at how bad this book is that I have to subtract a star on principle. It's like they just went looking for another female author to follow up the Divergent/ Hunger Games bandwagon, found Erika Johansen and said, "There's a woman who wrote a book about a girl. Let's give her a lot of money. She's not a good writer? Oh well. We just the book to create hype for the movie." (BTW, Emma Watson is far too pretty to play Kelsea. She's described more like Brienne but without any skills).
The preachy, atheist, social justice politics is really annoying. She's trying to sell us a world built on monarchy while telling us how evil monarchy is, then trying to fix it with a new monarch. No explanation of why there are only Queens, no Kings. Historically unrealistic and completely impractical to maintain a ruling family for three hundred years. No explanation of why they have birth control but no antibiotics. No dystopian society that lost 90% of the population would practice birth control. It takes a lot of people to feed a society with no technology (seriously, none? Not even steam engines? Completely unbelievable.) People would be their greatest resource, children would be vital to the survival of the family, yet they allow this weird sex trafficking slavery.

The whole thing is just a mess. And it has so much potential. It's sad, it's annoying, and it's undeserving. Skip it. If you encourage bad writing by giving the publisher your money they will just publish more bad writing. There is so much good writing out there. Go find it. Not this.

Amazing book! It is filled with drama and action (lack of romance really but it should be more prominent in the next book). This book really focuses on Kelsea transitioning into essentially womanhood, and her choices to help save her kingdom from doom by the Sorceress. I wouldn't dub it a "girly" book, even though it focuses on Kelsea evolving her character and maturity. This is a book I recommend to all who are interested in fantasy. Plus, this book is becoming a movie featuring Emma Watson as Kelsea the Queen of Tearling, so that should be motivation enough! :)

While I have found the basic storyline engaging, I am quitting this book only about 1/3 way through. The main character, the Queen, just irritates me. For a 19 year old who has been isolated her whole life to this point. She has been kept in the dark about the most basic details about her country and duties, yet seemingly always interprets every situation correctly. Yet she also displays a petulant side (meant to illustrate her youth?) But this turned me off. However the main reason I am quitting is the STRONG anti-Christian tone. I kept hoping maybe the Queen would have her own "Damascas road experience " but sadly, she just keeps demeaning the faith more and more. No more Erika Johannson for me.

I loved this book. So glad I didn't read the reviews first! I couldn't put this book down. Took a little over 11 hours for me to read. Really glad it was a rainy Saturday. I've read most of the reviews and was surprised of the number of people who gave it a bad rating, even tho' they said they liked the book. What's with that? It's been compared to a few books I've never read. Guess I should read them since I liked this one so much. I'm looking forward to the next book from this author and I hope the lousy feedback some confusing people left her don't discourage her from continuing.

Just a word for readers like me who might not agree with all the positive reviews: I debated whether or not to finish the book, but I play with being a writer myself and became curious how the author was going to get out of a corner she'd written herself into. I plodded through it only to find the solution was left for another time. (I'm going to guess the magic jewels will save the day.) What I found most objectionable were the author's eager, vivid, too-frequent, gratuitous descriptions of depraved acts. The modern profanity used was very off-putting to me as well and didn't even make sense given that other contemporary slang was seldom, if ever, used in this Medieval society. I felt more explanation was needed to appreciate The Crossing and why this utopia chose a Medieval model to live by since most people look back and agree it was a backward time full of war, poverty, disease and ignorance. There must have been a reason. Odd, random things from 'our time' popped up, mostly related to vice. It seems few good inventions made it into this future. Why not? Why were assassin hawks such a threat in the beginning then totally forgotten later on? The premise that this queen needed to be kept in the dark for so long didn't make sense to me. I did like some of the characters and I did finish the book for the reason stated above, but it was more like a chore than enjoyable. I won't be reading the rest of the series.

I like princess books, especially if the princess uses her brain to overcome adversity. This is a more grown up version of a fairy tale princess story -- the foes she faces are more threatening and sinister, and the problems in her kingdom are more realistic. She isn't hyper focused on finding Prince Charming -- she just wants to right the wrongs she sees in front of her. It rang true to me that she was a 19 year old putting theory into practice when it comes to ruling a kingdom. I read it in one night because I wanted to know how it would end for this princess. She was someone who, faced with lots of questions and resistance, came across as a compassionate and determined heroine. I was pleased with the ending because it wasn't a cliffhanger but it still left me with enough questions to want to read the next book. This is a book for a more mature reader because of language and sexual practices. There are not any explicit sexual scenes for the main character, but it isn't something I would hand to just any of my high school students. The main character expresses her atheist principles, but I think that should be a discussion point, rather than a reason to ban the book from your reader. I was a little ashamed that I paid so much for a kindle book, but I got my money's worth of enjoyment from it.

As for all those reviewers who had problems with the world building, or the development of secondary characters, or the "weak" female lead -- get a grip. It was a good book. The author was doing something new with this world -- it isn't marketed as post apocalyptic, so why are you hyper focused on it? The author was using those secondary characters to build suspense or to clarify how real the threats were that the heroine was facing. The author was trying to give a picture of a real girl who didn't have to have a crappy attitude problem to be a strong female. The people who pick this stuff apart just kill me. I swear it reminds me of people who watch Band of Brothers just to point out that a military ribbon on the thirtieth soldier from the front wasn't historically accurate. You are focusing on the wrong things! Read this for pleasure, or don't bother.

Random POV Land
Holy, freaking, goodness. There were so many random POVs in this story and for NO REASON! They added absolutely nothing to the actual story, or plot, or movement, or… well, anything! They were just there for the sake of being there? Maybe because the main character was so gosh darn boring and annoying and BLAH BLAH BLAH that we have to try and relieve your desire to bash your skull against a wall so we throw in random POVs. RAWR!

spoilers

Implausible Main Character
My. God. Kelsea was raised in isolation with literally no human contact outside of two aging caretakers and has never seen the world outside of a little cabin in the middle of NOWHERE and yet she knows EVERY GOSH DANG THING ABOUT EVERYTHING?!?! Are you kidding me right now?! How does she know what a circus is? Did you happen to read THAT in a book too?!?! Oh. Don’t even get me started on the excessive need for book-plugging in this story…. Too late. (see below)

But first! One more thing about Kelsea (okay, two more because there’s more below). Kelsea is extremely annoying for two reasons:

Her excessive need to contradict herself CONSTANTLY. One minute she says ‘no’ and the next she says ‘yes’ and it’s not like there is ANYTHING in there that caused the change because she definitely goes BACK to ‘no’ like three seconds later!! GOD! Do you even know who you are?!
Why are you so Gosh Darn vain? This is such a huge topic in this story and it really bothers me how it’s approached and how Kelsea approaches it and how it’s such a BAD thing. Vanity is bad, yes, but being pretty isn’t. Stop preaching your personal views in your fiction. NOW!
Books are a Freakin’ Godsend (said every fantasy story EVER!)

“Books are amazing!”
“Books are everything!”
“Books teach us so much!”
“Books are more important than people and being smart and blah blah blah!”
“OH! And you know the best book? Harry Potter. Lord of the Rings. Hobbit! NAME DROP! NAME DROP! NAME DROP!”

GOD! Stop name dropping popular modern day books in your broken, futuristic fantasy-society. All you’re doing is making me hate your main character more because she APPARENTLY only likes mainstream fiction. ESPECIALLY because books were supposedly completely obliterated and lost and what not and yet OF the billions upon trillions of books that exist nowadays, THOSE are the ones that made it?! Not like… a Gutenberg Bible or… Shakespeare or… Dr. Seuss?! Uh-uh. I don’t believe it. Just stop already. Kay, thanks!

Also, why don’t you stop making the entire story about books and actually get to the plot or the politics or, I don’t know, ANYTHING OTHER THAN BOOKS. I swear books came up so often in this story that I don’t think Kelsea was actually the main character. I think books were the main character.

Self-Righteous BS
What’s more? She’s self-righteous as absolute crap! Why don’t you stop pointing out all the flaws that caused modern day society to fail and create your futuristic society and get on with the dang story! Or, I don’t know, write a story at all! The main character is so implausible that it’s atrocious!

You know why else I hate the fact that Kelsea is self-righteous? Because it just sums up the package of why SHE makes the PERFECT queen. She’s self-righteous. She’s accepting of everyone. She’s plain and therefore not vain. She’s super, mega powerful for no apparent reason. She is going to save the kingdom despite having NO political training or ANYTHING. Oh! And none of the actions of this long-lost princess who’s been in hiding and has suddenly come out of nowhere to reclaim her throne, has ANY consequences. God. Perfect, mary-sue main character, much? Yeah. No.

Science in Fantasy
Oh. I… I don’t even know where to start with this because this particular piece is the MOST infuriating out of everything else in the story. You know what that is? A fantasy story with magic throwing in SCIENCE like they know everything. YOU DON’T! You got it wrong! Stop teaching people WRONG things about science! I am SOOO dang annoyed with people putting FALSE science in their fiction and making it the reason for a plot. STOP! Stop screwing with things you don’t know because you’re just ****ing it up! That is NOT how it works and therefore should NOT be used for your plot or reasoning. GOD!

Kelsey has been hiding her entire life. Removed from the castle and hidden away, she's been educated by two of her mother's most trusted subjects. It isn't until she's fetched back to assume her title and throne that Kelsey realizes just how much she hasn't been told. Her people have been given into slavery to a woman called the Red Queen, a sadistic, immortal witch who brought an army to the Tearling and forced their obedience.

Kelsey will not stand for it. She will not see another shipment of her people sent into bondage, but she soon finds out it isn't just the Red Queen she fights, but her own nobles who grow rich from the practice and those fearful of another war. To save her people, Kelsey must become more than a girl with a crown on her head. She must learn to fight.

I'm not sure when I picked this book up or why. It comes off as YA when you first start reading, and then you're shocked to realize it isn't. Tearling is a post apocalyptic story that doesn't bore you with long-winded tales of the past, but rather sprinkles in the details of what brought these people to their current predicament lightly as the story progresses. Kelsey, as the name implies, isn't one of those beautiful people. She's a fighter. A worker. The kind of ruler who believes she's there for her people, not the other way around. And she has to work hard for she knows very little of her kingdom, of her mother, or of what it will take to save them all.

So, I read the whole series. Just because I started the first one and felt oddly compelled to finish the series, just to see if it got better. Spoiler alert, it doesn't. For the life of me, I could not figure out how this book series became a New York Times Best Seller.

The writing itself is pretty good. But the author's complete lack of logic is flabbergasting. It is like she had a story in mind and was going to write it, even if the details of how, when and where go right out the window. By the third book of the series, she has literally thrown her OWN timeline and source material out of that window to keep that story going. Then, when it becomes really apparent that she can't come up with a real ending, she just pulls a tired "fix" out of the hat and slaps that on the end.

Just a few examples of her wacky logic include a society that has no printing presses (despite knowing what printing presses are and no laws against them) but has wristwatches and has a fully literate society even to the poorest level DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE NO BOOKS, an economy that completely collapses in a matter of a month because they can't get 250 slaves shipped in and a modern America where the president governs like a dictator king and just declares outlandish laws (like makes anything modern politicians have even suggested look tame kind of laws) willy-nilly - And everyone in the US is just ok with that. Oh, and militaries on foot only move two miles a day. And this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of her lack of understanding of how history, socio-economics and basic logic works. You can write a good story with a suspension of disbelief, but you can't write one that just chucks all logic out.

And on a final note, my husband (who only read the first book) thought that it might be quite hilarious to find out when the author's birthday was and then send her for her 40th birthday many years in the future the framed page from the book where she says that it is silly for a woman over 40 to try to look attractive.

If you do decide to read this, please remember to check your brain at the door. If you can do that, it is an ok read.

She also follows in the footsteps of many younger writers these days who seem to think that societies rise and fall in a matter of weeks and

This book is awesome! Read it! Ok, initial emotional response over. Read on for the extended cut!

First, ignore comparisons of this book to Game of Thrones, Graceling, and/or Hunger Games, or some combination of the three. 9 out of 10 times another reader is not going to agree, like me, right now. Totally don't agree. As far as I'm concerned, most stories are retellings of something and I've read 2 out of 3 of those comparisons and have to wonder if those reviewers and I read the same books. How appropriate that this book repeats the message that history repeats itself (not a spoiler). :P

This is a grand, epic coming of age story set in a world both dystopian and medieval fantasy. Johansen is not rushing the reader through the story, but events and action never truly stop. When there isn't a battle there are politics and plots upon plots being formed and insinuated. It's exciting, gripping, and heartbreaking all at once, and I am in love with Kelsea and her Queen's Guards. Also, this may be classified as young adult, but this is not a gentle world, so maybe not for folks who aren't ready to deal with strong language, rape, gore (sort of), corruption, and other disturbing topics not associated with rainbows and unicorns.

The writing is complex and done in layers and perspectives. I just love, love, LOVE how Johanssen builds Kelsea's character and the surrounding characters through dialogue and Kelsea's observations. The internal dialogues of characters in particular stand out to me.

I am impressed with how atypical Kelsea is as a strong female character. I've come across a few characters like her in my readings, but her type is not common and not easy to pull off. I probably am in love with Kelsea primarily because there's a reoccurring socialist idealism she strives for while she also faces opposition from all around her. Also, while I like characters that are adopted as a little sister, or adopted families of some kind, Kelsea is not that. Her character is trying to shape itself into a leader and that is clear from the very beginning.

Don't read on if you're afraid of a SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT.

Speaking on the book as a whole, there are some angry reviews knocking it for a few things. For example, illogical guarding tactics and Kelsea finding her guardsmen pretty, which I agree with, but then things like accusing the author of crafting a female ashamed of their body, as I saw that as a growing point, not the author being sexist. Also, body image problems is something a lot of women grow up within society, so I thought it an especially relevant piece of the story, especially as a growing point. The most common thread these angry reviews seem to have is that the book genre did not meet the reviewers' expectations, which was medieval fantasy. How dare the author throw in hints of dystopia relating back to Western history (yes, primarily Western history, no denying that)! Chill pills all around! It just shows there's something to be said about setting expectations. So I hope book 2 meets mine now that I've established the (tempered) expectation of epic awesomeness. No pressure Johansen.

This being a YA novel about a teenage princess, I was pretty sure I knew what to expect. But as usual, you can’t judge a book by its jacket blurb. Sounds like a medieval story about princesses and knights and magic, right? It is… but it’s also a genre-crossing experiment. In fact The Crossing is event in the story’s history where people from our dystopian future “crossed over” to a new land. Several hundred years go by, and in Kelsea’s time, people only vaguely remember modern medicine and lost technology and live in the equivalent of another medieval dark age.

However, the history of our dystopian future is very muted in the first book. The first book follows in the veins of the Hunger Games and Divergent series' with the feudalistic politics and the murdering. You might also expect romance in your typical YA novel. I know I was with Kelsea and Lazarus, aka “The Mace” (and still neither of those is his real name, to be revealed in the third book). Johansen smacked that romantic idea out of my head though, and I want to save you the trouble too. Her personal guard is more like a father figure to Kelsea (and in the back of her mind, Kelsea HAS been wondering who her father is). Lazarus is almost a little too overpowered (“OP,” to mix my literary and video game terms, is what we video gamers call a boss or character who was designed to be so strong they unbalance the game). I’ll give you an example so early in the first book that it can’t really be considered a spoiler… we’re told Kelsea and her guard are being chased by assassins so deadly, if you’re hunted by only one you’re guaranteed to die… Lazarus dispatches three with no trouble. If Johansen hadn’t already kind of pulled a Mary Sue (a fanfiction term for when you suspect the author of inserting herself into the story and being kind of OP), I would have thought Lazarus was a Gary Stu…

So I had some nits to pick with the story, but I kept going (mostly because of my friend’s harassment). It turns out I was much more interested in learning the history of the dystopian “future past,” which is explored much more in the second and final books. So much that the climax and resolution of the story depended on it… which turned about half of Johansen’s fans against her, if the reviews on the store are to be believed. I hate reading three books to find out I hate the ending, so after seeing the three and half star warning for the third book… I may have cheated a bit and read the reviews to spoil the story.

I won’t spoil it here for you… But honestly, I’m glad I prepared myself for the ending. I was not expecting it, and not in a good way, like a twist. I can handle twists of character deaths and even non-romances… but you really get my goat when your fantasy/sci fi genre-crossing experiment ignores two books of build up to produce a resolution wholly dependent on a plot device you pretty much just invented at the end of the third book (not quite a deus ex machina, but not much better).

DNF @ 38%

I started off really enjoying this one. The idea that this girl was raised in secret to be Queen only to be returned to her palace even though people want to kill her. But soon after things started to fall apart and then kept crumbling.

First, I was confused as to how Kelsea stayed in secret for so long, considering her Uncle had been looking to kill her for years (more on that later) but had been unsuccessful whereas it took the Queen's Guard 8 days to find her and bring her back. So okay, they had a note, but are you telling me that these elite assassins (that her Uncle obviously only hired near when the Queen's Guard was leaving) couldn't find one girl in one cabin? Not plausible, sorry.

Second, the weird "break" in travelling back to the Keep where she meets and is kidnapped by the outlaw Fetch. I am sure it will make more sense in the future but ??? It was so random to break up the story this way when it was obviously for ~romantic~ purposes. And the fact that while he and his merry band of thieves told her some of the situation at hand in the land of Tear, they didn't tell her the most important part. Because, as I later found out, it wasn't ~dramatic enough~ to have her learn through stories -- she had to see for herself. Which, tbh, is bs. Are you telling me that Fetch would "test" Kelsea about how she would rule, but wouldn't tell her the truth to gauge her reaction? Nope. He would have MOST DEFINITELY told her. But instead, we had to see it in a more ~dramatic~ light. Not here for that.

I also really didn't like the ever changing perspectives, especially to random bystanders. It made it really hard to follow the progress of the story because I was never quite sure if we were at the same "time" or "location." Which is confusing as a reader. And the world building made me want to tear my hair out. It seemed like this unique world but there were parallels to present day places and yet not really and I had a very hard time figuring out where the story was taking place and why this story would be able to happen based on the limited information I was given.

The descriptions of ages and faces and how all her Queen's Guard were 40 and she was so much younger, being 19 was OVER THE TOP. And I swear if she had said she was "plain" and "not pretty" one more time, I was going to jump into the book and strangle her myself before her uncle could. Which leads me to...

Last but not least, the whole "My Uncle Wants To Kill Me, But I'm Chill With That" plot line was STUPID AF. Even if I had been raised knowing my Uncle wanted to kill me, I would not be like "okay well that's just how it is, guess I'll go visit him at the castle and hope he doesn't murder me in front of everyone." Like sorry it did not make sense. It felt super awkward and out of place in here.

Even if her Uncle wanted to kill her, it would be stupid to have him be so public about it -- especially since we learn that the actual public doesn't even think she is alive. He could have been way more secretive about it -- or just acted as though she was dead and no proof in the world could claim she was alive. That would have helped him 200% more than what he did. But the fact that Kelsea not only knew he wanted her dead, but still went directly to him makes no sense. NO SENSE.

And that's that. I also thought Kelsea made a lot of stupid and rash decisions even though she had very minimal knowledge of what actually took place in the Kingdom when her mother was Queen. She knew like 40% of the story (barely) and decided that meant she should just do as she pleased. And don't get me wrong, I think it was fine to free the slaves, but I also think it could have been done in a much better way. She jumped the gun on that one in my opinion, but I'm not sticking around to see the consequences of her actions.

I really, really enjoyed this novel! It’s got adventure, action, good vs. evil, girl power, and magic. It even has a mysterious masked man! As a bonus, it was published a few years ago and the related trilogy follow-ups have already been published. I also agree with my sister that, even though it’s a young adult novel, it’s for the older young adult due to themes of rape.

The story is obviously set in the future after some portion of American and British citizens made a “crossing” to some other land. However, the story does not provide the reason for the departure from their homelands nor the location of the new lands. Apparently, the ship that contained most of the doctors and nurses did not successfully make the crossing. Plus, there is not modern electricity in this new world. The people in this novel are living in a medieval-type of environment ruled by monarchs. It’s unusual and creative, which I truly appreciate. But, I would like to know what happened in the past to put these people in this situation. And what happened to the people of the world from other countries? I do hope the author addresses this in a future novel.

However, this book gave me a bit of frustration. First, it’s inconceivable that the author conveniently disallowed the heroine to have a true, complete picture of the situation for which she was being prepared. Her surrogate parents, while raising her to rule as queen, did not give her a history of her mother nor a true picture of the political climate into which she would be placed and expected to lead. This is so nonsensical as to bother this reader immensely. Obviously, the author felt that the story would have more impact if the girl had to discover these mysteries for herself. But, I never like feeling manipulated by an author—especially when the manipulation sacrifices the realistic basis of the novel. Additionally, she’s been raised in an isolated environment, never able to communicate with anyone besides her surrogate parents. Yet, she is able to discern body language and get vibes from people regarding their intentions. She’s a bit too people-savvy to be believed, given her upbringing. Otherwise, it was a spectacular story and I loved it.

3.5 stars - barely.
This book could have been so much better but the gross inconsistencies, ridiculous plot points, and excessive introspection/reminiscing barely made it a three star book for me. I kept reading the book in the hope that the author would rectify the worst of the issues, but that never happened. For example, the story takes place in some sort of post-apocalyptic Earth that is populated by American and English settlers who crossed over an ocean to create a new society, but the new countries have almost no technology or medicine; books are virtually non-existent, but it's a shock when someone can't read; Queen Kelsea was raised in isolation by a married couple who never told her anything about her mother (the former queen) or the recent history of her land that she is to rule; and, everyone knows some great secret (or secrets) that she absolutely needs to know, but no one will tell her because they are swore to secrecy. And to top it all off, there is quite a bit of swearing and graphic violence against women and children (sexual, physical, and emotional). Ugh. The book seems like the author picked ideas from sf/fantasy, crime, and mystery best sellers and tried to cobble them together, but didn't have the skill to do so.

I enjoyed the book a great deal. Yes, there are inconsistencies and improbabilities, but it's fantasy fiction after all. As another reviewer said, the main character is a teenager who was sheltered all her life. Considering that she was thrown into a hostile situation that she was completely untrained for, I thought she did pretty well. She didn't act nearly as bratty as some teenage diva characters I have met lately. Anyway, I would put this in the "comfort reading" category for fantasy-addicted YAs and (*cough*) adults.

Edited: In thinking about it, I should have noted there there is profanity and some references to sex (for those who have reading restrictions).

I almost didn't read this book because of some of the vitriolic 1 star reviews. Most of those reviews complained of inconsistencies. There are a few yes, but I found them mostly believable and relatable. I found the MC to be very relatable and human. I really like that she was not a beautiful fairy princess who finds her prince charming and lives happily ever after having lots of beautiful children. Yes, some of it doesn't make sense yet, the origin of the Tearling, what the "crossing" was, how their society came to be in detail, etc. I suspect we'll learn more as the series goes on. Stories, unless they are stand-alone novels, don't always have to be wrapped up in a pretty bow. The world building gives you just enough information to be intriguing and want to hear more. This is the skill of good storytelling. This is not necessarily for a too young audience. It's definitely a grown up tale about a gritty world. The palace intrigue and internal politics are fascinating and provide the right tension. I also liked MC dealing out a comeuppance to those sorely in need of justice, but her circumscribed childhood prepared her to have to wisdom to do it with her people's needs in mind. The author is an excellent writer and she knows how to tell a tale that kept me turning the pages. If you like books about royalty, real royalty, not the fairytale kind, and if you like palace intrigue you'll probably like this book. If you like Robin Hobb's books, though her style is very different from Erika Johansen, you'll probably like this. I know I did and am looking forward to the sequels!
Update: I just finished the 2nd installment, The Invasion of the Tearling and I can report that many of the questions and unsolved issues brought up in the 1st book are answered in the 2nd one.

