Book Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Even a book can be dangerous in the wrong hand

I was confused when I started reading The Queen of the Tearling, but it turned out to be an intense and super enjoyable read.

Book Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Rating:


Title & Author: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Genre: Dystopia, Adventure
Release date: July 8 2014
Series: The Queen of the Tearling
Publisher: HarperCollins

Synopsis

Magic, adventure, mystery, and romance combine in this epic debut in which a young princess must reclaim her dead mother’s throne, learn to be a ruler—and defeat the Red Queen, a powerful and malevolent sorceress determined to destroy her.

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.

I give The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen four out of five hearts because it was intriguing and fast-paced. I really wanted to know what was going to happen to Kelsea.

This book has been on my TBR ever since it was released, but everyone was hyping over it and I worried that it wouldn’t live up to it. I didn’t want to have a disappointing read. Now that the hype has completely died I picked it up to read for my N.E.W.T.s Read-a-thon and I really liked it.

I didn’t know The Queen of the Tearling was Dystopia, but when I was reading it I did notice everything pointing to the Tearling being somewhere in current America. It was strange to see this, but it also made me intrigued

The plot was a basic one, but Erika made it work really well for her. It didn’t have much bells and whistles, but that made it actually very intriguing. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to see where it will go and if it will still stay this simple.

Kelsea is strong and smart. She is not the hidden princess that grows up without knowing anything and thrown into this life. She knows she has to fight to get to her kingdom and she is willing to do whatever it takes. The side characters are fun too, they are very loyal to this girl that they have never met and it just works.

Overall I think The Queen of the Tearling is a great read. I will try and read The Invasion of the Tearling soon and hope to post the review next week.

Let me know what you thought of this book!
If you have any requests for which book I should talk about next, please let me know in the comments down below.

For now, let books enrich your life!

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