Written by Erika Johansen , The Queen of the Tearling follows princess Kelsea as she becomes queen of the Tearling, after she was hidden away for her life following her mother’s death. And her mother was not a good queen.
I enjoyed this novel, though again the audio book I listened to suffered from only having a female reader who can’t do male voices.
This story was engaging, though I must say that I actually am not a fan of the backstory of this nation, the Tearling. I think this is supposed to be some post-modern new world kind of thing, but I just wish they wouldn’t have done that. It adds a little to the story, and maybe it will be more important in the next book.
I do enjoy the characters, particularly since Kelsea is described as being one of the plainest girls you will see, excluding her eyes. We meet the Fetch right away, and even though he is very mysterious and down right rude, there is something endearing about him. And of course the very good looking guards, whose looks are not discussed much at all after the first few chapters of the book, which I think does speak volumes about what the author was going for – character is what matters.
Another thing I don’t like is how the author just drops in references to magical beings, but I don’t think they are actually in this world. So, for a country that has forgotten their long history, it is odd to hear reference to these things. But, I suppose that such references still are in our own vocabulary.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. THIS IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. Sincerely. This isn’t a young adult novel either. This is a book for adults, or people who can understand the darker things that go on in this book.
I would recommend this novel for fans of fantasy, and even those who enjoy historical fiction and have been looking for something else to get into.
*I do not own the cover picture, all rights reserved with Harper Collins.