The Queen of the Tearling did not turn out quite how I expected it to. The premise seems almost fairytale: Kelsea Glynn has been raised in isolation by her guardians, educated but with vital gaps in her knowledge. She’s always known that she is to queen of the Tearling realm, but is woefully unprepared for the realities when soldiers fetch her so she can take her inheritance.
The Tearling kingdom is far from ideal. Her uncle, who’s been ruling in her stead until now, is corrupt, as are many of the officials. An annual tithe to the neighbouring kingdom of Demesne and its Red Queen means that hundreds of Tearlings are essentially sold into slavery to keep the Red Queen at bay.

When Kelsea’s first act as queen puts a stop to this barbaric practice, she sets in motion consequences that will see her overturning years of custom. Supported her cabal of loyal guards, Kelsea has pretty much only a week to find her feet in a hostile environment.

Even once I was done with The Queen of Tearling, I couldn’t quite figure out whether this was straight-up fantasy, or SF bleeding fantasy at its edges, which resulted in a pleasant ambiguity. There is mention of ships in a perilous crossing, but whether this was an actual ocean in a post-apocalyptic setting or reference to a distant past where space travel took place – we don’t know.

Certainly, there are some magical elements that hint towards fantasy, but what we do know is that the setting is very much post-technological, similar to Mark Lawrence’s The Broken Empire. Much like Lawrence, Erika Johansen also does not shy away from darker, grittier occurrences, and Kelsea Glynn’s honesty and earnest need to do the right thing, no matter how challenging, makes for a fascinating journey as she overcomes ever-increasing odds that pile up against her survival.

This is not an easy read, and for those in need of a breakneck pace, The Queen of Tearling might not be for you. What we do have, is a slowly unfurling saga of epic proportions, as a young queen grows into her powers. Kelsea often has to often make difficult decisions that bear surprising results, and I’m watching her career with great interest.

I think a three star rating for this book is being very generous, but here we go.

This book felt incredibly slow to me. In the beginning, I was very wary about all of the information dumping. I understand that the author was trying to set up the world and give us some history, but I became bored really quickly and had a hard time staying focused. It just seemed that we were getting a lot of big blocky paragraphs, but very little action or dialogue. The redeeming factor was that it all flowed well.

I liked the main character, Kelsea. And while I didn't like that she was constantly having to prove herself, I did appreciate that she wasn't afraid to stand up to people who didn't think she was strong enough or smart enough, just because she was a girl. For example, when she asked for armor for herself and one of the arms masters told her that it would take a while to find someone willing to make female armor. All Kelsea said was, "Search fast, then. You're dismissed." I also loved that her right hand man, Mace, never once let other people talk down to her (however, more on that later).

I loved the friendly banter between Kelsea and Mace. By far my favorite part about this book. I loved that they were able to read each other pretty well, and their sarcasm and quick comebacks were lovely. I also found Pen and Andalie to be pretty interesting characters. I liked how loyal Pen was, though I was worried about a romance happening there. I also really liked that Andalie could "see" things, but I wish she had a more prominent role.

I also really enjoyed the feature of the magical sapphires. Though I really wish we had gotten more information about them before the book ended. Like why they are magical.

One of the things I really disliked about this book was how often Kelsea looks were brought up. Specifically how "plain" she was. The first time was fine, but every single time afterwards, I just rolled my eyes and tried to pretend like it hadn't been mentioned yet again. I am so over this book trope it's not even funny.

Another thing I really disliked was the random character perspective changes. I really didn't feel like they were necessary. Sure they gave us some info, but as a reader that pays attention, I think I would have been just fine without those bits. I also would have preferred for the story to stay with the main character and learn about the dealings of the other characters through her. The chapters were very long as it is, I really would have appreciated at least a chapter break when the character changed.

The third thing that bothered me was the sudden change in Mace's character. He went from standing behind Kelsea in every decision whether he believed it was the right decision or not, to suddenly not believing her and actually saying it outright. Like, what?! I loved his character up until then. This complete 180 made me so angry that I almost DNFed the book.

And there were so, so, so many things that just didn't make sense. Even one of the main historical points, called the "Crossing," wasn't really explained. However, it sure was brought up a lot! Another thing was that books were rare. It was said that people had relied so heavily on ebooks and such that the printing of books fell out of popularity before the Crossing. But it didn't explain whether or not the ereaders were all lost, if it was an electronic or internet crash, or what.

Another bummer was that I just did not care about the Red Queen. Sure, she was a horrible person that sold people, used slaves for sex, and sacrificed children to some black shadow man than seemed to control her. Okay, so she's a stereotypical "bad" character. She also seemed pretty cowardly and like she wasn't honestly a threat to the Tear at all... all they needed was one person to stand up and say "No" to her. Boring.

I probably wouldn't recommend this book, but it was worth reading. It just wasn't very original... There were many things that I found incredibly predictable. Like even the hunt to discover who was the rat in the group (because in books where a queen has a guard, of course there has to be a rat). I guessed who it was very early on, so when he was finally discovered I wasn't the least bit shocked.

Review first posted on jenasbookreviews.blogspot.com

Book 1 of the Queen of the Tearling trilogy. Kelsea has spent the first 19 years of her life in the care of a married couple whose job was to raise her to take the throne upon her coming of age. Her mother died when Kelsea was young and her uncle has been the Regent ever since. The country has been in despair almost her entire life as the Regent cares more about his comfort than the people and they are basically enslaved by a treaty to their neighbor, Mortmense, ruled by the Red Queen for the past 100 years. Now that Kelsea has reached her majority, the Queen's Guard has come to take her to be the Queen. However, her uncle has been searching for her to kill her for her entire life and the odds are not in her favor of ever getting her crown, much less living long enough to do anything with it. In spite of those odds, the Guards execute a plan and get her to the castle and a crown placed upon her head. Her first act was to stop the tribute of thousands of people being sent to Mortmense as slaves every month and now she must try to prepare her country for an invasion from an insurmountable enemy that she has just kicked in the face. To top it all off, she has enemies in her own country that would prefer things to go back to the way they were.

So where to start on my opinions of this book. Hearing that Emma Watson had been cast as Kelsea and all the praise and good reviews as well as being a lover of fantasy in general made me extremely hopeful for the book. Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations.

First the bad. Kelsea didn't read as fully believable. She was isolated for 19 yrs but somehow knew how to read people completely but yet seemed to have no concept of decorum, palace management, diplomacy, history of her people, or a number of other things potential rulers are generally schooled in. She goes back and forth between knowing and understanding tons of things seemingly instinctively and then having no clue about similar things. She constantly bemoans the fact that she isn't pretty enough. Her thoughts and moods swing wildly but yet manage to be somehow monotonous. Some of the other characters are a bit more balanced but none have much in the way of depth and there is definitely character growth lacking. The villain is suitably mysterious but other than being incredibly cruel doesn't really seem to even know why she cares about taking over Kelsea's country. When after almost 20 years she hasn't been able to find and kill Kelsea, she finally reveals that she has some sort of demon that is in charge of her and he doesn't want Kelsea harmed. No reason given. So why has this been a thing then?

The fact that this story is apparently set on Earth in the future but with a medieval feel with hints at some great catastrophe that has reduced technology backwards hundreds of years could be a set-up for something really interesting. It's an interesting way of world building but I still found it jarring to hear references from nowhere to modern things. It kind of brought me out of the world and the story that was being told.

For all that, I think there were some interesting things being hinted at and I hope that they start to come to light in the next book. I think a better editor could have pulled this book together better and made it more cohesive. It's a first book and I think it really shows in places. Potential is there but execution lacks. I have the second book in the series here so I'm going to give it a try and then decide if I care enough to finish the trilogy.

I'm teetering on the edge of giving this book 4 stars but personally, there are a significant amount of questions raised while reading this book that had me questioning if the author through things through properly or if they will be answered in the coming books, this being a trilogy, it seems.

Nineteen-year-old Kelsea Glynn grew up with her foster parents, Carlin and Barty, in a remote village at the edge of the forest. She doesn't know her real parents besides the stories and ideas in her head of her real mother, Queen Elyssa Raleigh of the Tearling.

One day, her mother's old guards come to the cottage, demanding evidence that Kelsea is truly the heir to the throne. Her evidence is a sapphire jewel around her neck, something she's worn since her birth, and a knife-shaped burn scar on her forearm. Enough to convince the guards, Kelsea leaves the cottage and her foster parents behind to make the journey to New London, and to the Keep where the Regent, her uncle, has held the throne for the past 18 years, throwing the Tearling into a servant country of its neighboring country, Mortmesne, giving its own people as tribute to the country and it's Red Queen.

And yet Kelsea seems to appear at the most fortunate and unfortunate time. Her delusions on her own mother crumble when Kelsea learns Elyssa wasn't the type of queen she built in her head and little did she know of her own people suffering under the cruel hands of those richer and somehow more powerful than themselves. And Kelsea has evoked the wrath of the Red Queen.

[SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.]

A lot of the questions I have are in regards to the setting of the story and Kelsea as a character. I understand that characters have their flaws and that can be seen with Kelsea but I was confused yet enthralled by her. She grew up utterly alone with only her foster parents and even they hid their true identity from her. Carlin and Barty seemed to have taught Kelsea extremely well but even so there are times that I wonder if Kelsea would have really understood or known certain things. It's evident that Kelsea loves to read but only so much can be learned before you have to go out and experience things on your own. Kelsea seems like a strong character, with seemingly all the right words to say and even the strategy and mind to boot but there are still some glaring flaws in not only her character but also the setting.

What got me the most was the lack of detail in regards to the Crossing and how exactly the Tearling and these other countries came about. There are mentions of British and American things (computers, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter) along with European goods (pre-Crossing) but that doesn't at all explain why exactly William Tear left wherever he was to sail to...what became known as the Tearling? Was it war? Famine? Suppressive government? Disease? Also how is it that they had computers, modern medicine, plastic surgery where they were before but when they land on the Tearling then they're back to a seemingly medieval society with horses as the only reliable means of transportation? I am hard-pressed to believe this as post-Apocalyptic (such as The Hunger Games or Divergent). I'm not really too sure how much time has passed since the Crossing outside of a few hundred years which still goes to further confuse me.

What magic Kelsea's sapphire jewel necklaces contained also furthered my confusion as to the setting of the novel. It's obviously magic but... Idk. Everything seems to have gone so horribly backwards after the Crossing.

Also, was it just me or did some of the cuss words just seem out of place?

I am also irked by Kelsea's character as I stated before. I like her but at the same time, I don't. I hope the author addresses some of these questions in next book or I might just mark this book as somewhat of a failure in some of its concepts.

Spoiler alert! This is a review of all three books, and spoilers are involved, so if you haven't read it all, stop now. I don't normally read this genre, but I enjoyed the entire series, although the books were progressively less successful. So in summary, I have mixed feelings.

The Queen of the Tearling: At first I thought it was set in midieval times, but then I understood. What a wonderful imagination Johansen has. I liked the heroism of the main characters, and especially was struck by her sense, right from the start, that she needed to earn the trust of the soldiers and her people. The dramatic tension kept me in suspense, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. When halfway through this book, I ordered the second, to ensure I could keep right on reading.

The Fate of the Tearling: Still wonderful, but the pace is slowing, due to all the fugue-state visits to a parallel reality that is critical to the story. I loved the magic, and Queen Kelsea's temper and how she deployed it.

The Invasion of the Tearling: I've heard it said that a writer should put her characters up in a tree and then set the tree on fire; i.e., there should be plenty of obstacles to overcome. In this book, the obstacles seemed insurmountable, but the characters overcome them. However, the ending wasn't satisfying for me. It was like one of those books where the whole story ends up being a dream, that none of it really happened. The kingdom in which I was invested was simply erased and redrawn.

Second, it was unsatisfying to understand that Kelsea would have to begin her life over again as a 19-year-old in a whitebread utopia, where she knew no one and none of her former comrades-in-arms recognized her. A person would die of grief if that happened. Not happy with the ending at all. I would rather have had a fourth book, where Kelsea does some magic, conquers the problems of the kingdom we came to know. I would have liked to have seen the problems resolved, not just erased. So, a mixed review.

This has the potential to be a better series than His Dark Materials, The Hunger Games, or The Abhorsen Trilogy, all of which I love. Characters and relationships are thoughtfully and intelligently developed throughout, and I cannot wait to read the sequel!

There were some odd parts, but over all this book was amazing! I absolutely cannot wait for the movie, and even though I think Emma Watson is way too pretty to be Kelsea, it's still super exciting and I think she'll be great!

Loved the heroine and the rest of the intriguing and complex cast of characters. A coming of age story packed with adventure and political unrest, set in a mysterious future that more closely resembles the medieval past. A real page Turner!

4 stars because while I enjoyed this book, I had a hard time grasping that a 19 year old who was raised in isolation could have such a mature voice. It felt more like the authors words than the 19 year olds, so it rang in a sense inauthentic to the character she is building. It also didn't suck me in as swiftly as i'd hoped but maybe that's my issue.

Loved the entire story. The characters are defined very well. The glimpses of the mystery make the book hard to put down. My only criticism is the descriptive violence. I find it unnecessary and disturbing. But it did not diminish my desire to read the next two books.

My quest for fiction was satisfied. Imaginative & suspenseful. An infant princess raced off to the woods, to be raised hidden away from danger, only to reclaim the kingdom in her 19th year. Courage wrapped in a "plain" cover.

New Fantasy world with cohesive story line and characters. The world makes sense and the characters are interesting. The motivations unroll slowly and naturally. Hopefully this is the start of a series. I really looking forward to the next installment of the story.

The author paints a picture of an old-fashioned, yet futuristic world. While the story sometimes takes detours, its totality is quite gripping, full of mystery, politics, action, and suspense. Plus, I really appreciate having a heroine who ACTUALLY intelligent.

This booked picked up as I kept reading, until now I am invested in the characters and want to know more about them and what's going to happen. 4 stars because I don't feel I got a clear view of the world she's in, maybe it's the way the author wanted it because the queen was sheltered so she doesn't know either but I feel there could have been more vivid description of the Tearling Kindgom. Still, looking forward to the second book.

Queen Kelsea is a cool headed, strong willed, smart and humorous Queen, capable of magic, fighting with swords, and saving innocents.

Being an alternate history of our world, I was taken on a wild ride, one filled with as many characters as possible. Plot abounds, as well as beautiful writing.

Recommend for fans of Sarah J Mass, Suzanne Collins, and epic fantasy, I give this book an enthralling five stars!

Overall this was a really good book. Wit was well written, had really good characters, and flowed well. There were similarities to other books, but that did not alter the love for it that I have. I need more!

this book was a great retelling of how the world would be if "the new world" hadn't been found until more recently. the intermingling of newer age concepts in a middle age setting, makes for a intriguing read!
great book. I hope to see another coming out soob!

Did you read The Hunger Games series and think, “I’d like more of a political rebellion storyline, and less of a fight-for-survival storyline”? Did you read the A Song of Ice and Fire series and wonder, “What if Dany didn’t have dragons but gemstones instead?”

The Queen of the Tearling series, by Erika Johansen, is an amalgam of several genres. The first, obvious genre is Fantasy. Our setting, when we begin is a medieval world. Our main character appears to be a nineteen year old country girl—Kelsea—who is being collected by her mother’s guard. We learn very quickly that Kelsea is the daughter of her country’s long-dead queen, and that she’s been in hiding since birth. Now that she’s come of age, she is faced with accepting her birthright, turning her desperately broken country—the Tear—around, and somehow freeing the Tearlings from the oppressive control of a neighboring country—Mortemense—which is reigned over by the mysterious and powerful Red Queen.

Of course Kelsea’s options seem to be few. Even fewer when she makes an irrevocable decision that will inevitably draw the Red Queen’s army into the Tear. What will she do? How can she succeed? Luckily, she has a few aces in her corner. The first, in the form of the Mace.

He is a wise warrior and surrogate father figure for Kelsea, her most trusted adviser and captain of her Queensguard. Her tasks may appear hopeless, but fortune favors the brave, right? Kelsea, above anything else, is brave and preternaturally wise for her age. Along with Mace, she gathers around her many devoted and advantageous connections. A seer, a priest, and the grudging respect of a person known only as, “The Fetch.”

Finally, Kelsea, her whole life, has worn an heirloom sapphire necklace. Upon leaving her childhood home, she is given a second one that she never knew about. It is promptly confiscated by the Fetch (basically taken hostage), so for the first book she only possesses the original sapphire she’s worn since birth. This nifty gem is a guide, in a way. Unexpectedly (it’s never “spoken up” before), it jolts her when it wants her to make a certain choice, and the draw to never remove it seems to come from both her and the gem itself. Luckily the gemstone doesn’t seem to house the soul of a despot, so the decisions it guides Kelsea to make are always the seemingly best ones. In fact, we don’t know anything about what makes the sapphire special, and the mystery surrounding it doesn’t go away.

I want to move on to the second book, so I’ll leave the rest for you, Reader.

I really appreciated this story. I was craving a rich, epic fantasy read, and this turned out to be exactly what I needed.

I LIKED:

• The main character, Kelsea. I didn't connect with her deeply, but she was sooo refreshing. A truly bada## character who managed to be so without any physical prowess. She was courageous. She was gutsy. She was not intimidated by anyone. We need more examples of FEMALES like this in literature. I hate that I even have to say this, but it's true.

• The side characters. Again, I wasn't deeply attached to them, but maybe I didn't need to be. They were each interesting, and the author managed to make me care about them sometimes in just a few pages. (That takes true storytelling skills!!)

• The feminist theme. Not in your face, but very meaningful and very well-handled.

• The theme of "dying clean." This was a great concept. A great way to look at living. I know it'll stick with me. :)

• The villains. I was able to HATE them, and it's not often that I encounter villains so well-developed that I have such strong reactions to. Even still, they felt like real people; they still had fears and vulnerabilities, too. I liked that.

I DIDN'T LIKE (sort of??)

I don't have anything LEGITIMATELY negative about this book, just some things that literally made it not my favorite, if you know what I mean?? Not complaints... just personal preference.

• The writing style isn't what I like the most. A little too direct, when I prefer more poetry; also a little more detailed when I prefer cutting to the chase.

• The characters were very good, I just didn't LOVE them, for some reason. Probably me, not the book.

• The plot itself didn't feel very direct. But it was interesting the whole time, so this isn't necessarily a problem.

Again, these are just my personal tastes, not real flaws. *shrug*

OVERALL:

I enjoyed this book. It made me genuinely happy while reading it. It honestly filled some empty little cavern in my soul. Thank you, Erika Johansen, for writing exactly the book I needed to read. ^_^

Rating: 3.5 stars, rounds up to 4. :)

P.S. A side note on the genre: Some people complain, saying it's not a "real" fantasy novel, since it's technically set in the future. However, there is magic, and that's all that's needed to make a story "fantasy." If you like high/epic fantasy, it has all the same feels (monarchy, swords, etc.). So what if it's different from the norms of the genre?? I say that's a good thing! I prefer fresh takes on old genres. So there. :)

This is one of my new favorite series.
We've got our lead Kelsea who is a very real character. What do I mean by that? She is a nineteen-year-old who has been brought up in an isolated cabin for her entire life (okay, so maybe that part of her life isn't that relatable unless you're Rapunzel or Cress or Luna from Reign of Shadows ) and now she suddenly has to claim her birthright and RULE AN ENTIRE NATION. No biggie, right? Not to mention that the Tearling has been crumbling for the past two decades under the reign of an incompetent Regent and is only still in existence because the former queen made a deal with the (super scary, intimidating, sorceress, possibly immortal, definitely tyrannical) Red Queen of the neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne. Kelsea's reaction to all this (most of which her caretakers had vowed to keep her in the dark about all these years): she has no freaking clue what to do.

What we get as a result is a maturing character grow into herself as a woman and as a sovereign. It's a super strong, well-written story and I highly recommend it to any fans of fantasy books, especially if you're interested in the political intricacies of such kingdoms, of which this book is chock full. While the beginning is a bit slow, every scene is relevant to the masterful creation of these characters. I definitely recommend this book and those which follow in the series.

I think this is a fantastic debut novel by Erika Johansen! The main character is super likable and is very relatable. Her relationship with the Mace is one of my favorite aspects. They are somewhere in between father and daughter, teacher and pupil and queen and subject. I'm so excited to see where this relationship goes in the story. Her infatuation with the fetch is a feeling most girls know all too well. Kealsea is strong and smart and is entering a dying kingdom which has no hope for survival. She has to find the way to help bring her kingdom back from the bottoms. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!
I think some of the reviews are a little too harsh. Seriously, this is a YA fantasy. You need to just relax and read and let the story envelope you and take you to Tearling. There are some areas that are lacking but the book left me wanting more. I'm giving it 5 stars.

At first I was reluctant, partially based on what I thought sounded like a silly title. I am so glad I gave this book a chance. I am an avid reader and have been since I was 5 years old, but it has been a long time since a book has caught my attention and strummed my emotions like this one. Give it a chance, you won't be sorry.

Queen of the Tearling sounds like a redone and overdone plot about the hidden heir to the throne, raised in secret until time to emerge and gain the kingdom to which she is entitled. There are staunch friends, and powerful enemies. Intrigue and action. The romance is very understated and barely there in actuality. Still, and all, This book takes an old plot and works it into a masterpieces of fantasy with moral and object lessons at every turn. The main villains are villainous, the heroes are heroic..., but all are first real people with whom you become acquainted and from whom you don't wish to depart.

Kelsea Raleigh Glynn emerges from her lifelong (19 year) exile in hiding to tackle issues such as slavery, greed, injustice and non-noble, selfish nobles and is well on the way to creating a better society based on fairness, loyalty and justice by the end of this first book. But, the main danger of invasion from the wicked queen of the conquering land of Mortmesne looms on the horizon. I downloaded the 2nd book this morning and will be starting it any moment. This author is indeed one to watch.

I read this book twice and the first time I gave up on it. The second time I really stuck with it and paid attention and actually really enjoyed it. The beginning half is slow paced and very introductory. Kelsea has her very vain moments in the beginning and it bothers me really bad but she ends up turning into a very good Queen towards the end. This book has it all though it truly does, magic, politics, drama everything. Now that I completed it, I can’t stop thinking about it and wondering what I would do if I never picked it back up again and gave it a second chance.

I was very iffy on this book at the beginning. There was just something about the story that was falling flat for me and I found myself dragging my feet about picking it up again.

That being said, things really picked up in the latter portion. The horrible goings on in the Tear Kingdom were getting thrown into the light and revelations were being shown about the past and the various characters.

I finally found a needed hook when Kelsea started getting her strong visions.

I enjoyed reading this book, although I acknowledge some of the issues other reviewers brought up. There were a few plot instances or character developments that left me a little incredulous, and it definitely borrows on character tropes from the fantasy genre. However, unlike much of the fantasy genre, the female characters were powerful, interesting, and essential to the plot, which I found refreshing. Obviously this book needs more than, "Has strong female characters!" to recommend it if it is going to stand the test of time. But I appreciated it all the same.

I didn't find her instant attraction to "The Fetch" very believable--however, I appreciated that it humanized her. She's a 19-year-old girl who is suddenly finding herself among eligible men for the first time. I think about my 19-year-old self going to my first party and swooning over the first idiotic college guy I saw and it makes a little more sense. I can see how people would be irritated that a strong heroine thinks about her figure and "plainness"; but again, it helped me see myself in her. When you are constantly in the public eye (and constantly compared to someone else who is known for being beautiful, aka her mother), it is pretty natural that it would cross your mind from time to time. I just liked that I could relate to her.

Overall, it was a fun read that I pretty much got through in one sitting. I am looking forward to reading the following novels. Is it the best literature out there? Definitely not. Is it worth all the buzz? I'm reserving judgment. I could see Emma Watson kicking ass in this movie adaptation, for sure.

Honestly it reminded me of the chapters of Game of Thrones which were narrated by Daenerys. It felt good to have a woman be able to see injustices happen (especially to other women) AND THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Rather than have the narrator go, "Oh well, that's the way things are!" and move along. Is this the level of quality writing that GoT is? Probably not. But if you are turned off from GoT by the super descriptive violence, rape, and constant cursing--this is like a light version for you to enjoy. Still some of the grittiness, but you don't feel like you need to take a bath afterward.

Overall--I'd recommend!

I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend. She said "Oh, I envy you that you're just starting this series!" Fairly slow at the beginning, it took me a while to catch my interest. If you're tempted to give up, make sure you at least get past the first few chapters and see if it doesn't suck you in; you'll be glad you did. This is not quite at the Game of Thrones level in the sex and violence, but it does contain a fair bit of both. If that's a deal-breaker for you, pass this one by.

I chose 4 stars because the plot and story are rich in detail and wonderfully written. I think one of the few things I didn't like was the discrimination of religion, but that is because of my personal beliefs. I was happy with the character of Father Tyler as an example of what believers should be.
There are a lot of surprise twists in the series, and it can feel extremely slow getting answers to some questions. This will definitely stick with me for several days, giving me thoughts on a variety of different points.

I had this book for some time before I got around to reading it. I had selected it early on before it was actually published as I felt this new author looked promising. Now I know that she is more than promising. She is a new fresh voice in the fantasy genre and a joy to read.

I fell in love with Kelsea right off and what a wonderful strong character. There are so many characters here that readers will love. Each reader will most likely have a favorite character and each one of them has a story to tell as well. From the moment she sets out to take her throne she is beset by doubters, many of them not sure about her right to rule. Every page brings a surprise and the heroine's true character is formed brick by brick. At the end readers will be hungering for the next book not just to see what happens to the Queen of Tearling but what happens to all of the wonderful characters, bad and good. If you love fantasy and want to immerse yourself in something truly special then you have to read this book.

For myself I can't wait to read the sequel and hopefully there will be more coming after that.

I don't typically read adult fantasy novels, but when I noticed this book's protagonist was a young adult, I figured why not give it a try. I am so happy I did! I devoured this fantasy tale about a girl saddled with great responsibilities. While this is technically an adult novel, I feel it reads a lot like YA novels aimed at the upper tier of the genre. The story flows well and the characters are interesting. Those looking for romance will have to wait, though, as it's only hinted at in this novel. (I expect that to change as the series goes on!) Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories with strong female characters and a touch of otherworldly politics.

I felt this was a well written and interesting story line. It made me think of the political turmoil in the world today. Erika Johansen was able to make the characters come to life. The reader could not help but see each characters role in society. If only we had the ability to see the future. Compassion for our fellow man, and equality in our responsibilities clash. Even in a fairy tale a perfect world could not exist.

The Tearling trilogy hooked me early, with its tale of a young girl forced to leave behind a life of simplicity for the daunting mantle of a Queen. With no idea of the dire state of her kingdom, Kelsea’s core values come into play very early. I liked the pace and the way it built – sometimes gradually and sometimes suddenly. I applauded Kelsea’s bolder decisions, agonized with her when they had unforeseen repercussions and her temper reminded me so much of mine. I loved Kelsea as a heroine and the Red Queen as villain.
But this series was so much more than an adventure story. I truly admired the way the author dealt with very difficult and real topics, without ever sounding preachy or opinionated.

I love this book!!! Ms Johansen is a gifted storyteller. This story just reaches out, grabs you, and drags you into Kelsea Glynn's life and times. It was a wonderful day for me when I won a free copy of "The Queen of Tearling," as a giveaway in the good reads first reads program. I have been introduced yet again to another great writer and can hardly wait to move along to the next book in this series. For anyone who loves a rollicking good tale filled with secrets, obstacles to be overcome (some of which seem insurmountable), and a story that will restore your faith in good triumphing over evil...this is the book for you.

Quick Review: A bit slow in the beginning, slightly infuriating main character and an idealistic tone. However, full disclosure: I liked it enough to give the sequel, The Invasion of the Tearling: A Novel (Queen of the Tearling, The), a try.

Synopsis: The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel (Queen of the Tearling, The) is set in the 24th Century, three hundred years after the Crossing, when a group of people sailed away from a ravaged society in order to start a technology-free, greed-free new world. This new world is similarly set to the Middle Ages, with a feudalistic rule, littered with castles, knights and horses.

Kelsea Raleigh Glynn was secretly raised in exile in the woods by a cold, intelligent woman, Carlin, and a sweet, affable man, Barty, after her mother, Queen Elyssa Raleigh, was assassinated. On her 19th birthday, the Queen’s Guard arrived to bring her back to her kingdom to become crowned as the new queen and to take over rule from her uncle, the lazy, indolent Regent Thomas Raleigh. During her journey, trained assassins pursue her, sent by the Red Queen, the evil, magical ruler of Mortmesne, an affluent neighboring country. Kelsea must prove herself to the Queen’s Guard, escape the clutches of the Red Queen, displace her uncle as ruler and retrieve her crown in order to turn her country, the Tearling, around.

Full Review: This felt like a slightly grown-up fairytale to me, but it still remained in its adolescence stage.
With a pretty slow beginning, the storyline plods along for quite a while as Kelsea and the Queen’s Guard attempt to make their way back to the Tearling. During this time, Kelsea attempts to win over the Guard, particularly the man called Lazarus (nicknamed Mace) who is the second-in-command, with pretty childish antics to prove her courage and worth. The only member of the Guard that seems to like her right away is Pen Alcott, who also happens to be closest to her in age. Quite frankly, the beginning of the book bored me a bit, even though it was punctuated with pursuing assassins and hand-to-hand combat.

The one part of the journey that actually stood out was when she was captured by a mysterious man known as “the Fetch” and his men. The Fetch is apparently the most talented thief known throughout the kingdoms, and he is famous for always wearing a mask. Infuriatingly, it is love at first sight for Kelsea when she meets the Fetch, even though we are left in the dark as to his age (it is insinuated that he has lived for a VERY long time), his allegiance, his intentions, his backstory or even his thoughts regarding Kelsea. I would like to be able to tell you that all of this becomes clearer later in the book, but alas, I would be lying.

Once she arrives in the Tearling, Kelsea is faced with several challenges that were left behind by her late mother, Queen Elyssa, including the dethroning of her uncle, who has basically used his position as the Regent to bankroll his decadent, Dionysian lifestyle. This part of the book becomes quite political, and it is obvious that Kelsea has very idealistic (childish, simplistic) principles, tenets that were taught to her by Carlin Glynn. Using these beliefs in order to rule the Tearling, Kelsea ends up antagonizing the Red Queen, fracturing the peace treaty that had been put in place by her mother.

Overall, the book is entertaining and what I would consider to be a good beach read. I actually listened to the The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel while driving back and forth to work, and I found it easy to follow. There are aspects that will certainly infuriate several readers, such as the idealism that pervades the book and the incessant commentary, and ensuing importance, which is placed on all of the characters’ looks (Kelsea is described as plain, but everyone else seems to be handsome/beautiful). In addition, I found Kelsea to be an unsophisticated main character, and I hope that she portrays more knowledgeable and mature attributes in future books.

Just an FYI, in case this sways your reading decision, Warner Bros. has already bought the rights to the movie, and Emma Watson is reportedly going to star as Kelsea and produce the movie.

www.olivesfantasyreads.com

I really enjoyed reading this book. If I finish a book within a few days or less, that's a clear sign that the story captivated me and I really enjoyed reading it. I do want to note that this is NOT a YA book and there's a reason why this book isn't in the YA section in bookstores. There are some explicit wording and content that really isn't suitable for someone to be labeling this book YA. I'm not saying someone who does fit into the age category of "young adult" shouldn't read this - anyone is free to read whatever they want - but just putting that out there for those who don't want to be triggered or offended by any of the wording this book uses. With that said I personally enjoyed the storyline and especially the main character. People say the storyline isn't original but what is these days? It's got a good combo of Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc. that will get any one of these fans excited to read this book. I really appreciate how the author created a strong, relatable, smart and refreshing female main character while also throwing in socio-political issues. It's not surprising that Emma Watson liked the character and story so much to produce and star in the movie version. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who are looking for a strong, feminist lead.

This post-apocalyptic fantasy was a little bit underbaked, but I still enjoyed it for the most part. (It helps to have a protagonist whose first act as queen is to storm in Daenerys-like, freeing a bunch of slaves and setting fire to their empty cages.) The book has its share of flaws -- especially in its pacing and worldbuilding -- but there's a certain charm to it that makes me want to read on and see if those flaws are addressed in the sequels.

There are worse books. I'm giving it a second chance and I'll read the sequel when it comes out. It's a bit like King of Thorns (which I didn't like) in the fact that it's a world of fantasy (witches, knights, etc.) that is a post-modern world (somehow we go from today to a fantasy setting although they don't explain how). There's a strong female character so that's a plus, although she's 19 and therefore a bit childish (as is the book in general). It's not the best book (it's defenitely not on par with Game of Thornes, Wheel of Time,Stormlight Archives or Name of the Wind as some other reviewers suggest) but there were some good bits of reading in it.

If I could give this a 4.5 I would. Great, epic story that borders on fantasy, SciFi, and medieval. Very strong female lead who wasn't annoying or hard to connect with. Not for kids, some language and sexual inferences, but no where near the adult content in game of thrones.

Can't wait to read the next one!

I loved this fantasy novel and immediately after finishing started the second in the series. The heroine was different, interesting and compelling and the "future" world was believable and intriguing. Highly recommended!

Simply fantastic.

There seems to be some angry reviews about this book - ignore them. This was a great fantasy novel with a strong female protagonist and a compelling story. Kelsea is young but determined, and even though she is forced into being the queen, she takes a humanitarian stand that makes her instantly likeable. The supporting characters and opponents are well written and believable. I read this in a rush, the action was intense and so very well paced.

Looking forward to the next book.

Fantastic novel - fantasty, but rooted in some possible future, with a twist of magic and carried by a plain looking but anything but plain heroine...look forward to following her further adventures....!

i don't know that it is as good and the hunger games, like the back cover advertises. But I suppose everyone has their own opinion about what is better for them.
Any who, I did find myself unable to put the book down. It is very exciting. I Just ordered part two of the trilogy. It has action, adventure, mild romance (very romance) which I found refreshing. The main character is smart, determined, and chivalrous. I say give it a try. I definitely recommend it.

The Queen of The Tearling was a superb book. The main character, Kelsea, is witty, proud and lacking in looks, which makes her character much more lovable than common stories main characters since she isn't this perfect girl. She is the long lost queen who is tasked with fixing her damaged kingdom, which makes for a marvelous and intense adventure. I must have read this in less than 12 hours, I simply could not put it down! I'm curious to see what will happen in the next book. Definitely five stars!

Unfortunately the major fantasy had to do with the simplistic and unrealistic politics in the story. Pet peeve = authors who have a blatant, naive, political agendas. Get a clue. Socialism has NEVER worked whenever it's been tried. I did not want to read a book full of BAD politics and no romance. Returned it.

An adult (not YA) fantasy set in a future world where technology and social structure has mostly reverted back to medieval levels (plus there's magic). Well written, if slightly simple, it's easy to read, engrossing, has an engaging heroine and an intriguing plot, that finishes in a satisfying manner while leaving room for books 2 and 3.

I wanted to love this book, however, I found it to be a little lacking. The female character wasn't very strong and came off as aloof and inconsistent, to me. The storyline seems to be a mishmash of bits taken from several different books, movies and fairy tales and at times, things just didn't make sense.

It's not a terrible book, but it was difficult to stay in the story. I found my mind wandering while reading, thinking about daily things, instead of being engrossed in the story. For me, it was a difficult book to get through.

I couldn't finish this. It was awful. Why did the author feel the need to constantly reiterate how plain and unappealing the main character is? I returned it several references in, but I found it degrading and offensive. Would this happen if the character had been male? NO. Beyond an initial description of our characters, her apparently being "plain" should not be the most remarked upon aspect of her person. Plus, I was having trouble forcing my way through the first part, anyway.

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I took it onto a plane flight with me, and it kept me completely riveted from San Francisco to Detroit -- quite a feat! There's some great characterization with the new queen, Kelsea, who has been raised in obscurity for her protection. She's idealistic, but at the same time this book gives a price to pursuing those ideals. There's also a nice harsh reality to the dangers that she's facing - Kelsea is actually stabbed and attacked multiple times over the course of the book, and there's real loss around her. Kelsea is an interesting, strong character, and we also get to see her grow and develop over the course of the book.

The secondary characters are also interesting -- I enjoyed all of the POV shifts that the book offered, and particularly liked the character of Mace, Kelsea's head of the guard. Another thing that I really liked about this book is that Kelsea has working relationships with the men around her -- they are fighting for the future of their country -- but not romantic ones. She doesn't pine for their attention, and they don't fall in love with her. Instead, everyone is committed to a common goal -- the good of the country -- though there are many disagreements about how to get there. There's some nice political business in this book. I also admired how Johansen described the character of Kelsea as homely, and actually means it. Kelsea is plain faced and struggles with her weight, and she actually has to wrestle with these issues and accept who she is. Those around her recognize that Kelsea isn't attractive, but end up valuing her (though not, thankfully, falling in love with her) because of her character and bravery -- and also her fatalism. I really was interested in Kelsea because she was so committed to her duty to her country -- even if her duty might mean that she would die young. The Red Queen is a fantastic and promising villain, and there's a strong streak of the brutal reality of war crimes that fans of G.R.R.M. will respond to.

There are a few things that struck me as awkward in the narrative -- one or two scenes were a bit clunky, and I have no idea why Johansen decided to make this world one that evolved out of our own (I cannot express how irritating I found the references to Rowling and Tolkein to be) -- it seemed much more complicated than it was worth. There's a great conflict between atheism and religion, and a monarchy vs. totalitarianism vs. socialism, but I just don't think that the worldbuilding was necessary to include these themes, and it became distracting at times. However, these were ultimately minor issues for me compared to how much I enjoyed this novel. I highly recommend this, and will be eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Queen of the cheerleading was our March 2017 bookclub choice. I finished it in sync with the end of the month. It's an interesting story, somewhat similar to other books we've read while at the same time not being like any other book that we read. I look forward to going out to books 2 and three to find out more about Kelsea and her guards, and the identity of her father.

I finished reading “The Queen of the Tearling” by Erika Johansen and I was so impressed! When I first picked it up the premise seemed so interesting, not necessarily original, but definitely open for some great storytelling and adventure. I was not disappointed! Erika Johansen writes simply and clearly, focusing on the development of the characters and the world that they live in. Her protagonist Kelsea was strong and interesting and very flawed, but that just made her all the more relatable. I would highly recommend this book (the first in a trilogy) to anyone looking for a fun, easy read!

For more reviews check out my blog: corkbug09.wordpress.com

I wanted to like this book, SO MUCH. Like...you have no IDEA how much I wanted this book to be amazing. I wanted another Seven Realms, or The Queen's Thief, or Lumatere Chronicles, or even The Winner's Curse. Sadly, I didn't get anything close to any of those books. Instead, I got a book that was full of inconsistencies, annoying characters, propaganda, and often just plain boredom.

The story starts off well enough, if you know some of the background. I knew going into the book that it was set in the future, but had reverted back to medieval times. This becomes evident over time, but people may be confused if they don't know that when they start. I enjoyed the beginning, with Kelsea being taken away by the Queen's Guard. Their journey was exciting, and I liked that Kelsea, though naive, was somewhat self-aware, and tried her hardest to be strong, brave, and adaptable. I enjoyed the way the guard slowly changed their opinion about Kelsea, after she proved herself to be different than her mother.

Looking at my goodreads updates, it was about page 79 when I started to get a little annoyed with Kelsea. This was about the time she started fawning all over a man who kidnapped her, beat up her Guard, and threatened to kill her. As a matter of fact, she practically swooned over every man she met. There was no romance AT ALL in the book, yet I still found myself annoyed at the romance. How is that possible? Because Kelsea spent the entire book fantasizing about a man that she knew practically nothing about, who had done nothing but tell her that if she didn't meet his criteria of a good Queen, then he'd track her down and end her. I just can't even.

There were other things that bothered me as well. To name a few:

The Mace was supposed to be this amazing Guard, who had some sort of supernatural ability to suss out people's intentions, yet he was constantly screwing up, letting Kelsea get attacked, again and again. He talked the entire book about how he'd "never let that happen again" or he'd never let so-and-so best him again, yet it happened over and over.

Then there was Kelsea herself. She's supposedly so learned. She spent her entire life being taught lessons, and scouring thousands of books, yet she's never heard a cuss word before? Because there's no cussing in books...

Also, she has a necklace that she's worn her entire life, that kind-of has a mind of it's own. Other people are familiar with the necklace, but when it starts doing strange things, she doesn't question it at all. She never asks anyone about it. I would think, if I had worn a necklace my whole life, that everyone seemed to know about, and it started glowing when I got angry, that I would be like, "Hey! What's up with this glowy necklace thing? Anyone happen to know why it's on fire?" But....apparently not Kelsea.

Then there were the "villains" of the story. I don't know about you, but I find that most people have reasons behind why they've done the bad things they've done in their lives. Other than, they're just evil. The villains in this story were so.....Disney. They're just bad for the sake of having someone for Kelsea to fight. The "Red Queen" was absolutely vile, because she just was. Kelsea's mother was repugnant, because she just was. Kelsea's uncle was completely despicable, because he just was. The only one that had any kind of depth was one of the Gate Guards.

And speaking of gratuitousness. I felt like all the rape and child sacrificing was just in there for shock value. *spoiler* There's a woman who Kelsea finds bound to her uncle by a rope, who has been repeatedly raped, forced to perform horrible sexual acts, and otherwise abused. When Kelsea comes in and "saves the day" this woman changes in an instant. Now she's perfectly happy and teaching the children. Apparently she wasn't too torn up about it. *end spoiler*

Then there was the fact that everything was just too easy. Anything bad that happened to Kelsea was just magically resolved, easy peasy. People want to kill her as a baby? No problem, she just hides in a house where nobody comes to find her, even though it would've been easy if they actually tried. *spoiler* She gets attacked by the Caden (who never, ever fail)? No worries, the Fetch shows up just in time. An assassin sneaks in puts a knife to her throat? Oh! Glowy necklace saves the day! The bad guys haul off a batch of people and set them on fire? Glowy necklace to the rescue again. There's a traitor in the Guard? Well, let's just ride that one to the end of the book when suddenly, for no apparent reason, they all just magically figure out who it is. *end spoiler* Everything was just WAY too easy.

The thing that bothered me the most, though, and the thing that probably made all the other things stand out even more (because I probably wouldn't be so picky if I wasn't so annoyed), was the blatant political agenda. I wish authors wouldn't try to "teach" political lessons. It comes across forced and incredibly naive. OH JUST FEED AND HOUSE ALL THE POOR PEOPLE! Of course! Why hadn't we thought of that sooner?! Where does the money come from? According to Kelsea..."I'm sure you'll figure it out, Lazarus." There are so many examples of times where Kelsea makes these types of statements, basically bashing certain political views, or religions, but her solutions are so incredibly stupid and unrealistic. I feel like, if she were alive today, she'd just walk into the White House, tell Obama how horrible he is because there are homeless people living in his city, and tell him that if he was a good leader, he would've let them all live in the White House with him. That's how absurd her solutions were. It was so distracting and completely pulled me out of the story. I feel like if this aspect had been left out, or at least wasn't so obviously forced, the other things in the book wouldn't have annoyed me so much.

There were things I liked about the book. I did like the idea of it being set in the future, but reverting to the past, though I'm not sure it was pulled off entirely. I liked the adventure, and I did like the Mace, for all his flaws. Kelsea had moments of likeability and moments of complete annoyance, but she's young, so I guess that can be expected. But she's also incredibly arrogant, which makes it somewhat difficult.

I feel like there is definitely room for Kelsea to grow. I think that the future books could get tremendously better, or horribly worse. I'll probably just wait for everyone's reaction before deciding whether or not I'll read it.

Have you read this book? I'd love to hear your thoughts, good or bad! But for now, I'm just going to go sit in a corner and cry over the loss of my excitement for the Tearling Queen...

Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen is a free Goodreads FirstReads advance reader copy of a paperback book that I received in mid-July. With what looks to be a mini portfolio of promo materials, I might add, so thank you for that.

Okay, so the material claims that the heroine of the book goes through similar plights as those in the Hunger Games while in a world much like Game of Thrones (aka the Song of Fire & Ice series). I can rule straight out that Kelsea Glynn is not a bit like Katniss Everdeen, unless you consider the life Catnip would've had if the Hunger Games never existed (i.e. where the Capital would have just hustled the districts and continued to not let them make their own decisions, despite the occasional yet fruitless attempt to overthrow them). However, Queen of the Tearling is a little like Song of Fire & Ice in the sense that each chapter ends with a kind of a cry for help or a semi-lurid threat of violence and/or disorder, that there are so many names as well as more names in the origin mythos of the ruling class' family, and a younger potential king or queen has advisors or immediate family members that they cannot trust. Where it departs altogether from Song of Fire & Ice is Kelsea's lack of initiative (outside of acting like a confused, unlikely princess), there being no fully-fleshed characters that you can really glom onto, and no real, noted, game-changing plotpoints. The fact that this book might be produced into a movie comes somewhat as a shock to me, yet I hope that it doesn't go the way that the Mortal Instruments or Percy Jackson series went.

This book ended up somewhere between YA and adult fantasy/sci-fi for me. I'd personally label it as more YA but I also don't believe in completely shielding young readers.

My husband and I read this book together. The world is well crafted and interesting. I really enjoy the references to science fiction (reminiscent of Sharon Shinn's "Archangel" series) but over all the book has a fantasy feel. There are some darker elements to the story, the characters, and their history which enriches their development.

The characters are complex enough to be interesting and often show some growth but over all the story didn't go very far by the end of the book. It's very obvious that the author is setting up a sequel or trilogy because it ends with a cliffhanger. If this turns out not to have any further books then I'm deducting a star.

Over all I would recommend the book because of its positives but will have to see where the story goes to make a full decision. I'm interested enough to continue reading. Right now it feels very incomplete.

**Update: 2nd book is about to be released! Will certainly read. I'd like to see more of the sci-fi play into the 2nd book's plot.

I think it's safe to say that publishing houses would, without question, reap the benefits of this piece of advice: STOP comparing books to other books. And for the love of all that is epic and beautifully narrated, STOP comparing them to fantastic, well-loved books. You unfairly set your readers up in a "there is no way you WON'T love this" mindset, and then completely obliterate their hopeful bubbles when the book ends up being sub-par, at best. The Queen of the Tearling was entertaining, despite being poorly developed, BUT, it was not, in this universe, or any other universe in existence, a melding of The Hunger Games, and The Game of Thrones. Let's just pretend that comparison wasn't even made, and move on...

I won't rehash the synopsis of The Queen of the Tearling, because the one that exists is already quite wordy (note: this is appropriate foreshadowing for the narrative you will find within). The book started off with a strong sense of intrigue: the entire royal guard has come to collect the new Queen at her humble forest home, so she can be returned to the castle, and claim her rightful place on the throne. What adventures lay ahead? What will we learn of this strange new land? OH the anticipation of-SQUIRREL!....Oh, where were we? Ahh, that's right, we were describing that leaf over there. Wait, that's not right, we were being given a fantastically complex breakdown of how this new world came to be. We were delving into character developments, focusing on the strength, and endurance, of our main character, and we were falling in love with this epic new series.

No, we weren't. I was correct the first time, we were describing that leaf over there...

And so it goes, through almost a third of the book. A spew of overly descriptive writing, with only a peep-hole of glimpses and explanation into the area of world-building. I had an inkling, eventually, through multiple mentions, and references to Harry Potter (!?), but it wasn't until I read professional reviews that I discovered that this book was apparently set 300 years into our future-it took place right here, in our very own backyard. It was at this point that I gave up on trying to communicate with my good friend, logic. Johansen was successful in confusing the heck out of me, and I couldn't understand why she chose this particular route for her story's backdrop-it just made no sense. WHY has society backtracked into such archaic times? WHY did some simple technologies (i.e. birth control) make it, while others didn't? The inconsistencies in this book were many, and close together. The narrative just couldn't make up it's mind, and I refused to adopt the "IT JUST WAS, okay?" theory. I wanted more explanation, I craved it.

All perplexities aside, The Queen of the Tearling was a good attempt at something that had far greater potential. The characters were built to be inhabited by much stronger, and better developed, personalities; the world of "New Europe," was literally begging for it's history to be recanted with a voice and hand that paid it's respect to the eager and not-easily-fooled minds of it's readers. I was disappointed by this book, but still read it, in it's entirety, and was entertained enough to keep turning the pages. The characters, mainly our star lead, and new Queen, Kelsea, managed to squeeze herself into some downright head-shaking moments. I definitely wanted to know how she would salvage her messes.

I WILL be reading the rest of this series, if only to find out if it redeems itself in it's second installment. Also, c'mon, a movie adaptation with Emily Watson playing the lead? This book is going to sell itself on that fact alone...pity.

It's puzzling to me that this book has so many reviews and (clearly) purchases. It's not bottom of the barrel of self-published novels bad, or anything, but it's just not... very good. The writing is serviceable, but the characters are very flat, one dimensional tropes, with one or two minor exceptions. The biggest problem with the book is that very few things make any sense. To cherry pick some random examples, it is extremely irritating how the people in the book apparently decided to leave all technology behind(sure.. whatever) but the author picks and chooses modern concepts and technology that they decided or just happened to keep. Most of these details simply don't make sense. They tried to keep a bunch of medical technology, but dumped everything related to engineering, power generation, manufacturing, etc? Okay......... I don't think the author understands science or technology at all.

The author also appears to have a poor understanding of socialism. The ancestors of the people in the novel apparently left a broken modern society behind to build a socialist paradise, but socialism isn't anti-technology and in fact automation is one of the cornerstones of the emancipation of the worker. It's absurd and nonsensical to suggest that a socialist revolutionary would not only be a luddite, but convince thousands of people to follow him.

Perhaps the message is supposed to be that the ancestors were just very stupid people, which could explain the apparent extreme stupidity of the people in the present as well. I really don't know. I'll be honest, though, this isn't any worse than the Divergent series which is also wildly popular for no good reason.

I'm not even going to touch on Kelsea's upbringing or the reasoning behind her choices and those of others around her, because I. Just. Can't. Do yourself a favor, and Don't, yourself.

At first glance it would seem that this story is a fairly well-used plot about an heir to the kingdom in hiding, a return to the capital to assert the right to rule, a violent display of power, genuinely evil adversaries, and well-meaning allies that believe in the heir's right to rule, but don't quite understand who the heir is...

The author has skillfully taken this timeworn story and flipped it, tossed it, twisted and turned it into her own creature---giving life to Kelsea and her Queens Guard, a rising strength to her newly born ascendance as she struggles to understand this horrifying fate of becoming the Queen of the Tearling. Kelsea becomes more than just a weak beacon of hope in the miserable dark despair suffered by this slave country, she rips open her chrysalis, stepping out to take hold of the despairing populace by their miserable throats and lifting them up....to stand again, to all they were meant to be...

Religion has power here, as well as magic, illiteracy, and a sword welded in anger. Kelsea uses the solid knowledge she gained from growing up in a well-read household to take her stand against the institutions in alliance against her; but she accepts her weaknesses as her natural caution balances out the raging urge she carries(with the insistence of the magical Tearling sapphire she wears) to set her poor country to rights and free her people from the tyranny of the Red Queen in neighboring Mortmesne.

Kelsea runs a gauntlet, facing down red-caped assassins, disbelief, betrayal, arrogance, death and slavery; she throws down her own challenge in return.....for decency, literacy and education, freedom...and responsibility. She adjusts the mantle of the Queen to fit her on her terms and vows to end this terrible chapter in her country's history.

Many thoughts here...about excellent secondary characters, well-wrought scenes of battle and dialogue, placement and portrayal. Also the burning desire to read the next in the series As Soon As Possible......that being said, I look at little things that drew me deeply into the narrative: the titles of books on Kelsea's shelves, the mystery of who her father was, the wildcard outlaw known as the Fetch, the history of the Crossing 300 years past, how the magic in the Royal gemstones came to be, Lazarus and his losses...the dance Kelsea did when she dressed up in Carlin's court attire...Father Tyler and his love of books superceding the hierarchy of religion surrounding his life.

And I like the use of opposite POVs, like Javel and Thomas, to get a sense of the hopeless opportunist who had no allegiance to his fellow Tearlings and the hopelessness of one who did lose everything yet still tried to undo a terrible wrong...

I've already put the next book on hold at Seattle Public Library, even though it's on order...
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This is one of those books that I was utterly intrigued about since I saw the summary, but given the mixed reviews from many of my canaries, some very positive and other very negative, so I just couldn't decide whether to read it or not.

Then I saw another review that simply made me excited for it, won a giveaway and decided to choose this one as one of the books, and not only that, this was also one of my Alyssa Recommends books!

As soon as I started this book I realized that I was intrigued and within the first two chapters I was well and truly hooked. Kelsea was a character that I couldn't help both frowning at and rooting for her all through the book. She had self esteem issues which were complex and well developed, she was taught to rely on her brain and not to care about her physical looks, but she still wishes she was more like her mother, the beautiful Queen. But her will to do what's right, to try and fight for her people and then her absolute love for books completely conquered me!

The world building was both intriguing and maddening, we get hints and pieces of history before each chapter and we get snippets of information now and then, but it's like working ona gigantic puzzle being given the right pieces but not knowing what the final image will look like. We are given enough information to know that there's certain dystopian-ness to it, but it's also very clearly fantasy, so it seems like a very interesting mix of genres.

Kelsea was hidden for most of her life, knowing she had to train to become a queen when the time came but she was kept in the dark about her mother's past, the current going-on's in the kingdom and even her own parentage. Then her Queen's Guard arrive to take her to be crowned, if she can survive that long. And there starts the adventure, with attacks on her life, trying to prove herself worthy of being called Queen, and discovering that she can have unexpected allies, like a half Mort woman that will become her Seer and the Father of Thieves and the Queen's Guard, not only by duty to the institution but to herself as Queen.

There's murder, betrayal, abuse, missuse of power and a wonderful analysis of the need for religion and how history seems to repeat itself, with or without our knowledge of said history. A fantastic and fascinating book that I enjoyed loads, very much deserving of 4 to 4.5 stars. Now I cannot wait to find out more in the sequel!!

I received a physical copy from the author in exchange for an honest review and participation in a blog tour.

As a rule, set forth by myself, I normally don't venture too far out of my comfort zone with my reading material. Normally every story has to have some sort of romance in it to keep me locked into the story. The Queen of the Tearling was my first real delve into epic fantasy. I was a bit unnerved and skeptical that I was going to like it, but as I usually am with books I receive for review from TLC Book Tours. I was so wrong.

The story opens on a nineteen-year-old girl reluctantly being taken from her beloved foster parents to take her place as the Queen's heir. Kelsea has been taught all her life what she needed to know about her kingdom and their policies, but it's quite different for her actually have to follow them and make decisions that can totally rock the known state of things within her kingdom. She learns that once things are set for decades, not many are willing to change even if it's for the better. She thought she was going to take the throne and govern over existing laws and keep order within her kingdom. Instead she finds discord and suffering among her people. Never the kind of person to sit idly by, Kelsea sets out to change her kingdom and free her people from pain and torment.

As with any great change, there are always people who rebel against it. One of those people is Kelsea's uncle, the Regent. He wants to keep his place on the throne and keep his kingdom how it was. He didn't care about the shipments of slaves he sends to the Red Queen every month or the evil deeds running rampant in his streets. All he cares about is his women and his wine. Kelsea threatens his happy life and so he sets assassins to sniff her out and dispose of her accordingly. But he's not the only one plotting against her. She has no one she can trust. Not the dashing King of Thieves who causes her cheeks to brighten every time she thinks about him and not her Queen's Guard Captain who seems to always have her best interests at heart.

Can Kelsea overcome the enemies surrounding her and learn to rule her kingdom in the best interests of her people or will she lead her kingdom right into ruin?

I could not get enough of this story. The writing flowed so well and the language used wasn't too complicated or too simplistic. It was not a story riddled with tough subject matter and it wasn't a fluff piece that was too busy avoiding hard issues to get to the root of the story. The characters were realistic and relateable. I found Kelsea to be much the same as me: bookish, hungry for knowledge, sympathetic, plain, and strong willed. I noted a bit of a love triangle possibly forming (fingers crossed!) and I am dying to read the next book in the series. Erika Johansen did spectacular in her debut book and she has made it onto the prestigious list of my top 10 favorite authors.

If you like adventure, suspicion, political maneuvering, and tales of survival set in a fantastical world of magic, The Queen of the Tearling is the book for you!

Review Posted on: http://www.ladybugliterature.blogspot.com

I happened to develop a girl crush with Kelsea Raleigh. What sold me on the book, The Queen of the Tearling, was the very first review by the San Francisco Chronicle. The newspaper compared Kelsea to the badass Katniss Everdeen. Sold!! I threw the book into my Walmart cart without hesitation, never reading the blurb, and never turning back! Kelsea is more than a badass! She's FIERCE!! Everything good and everything driven is in her and you fist pump throughout Erika Johansen's books. I'm not sure why Johansen hasn't written more or why her books aren't the latest craze because I've never promoted a book more. The Queen of the Tearling is a post apocalyptic/sci-fi. It's hard to explain. Many reviewers have bashed Johansen saying the book doesn't fit the sic-fi mold but it has a bit of everything and if you're flexible you'll love it!! Definitely expect to fall in love with a character that will have your back!!

THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen

This book caught my eye while browsing in Chapters bookstore and I was intrigued by the description.

It the first book in a new series.

Wow! What a tale. And that is exactly what this book is, it is a tale, just as THE LORD OF THE RINGS is a tale. This series has that sort of potential. This book reminds me of the GAME OF THRONES series. Not the storyline itself, but the epic proportions of the plot.

I read the entire 434 pages in a single day. I had plans for the day, but little did I know when I started, that I would be unable to put this book down. Literally!

I was immediately drawn into this make-believe world. This novel is both fantasy novel and dystopian fiction.

Kelsea Raleigh was whisked away as a baby and raised in seclusion. She is the heir to The Tearling, a post-apocalyptic state that is more like a medieval
kingdom than what we think of as a typical post-apocalyptic world. This could be due to the fact that several generations have passed since "The Tear."
Kelsea is destined to become Queen of The Tearling on her nineteenth birthday. But her only living relative, an Uncle who has been acting as the kingdom's regent for many years, has other ideas. Kelsea knows that he would have already had her assassinated if he had known the location of hidden sanctuary.

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, is a plain looking and serious girl who loves books and learning. In fact, given a choice, she would have been content to stay in the hidden cottage for the rest of her life.

While growing up Kelsea had been told very little about her deceased mother, Queen Elyssa. Her guardians wanted Kelsea to become her own woman without trying to emulate her mother.

When the Queen's Guards arrive at her hidden cottage to escort her back to the capitol city, Kelsea quickly realizes that she has a lot to learn.

From Goodreads:

"But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown."

"Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust."

The Queen of the Tearling introduces readers to a world that is complex, vivid and terrifying.

Readers will find themselves enjoying an immensely satisfying wild ride as they join the new Queen on her journey. She reaches inside herself for the strength to make changes for the good of her people and like every good heroine, she battles through her own doubt and insecurity to find that her inner core is made of the strongest iron.

I love the scope of this story. It is not limited to a single kingdom and each kingdom has it's own distinct beliefs, rulers, political structures and even religions.

The characters in this story are well developed and no matter how minor the character's role, they still come across fully and with surprising depth. I also love the fact that both leading characters are female. They are both strong women, and yet they are distinctly unique.

My rating for this book is an enthusiastic 5 out of 5 stars. I just hope the wait for Book Two isn't too long.

Add this book to your MUST READ list. You will not be disappointed.

To read more of my reviews, visit my blog at http://amiesbookreviews.wordpress.com

Rating: 3.5/5

When I started The Queen of the Tearling, my husband saw the cover and asked me teasingly, “What is this Game of Thrones book you’re reading?”

The cover is only one similarity among many. There is the “Queen’s Guard,” an uncomfortable metal throne, and scheming insiders vying for that throne. There are brave knights and evil whoremongers. There is a creepy red queen. There is magic and weirdness and fantasy.

The book even begins with a map of The Tearling that is vaguely reminiscent of the GOT opening theme/credits.

But, for me, The Queen of the Tearling is way better than I imagine the Game of Thrones books to be (I can't bring myself to read GOT, even though I love the show--the books are too long, and there's too much going on). And here’s why: it is much more limited in focus. There aren’t seventy-five different, tangentially-related plots that are battling for your attention. Instead, there is just one. And it’s an interesting one.

For her protection, baby Kelsea was sent away from the Keep by her mother, Queen Elyssa. She was raised in a secret hideaway deep in the woods by two of Queen Elyssa’s faithful servants. Growing up, she was provided very little information about the kingdom or her mother’s reign. She knew only that her mother had died, leaving her uncle, the Regent, on the throne.

The book begins when Kelsea has reached adulthood and is ready to reign. She is retrieved from her hideout by the Queen’s Guard (her mother’s Guard, that is). Their duty is to get her safely to the Keep, where she will be crowned. There are, of course, many people (including the Regent) who would prefer to see Kelsea killed than to see her crowned, so the Queen’s Guard’s protection is vital.

Kelsea soon discovers that the Queen’s Guard (and Barty and Carlin, who raised her) were all forced to swear an oath to her mother to keep certain secrets about the Tear and its governance from Kelsea. Upon arriving at the Keep, Kelsea begins to learn that her mother’s reign was not all sunshine and rainbows. Kelsea must make some rapid and potentially dangerous decisions about how she will reign and whether she will follow in her mother’s footsteps. These decisions set in motion a series of events that Kelsea must face as she finds her footing as the new Queen of the Tearling.

This is the first book in a trilogy, and it definitely reads that way. Most of the book is introduction/exposition, and the vast majority of it is character driven. A lot of time is spent giving you a feel for who Kelsea is, what kind of Queen she wants to be and will become, and how her decisions will be shaped by her Guard.

Luckily, Kelsea is extremely likable. Long before this book was released, Emma Watson had already signed on to play Kelsea in the movie adaptations of the books (you can read more about that here). And she is a good fit–Kelsea is kind of like a grown-up Hermione. Kelsea is somewhat unassuming in appearance but smart and fair. She is brave and just. She is not constantly (or ever, really) enmeshed in mindless romantic affairs. She loves to read. She makes tough decisions. She stands up for what she thinks is right. And she has a magic necklace that makes her an even bigger badass than she would be on her own. She is, without question, a great female protagonist.

The book is long, yes, but it reads like YA (that is to say, the pages fly by pretty quickly). It contains some action, but the action is not super climactic. It feels more like a taste of what’s to come. The stage is set for the real evil to be waged by the real villains in the coming books.

The Queen of the Tearling does not read like a standalone book, which is a mild pet peeve of mine, but it did leave me wanting to read the second book in the trilogy.

I liked this book personally though it dragged heavily at times. I kept pressing on though cause I found a great deal of liking in Kelsea. She's got a lot to deal with and to learn and she does seem to be doing the best she can with what she's got. She has her own faults but that's what I like about her. She's very human. I was frustrated during a high action bit that the author spent so much time on little details or bits of a charters past that could have been either just cut out or used somewhere else. Honestly I don't care about what your lost loved one would think of you in this situation when there are others getting slaughtered. Dang it, keep focus!! But still, I do want to know what happens and I will probably end up reading the others once they are out. Don't expect a ground breaking story from this book but one that will pass the time and keep you mildly interested or entertained. Again, I like it, but I can easily see why others might not.

The Bookbabe Reviews: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johnasen

I came upon this book last year during the summer but had not decided to purchase it until I saw it in paperback this spring. I had heard some wonderful things about it. Calling it Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones; honestly I do not understand the Hunger Games reference but, it does have that GOT feel. In The Queen of the Tearling, Johansen gives us a head strong, unlikely young Queen in Kelsea Raleigh. Kelsea is a bookish, plain and slightly overweight young woman. She has spent the past 19 years of her life living in secret and away from "The Keep" and the problems plaguing her homeland. She is taught history, politics, war strategy, etc. However, nothing prepares her for being taken from the only home she has ever known and being whisked away to New London and "The Keep". Once there Kelsea has to witness the hell that her subjects live in. There is little or no food, jobs, medicine, doctors, and educational opportunites. Worst of all villagers names at put into a lottery at birth; and once a month folks are chosen to be taken as part of a shipment to Mortmense. This shipment helps keep the peace with the Red Queen of the Mort; it was part of the treaty between Kelsea's mother, Queen Elyssa and the Queen. Once Kelsea witnesses the men, women and children being loaded into cages she orders her guard and the army to stop the shipment. Stopping the shipment means that she has now violated the treaty; giving the Red Queen the right to invade the Tearling and take its citizens by force. During the course of the novel we see Kelsea try to come to terms with what she's done but we also see her trying to right some wrongs within her kingdom. This includes getting rid of the Regent, her uncle. We see him expelled in grand fashion during the first assassination attempt when Kelsea is wounded. It is during this moment that I really begun to respect the character. Kelsea has what it takes to be queen and she will not back down. This becomes an important character trait as we approach the climax of the book.
Johansen also does an amazing job at leaving some very poignant and important questions hanging in the air; and even though they go unanswered they do not overshadow the novel. Such as where did the Red Queen come from? Why does she not have a name? Who is Kelsea's father, and why does no one know? Also, how did a modern America end? The latter question is the most interesting to me because Kelsea mentions the "crossing" and America frequently; not to mention J.K. Rowling's seven "volumes" and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The saddest parts of the book comes when one of the queens guards is found out for treachery. This is the point where we see what type of person Kelsea is: compassionate. What she does in the moment is sad and heartbreaking even though it is necessary.
Another thing that I loved about this book was that the author really builds the tension. Making it every easy to keep the pages turning and yearning to find out what happens next. Of course, the story did have its bumps and the beginning is very slow. Also, there are things that are mentioned in the beginning that are not thoroughly explained and we all know what a turn off that can be. But overall I liked it. I will definitely read the entire series because I just need to know what happens to Kelsea but also because I want to know more about the Red Queen.

Quotes I Loved:
" I am death. I come quickly, I come slowly, but I am not cheated"

"Everyone dies eventually. I think it's better to die clean"

"Barty always used to say there were three things men were stupid about: their beer, their cocks and their pride"

"Even a book can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and when that happens, you blame the hands, but you also read the book"

"I see this land flowing with books, Father. Widespread literacy. Books everywhere...."

"Children conceived by this woman would only be cannibalized by her womb....."Then you don't risk in the lottery, do you? You have no children, you don't look strong enough for labor, and you're really too old to appeal to anyone for sex."

"Once, he'd explained to Kelsea that addiction wa like having a crack in your life. "It's a deep crack, Kel, but you can build guards around it. You can put up a fence."

"I've been dead since the invasion, sir. It's only the past few years I've begun to rot"

For more of my reviews be sure to follow me at www.delawarebookaddict.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/thebookbabeofde

"The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel" by Erika Johansen will most likely be a better movie than it was a book. There was a good deal of heavily worded descriptions and not enough dialog. So things just didn't make sense because there was so much grandiose buildup with a lot of the vital details missing. To me, it read more like a movie proposal than a novel. I was annoyed by so many little things like people yelling at someone but we never find out what they were saying to upset the character. There were too many points in the story that left me lost in exactly what was happening or losing interest in the story.

I was also perplexed by the combination of a dystopian world combined with magic and royalty for futuristic medieval fantasy. It just didn't work for me at all.

I'm a little shocked that this is a YA novel. The heroine is 19 so I guess that is what makes it for that genre. The language is quite crude and there are lots of sexual scenes (not necessarily action, but lots of discussion about action).

The story itself isn't bad. I can tell that the author went to a lot of trouble to set up her world and the major characters. The story is about a 19 year old queen who inherits the throne along with the troubles her country has had. She makes decisions as best she can. She deals with deception, sorrow and all the feelings a 19 year old would feel if they were raised in solitude and then put into the position of running a country.

The descriptions and scenes tend to get long, but that's expected in a first novel. I'm at least assuming there will be more. The ending is satisfactory, but leaves a ton of things that can be resolved too.

My advance reading copy didn't have the map in the front and I found myself really wishing it did so I could better visualize the terrain/area.

It took me a while to get into this book. I am not sure why? Maybe I've found myself in the midst of the dreaded reading drought? Or maybe it was the drop-off at the beginning of another school year. It could have also possibly been the fact that beginning of this book is slightly confusing. The author purposefully starts the reader blind, and slowly reveals cryptic bits and pieces in order to keep the reader constantly in the dark. SPOILER...THIS IS NOT A MEDIEVAL TALE OF KINGS AND QUEENS BUT IN FACT A DYSTOPIAN ALT-HISTORY?! And here is where it loses a few stars. I really did enjoy the bits of magic, the characters were interesting, Kelsea (our leading lady & queen) was both likable and not too cliche, BUT the setting was infuriating. I did enjoy the fact that the author slowly revealed that the world was post-apocalyptic England? I still am not 100% sure on that one, but that's definitely a problem. Why is the reader never really given a clear understanding of where and why the Tear exists? I think it's a cool way to reveal a setting and all but I still feel a bit confused as to where and why this kingdom exists in the first place? Also, while the evilness of the enemy (the Red Queen) is often times eluded to, we never spend enough time with her to know the extent of her cruelty or her powers. She answers to some evil shadow force...but that evil shadow force is rooting for the good queen Kelsea? Huh? I guess my final assessment is that I liked the story, I enjoyed seeing the heroin evolve throughout, I just felt like the world-building and conflict could have used a clearer path.

Final Recommendations: if you like queens, knights in shining armor, magic, evil queens, mysterious rogues

The books starts off sooooooooo slowly. So much so that I stopped reading it. Twice. And the third time, I made it through the first 3 chapters and then I didn't put it down after that. SO so SOOOO good!

What a great book! I picked this up on a whim not expecting such a great read. I couldn't put it down. I haven't read anything as good since Deborah Harkness' first book in the trilogy of Witches. The world created is believable and the characters sympathetic. I will find it very difficult to wait for the second installment. I hope the next book goes into the history of the world and the crossing. All I can say is hurry, hurry, please with the next book.

I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and has a great story line. The main characters throughout the book keep you engaged and deeply invested in the story. You'll find yourself rooting for a few characters to overcome all the obstacles they encounter and rooting for a few others to meet their demises. Never a dull moment with this book and you won't be able to put it down. Also note for a young adult genre book the author used great vocabulary through the book which I very much appreciated. Sometimes young adult booos kind be kind of lax on that and I for one really enjoyed that this was not the case for this book.

The Queen of the Tearling has been widely promoted by Indie press sources and word of mouth, and rightly so. It is filled with rich, complex characters, moral reflection and well-paced action. I particularly appreciated the depiction of the main character who while acknowledging that she is not "beautiful" in the common sense, exhibits many exemplary traits and gifts - including a stubborn streak. The fantasy aspect of the story is also well conceived and balances the magical with the wholly human emotions and non-magical action in the story. It truly was a hard book to set aside after reading just a few pages. Indeed, I was forced to put down the Diana Gabaldon book I was reading, so drawn was I by the plot and intelligent writing in Erika Johansen's first book of several - I sincerely hope - about this fascinating kingdom of the Tearling. I rarely if ever give five stars, which to me should be a rare rating, and this was close.

This book is a fast paced adventure, good against evil, master thriller and a fast read. The story is eloquently written. It has a good balance of everything. Though the first chapter is slow, it picks up rapidly in the next. The story sucks you into a world of evil and hope. It's hard to put down. I loved the protagonist. Unlike the sterotype description; the protagonist being a beautiful helpless queen, this has a refreshing and realistic touch, except for the magic. A definite must read for people who like reading about dystopia and dysfunctional societies.

It took me several tries to start this book, as it struck me as a typical YA fantasy novel with spunky heroine, unlikely princess/prince, evil empire - all the tropes of fantasy. However, once I started, I wanted to keep reading. Kelsea isn't like the other princesses you've known. She isn't beautiful, nor even average - she actually has to deal with being someone that people see as unattractive - and yet she stands strong on her character. I imagined her as tall and stocky, but still cute - but someone who hasn't grown into her own looks yet and doesn't recognize it. But that's key to the story, you see, that she isn't your typical princess dressing up in fine gowns. At any rate, in the first few pages, you find out that she isn't a typical queen and she isn't what anyone was expecting.

The author goes on to vividly describe the sordid details (probably OK for older teens) and sad state of the kingdom of Tear and its nearest neighbor, Mortmesne. if you imagine that France and Britain have been transplanted and maintained their cultural animosity for each other, it's like that. Tear sounds like England of the Renaissance, with its honest yeomen, and Mortmesne has the sophistication but also debauchery of, say, fin de siecle Paris.

I was very intrigued by "The Crossing" and what it meant. There are references to Britain and America, as well as modern technology, but that all appears to be in the past. "pre-crossing". These and other references to the world we know now were sprinkled throughout and I suppose I'll have to wait until the next book to find out more. I really don't want to wait at all - Netflix has conditioned me to expect the next installment quickly so I hope that the author is already writing the sequel. I believe it must be a trilogy at least, since the book started out small in scope, mostly learning about the world and character, and then a brief little adventure that defines her as a Queen. It leaves a lot of room to develop an epic scope in the following novels. When will they be out again? I am already googling to find out.

Given the advanced societies of the pre-Crossing (presumably, you know, our society), and the return to a pre-Industrial state of the post-crossing, there's quite a dichotomy - and guess what came back in the pre-industrial state? That's right - the patriarchy! Men are fully in charge again, it seems, and women are vulnerable to sexual violence. Some things never change! Too bad feminism didn't come over in the Crossing. Well, that's OK because it gives us an opportunity to root for our heroine as she defies expectations of her assigned feminine role and fights the power to free women from the tyranny of sex slavery. In this book, men are fighters and priests; women are cooks and mothers. Only Kelsea is permitted or able to transgress these roles. Again it's really a puzzle - how did we get back to this after so much progress has been made? That's why I'm curious why the author made this a futuristic book at all - why not set it in an imaginary past? Again, I'll have to wait to find out, when more is revealed about the circumstances of the end of the old world and the start of the new.

Reading that this book has already been optioned for a movie, I was surprised to see Emma Watson as the lead. I was imagining the lead as a young Brienne (from Game of Thrones) - tall and stocky.

I gobbled The Queen of the Tearling. Erika Johansen’s book features a plain-looking but queenly heroine, excellent prose, and suspense that kept me reading well into the night. Despite all of this, the book doesn’t get an automatic five stars. Here’s why:

The world building is bizarre. The Queen of the Tearling takes place in a future version of our world. At some point in time a utopian idealist “crossed” (from Europe, or America, or both?) into a new land; I can’t tell if he sailed to a continent that we have in our actual world, or if it’s a made up landmass. But apparently during this crossing, all of the doctors, nurses, and medical supplies conveniently drowned (where were the airplanes?), and for some reason no one ever thought to cross back to retrieve some other doctors, nurses, and medical supplies. Or maybe they couldn’t cross back – I’m obviously not understanding this.

In addition, there are mentions of Shakespeare and cosmetic surgery and even Harry Potter (“the seven volumes of Rowling”…cute). People curse like us, even though they’re technically not speaking English. And yet, somehow, since they lost most of their technology during the “Crossing,” they naturally regressed to a world with peasants and noblemen, a monarch, swords, and arrows. I’m not sure why losing our current technology would result in our world eventually mirroring a very precise time period of Europe.

Also, the characters understand things like genetics and evolution, but don’t understand how to make guns. There’s no printing press and limited accessibility to books, so I’m not sure where they’re getting their casual, scientific awareness from. It’s true that Kelsea had access to books as a child, but her Queen’s Guard didn’t, and yet they all seem to understand how infections work and the importance of preventing them. So they grasp medical knowledge that it took humanity thousands of years to discover, but still can’t remake the printing press.

You would think that in some of the remaining books in the Tearling there’d be a couple of paragraphs on how the printing press works. Or how guns work. Or anything, really. The inconsistencies are never explained. I’ll forgive it for now – maybe they weren’t supposed to be explained, or maybe I missed something.

Also, I couldn’t garner if Europe and America (and, you know, the rest of the world) still exist, and just don’t – or can’t – visit the Tearling, or if something terrible happened in the past and a select group of people escaped during the Crossing, only to inexplicably form a pseudo-Medieval hellhole.

It’s a weird, uncomfortable mix of the dystopian, possibly post-apocalyptic, and fantasy genres.

I went into this book having already read Johansen’s essay on why the world needs more ugly heroines (it's on Buzzfeed). I liked her views and expected a feminist story. In some ways it is: Kelsea is a great leader. Her mother wasn’t; her mother was vain and air-headed. She liked dresses, not books. She liked jewelry, not political history. And she was very, very pretty. It’s great to write a book featuring a plain heroine, but in almost every sentence mentioning Kelsea’s mother’s incompetence, her femininity is critiqued, too. Hm…

Also, the book is violent. It’s disturbing. Johansen writes frankly and descriptively about killing children, slave trafficking, pedophiles, serial rapists and other sexual deviants, and one blind albino who cackles and then tweaks her nipple in a bar (it was weird). I don’t see the point in cranking up the violence level so high. I know she’s trying to prove how far gone her world is, and how evil the antagonist is, but I don’t think explicit prose establishes urgency.

Even George R.R. Martin, who writes violence, doesn’t describe things with Johansen’s vividness. Her images stayed in my head, and I couldn’t read this book before bed lest I suffered nightmares. The book, in terms of prose style and fantasy elements, reminded me of Kristin Cashore’s Graceling. I remember her antagonist King Leck, and how much I wanted to see him die. Cashore establishes that he’s a psychopath primarily through mentioning his torture of small animals. In Johansen’s book, the evil Red Queen doesn’t hurt animals, she hurts children. And it’s not simply mentioned – there’s an explicit scene in which this happens.

Going back to some possible feminist issues: The violence Johansen describes is primarily of a sexual nature and primarily targeted against women. I understand her world is a patriarchy, but no men’s wounds are described in such detail. Whenever I ask myself if violence against women in stories is exploitative, I consider this: Does the violence make some kind of overarching point regarding justice, humanity, etc., or is it merely titillating?

Violence in stories like the Hunger Games and The Song of Ice and Fire makes me think. At least for me, The Queen of the Tearling is too hyperbolic to be related to our world. I don’t know how to connect its monarch-sanctioned, monthly shipments of child slaves to even the real world slavery we deal with today.

If stuff like that doesn’t bother you, that’s fine. The world is wide and open to many types of books. But I found it needless. Johansen is a talented enough writer that I would have cared about her characters even if she had not taken them to such extremes – in fact, I had to utilize a certain detachment to finish the book.

However, she is a talent writer, and I’m a sucker for fantasies with well-developed girl and women characters. I felt true love for her other characters, as well – the Fetch and Mace and even Javel. Her characters contain rich, psychological depth. But I don’t need any of them to assault children for this to be understood.

The first book leaves many questions unanswered, and there’s no doubt that I’ll eagerly buy the next book, once it’s released, in search for resolution. Until then, however, I’ll work hard to get all fantastical sex trafficking and pedophilia out of my brain.

The book starts out with Kelsea, in a cottage in the woods, being taken from the only home she has known. The queen's guard is taking her back to her back to her kingdom to be the queen she was meant to be.
On their trip back to the Tear, Kelsea is being chased by the Caden ( the Red Coats) and is intercepted by the Fetch.
Kelsea's first ruke is to abolish a law that her mother made, (in order to save the Tear) which only enrages the Red Queen. Will there be a war?
This was a very good book, although longer than it could have been. With the book being longer, you get to see what everyday life for Kelsea is like. It's not just one adventure after another, there is a slow down, which gives the reader a chance to understand the character of the main group of "heroes." Yes it was long and slow at times, but it works and I really enjoyed it. I am definitely going to read the second book.

Richly-imagined and highly-addictive, THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is now ranked as one of my favorites reads of the year. It started off as one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and with the hype as strong as it was, I was nervous.

THE QUEEN OF TEARLING was originally portrayed as a ‘female-version of Game of Thrones‘ before the outburst that occurred on Twitter. Soon after, the book was simply pitched as being great for fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games. But that’s not all. Movie rights for THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING were picked up by David Heyman, the same director who snapped up rights to Harry Potter. To top it off, Emma Watson has already been casted as Kelsea, our protagonist.

THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING, is, in short, a highly hyped book. Which can mean trouble for a debut that large and not-so-commercial. And of course, the reviews that I saw trickling in weren’t holding the book in high-esteem, or any esteem, really. Yet, despite my fears and dropping expectations, I picked up the hefty tome and read.

And read, and read, and my eyes started prickling because I wasn’t blinking, and my stomach started gurgling because I wasn’t eating (and because it’s Ramadan, but hey), and I was simply neglecting life, because I couldn’t put the book down.

It was good. I knew it was good when I made it past the slow and slightly-boring first chapter. Right when I hit the second chapter, I couldn’t put the down for long without thinking about it through my every task, and I knew every one of the characters—Kelsea, her foster parents, the Queen’s Guard—mattered to me. I worried for every single one of them, something I rarely do in a first book, let alone the second chapter. Speaking of characters, I absolutely love Pen and the Fetch. The Fetch is such an intriguing enigma, I cannot wait to see more of him soon.

THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING isn’t an action-packed fantasy. But when action does present itself, it’s non-stop, thrilling, and unputdownable. Erika Johansen knows how to keep readers hooked. The gore is gory and the stakes are unbearably high, to the point where every character’s life is in unpredictable danger, even Kelsea’s.

Nor is it a fantasy with magic and magical creatures leaping off every page. Magic in this book, as Erika Johansen said in an interview, is limited to the user, such as through the use of a magical jewel.

The plot moves slowly, but in my opinion, never dragged on—which of course means the pacing is delectable. The world-building in Erika Johansen’s debut is simply fantastic. The kingdoms, the people, the troubles facing their everyday lives—they all felt real. This wasn’t just Kelsea’s story of getting back her rightful throne, this was their world that was in trouble, and I could really feel that. It was vivid, perfect, and amazing.

My only minor gripe would be the Crossing. From what I understand, the event will be described in more depth in the following book, but given the number of times it was mentioned throughout THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING, I expected to see it detailed towards the end. But as I said, it’s only a minor thing.

High-stakes, fleshed-out characters, and a vivid world are what you should expect in THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING. With a wholly original protagonist many can connect to, and a plot that’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, Erika Johansen’s debut is not one to be missed.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Book One of The Queen of the Tearling series
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: July 8, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown.

Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.

But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend…if she can survive.

The Queen of the Tearling introduces readers to a world as fully imagined and terrifying as that of The Hunger Games, with characters as vivid and intriguing as those of The Game of Thrones, and a wholly original heroine. Combining thrilling action and twisting plot turns, it is a magnificent debut from the talented Erika Johansen.

What I Liked:

First, publishers, you need to learn how to get rid of the attitude that comparing everything and anything to The Hunger Games is a good idea. Because it's not a good idea. In fact, for someone like me, seeing a book or series compared to a huge franchise like The Hunger Games will turn me off. And in this book's case, I couldn't find a single similarities between The Hunger Games and this book. This book was a thousand times better than that series. As for The Game of Thrones comparison, I can't speak for that one, but I wish everyone would give that comparison a rest as well.

Anyway. I LOVED THIS BOOK! I was pleasantly surprised by how well-written this book, how well-constructed the story was, and how much I liked it. Granted, I LOVE high fantasy novels, but I don't read too many adult high fantasy novels. Yup, this book is adult fiction. Check out the price - it's nearly ten dollars (USD) more than a YA hardcover. That's how you know! Also, Harper is publishing this one (versus HarperTeen, Katherine Tegen, Balzer + Bray, etc.

That being said, I should warn everyone about the "adult themes", or whatever. This book isn't tagged as YA for a reason - it's about a Young Adult, but that's about where the "YA" part might have started and ended (if it existed in this book). There is rape, mutilation, violence, murder, swearing, abuse, and other "adult" topics in this book. Just a warning, for the younger readers, or anyone who is sensitive to those topics.

So. Kelsea is the exiled princess of the Tearling. Exiled meaning in hiding. She was brought in seclusion, by foster parents, far away from the dirty taint of politics and civilization. But when she turns nineteen, she goes back to the Tear, to claim her throne. Once there, she becomes aware of many, many problems that the whole world was familiar with, except her (because of her seclusion). One decision, to stop sending humans to Mortmesne (violating a treaty with the Red Queen), will start a chain of events that Kelsea cannot undo.

There are so many wonderful things about this book, I don't even know where to start! I guarantee you, I will forget things. I won't be able to do this book justice. The story was terrific. The characters, so well-shaped. The fantasy, the world-building, ahhh!

I really like Kelsea. She is described as "plain", not gorgeous like her mother. She is also a bit "heavy", which is a problem when she tries to take up sword-fighting to protect herself. I love that she isn't a beautiful, naughty, naturally-cliche-princessy princess. She breaks into her role as queen both slowly and quickly, and develops her backbone and her regal stance. I loved watching her character grow - this book is long, the pace slow, and so we really get to see both the characters and the story progress.

This book is written in third person limited, so we get to read from the third-person perspectives of several characters. I like this! I like seeing what other characters think of others, especially of Kelsea. My favorite characters didn't have their own perspectives featured (Mace, the Fetch), but I really like the characters that were featured. With the exception of Thomas, he's a pig.

The Fetch. I hope we see more of him in future books. I'm confused as to who he is, what he is, what his role is. I want more page-time with him! I want to know more about him, his personality, his past. I have a feeling that he is a very complicated person, so that task is not as simple as it sounds. But he is probably my favorite character of the book. Sorry, Kelsea. I'm sure she'd agree with me.

As I said, this book is really long, so we get to see the nuts and bolts of every scene. Every scene, every character, every description - everything is so WELL-WRITTEN. It wasn't that this author had a defining writing style, a unique or lyrical or distinctive one - no, but this story was really well-written. We get to see the real ins-and-outs of the politics of a high fantasy world. Oftentimes, especially in YA books, the politics and real governing of a kingdom are watered down. In this book, Johansen holds nothing back, especially with those adult themes. That's a good way to know that this one is adult fiction.

As I've mentioned the story itself is really well-crafted. I wanted to know what would happen next, with the broken treaty, the traitor, the spies, the Red Queen - what was she doing with all of the humans sent from the Tear?! I had many questions while reading, and I still have questions, but they're not plot-hole questions. I'm not necessarily confused about anything - it's more like I want to know more, but not because I'm frustrated with the story, or I don't understand something because things aren't clear enough. No, Johansen has an excellent balance of information given and omitted in this book.

Think epic, action-packed, blood-soaked, betrayal-ridden, constant, ever-present fear. This is such an excellent example of how I like my high fantasy novels (but with a little more romance). Seriously, the scheming and plotting and planning was madness and ecstasy, brilliance and folly. So much love!

The world-building was probably one of my favorite aspects of this book. This book is so epic fantasy wonderful! Technically, this book takes place in the wayyyyy future, because there are mentions of the Americas and technology and "The Crossing" (I have a good idea of what that is, but I feel like Johansen will explore that part of Tear history in future books). However, this book is high fantasy. And what a fantasy world it is! I love how Johansen created this world, and what she created.

The romance - you might be surprised to hear that there was no romance in this book. Nothing, no growing relationships, no sneaking touches or glances, no queen-and-captain-of-the-guard-fall-in-love trope, nothing. There is a hint at a possible romance happening in the future books, which I would be ALL FOR, because I like the guy and I like the girl, but we'll see. It might not happen, but the seeds are there. I'm glad the romance is like that - nonexistent in the first book, but potentially a thing in future books. It lets readers focus completely on the world, the politics, the brewing war.

Have I said enough? I sure hope so! You should definitely check out this book when it comes out! I hear the author (a debut author) was offered a seven-figure deal for this trilogy, and that movie adaptation rights have already been bought, starring Emma Watson? So. Go go go! You heard it first here on The Eater of Books! blog. *nudges*

What I Did Not Like:

I think the pacing was the only thing that bothered me at all. This book kind of moves at a snail's pace. On the one hand, I can really appreciate the amount of descriptions and care the author has included, in order to build up the story and the Tear world. However, it took me about three times as long to read this book as it would a book of its size. I can't imagine how they're going to condense this entire book down into a screenplay for a movie. While this book moved really slowly, I can't imagine cutting out so many scenes, scenes that helped shape this novel, even if they seemed unnecessary. But anyway. My original point was that the pacing was slow. Because it was.

Also. While I liked the "no romance" thing in this book. Perhaps a little romance in books to come? Yes.

Would I Recommend It:

YES!! You definitely do NOT want to miss this book, especially since it's an upcoming hit series or whatever. Love it before the real hype pours over the country/world. Get to it because the hoards do! You love fantasy? Great! You'll really enjoy this book!

Just be warned - it's an adult fiction novel. It's NOT listed as a "Teen" or "YA" novel, because really, it isn't. However, don't not read this book because it's not a YA novel (if you love YA novels). Just know that it is an adult fiction novel.

Rating:

4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars. I'm only rounding down to 4 stars because it really did take me entirely too long to finish this book, mostly due to the pacing. 450 pages isn't too long, but this was a slow-moving book. Just saying. I LOVED IT SO MUCH THOUGH!! Go pick up a copy as soon as possible!

After I finished the Harry Potter series for the first time I was in dyer need of a new book. I'm 25 so I didn't want anything too "junior". This book held my attention from the very beginning. The protagonist is incredible and I can't seem to get the book off of my mind. Currently reading book 2!

The characters were very interesting at first but the book was too vulgar to continue reading. It seemed that anytime anyone who was evil was shown, there had to be some disgusting content. As far as I could tell, the queen was a very flat character, giving no reason into why she was so evil, but giving every opportunity to show how terrible she was, and the way that their world came to be was kind of confusing/vague. The Fetch and Mace were both interesting characters, but I wish that I had found a rating on this book before I started it.

Kelsea Raleigh Glynn is a princess but she is not your average princess. Raised by a couple, Carlin and Barty, while she was in hiding Kelsea is more the girl next door who loves to read then a princess in a castle trying on gowns and then buying them all because she couldn't decide which one she liked best.

It is Kelsea's nineteenth birthday and it is time to go back and ascend her throne where her Uncle currently sits as regent. Unwilling to give up the throne to a teenager Kelsea's Uncle and many others with lots to lose should Kelsea become queen conspire to make sure that the coronation doesn't happen. During this quickened coronation Kelsea is wounded but still gets confirmed showing everyone that she is just not some little girl who can pushed around that even with a knife in her back she will still stand as the queen. Even though Kelsea is now Queen Kelsea the blaggards won't relent and Kelsea and her guards must constantly be on their toes. Adventure abounds in this book as Queen Kelsea fights to stay alive while making drastic changes that while may be better for the Tearling now in the long run it could bring a fearsome enemy to their very doors. Magic can be found in Kelsea's two Tearling sapphire necklaces that when worn gives her a means to protect herself and can they can even show her what is to be.

Queen Kelsea of the Tearling has the power to change the lives of the Tearling for the better this is her chance to see herself and the great things that she is capable of. A female heroine that we can all relate to because even though she doubts herself sometimes and is insecure about her looks at the end of the day she does what needs to be done regardless of her self perceived shortcomings.

I loved, loved, loved this book, which is the first in a trilogy, and cannot wait to read the remaining books in this series when they come out!

Queen of the Tearling was a quick, entertaining read that reminded me of the fantasy stories I read as a kid. Is it the best piece of literature, maybe not but it had enough character and storyline development that made me want to read more. Not only did I want to read this one more but I want to read all others in the series. Kelsea Raleigh is a princess in hiding who is destined to rule when she turns 19 - if she can stay alive. I thoroughly enjoyed the court intrigue and the court guard. There's so much more to learn about in this future Tearling world. That may frustrate some readers but I enjoy a book that has more to tell in other stories - so long as the author tells the stories at some point.

I think comparing The Queen of the Tearling to The Hunger Games series and Game of Thrones was a mistake. Not because it wasn't a well-written book, but because it sets up expectations for the reader, and I think that the story has a merit on it's own without the comparison.

That said, it was what I expected, although I did end up enjoying it. I came into thinking that it was complete fantasy, but instead it's a future-fantasy (science-fantasy?) world. Personally I would have preferred that it be a completely made-up world; it wasn't clear from the beginning, and I think it should have been, not necessarily with a long drawn-out explanation, but enough to know closer to the beginning of the book. It changed the way I thought about the world of the story, and I didn't like seeing references to things of the "modern" world prior to knowing that it was in the future (albeit a weird Middle Ages version). I kept wanting it to be pure historical fantasy, but once I did finally understand Kelsea's world, I was able to really lose myself in the story.

Kelsea Raleigh is a really interesting main character; she is a queen, but has none of the outward appearances of it. Raised in isolation, she's not concerned with finery or pomp and circumstance. In fact, she's quite prickly, but she's strong. She's flawed, and I found it easy to relate to her. She's also a reader in a world where books are luxury items and scarce. At times her character is very introspective, and the narrative moves slow, which is not for every reader, but I enjoyed it.

One thing that aggravated me about her - she is obsessed with looks. She's pre-occupied with the fact that she's "plain," as the book describes her and wishes to be beautiful, which I found sort of inconsistent with other aspects of her character. I get having insecurities, and perhaps that's what the author was trying to show, but instead, it seemed like she just held it against other characters the fact that they were attractive or beautiful (or more "attractive" than her? I'm not sure). I would have preferred something more matter-of-fact in regards to her looks; moments of insecurity are fine, but when your life is constantly at risk, are you really going to envy the beauty of a woman whose life as a slave has been miserable up until you freed her?

The secondary characters are many and a very colorful group. Johansen built a complex, and at times, completely terrifying world, where slavery and oppression are a part Kelsea's inherited kingdom. She must undo the damage done by her mother, a practically useless queen, and the odds seem insurmountable. There is a lot of political intrigue, adventure, relationship-building and in general a lot of mystery surrounding the neighboring kingdom's Red Queen. I'm hoping that the next book will have a lot of answers and delve into Kelsea's past and her kingdom's past even more.

This is definitely a mature book; I've seen some shelve it for teens, but personally I don't think it falls in that category. It's very adult, with a darker story line and a few instances of language. The fantasy aspect is actually pretty understated. Perhaps that will come into play more later.

There seem to be a lot of negative reviews for this one; I think it's been "over-hyped," which is a shame because it's a very good story. I haven't read Game of Thrones (I know! I'll get to it!), but I have read The Hunger Games, and I didn't find this book similar to that at all, although perhaps readers might find similarities between Kelsea and Katniss. I came into without expectations and comparison, and I think I found it more enjoyable because of that.

Excellent read! The main character, Kelsea, developed into a wonderful leader, and all the "side" characters had depth. And the writer stayed with Kelsea, and didn't wander off to explore other people. A very good read, that makes you want to finish the book, and then when finished, wish you weren't!

“Kelsea sighed, feeling a mantle of inevitability settle over her, understanding that this would be the first of many compromises.” (p.246)
The Queen of the Tearling had me asking myself so many questions. What kind of monarch would you make? Would you rule using fear and an iron fist like the Red Queen? Would you be weak an ineffectual like the deceased Queen Elyssa? Or do you have vision and spine? Can you make the decisions required to make your vision come true and hold your throne one day at a time? We’ll see if Kelsea can…

We are introduced to our Queen, Kelsea who at 19 is called to take the throne of Tearling, ready or not. She has been raised in isolation to protect her from her dangerous enemies, some of which are her own family!

Erika Johansen does an excellent job giving us Kelsea’s backstory while remaining firmly entrenched in the present. The narrative is lively with the supporting characters being well defined and interesting. The book has an exciting feeling of depth, as if the characters are alive and separate from the story. While it is set in a post-apocalyptic future Earth I heard references to our society as it stands today and that was always a little thrill. Erika Johansen uses wonderful words like “ceasura” which tickle my brain! There are a few POV shifts in the book although the main story rests with Kelsea. These are helpful to give an overall picture of what is happening and lets us see a helpful little bit more into the workings of the world.

Defying all odds, Kelsea arrives at her kingdom, but will she win the hearts of the people? Will she be able to rule despite the rampant corruption in her government and despotic leanings of the her neighboring country Mortmesne’s evil Red Queen?

Kelsea is a girl that we can all identify with. She loves books and she has a strong sense of social justice tempered with situational awareness. She will not stand by and see evil done and that is a point in her favor, as well as a danger to herself. Her intelligence, mettle and sense of justice make her admirable, and her shortcomings make her human and identifiable. She adds people to her entourage throughout the book, and builds herself a power based on loyalty. These people all have hidden sides that are slowly being revealed with time. Kelsea has been given the Tearling Sapphire, a magical necklace that she is struggling to learn about. It is an interesting and unknown power that has the ability to rock the foundations of the world.

Each step of the story follows an inevitable course to a confrontation with the Red Queen… We can learn the mysteries behind The Fetch and The Mace… I cannot wait to read future books in this series to see how the story unfolds. I hope Kelsea finds romance. I hope that her reign stabilizes and improves the lives if the people of Tearling.

This review was first published at M's Bookshelf -
http://mssbookshelf.blogspot.be

This is just one of those books.. How am I going to write a review for this?! You just feel this is an epic story that's going to be known throughout the world. The book is already a massive success, not to mention the movie deal (I can't wait, btw!)... This is going to be huge!
I really like Kelsea. Even though she's a big book- and history nerd like I am, I never really felt like I could see myself in her. Surprisingly though, this never bothered me and/or stood in the way of me loving every second of reading this book. I was completely hooked from the very start. The only thing I did have issues with, is the focus on beauty: Kelsea doubts herself because she's not pretty enough. I mean, seriously. I get that image is an issue every teenager (& even adults) deals with, but for some reason I just felt it was completely unnecessary to add these comments about her being 'plain' and 'needing to lose weight'. It almost felt like a forced attempt to get young girls to identify themselves with Kelsea. She's such a strong, kind, young woman as it is. She's an inspiration and example, as far as fictional heroines go.
I loved how every chapter had an entry copied out of a (future) encyclopedia, history book or poem. Those glimpses of Kelsea's future as a Queen never felt like spoilers, they really added something special to the book.
I feel like there's still so much to learn about some of the main characters, about the country's history and this new world in total.. I can't wait for the next books in the series to come out!

4 stars because while I enjoyed this book, I had a hard time grasping that a 19 year old who was raised in isolation could have such a mature voice. It felt more like the authors words than the 19 year olds, so it rang in a sense inauthentic to the character she is building. It also didn't suck me in as swiftly as i'd hoped but maybe that's my issue.

I absolutely loved reading this book and can't wait to see what Erika Johansen has in store for us in the sequel! Although this book is a little massive so that might be daunting to some readers, that only tempts you to slow down your reading pace so that you can spend more time in this complex, medieval yet somehow futuristic world that the author has constructed for us. Even with all of these pages I still have questions about how the New World came to be the way it is; I don't really understand the Crossing, which seems to mean that people from America as well as other countries like England came to this new land to start over. A lot of important technology and most doctors were lost during the passage, leading to this medieval world. Oh, and there's magic.

Don't worry if you don't understand it all from the summary; there's a lot going on in this normal. There's black magic, and a war brewing on the horizon; there's a young girl learning to become a queen and a guy who seems more like a ninja with the skills he has than a queen's guard. Even the tiniest little characters have you feeling something for them because the author takes time to make them human, focusing a certain scene on someone or showcasing an important portion of a character's personality. I particularly liked the little jumps in point of view that would show the Queen of Mortmesme, giving a peek into what the enemy was doing, or views from other characters that I will not name lest I give anything away.

There were points when I wondered if all of that text to tell this information was necessary; after reading, I didn't feel that way at all. Reflecting on it, I absorbed so much that I can still perfectly picture the world that was created. While this novel wasn't packed with action, I didn't come into it expected it to be that way. I feel like anyone will love this book if they're a fan of great writing, characters, and ideas, as well as complex kingdom management, watching the development of characters, and little spurts of intense suspense sprinkled throughout the text.

Although the fantasy aspect of this book was not at the foreground, I'm hoping that more of it will come into play in book two. I'm also hoping for a glimpse into the rest of Mortmesme, maybe some more action on that front. I'm excited to see how things will play out; in the meantime, I'll be recommending this book to anyone who's looking for something else to read! If you haven't had this on your radar yet, pick it up now!

Summary:
This won't bring everything into play, but it is the gist.
Kelsea has been raised in Tear by an elderly couple. She is being bred to be the next queen, so she learns everything that she believes she needs to know. She doesn't see the surroundings or know what the previous queen (her mother) has been doing. All she knows is that she must wear this necklace (the Tearling) and that soon she will be queen. Soon shows up and she is whisked off to the castle to begin her duties. From there she learns that things weren't as she had imagined them to be. Now as queen she needs to turn things around.

My thoughts:
The greatest part of this book is the world building. It's detailed and beautiful. I never felt like I was filling things in or lost. The setting (with the exception of a time period exactly) is amazing. It's my favorite part of fantasy novels and Johansen has developed it very well. Closing my eyes and picturing Tear is easy to do. I also feel like I get a good sense of the backstory and our princess. Kelsea has very specific ideas and that helps her motivation through the story. While she is still young and falters, she's a strong leader and someone that females can relate and look up to. While there are some sexual scenes, it's not enough that I would keep it from my upper level high school students. Although, I'm not certain this would be a normal YA audience.

The Queen Of The Tearling has arrived on the scene with an overwhelming amount of hype and it has been called: "Games Of Thrones meets Hunger Games" or "the female Game Of Thrones". Neither description truly fit this novel, which in my opinion is a good thing because Tearling is it's own wonderful novel that doesn't truly conform to genre boundaries. Though The Queen Of The Tearling is an excellent fantasy novel, it was a bit difficult for me to become engrossed in this novel. I took a few chapters, but after that I became extremely addicted to this novel and I wanted to know everything there was to know about the Tearling.

Kelsea is the long lost heir of the Tearling and she has been in hiding for nearly her entire life. She must ascend the throne during tumultuous times and she is expected to be the queen that her people need. The Tearling is in bondage to their neighboring country and the citizens of the Tearling are sent as tribute, in the form of slaves. How can Kelsea govern her people properly when she has little knowledge of politics and the Tearling?

A beginning of a novel should hook readers in and engage them to the point where they want to read more. The first chapter was exorbitantly long (around 40 pages) and was so dull to the point where I had abandoned this book twice before finally finishing it. This chapter definitely needed some retooling because it served as a poor introduction to this world and it's characters. It took a while for me to get into this book, but after the opening chapters, the pace really picked up and I became much more interested in this book.

The Tearling takes place in a medieval society that was formed after the rest of the world fell apart. Though the novel doesn't go into in-depth about what happened in the "Crossing", it does set up the world-building effectively. I would love to know more about the origins of the Tearling, but I have a feeling that both the reader and Kelsea will learn more about this world in the following novel.

I love Kelsea as a character because she isn't your typical fantasy heroine. nor does she attempt to be one. She is extremely unsure of herself whether she's right the person to be the queen and she is extremely sassy. Instead of acting all regal and imperial like a Queen does, Kelsea is snarky and she has a great sense of humor. It's rare to have a protagonist that deviates from the norm and whose character strays from genre cliches.

Erika Johansen is definitely an author to watch and her debut novel is extremely well-written and is filled with lush, vibrant descriptions. There's no shortage of exciting fantasy elements in Tearling and this book is a must-read for all those who want to read a book with a kick-ass heroine and magic. Tearling was be slow-paced and a bit difficult to get into at first, but it quickly became an incredible read and I can definitely see why Heyman (legendary producer of Harry Potter) and Emma Watson are adapting this novel into a motion picture.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

The Queen of the Tearling is a book that kept me immersed from the very beginning but fantasy can either be hit or miss for me and despite enjoying it mostly there were aspects which I found repetitive and we are left with a number of unanswered questions but I was also intrigued by the interesting characters and the fascinating world Erika Johansen has created.

Nineteen year-old Kelsea Glynn is the heir to the Tearling throne, she has been raised in the secluded woods by foster parents Carlin and Barty Glynn away from the royal life all those years but now needs to take back control of her kingdom and defeat the Red Queen of Mortmesne. Kelsea was a self-doubting, thoughtful heroine, believing herself plain she was often ridiculed and looked down on; lacking in the necessary experience that came with ruling a kingdom, especially one that is in tatters and is full of corruption it was certainly an interesting journey Kelsea had to undertake to be the person her followers needed her to be.

The richly detailed world-building is an aspect that was done well in present time but I feel the past needed further explanation; the creative storyline was balanced with an exciting mix of politics, social drama and a smidgen of a potential romance that I’d love to see further developed. I liked learning about Kelsea’s mother, Queen Elyssa, the power of her sapphire necklace and the events which happened under her uncle’s reign. A portion of the book was spent with Kelsea travelling to the Keep which did become tiresome with the guards unprofessional antics and for me made the pacing lag but it did give us more insight in to her as a regular insecure girl and then seeing her progress as the book did as a respected future queen. The side characters each played an important role and I’m eager to see a few relationships flourish and progress; Fletch has me intrigued.

I had a few minor gripes - There are many unanswered questions which I’m sure will be answered over the course of the series, I am still a tad clueless about the overall setting and the lack of technology, the time period and what happened with America and Europe? And the crossing is still an aspect I am not completely sure about; it was baffling.

This book certainly didn’t read like a debut novel, rich in detail and highly entertaining with simple, easy to understand language, it all flowed well and is a nice start to the series. Warner Bros have snapped up the film rights before it was published and will reunite the Harry Potter dream team of producer David Heyman and star Emma Watson – very excited about this.

Overall, the story is engaging, the characters are fascinating, and their relationships keep developing in a genuine manner. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Queen of the Tearling.

The book had been left on a table in a sitting area in Sydney Airport. And it was ten in the morning, while my flight was not scheduled until five-thirty that afternoon.

Seven hours to fill in before boarding time.

I looked at the book. No one seemed to want it, and looking at the unimpressive cover and unimaginative title, I thought I could see why. When I finally picked it up, it was to find that it was bookmarked at page 180 before being abandoned.

I put it down again. No one came rushing over to claim her book, and so it lay there, looking forlorn. Seven hours to fill. I picked it up again, and this time I looked at the back. Bernard Cornwell, one of my favorite authors, had blurbed it. "A gripping read with an enchanting heroine, Erika Johansen has created a wonderful world and I can't wait to read more," he had written.

So I started the book. And was gripped. It lasted me throughout the wait and then throughout the flight, and next morning I couldn't wait to read the rest.

And yet, it is surprisingly derivative. Let's look at the plot, for a start. Nineteen-year-old Kelsea, plump and plain and bookish, has been raised in a remote forest by two rather elderly foster parents. On her birthday nine horsemen come to collect her, so she can claim her throne. The trail to the city (called New London) is fraught with danger, as there is a price on the future queen's head. She is rescued by a bandit named The Fetch who wears a harlequin mask, and it is then that we find that she wears a sapphire with magic qualities. After arriving in New London to supplant a fat and nasty regent, Kelsea takes on board the full challenge of her job -- the place is corrupt, her people are being sold into slavery (following a lottery to fill the quota) as a "tribute" to a really repellent neighboring monarch called -- also unimaginatively -- the Red Queen. But Kelsea tackles all this with guts and gusto, aided by her Queen's Guard. She is a female knight in shining armor.

Sound familiar? Well, it should. There is a lot of Hunger Games in there, plus Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter. The author uses her sources openly and without embarrassment. What saves this -- apart from the wonderful writing and narrative pace -- is another derivation, that of the Grimm brothers' Fairy Tales. All the elements are there -- magical artifacts, looming forests, a wicked queen, greedy nobles, downtrodden peasants -- and Johansen handles them beautifully. There is a certain amount of violence, but she certainly doesn't wallow in it. The one or two swear words dropped into the dialogue are rather delightfully revealing of the main character's naivete. There are also clever touches of humor. And, thank the lord, there is no bonking.

It's the first in a series, and, like Cornwell, I can't wait to read more.

Added notes. I see that a movie has been optioned -- and the heroine is to be as beautiful as Katniss. What a mistake! What is particularly appealing about Kelsea is her plainness, with not a hint of a makeover in sight.

On the store there are some surprisingly virulent reviews. Curious to know what the reviewers found so repellent, I had a look at the other books those readers had reviewed. In the most vicious case the reviewer's five-star ratings were of (a) pregnancy books (b) raising toddler books (c) romances with plenty of graphic sex.

Ha! If the store reviewers only knew it, their lists of reviewed books are as revealing as their bookcases would be in their own homes.

The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel by Erika Johansen is a gripping read, with Kelsea, a young woman as lead character. More than anything this book reminds me of the series by Kristen Cashore. Graceling, Bitterblue and Fire were spellbinding. They too had a young woman of strength and wisdom beyond her years.

This book opens with Kelsea in a tree, watching her future approach in the form of a group of men, soldiers, the Queen's Guard. She had always known that she was to be the next queen, but it had meant little to her beyond lessons and some hard training. She had been raised far from the palace, and had no experience with society, let alone royalty. But it was her nineteenth birthday. The time had come to remove the regent, her uncle, a man of no honor and much greed, from the throne and take control of the people who waited for the true queen. Kelsea had her doubts about her abilities to rule, to be responsible for the lives of so many. But, she also knew that it was her destiny. She had to at least try. It was her good fortune to be surrounded by men who had been the Queen's Guard for her mother, the woman who sent her away to save her life, and set her into the care of two good and honorable people. They had done their job well. Kelsea slid from the branch of the tree to stride into her future.

This book is filled with adventure, and some misadventure as well. As she rode into her keep, she was told that this was where she would write the first page of her history as the queen of the Tearling. Her people. She made a grand entrance, and within moments of entering the keep, where her uncle had held court and squandered the lives and the people of the Tearling, she managed in one stroke to gain the hearts and loyalty of her people, and the guards of her mother, who would become her own Queen's Guard as well. The rather grand entrance Kelsea made saved the lives of many people, and ended with cages that had moments before been filled with people, in flames. Things were going to change, and change quickly.

Kelsea was brave, and gifted and willing to take the advice of those who had more experience than she herself had. She learned quickly who she could trust, even though there were those questioned some of her choices. Especially the masked thief that had helped to rescue her as she rode away from her old life towards her new one. From the moment that she stepped up and ordered the regent to off of her throne, she was fighting not only for her throne but for her life. I can hardly wait to see where her story takes us. I suspect that there will be many surprises in store, and I look forward to reading them.

This book is appropriate for young adults, and I recommend it highly for adults as well.

Kelsea Glynn is the princess of Tearling. But she has been raised in solitude away from the court. All through her life, she was raised with knowledge and the impression that Tearling is a wonderful kingdom and her mother a great leader. On her nineteenth birthday she is returned to Tearling but with a shock. Her mother was a horrible, shallow leader.

Her uncle has been ruling in her place but has been beaten down by the Red Queen. To appease her, Tearling has a lottery for people to be slaves for the Red Queen. Horrified, Kelsea has decided to stop the lottery and put everything back to right. But this is going to be hard since although she has been taught what she needs to know, practical application is always a different matter.

This was an interesting first book to a series. I liked the premise of the story and think it has lots of potential. Kelsea is a practical leader that although trained, is going to have a hard time applying the changes she wants. I liked how she is a plain girl that would be over looked. I admit that it gets old dealing with shallow, super pretty characters. Kelsea is going to have to use her brain instead of her looks.

On the other hand, she is still naïve so interactions with men get her blushing and other situations show how innocent she is. It gets a touch frustrating when there is no much focus on things like this than the point of the story. Too often I find you have a flash back to her younger years instead of focusing on the big picture.

I also would to have had a little bit of background on this world. Something happened and modern civilization that we know about is destroyed and people have reverted back to the middle ages. Ok, I could have believed it more if there was more about the Crossing and Landing. Then you have a scientist and magic at the same time. It feels thrown together, jumbled up, and only part of a whole though. Also, there were times where the story spent too much time describing other people and different situations that really did nothing for it. I think these parts could have been trimmed down and the point gotten to a lot faster.

Over all, this is the first book in a series and it shows. I do think this story could be refined and be a great story. I just had a hard time with different things in it. I do feel that you need to give this book a try. Although there are a lot of lower reviews and negativity toward it, I think that many would like the book. I do want to read the next book to see how things have progressed.

Shawn Kovacich
Author and Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

Kelsea Raleigh Glynn is a serious girl who loves reading books and learning. She's been raised by a devoted foster family following the death of her mother, and now, as she turns 19 years of age, she sets out on the perilous quest to claim her birthright as the Queen of the Tearling.

Aiding her in her adventure is a dedicated guardian named Lazarus, along with others of the Queen's Guard. And she will need them. Assassins have been biding their time, awaiting her re-emergence, and the malevolent Red Queen of Mortmesne will stop at nothing to prevent Kelsea from claiming the throne.

THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is a bright new entry in the fantasy genre. A heady mixture of adventure, romance, magic and mystery, this debut novel from Erika Johansen is a captivating work sure to hold the attention of the most jaded reader of fantasy. It does have a few pacing issues, but on the whole, the story remains entertaining enough to make them a minimal obstacle.

Kelsea is a credible lead. She is young and not at all comfortable with the idea of ruling. She has no idea how to go about being a Queen and knows nothing of the Tearling. Like any child on the verge of full-fledged adulthood, she is uncertain of herself, the world, and her place in it. Yet, even though she has these doubts, Johansen has made sure not to play her as a defenseless damsel. There is strength in Kelsea, and she is only going to grow in subsequent novels.

The world of the Tearling is crafted to resemble our own history, particularly a Middle Ages Europe, in setting and tone. What readers learn as they read THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is that it is not a past but rather a future world. Elements of our past are referenced, but they are not always as we remember them. Things have changed. Slavery and human trafficking are back in fashion. Technology is banned. It is one of the endearing things about the worldcraft of the novel.

Some have already begun comparing this book to A Game of Thrones. That is a mistake. While thrones, royals and political intrigue are present in both, there is no real comparison. George R. R. Martin's series is far denser and heavier than what Johansen has crafted. This is not a knock on THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING. What Johansen has done is craft a novel with an easy style that is tremendously fun and engaging, luring readers on its own merits and strengths.

As THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING winds to a close, readers will be left with the questions that they hope to find answers to in the follow-up installment: What is the story with the Red Queen? What exactly is the time and place, and what has happened in the past? And just who is Kelsea's father? With any luck, it won't take six years to find out some of those answers.

Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.

I apparently went into The Queen of the Tearling “knowing” that I was going to hate it. I realized this when I kept getting surprised at all the things I DIDN’T hate, and once I let that go, I really enjoyed myself.

In any ambitious fantasy, there is a line to straddle between too much info dumping/world building and not enough or conflicting information given to the reader. Johansen straddled that line quite well, so well, in fact, that The Queen of the Tearling does not feel like a debut fantasy novel. She does err on the side of too little information, which I found troublesome at times. Although I realized early on that the Tearling was a land set in the future, I’m still unsure about how exactly that future came about. The entire book I tried unsuccessfully to determine exactly what “the crossing” was. For Mr. Tear to have immigrated a group of people somewhere in the current world is unbelievable to me. Therefore, I think that “the crossing” was either to another planet (which is the most unlikely as the bulk of medical supplies and doctors sunk in a ship) or another world/dimension through magic or some high-tech dimensional travel. Also, what exactly prompted “the crossing”? Was there a nuclear war? Was there an android crash on earth on the dinosaur scale? What happened?!

Another world-building issue I had was with the medical advances/regressions in the future world. On one hand, this is basically a medieval world with those type of medical advances, but on the other, some people live over 100 years. Is this a medical breakthrough? Is this magic?

Although the blurb describes Kelsea as a “wholly original heroine”, she falls short of original but does land in the likeable territory. She’s got grit, determination, backbone and a whole lot of stubbornness. She’s also nineteen, so she’s young, inexperienced and prone to being distracted by small things when her kingdom is being threatened. Those things actually may have made me like her more; she wasn’t perfect, but she did earn the respect of those around her. My main complaint is not with Kelsea but with her portrayal. There are many, many instances of Kelsea’s looks being described as plain and ugly. While I think the ambition behind this was admirable, the execution was not. This was a case of the author should show and not tell. You want me to understand that Kelsea is more than her looks? Then never tell me anything more about her looks than she’s brunette with green eyes (or whatever she looked like), and focus on her strengths - her fairness, intelligence and compassion.

Another inconsistency that I noted dealt with Kelsea’s being sheltered her whole life. Kelsea was not raised with her mother, but was sent to live with a couple who fostered her. She spent most of her life being tutored by a woman with an obsession with books, yet when she arrives at the castle, she knows absolutely nothing about her world. Not a thing. What was she learning her entire life???

Despite my issues (and I was actively searching for problems), I was immersed in the political intrigue of the Tearling. We get to see a few different points of views, including the Red Queen, and because of that, there really is never a lull in the story. There is no where near as much as A Game of Throne, but publishers need to stop comparing every single fantasy story to that and Tolkien anyway. There was more grit than I was expecting, and I was so glad that the story didn’t revolve around how cute Boy #1 was and how much Boy #2 loved her dresses while he was brooding. There's very little in the way of romance which I appreciated immensely.

Aside from the political intrigue, the best part of The Queen of the Tearling is the secondary characters mixing with a wide variety of folklore. Kelsea is the “True Queen” and it is even mentioned that this is comparable to the Arthurian legend. There is the Fetch who is somewhat like Robin Hood, with less redeeming qualities and more sinister motives. There is the evil queen from pretty much any fairy tale who is known only as the “Red Queen” because she won’t reveal her name. This element and a few others reminded me strongly of Kate Forsyth’s The Witches of Eileanan. But my very favorite was the Mace. He’s Kelsea’s captain of the guard who makes no secret that he is not impressed with Kelsea from the beginning. He’s secretive, condescending, and very capable.

All in all, Johansen’s debut novel is ambitious, if not original, and one good story. I’m interested to see where this story goes, and I want the answers to all of my questions. I do wish that the hype beast would have started after we had a few of the sequels first. Johansen is going to have a tough road ahead full of scrutiny with the rumors of a seven-book deal and a movie starring Harry Potter darling Emma Watson.

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review originally appeared on Bibliophilia, Please at: http://www.bibliophiliaplease.com/2014/07/review-queen-of-tearling-by-erika.html

An unforgettable series. In the opening pages, I'm immediately drawn into the world of The Tearling. Johansen uses rich descriptions of the land (alongside epigraphs that span across time and the book's interior maps) and expertly embeds it's history into the characters and plot at hand, making for a completely immersive read. At 19, Kelsea travels from her isolated home to the capital to take her place as queen and eventually, battle the neighboring all-powerful sorceress. Our main hero is tough and brave, though also perfectly self-deprecating; she is the kind of character you can't help but route for and yes, love. Note: I grew up on fantasy/adventure books and for much of my young reading life felt starved for a female hero I could relate to (or any female character not overly-sexualized, a side-kick, or a nun/angel/ethereal being). Kelsea is bad-ass but also, entirely relateable. What i would have done to have had a book like this in my young adult life but also, like a HUNGER GAMES or a GAME OF THRONES, QUEEN OF THE TEARLING (and it's squeal, INVASION OF THE TEARLING) does the trick in my adult life. Highly recommend for fantasy/adventure lovers of all ages.

The first time I saw the summary on Goodreads; I was already captivated. I am glad that I became part of this tour.

The world-building is the icing on the cake, everything is rich and detailed. It feels like I was part of the story. I love the historical feel and adventure. The story creeps into you slowly until you are completely blended inside.

I also like the author’s writing style. It reminds me of J.K Rowling’s; a complex world but written simple. There’s no doubt the readers will be hooked. My only problem is the pacing. It’s a bit slow for my liking but once it hits the highest peak, it makes you want to read more. The scenes were described well and realistic enough. I didn’t had a hard time comprehending the situations. I wasn’t also expecting some explicit scenes. I find it appropriate for the story. Again, it exhibits reality making it believable. It’s dark, suspense, historical and political. Game of Thrones and Harry Potter fans will enjoy the book. Smashing GoT and HP together is brilliant.

The character-building is incredible. There are so many of them, and it made the story lively. But it’s all about Kelsea and her task to become the Queen of the Tearling. Though, not everything about her is written in the book; so it made her mysterious is some ways. As the story flows, secrets will be revealed.

As for the romance, there was none. But I hope there will be in the future. There are some eligible bachelors for Kelsea (Sigh).
This upcoming series will be a big hit. So I suggest for you guys to read while it’s still hot. Did I mention that Emma Watson will play as Kelsea? And that the people behind The Harry Potter Series will make the movie?

I give this 4 Sapphire Whales.

I really enjoyed this book and I am glad I did not read the negative reviews before reading it I can't wait for the next volume and am glad I only have to wait a few weeks before it is released. I found it a very enjoyable fantasy and found myself thinking about the characters and the background when I was not able to read the book. I would say that some of the descriptions are a little violent and graphic for young YA readers. Older readers who like fantasy should enjoy this book very much.

A fairly decent story, other than the fact that the main character, Kelsea is not someone that anyone over the age of 17 could even empathize with. That she is "nothing so much as an insecure girl", is an understatement. About halfway through the 7th chapter, I found Kelsea so annoying that inwardly I was rooting for her unceremonious expulsion from the Keep. (Yes please. Now could we please move past this whiny girl?) I found the dialogue just too modern, even for a YA novel.

An adult (not YA) fantasy set in a future world where technology and social structure has mostly reverted back to medieval levels (plus there's magic). Well written, if slightly simple, it's easy to read, engrossing, has an engaging heroine and an intriguing plot, that finishes in a satisfying manner while leaving room for books 2 and 3.

Kelsea Raleigh has been raised in seclusion by her adoptive parents, Carlin and Barty. Kelsea's mother, Queen Ellysa, ruled over the Kingdom of Tearling. She arranged for Kelsea to be taken away from the castle when she was an infant in an effort to protect her from the Red Queen of Mortmesne, who invaded the Tearling and subjugated it to an oppressive treaty by which the Tearling had to pay tribute to Mortmesne in the form of a monthly delivery of citizens that she used as slaves.

The book begins when Kelsea turns nineteen and it's determined that she is of age and can take over the rule of the Tearling from her uncle, who's served as Regent for many years. The Queen's guard accompanies her to the castle where she sees the injustice of the past 18 years and begins to make changes. Breaking a treaty with the Red Queen brings war and strife to the Tearling. Kelsea faces many challenges including someone in her own guard who has betrayed her. From the first page, this first novel by Erika Johansen kept me interested. I'm especially interested in the back story; it appears that the Tearling was founded by William Tear after "the Crossing". It was meant to be a utopian settlement with very little technology. The only science that Tear intended to have was medical technology, but their sophisticated equipment was destroyed in a shipwreck during the Crossing, so Tear's utopia didn't turn out as planned. It's well-written and fast-paced. The Queen of the Tearling is the first of a trilogy. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys modern fantasy.

After receiving an ARC of The Queen of the Tearling from Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, I went on to have a peek at some reviews before reading, this is something I usually avoid as I like to go into a book with an open mind. What I found was a lot of people saying how bad this book was and picking the story apart, I'm glad that despite seeing these reviews that I decided to go ahead and read it anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, sure there was one or two inconsistencies but it was nothing to rage over or took anything away from the story itself. I found it refreshing that the heroine in this story was a regular girl with insecurities like everyone else and not your cliche stunning beauty that has all the men in her kingdom falling at her feet or on their swords for her.

The only thing that bothered me was that supposedly this story is set years in our future but it reads like a medieval fantasy. There was little back story as to what happened to get them where they are and aside from the odd mention of Rowling and Tolkein when perusing the old books in their library you would never know it was set in the future as there is a distinct lack of any technology.

I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys medieval fantasy, give it a try for yourself and go in with an open mind and ignore those negative reviews. I'm certainly glad that I did, I read this book in two sittings in less than 24 hours and I'll definately be looking out for the sequel.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book! It's gotten generally middling reviews but I really enjoyed it. Kelsea always knew the day would come when she would need to come out of hiding and try to rule but I don't think she envisioned the many types of disaster she would walk into. She is hunted by many and trusted by virtually no one but somehow is expected to know how to be a queen. The pressure on her from beginning to end is unbelievable. However, she is a joy as a protagonist. Her strength is astonishing and her will undeniable. She surprises herself and everyone else at nearly every turn. Her supporting cast are a fabulous mix of characters all with secrets and history kept close to their vests. There is still much to learn about each of them and I'm very eager to hear their stories. Plus there's the "Big Bad" in the Red Queen who's pretty damn scary. You learn enough of her to make you desperately want to know more. Although the Queen is young this is no young adult novel. The plot is sometimes harsh, bleak and heart breaking. It initially moves a bit too slowly but once it ramped up I couldn't put the book down! Choices are made, secrets are spilled, plans unfold, battles are fought, lives are lost, magic rises, the Queen's mettle is tested. There is much going on and I enjoyed the way hints are left here and there only to be picked up later. This was such a great start to a series I'm happy to continue!

Amazing book for a debut. I am very glad I hadn't realised there was hype related to this book, I had purchased this book wanting a new book to read and liked the blurb.
This book kept me entranced from the very beginning to end. The characters are intriguing and the glimpses we get of other darker events and past occurrences make you want to delve deeper into this world.

I do agree with some reviewers that not a lot is mentioned in this book and I was quite surprised to hear American and English and Europe in the book not actually realising until half way through that it was set in the future sometime.

Howvever, this did not detract from the excellence of this book or the witty dialogue.

The secrets and lake of facts surrounding the past and characters is supposed to be like this - mysterious - I mean do people want everything explained in the first chapter? This is a fantasy book set to expand and evolve over a trilogy. It grows as it continues and being a very picky reader, I loved this book and couldnt put it down.

In addition, this book is nothing like the childish teen books of hunger games or twilight or whatever new fad is out there. I never read these kids books and never would have thought to relate this book to them until I read some of the reviews on here.
Definitely recommend

I NEVER write book reviews on the store, and I'm a Librarian!

I adored this book and I seriously consider those people who are tempted to be turned away by the slew of most recent negative reviews to read some of the 3, 4, and 5 stars reviews instead!

This book was fantastic and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the second.

4.5 stars

The Queen of the Tearling is an exciting start to a new fantasy series and a solid debut by Erika Johansen. Johansen gives us very little back story, something I hope is forthcoming in the next book; all we know is that some cataclysmic event has caused Americans, Brits, and other modern-day nationalities to undertake "The Crossing," whether to another time or another place, where most modern technology has been lost.

Many of the elements of the story reminded me of other great fantasy series: the schism between primitive technology and magic found in Victoria Strauss's Stone duology, the protagonist's uncertain parentage and physically plain appearance of Brent Weeks's Lightbringer series, the evil Red Queen of Ken Scholes's Psalms of Isaak. This is intended as a compliment; despite the common elements, The Queen of the Tearling does not feel derivative. Instead, Johansen has created an appealing heroine in Kelsea Glynn, and both the mysterious back story and the snippets of future "history" which introduce each chapter ensure that I will pick up the next book as soon as it comes out.

I received a free copy of The Queen of the Tearling through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I was honestly a bit apprehensive in regards to reading The Queen of the Tearling because of the mixed reviews I saw, but as an opportunity came up for me to review it, I decided to throw caution to the wind and read it. After finishing all 400-plus pages, I realized that the novel was one of those “acquired taste” kind of books; because I did enjoy reading it (in all its weird but oddly appealing entirety). When I got over the obscure and slightly confusing world building (I sort of just forgot about it after a while), I was able to truly appreciate the complexity and diversity of the characters, the interesting plot and the great writing (Erika Johansen has got some beautiful words).

As I have mentioned above, one of the things that truly struck me was Erika Johansen’s writing. At first glance, it seems like your normal third-person point of view but as you delve deeper into the story, you see subtle shifts in her writing. The way she incorporates words and lines that make the text more captivating and enthralling. I was especially impressed when Erika Johansen was able to switch to different points of view so effortlessly and smoothly. I have read a number of novels wherein the characters have the same tone making it hard to differentiate between the alternating POVs or the author uses too many POVs which ends up with me being confused, but Erika Johansen used only significant POVs that may seem unimportant at the start but are given greater role as the story progresses. Each POV switch allows the reader to truly get to know the characters better and also see the story with a broader scope.

The character development in The Queen of the Tearling was also very good. The reader is given the chance to really connect with each character, even I found myself invested in most of the characters. I loved reading about the Queen’s Guard, each member had their own story to tell and I look forward to hearing more of them as the series goes on. (They are all so mysterious and so badass! Makes me want my own set of guards. Oh, and did I mention that they’re all good looking? I don’t even care how old they are, I’d take them, lol. Total groupie over here!) However, in the numerous characters I met, there were four that really got me all kinds of excited and intrigued: The Fetch, who reminds me of The Darkling (from the Grisha trilogy) but less evil but no less mysterious; The Red Queen, who is one crazy but interesting bitch; Cardinal Anders, who is a God’s man with insanely questionable intentions; and the dark thing, who is exactly that but where did it come from, what is its purpose, and so many more questions! But really, I commend Erika Johansen for being able to really build up each character and give them all a significant role. (Really liked the direction she took with Javel, the Gate Guard.)

If there is one person that surprised me the most, it would have to be the protagonist, Kelsea Raleigh. Having been sheltered and kept hidden for all of her life and then suddenly taken and then made into the queen would have made anyone pause but Kelsea took everything into stride. I never thought that she would be as fierce as she turned out to be. Even though she had bouts of insecurities at times, her confidence and rule as the Queen of the Tearling never wavered. She was very diplomatic and strategic and her command for respect made me respect her as well. She turned out to be a better queen that I expected her to be, than everyone expected her to be. Kelsea was definitely a force to be reckoned with and she stunned me. The decisions she made were tough and I really admire her for being so brave. I’d absolutely bow down to her. I am really looking forward to seeing how much more she can grow in the coming books.

Okay, time for the things I didn’t like about The Queen of the Tearling. First off, I wasn’t impressed by the fact that everyone seemed to be commenting on how plain Kelsea was. I really didn’t understand why people had to constantly mention it but I’m hoping that it’ll pass in the next books. And the other thing I didn’t particularly appreciated about the book was the world building and the general theme of the story. I felt that there were times wherein the story strayed from Fantasy and went into some other world or something. I wasn’t even sure if it was Fantasy in the first place because it was also Post-Apocalyptic or Dystopian or Historical or something. I was very confused but the farther I got into the story, the less it mattered, I literally just went with it. (It was better to go with the flow than stress about the structure.)

Another bit about the book that really got to me (in a good/bad way) was the fact that there was no romance, in Kelsea’s part (which was what really mattered anyway). While it gave the her more space to grow independently, I would’ve liked at least a kiss or a look from someone. (Totally Team Pen here, lol.) Hopefully we’ll get more in the next books! Also, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I keep mentioning the next books; well, it’s because there were a lot of things left unresolved in The Queen of the Tearling. I seriously have so many questions right now and I’m hoping that they’ll get answered in the sequels. So. Many. Questions. But I am happy to say that The Queen of the Tearling ended in a satisfying way, for me at least.

The Queen of the Tearling is a gem of a debut novel that shines with an exciting cast of charactesr, a great story line and gorgeous writing I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who is looking for some pure Fantasy with an extra crazy world building thrown into the mix, and a bunch of other really awesome things. I really enjoyed The Queen of the Tearling and I am seriously looking forward to the sequel. (Interesting enough, this book was my last read of 2014 so I ended the year with a good read. Yay!)

Rating: 4/5

Official blog post: http://the-soul-sisters.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-giveaway-queen-of-tearling-by.html

Kelsea Glynn has spent her whole life in the confinement of the forest , tucked away in a house with her adoptive parents. Over the years she is taught how to fight, how to read, write, and act as a Queen for she is the sole heir to the throne of the Tearling.

On her 19th birthday she is scared but ready to be led back to her kingdom and start her reign as ruler who is fair and just, unlike her mother who was vain and made disastrous spur of the moment decisions before her death and unlike her uncle who only cares for sex and money, and the throne for added good measure to make sure he stays in the lap of luxury he has become accustomed to since Kelsea's mother's death.

Kelsea knows more than one attempt will be made on her life and she will have to along with the help of the royal guards fight her way back into the kingdom. But she also knows this is why she was born, he kingdom needs a fearless leader and if she has to kill her uncle and the evil always looking for her pond of flesh Red Queen so be it. And so starts the journey of one girl said to be the true Queen of the Tearling and her mission to rescue her people and to never give up till she knows just why the mysterious jewel around her neck has suddenly taken on a life of it's own.

The media has described this book as a Game of Thrones for woman, in a way it is that because we do have a brave heroine who kills and fights her way out of countless assassination attempts, and even goes as far as slicing the throat of a gone a stay guard. But also being mentioned in the media is that this is great fantasy romance, that I can tell you it was not. There are one of two glimpses of romance here and there but it 's gone just as quick as it appears. I will say this, from the story line I was able to pick up that in the next part of the series we will be seeing some more hard core romance, after all the heroine is only 19 years old and has never seen a man aside from her adoptive father.

As for the rest of this book it's all guts and glory , as body parts are chopped, burned and splashed all over the place. There is a wonderful mystery along with the true meaning of the jewels that are entrusted to Kelsea, there is also the question of who the real king is to the queen or rather who Kelsea's real father is.

In all honesty I am no fan of game of throne type of books fan, yet this book had me so intrigued I could not stop reading. I wanted to know more about the jewels, the lives of the royal guards and of course the Red Queen.

All of the characters were well written and each very mysterious in their own way, but sadly the author did not do so with the Red Queen , the character was under developed and at the end of the read she was just as mysterious as she was in the start. I presume that in the next part of the series we will get to know more about her and just exactly she is as evil as she is.

To sum up we have a courageous queen to be, a stunning set of royal guards sworn to our queen, a wide range of secondary characters, people dying, children having the life sucked of them by dark forces, an enemy queen that's is over a century old yet looks like she's 22 and an journey into a remarkable world where medieval times rule.

I recommend this read for anyone looking for something a little different than the every day read, and of course for the those game of throne junkies. Word to the wise : if you don't like the odd swear word here and there, then this read is not for you nor will it be if blood and guts creep you out.

4.5 star review
" To save her kingdom she needs to find her inner queen"

** Copy provided in exchange for a honest review

Raised by adoptive parents in the woods, Princess Kelsea Raleigh has entertained fantasies about her mother and her future. She isn't ready, though, when the Queen's Guard--her mother's guard--arrive to take her to her inheritance. With her mother long-dead, her uncle intends to hold onto the throne he claimed as regent. And he's hired the world's top assassins to be sure that Kelsea never makes it to the capital city to make her claim. Her usurper-uncle, however, is far from the greatest of Kelsea’s problems. Her guards remain loyal to her mother rather than to her, and her kingdom pays a horrible ransom to their conquering neighbor. Kelsea intends to bring justice, to promote equality and education, to create a better world for her people but her impulsive acts drive her nation toward war against a neighbor who stands ready to destroy them.

THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is an impressive first fantasy novel by Erika Johansen. Johansen draws on familiar fairy tale themes (the hidden (book-loving) heir, the usurping uncle, the beautiful/immortal/evil antagonist, the magic marks of the true queen) and wraps them in a rich story with a growing heroine.

Although the book does not claim to be the start of a series, there are a number of dangling threads that need to be followed up on. Some of these (the non-capture of the former head of the census, Arlen Thorne, the consequences of the violation of the treaty with Mortmesne (and do we really need evil always to start with Mor as in Mordor, Mordred, Voldemort?) the relationship with the dangerous “fetch”, problems with the church) are obvious set-up for future volumes. Others, though, seem simply to have been forgotten (what happened to the missing crown? Doesn’t anyone care?)

I would have liked to see a bit more learning from Kelsea. She tends to act without thinking—and then have everything work out fine. Even in fantasy, the world is a complicated place and those who pursue virtue without allowing any possible compromise or even the possibility of alternate paths to the shared goal are unlikely to see happy outcomes. Perhaps in later volumes of this story we’ll see more of that character growth.

Minor flaws aside, TEARLING is an exciting new fantasy story. I liked it a lot

The Queen of the Tearling was fantastic! It’s a perfect read if you’re into some high fantasy where you have a female who KICKS BUTT!

Kelsea was a fantastic main character. There’s nothing not to like about her. She’s fair, just, imperfect, gets her hands dirty, and a natural queen. She could be fierce and demanding, but always for good (just) reasons. I loved how she wasn’t the kind of queen to sit up in her ivory tower and send her warriors to do her work. She actually got in there and made things happen. She went right into the fray if necessary, knife and all. I felt like I was ready to bow down and swear loyalty to this fictional character!

I also love how she was constantly described as being a bit plain, and even a little chubby. It just made her seem like that much more epic of a queen.

The story and its characters never bored me. I loved the different points of view, the political scandal, and the outrageously dressed nobles. I thought all the characters were really interesting, especially the thief we meet in the beginning (Fetch) and Kelsea’s epicly fierce captain of the guard (Mace).

What is the bloody 'Crossing'?

My only gripe with The Queen of the Tearling was how the setting was totally ignored. It was the most confusing thing ever. Every now and then the author would mention America or old Europe and talk about the “Crossing”. Here we have this fantasy world (magic, knights, kingdoms), which is somehow actually connected to the ‘real’ world.. but it’s NEVER explained what exactly this connection (or “Crossing”) is. It’s mentioned here and there—just as “the Crossing”—but we never actually know what it is.

Example (paraphrased): “Kelsea flipped through one of the beloved Harry Potter books, which were brought over in The Crossing.” WHAT IS THE CROSSING?!?! TELL ME!!

The author talks about utopia, ships that made the “Crossing”—one of which went down with a ton of medical supplies and doctors. The book almost makes it sound like the world grew another continent and a group of settlers decided to sail to it and form the Tearling. (wtf?) We’re never actually told explicitly WHAT, WHERE, or WHEN the crossing was.

This little snippet from the Goodreads series page is more information than we’re directly told in the actual book:

"The story is set three centuries after a small portion of the human race has populated a landmass that mysteriously emerged in the wake of an environmental catastrophe."

The only other thing that bummed me out was how the plot never felt like it amounted to much. Basically, Kelsey does something towards the beginning, then there’s a bunch of political drama (which, to be fair, was interesting), then the book ended the exact same way it began—just tying off the thing she started ages ago. I feel like I was hoping for something new… like a more grand, epic battle between Kelsea and the Red Queen. This book very much felt like an introduction, and since so little actually happened it almost seems like book 1 out of 7, rather than book 1 out of 3 (though I have no idea if this is even a trilogy). I just wanted more plot progression than we were given.

But despite that, the plot we did get wasn’t boring. Far from it! I was pretty hooked from start to finish. Towards the end if the book I actually had tears in my eyes because I felt so proud of all that Kelsea had accomplished and how she really stuck to her guns! I felt like I got super invested in all the characters and the story.

Awesome new series!

On her nineteenth birthday, the world Kelsea Raleigh Glynn has ever know, will change forever. And she knows it will. Her adoptive parents have spent her entire life raising her for this moment. She is the Princess and will become the newly crowned Queen of the Tearling. But to do so she must make her way back to her homeland and once there, take the throne back from her Uncle the Regent.

Kelsea is not like her mother, the Queen. She is plain, not beautiful, and serious and smart. Unlike her beautiful mother who frivolity led to her losing her kingdom. But Tearling is a magical place, built on ideals and lofty goals lost in the blood and death of a lost kingdom.

"...Perhaps daring will win them.
You'll never win the respect of these people. You'll be lucky not to die before you reach the Keep.
Maybe. But I have to try something.
You speak as though you have options. All you can do is what they tell you.
I'm the Queen. I'm not bound by them.
So think most Queens, right until the moment the axe falls..."

There are many who don't want Kelsea to return. There are assassins sent to kill her. Palace intrigues and deceits. But Kelsea also has allies. The Queen's guard who are sworn to protect her. The mystery rogue thief and his army who wait in the forest for her to prove that she can be a true Queen of the Tearling.

"...The Tear economy ran on farming; farmers worked the fields in exchange for the right to occupy the noble's land, but the noble's took all of the profits, except for the taxes paid to the Crown. Kelsea could hear Carlin's voice in the library now, her tone of deep disapproval echoing against the wall of books: "Serfdom, Kelsea, that's all it is. Worse, its serfdom condoned by the state. These people are forced to work themselves to the bone for a noble's comfortable lifestyle, and if they're lucky, they're rewarded with survival. William Tear came to the New World with a dream of pure socialism, and this is where we ended up..."

But her greatest enemy is the Red Queen of Mortmesne. A powerful and ruthless ruler who borders the Tearling and waits. Waits for the time to unleashed an army that has already destroyed the Tearling once and can again. The invasion only thwarted by the treaty made by Kelsea's mother. A treaty that enacts a toll on the people of the Tearling. A toll Kelsea must save them from.

Review -

The Queen of the Tearling is a terrific book with an immense amount of flaws. Its the grandchild who is always misbehaving but you just adore him anyway.

The plot is borrowed and barely disguised from many other novels new and old. A lost princess coming home to reclaim her crown. A rogue outlaw she falls for. A loyal guard with dark and tragic past. A mother figure who is not who she was suppose to be. A dark, full of evil magic, Queen on a bordering land who is going to pounce on you at a moment's notice. A Red Queen. Why is it always a Red Queen? Not purple. Not blue. Not orange. But Red. A tribute paid out to a conquering nation, not in goods, but in children.

Yes, the Queen of Tearling has some very unoriginal themes. The writing itself is suspect. A literary major will go ape s*** over some of it.

So why am I saying this is a terrific book?

Because it freaking is! Its a really good story and though you know you've heard it before in various forms; its still a really good story! It flows and picks up steam and then it ebbs and then it roars again and...its a freaking good story!

So for all you literary snobs, you cultural elitists, yeh I said it. Look in he mirror and know you are! You are the same kind of nose in the air numb nuts who would have ripped Edgar Rice Burroughs and tales like Conan the Barbarian and John Carter. Hell, you would have ripped Edgar A. Poe in his time as well.

The Queen of the Tearling is a really good story and you will forgive it it's flaws. But here's hoping as the series goes along Johansen starts tying some of them up a bit. Its forgivable in book one but as the story goes along, it will become a distraction.

The best way I can relate the Queen of the Tearling to you my fellow readers is to say it is like that movie that is getting all the promotion and marketing and when it comes out just doesn't live up to the hype. The critics jump up and down and tear it up, so even if you liked it, you begin to doubt even your own judgment. Because if they say its bad, then it must be bad. But then, later on you catch the same movie on television and you cant seem to turn it off and you have to wonder what exactly was so bad about it.

The Queen of the Tearling is a really good story. That's it.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Queen of the Tearling and am very much looking forward to seeing the movie starring Emma Watson that is forthcoming, as well as to reading the additional books in the trilogy. The main character, Kelsea, is a strong, courageous female who cares deeply for her kingdom and is wise beyond her years. I love that she is not your stereotypical storybook princess/queen but rather a plain, ordinary person who is called upon to do the extraordinary. The book boasts a strong cast of fascinating, complex characters, and I am anxious to see them all evolve in the remaining books of this series. I definitely recommend it.

It’s Kelsea’s nineteenth birthday, which only means one thing: the day she, and the entire kingdom, have been waiting for is here. Kelsea’s mother was the Queen of the Tearling, and it’s Kelsea’s birthright to be the same. Today, she comes into her majority as queen. There’s just one problem: Kelsea’s uncle has held the throne since Kelsea’s mother died and Kelsea was whisked away in secrecy. He’s been looking for her ever since, intent on killing her. Surrounded by her mother’s loyal guards, Kelsea must travel a dangerous road to the capital to claim her position and take charge of her kingdom.

To be honest, this book has a lot of issues. There are plot holes, inconsistencies, and things that happen in the book that make no sense, other than to keep the suspense high. That being said, I enjoyed this book immensely. The writing draws you into the book and keeps you hooked. Yes, it has problems, and if you're the type to dissect everything you read, then don't read this book. But if sometimes you just want to get lost in a book, even if it has problems, this is a good choice.

The big buzz around this book was that it was a women-led fantasy that did not feature romance as a major plot point. When I first heard this I was very excited, and it obviously got me to read the novel. But the more I think about this, the more it raises a lot of the familiar conversations about “women’s fiction.” As if this novel might somehow carry more weight without a central romance plot (romance fans don’t despair totally–there are some moon eyes and the possibility of romance developing over the series). What I do like is that this novel does not discredit the possibility of romance, but in this novel we get to watch all the intricate political turns of new Queen of Tearling, Kelsea claim her kingdom.

Now, the world of this kingdom can be somewhat jarring. It’s a future that feels like a medieval past. Illusions are made to the great crossing, and all the information, especially medical knowledge, lost therein. Also there’s another kingdom. It’s ruled by an evil witch lady. She may have deals with dark creatures. Also, try to hear avid bibliophile Kelsea make mention of the “7 volumes of Rowling” without a little bit of a head snap.

Most of the plot of this book hinges around breaking of a contract with to feed the Red Queen (she’s the evil one because she doesn’t have a name) slaves in order for peace. A slave trade provides a visceral emotional reaction for readers, and allows Kelsea to slip in and be the good guy for readers unquestionably while still having to deal with a difficult political situation in that she’s just made someone very powerful very angry. Most of my questions in this book and world revolve around this slave business. Tearling is shipping hundreds of slaves every month; Mortmesme (Red Queen) seems very concerned when one shipment does not arrive, as if their entire economy may be hinging on this shipment of slaves. What are they doing with these slaves? What the novel tells me does not necessarily jive with this. Right now I am unsure if this is a weakness or a something that will be explored more as we go along.

I’m not going to lie, these things jarred me. But they did so because they lay outside of my experience with fantasy. I am not as well read in fantasy as I would like to be, so this may well not be abnormal within the genre. And that’s not really the point, just the reason for my reaction. I’m still settling into the world.

I like the characters in this novel, even the ones I don’t like. They are interesting, and I want to spend time with them. Yes, I sometimes have trouble with Kelsea. She seems to slip into her role almost too easily. Yes, she’s been training her whole life out in the country, but her guardians have kept some very important things from her. And she’s totally unfamiliar with society. Arguably, some of it is her having to call the bluff of the men around her who don’t feel she’s fit to rule. There is a particular scene in which Kelsea is meeting with the head of her armed forces that is both infuriating and cathartic. Also Johnson keeps teasing us with who her father is. How long of a series are we planning here Johnson? When will I find out who this woman’s father is?

Is this a perfect novel? No. In addition to the world, sometimes the exposition could feel a little heavy-handed. Did I enjoy it anyway? Yuppers. Am I going to turn in to the next installment. You bet. How else am I going to work out who Kelsea’s dang father is (I have suspicions, but I don’t trust Johansen hasn’t built it that way on purpose)? I have seen some punishing this book because they are offended it was billed as the next Game of Thrones. To this I say, “come on.” We’ve been in the game long enough to know that is a PR line, and it automatically indicated which audience may be interested in this book. Johnson has not said it’s the next Game of Thrones (correct me on this if I’m wrong). It doesn’t seem to be trying to be anything it’s not.

Read this for a book club and was skeptical at first, but it wasn't long before I couldn't put it down. I won't say more...don't want to spoil it for anyone! The 2nd book in the series is just as addictive :)

I rarely read historical fantasy novels, but I’m very happy that I read this one. It truly is a well written story with a powerful heroine. The story is set in a dystopian futuristic medieval world called Tear. I enjoyed the story of Kelsea, a young woman who suddenly comes of age and is sent off to face her destiny as a queen and hidden magical skills/gifts that she possesses in addition with an uncanny talent for leading.
What makes this book shine is the brilliant dialogue and the characterization, especially of the guardsmen, who come across as powerful warriors who are doing their duty by escorting her to the kingdom to be crowned. Slowly, their doubts about the young and naïve Kelsea begin to change into admiration as she shows courage, savvy, and fairness.
The Queen of Tearling is the first book of a series and definitely worth reading. The ending is satisfying but leaves many unanswered questions for the next installment. I really liked this novel which will soon be made into a movie…So that should tell you the storyline is pretty darn good!

This book was a dystopian youth recommendation from bookbub. I read it because I like the idea of a woman in charge but not expecting to be. Just belief in a reason for all things and a trust in her gut.

I really liked the book. I am thankful this is nothing like Hunger games, and wish all that hype had never happened. I am also thankful that the author created a character with many of the same flaws the rest of humanity has. I am not going to pick apart world building, or gripe about the fact it was not a "made up world"...honestly, if you look at the map in the beginning, some of the place names should let you know that there is a connection to our world.
I imagine the author will continue to drop little hints as to where and why the crossing occurred, and fill in some background as she goes. I like the characters, (so what if some don't feel all that deep, or the nineteen year old Queen is inconsistent..most, if not all nineteen year olds thrust into that position would be inconsistent.) Many reviews are long and explanatory, this one won't be. I enjoyed the book, had fun with it, and got to take a break from the daily routine. That's what I want from a novel. I will be buying the rest of the series.

When a book grabs at you and keeps you right where you are, unable to do anything but turn pages- you know you’ve found yourself a fantastic read. The Queen of the Tearling proved to be just that for me.

In all honesty, it seemed like a daunting book initially. It was a pretty thick novel and when I first started reading, I found that the chapters were laboriously long. That aside, what kept me going was my eager desire to learn more about the world Kelsea Raleigh lived in, most especially the place that she was born to rule- the land of the Tearling.

Just turned the rightful age of 19, it’s time for Kelsea to finally take her throne. She leaves the small cottage in the woods she’s called home as a child, the Queen’s Guard in tow to safely bring her back to her kingdom where she will be coronated Queen. However, the route back to The Keep a.k.a the Tearling royalty’s palace is a dangerzone full of people out to do away with Kelsea so she may never be crowned. With that, we get quite some action-packed scenes pretty early on. And things just get more exciting as Kelsea ascends as Queen- there’s horrible things to be stopped, magic to be discovered, secrets and schemes to be found out.

While the story was beyond interesting, what I loved most about the book is its main character. Kelsea, just as she is, was engaging to read. She’s bookish, smart, witty, good-natured. Her personality was genuine and I found myself easily connecting with her. As a queen, I found Kelsea totally admirable and kickass. I loved how she was righteous, reflective about making decisions, strong-willed. She truly had what it takes to be queen and as I watched her stand up to challenges, threats, and trials as the book progressed, I grew proud of her. I knew then that I would follow her journey and see through this series.

Other than Kelsea, I liked reading about the rest of characters who were all very distinct. A lot of them I found very intriguing and can’t wait to read more about- Lazarus of the Mace who served as Kelsea’s Captain of the Guard, The Fetch, and even the Red Queen. We get multiple viewpoints here and even when a lot of them were sparse since Kelsea’s remained the main narrative, they were a great addition.

This and the great and vivid world building Erika Johansen exhibited, and the unflinchingly well-written story itself were enough to pull me in and get me immersed into The Queen of the Tearling. I was surprised and dazzled by how much I really enjoyed reading it. I need the sequel ASAP!

Maybe because I am a big fan of Game of Thrones, I found this book bit slow, missing logic and not quite believable "social fantasy".
BUT it kept my interest long enough , so I bought the second book in the series " The Invasion of the Tearling". So far the second book is lot better .

I NEVER write book reviews on the store, and I'm a Librarian!

I adored this book and I seriously consider those people who are tempted to be turned away by the slew of most recent negative reviews to read some of the 3, 4, and 5 stars reviews instead!

This book was fantastic and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the second.

This is a fantastic book. While I agree that the synopsis sounds very "YA", I wouldn't label it as such. The themes are adult and there are tough scenarios to encounter. Also this isn't a one-off book. You will be left with questions, which is the mark of a good series for me. The main character is complex and makes mistakes. She isn't perfect. Neither are the people around her. I couldn't put this book down.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series. The main character is complicated and well crafted. This first installment wrapped up well, but left plenty of questions to develop in subsequent volumes.

This story was recommended by my dear friend and I thank her for it. Beginning with a forest waif and ending with a regal queen, I couldn't put it down. The blending of old world landscapes and future world disasters was beautifully executed.

**Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy**

In the vein of GRACELING or GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS, THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING offers a rich fantasy world chock-full of political intrigue, heart-stopping moments, and an unconventional heroine who I fell in love with on page one.

THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is one of those books that I'm happy I read before I read any online reviews. There are a lot of complaints about THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING, and I'm not saying that some of them aren't valid, but it is a remarkably engaging book, and once I picked it up, I was barely able to set it back down again until I finished. It may seem similar to other books in the same genre, but it sets itself apart, with its older heroine, slightly more adult topics, and the setting, in a future world after some sort of apocalyptic event that caused the world's population to lose their technology and gain magic.

While the blurb compares this book to THE HUNGER GAMES, I wouldn't necessarily put the two together. I would recommend THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING to an older teenage reader, since the main character is 19, and some of the descriptions of violence and sexual violence can be quite graphic, which may be disturbing to some people (younger and older alike). Kelsea is a wonderful heroine though, embodying the coming of age storyline, as she goes from being isolated in a forest, with only her foster parents for company, to growing into a queen of a country and all that entails. She was frequently focused on the world around her, sees the flaws, and pushes hard for improvement. By doing that, she earns the respect of those around her, and that was satisfying to see, from the beginning to the end, the growth in relationships.

I did have a few complaints however. First, I would say that the world building was a bit sparse. The events which led to the various kingdoms being created were nebulous, they was little to explain how civilization got to the point it did where the people were living in a feudal existence. Also, Kelsea tended to get on my nerves whenever she started talking about her appearance, and that was frustrating - mentioning it once is fine, twice is even okay, but after that and it started to become unclear why she was so focused on how she looked when she had so many other concerns to worry about.

If THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING was designed to be great literature, it doesn't succeed. However, if it was designed to be an entertaining book for older teenagers (and some adults), then it certainly achieves that goal. And as the movie rights are already picked up (and Emma Watson's name has been connected to the project) I'm guessing that the latter is the intent, so if you go in with that mindset, you will not be disappointed. I know I'll be back for book two!

I enjoyed the characters and story lives in this book. The changes in the main character are interesting and logical. What I truly joyed the most was the quality of the writing that is descriptive and well thought out. I recommend this book you enjoys fantasy novels.

The genius of The Queen of the Tearling is its surprises. I thought I was delving into a Game of Thrones-like fantasy novel but as I read, I picked up bits and pieces of anachronisms that jarred me. I would be arrested briefly, thinking, what is "democracy" or the Bible doing in this medieval-ish fantasy world? Slowly, the author reveals, not through any lengthy exposition or flashbacks, but through subtle hints, that what I was reading was actually a dystopian novel. Somehow, in a distant past of this world, "ships" crossed an ocean to create a new society, one that was religious, feudal, and more like the Dark Ages than a modern utopia.

Part of what was driving my relentless urge to finish this book was to find out – what spurred these people to cross? Was there some cataclysmic event? War? Political unrest? Religious freedom? Spoiler: By the end of the book I still didn't know. But that's ok because by then I was just utterly fascinated and could not turn the pages fast enough.

Most of the book is told from Kelsea's point of view, with one or two from unlikely characters, which I guess will be come more pivotal further on in the series. One thing that irritated me was why so much information was kept from Kelsea. If she was being groomed to be Queen, why did her otherwise competent foster parents pitch her into a dangerous situation with so little knowledge of her past or what lay in wait for her? Obviously, our heroine's ignorance makes for super juicy revelations, surprises and plot twists, but it strained credulity.

Otherwise, I cannot wait for the sequels and more of the Queen of the Tearling.

Well done!

I loved Queen of Tearling. The book opens with the princess being summoned to the capital to take her place as Queen. She's lived in a remote cottage, tutored and raised by a loyal knight and Lady, kept partially ignorant of the treaties and details of her mother's reign.

She slowly discovers that her position as Queen and her country have suffered because of the agreement to pay tribute to the powerful neighboring Red Queen. The price of peace is crushingly high and the princess refuses to pay it- as the nation faces the danger of invasion, the new Queen of Tearling must find a way for herself and her country. Such a fun adventure!

Maybe because I am a big fan of Game of Thrones, I found this book bit slow, missing logic and not quite believable "social fantasy".
BUT it kept my interest long enough , so I bought the second book in the series " The Invasion of the Tearling". So far the second book is lot better .

Why I chose this book:
I've seen so much about this book both good and bad, but what interested me most was the rumors going around that Emma Watson would take the lead in a movie adaptation, plus this is fantasy. Every knows I like me a good fantasy read. I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My Bookish Thoughts:
I guess I'm not going to get an invite to the cool-kids club because I absolutely LOVED this book. I found everything about it utterly entrancing and beautifully written!

First, I feel obligated to state that this is NOT a young adult title. It's a coming of age story, yes, but this should in no way be confused with other YA titles such as Graceling or Throne of Glass. That is not to say that this book wasn't absolutely spectacular! I just feel that I do need to warn readers about some of the content in this book. So I will hash that out before I go into the bulk of my review.

This book reminds me of the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin in shock value (not in any other way, I assure you). There is quite a bit of harsh language -though it was realistic, understandable, and not out of place. There is quite a bit of rape, prostitution, and slavery throughout the book. And sex is talked about rampantly, but again it doesn't feel out of place. I felt that everything mentioned, though terrible as it was, was warranted and imperative to state so that the reader understands just what kind of world this is.

As for the story itself, I was entrancing from the first page! It starts off with a bang and continues until the last page of the book. I didn't want this to end. I wanted to read all of the books, but alas, I have to wait for the next one to come out. This book is full of court intrigue, loyalty, betrayal, murder, good vs. evil with a healthy spattering of gray areas.

I will say that this is not your normal high fantasy book. This is actually something between a dystopia and a utopia. If I remember correctly this happens about 500 years after the fall of America and Britain and a man named William Tearling created a middle-ages utopian society, and obviously through the evolution of this new utopia, it became more of a dystopia. I found that to be one of the most unique things about this book, but sadly this wasn't extremely fleshed out. You don't know what happened to America or Britain, or why they fell, you don't know why they all decided to form this utopian society. It's all very clouded and unclear, but it doesn't really take away from the story.

Like I said, though this is not a YA title, this is a coming of age story. Kelsea is 19 and is the heir to the Tearling throne. She was smuggled away at her birth because of threats against her life. When it comes time to assume the throne, she travels with a group of rough-around-the-edges men (the Queen's Guard). It's up to Kelsea to prove her worth as not only a person, but a queen as well.

What I loved most about this book is that you watched Kelsea grow from being this young girl to a woman, a queen, and a leader. It was an astounding transformation, and along the way you see how she affects people in her Guard (Lazarus was my favorite character, and I loved when they bantered) as well as the people she governs.

Overall, I felt like this was an absolutely fantastic fantasy novel. It had action hiding around every page corner, and characters that you cared for so deeply that you couldn't help but allow a few tears to fall come the end of the book.

Check out more of my reviews at ofspectaclesandbooks.com

The Queen of the Tearling is a story about a princess raised in seclusion by her two guardians--an older couple. Around her neck she wears, at all times, a sapphire. The tale opens on her 19th birthday, the day the guard will come to take her to be queen. Armed with only what her guardians have taught her over the years, she is ushered across the countryside, hunted by assassins, to the castle to reclaim the throne from her uncle.

The story, though set in a dystopian society some years in the future, has a Dark Ages feel to it. The Lords and the serfs, the carnage, the moral corruption of the Church and the Crown, it is all in this story. Not to mention a bit of magic and a wink at the beloved Potter books--always a plus with me.

When choosing a rating I deliberated between 3 (I liked) and 4 (I really liked) stars. There are a few reasons for this. 1. I had a hard time at points "seeing" this world. I tend to like a bit more description, but not too much. 2. I didn't feel the same connection with the main character that I have in my favorite books, though I did like and enjoy Kelsea. She is a very strong heroin, whom I have a feeling I will grow more and more attached to--I hope--as the series unfolds. 3. I'm not a huge fan of vulgarity or cursing in novels--though I see why such things would be true-to-life in a story of this nature. 4. I'm not sure yet where the author is going with this story in the faith department. So far I like what she is doing, but I hesitate because the story is not complete.

Why did I not give this story a 5 star rating? I personally reserve 5 stars for books I plan to read over and over ad nauseam. While I do plan on reading the series--I'm especially interested in the the character, Father Tyler and how his story plays out--I'm not sure yet if this will be a story I will re-read each and every year for the foreseeable future. Currently the Bible, the Harry Potter Series, the Hunger Game Series, the Twilight Saga are on this list.

What did I like? I really liked that Johansen boldly addressed the very serious issue of human trafficking--a problem that has become gravely serious in our present times. I also like that she did not shy away from the trouble that comes with corruption and a lack of character--in the Church as well as in the State--along with the dangers of false piety. While in the beginning I worried the Church and God would be slammed throughout the entirety of the book, I learned this would not be the case as I stuck with the story--and I don't think it will be the case as the series goes on (we'll see).

All that being said, I'm hooked. I have many hopes for this series, but it is not my hopes that matter. I will be anxiously awaiting what you have in store for us next, Erika.

My fellow readers, I hope this review helps you make that all important decision: Which story shall you live in next?

Happy reading!
Nicole

It was mostly entertaining. The reason for my rating is because the author, obviously an atheist, goes off on long anti Christian diatribes. She has an atheist storyline awkwardly superimposed over the story that distracted from an otherwise good read. If i wanted a tome of feelings on religion I'd have bought non fiction. Keep it in (or out of) church.

I picked this book up from the book jacket description and the publisher's obvious pride in it--attractive, hard-bound, first book with a ribbon bookmark. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Not this one. It goes nowhere, slowly, is filled with contradictions and ends without any real point.

It reads like a YA, with simple vocabulary and plot, but strong language and the sex slave trade with descriptions of brutality and perversions take it out of that category. The characters are all quite undeveloped. The rulers and villains are EVIL! They have no complexity--motivated by sex, drugs and wealth. Really quite boring and predictable. Despite their leaders' weaknesses and abuses, the populace has no thought of rebellion. The heroine and her friends are NOBLE! When asked what she will do as queen of a poor agricultural nation with no technology or industry, Kelsea announces she will end poverty, slavery, illiteracy, and, no doubt, establish world peace. Her temper tantrums and "profound insights" become annoying. At one point she muses that her teacher was correct: "All men are dogs."

The world building and magic have no internal logic. Magic just occurs, not as part of a system, but to solve a story problem. The church is portrayed as completely corrupt, not providing spiritual comfort, learning and medical care as the medieval church it's modeled on did. The Bible is described as silly stories. So, why were they imported to a new land and still exist? No medical or technological knowledge has survived in this world, there are very few books but Kelsea has read the Harry Potter Series and The Lord of the Rings. Another profound musing--she tells a child that while The Hobbit has a hero, TLOTR has a heroine. Ummm...who is that? One of the secondary characters that were expanded for the movie? The fantasy elements of this story are all borrowed from some good writers. I recommend you read them instead.