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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: July 8, 2014
Pages: 448
Source: For Review from HarperCollins
Rating: 4 Stars


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.

In short: While there were a number of inconsistencies that kept The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen from being a perfect read, this debut novel delivered on what it promised to be: a high-stakes political fantasy.
When a book gets picked up by a major movie production company with a leading lady already cast months and months before it is set to be published, you can't help but take notice. And so it was no surprise that The Queen of the Tearling flew onto my radar immediately and sent me into a frenzy of excitement and high expectations. I NEEDED this book! I freaking LOVE high fantasy, especially when it comes with a medieval setting and court politics.

And thankfully, The Queen of the Tearling MOSTLY lived up to my high expectations. Of course, it was far from perfect and I had a number of issues with it... but it delivered on what it promised to be: a highly political court fantasy with a complex world. I can definitely see why Warner Brothers would snap this one up so quickly: The Queen of the Tearling is like Game of Thrones, but for a younger audience (although extreme violence and mention of sex is still found in plenty, so it's not a read for too young an audience).

The Queen of the Tearling has most of the typical elements that you would usually find in court fantasies, but one thing definitely stood out as unique: this novel is actually set in the FUTURE. There were even mentions of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings as being classics from a long ago past. This would mean that at some point in the future, society has actually regressed to a feudal kingdom system with little technology. This was a little weird and unfortunately no explanation was given as to how the world became like this, but I was definitely intrigued at this unique development.

My main criticism would be for The Queen of the Tearling's protagonist, Kelsea, whom I felt was kept at a distance. We are told many times in the text that Kelsea has a temper, likes to read, is honourable, and is very plain in her looks, but very little else of substance is indicated about her and so she failed to truly come to life in my eyes. She wasn't REAL to me. She grows up in an isolated environment with next to no knowledge of the history of the world or how the outside world works, and yet somehow she immediately rises to the position of perfect, wise, and experienced Queen, no problem. There were also a number of other inconsistencies in the plot that I wish had been smoothed over more thoroughly, as well.

Inconsistencies aside, I enjoyed The Queen of the Tearling overall. There were a ton of secondary characters that I found more interesting and compelling than Kelsea, so at least my desire for good characterization was assuaged a bit, and hopefully we'll see Kelsea come to life more in future instalments. Fans of romance may want to look elsewhere as there was none to be had here, ditto to fans of more fast-paced fantasies as The Queen of the Tearling is not one of them. But for fans of high-stakes epic fantasies and complex political turmoil, look no further as The Queen of the Tearling is the book for you.

Other Reviews:
Alison Can Read
Icey Books
More Than Just Magic
The Page Turner


32 comments :

  1. That's a great description of the issues with Kelsea. It's like I "know" her because I read about her in a book. It doesn't feel like I actually know her, which is the case with really well written characters.

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    1. Thanks, Alison. Yeah, with really well written characters, it's like I know them from real life, not just a two dimensional character in a book.

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  2. It's a shame Kelsea never felt overly real to you Aylee and you therefore couldn't really form any type of emotional connection, but I'm glad that despite that, you were still able to enjoy the story overall. I haven't read very many books that I would consider high fantasy, more fantasy light I would say, so I'm looking forward to wading into the high fantasy waters. Lovely, lovely review!

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    1. High fantasy is my fave!! I don't know, I've always preferred it to light fantasy. So I hope you end up enjoying this one even though Kelsea wasn't my favourite protagonist!

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  3. I've been reading a lot of diverging reviews for this one but overall people seem to enjoy it...with some minor issues. Seeing that you enjoyed it for the most part makes me think I will too and that makes me happy :) You did a wonderful job of pointing out the issues you did have, namely with Kelsea's lack of character depth and with the world-building not properly explaining what cause the world to sort of regressed into a kingdom system BUT those things could (hopefully) be expanded on in future books! The no-romance thing is actually a plus for me haha XD I mean I like romances but it's refreshing when books don't go there once in awhile. As always, you did a fantastic job with your review here ^^ I'm happy you enjoyed this one!

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    1. Yeah, it's interesting because I've read quite a few reviews that just rave about it and other ones that absolutely hated it. Funny how that happens! I do hope you will enjoy this one, as well! And yeah, the issues I had with this one are all things that could be fixed and expanded upon in later instalments, so that's my hope! I really do think there's a lot of potential here! I'm totally okay with the no romance thing, although I can tell that later instalments will probably have a bit of it - though hopefully not overrun the story. Thank you, Micheline!!

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  4. Sounds interesting, but I think I'm going to wait to read it until either the series gets closer to ending or the movie comes out. Whichever happens first. Having a believable and well developed character is one of the things I look for most in a book, and if this one is lacking I probably wouldn't finish the series if I had to wait a long time for the next book. And it's not like I don't have a million other books to read in the meantime :)
    Great review!

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    1. Yeah... I often feel that way about series because I do like binge reading them without any break in between. And I do wonder how much of the plot I'll remember come next year because the politics were complicated at times... oh well, I guess I just couldn't resist reading this one right away!!

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  5. I have a copy of this and I'm excited to read it! I also have pretty high expectations because of all the movie buzz, and I'm glad to have read your review so I can adjust them to more realistic levels before I go in. :-) Still I'm very glad you enjoyed this! Lovely review!

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    1. Yeah, thankfully I was able to adjust my expectations a bit before going into it because I had read quite a few very balanced reviews that changed my mind about all the insane buzz. I hope you enjoy this one just as much as I did, if not more!

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  6. I'm not really a huge fan of fantasy, so I don't think I'd enjoy this one much, but I'm glad that it was mostly a success for you. I had no idea it was picked up for a movie (I don't think I've even heard of the book), but that's cool!!

    -Lauren

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    1. Yup, picked up by David Heyman and Warner Brothers, starring Emma Watson, so that's why HP fans were in a bit of a tizzy over it! Maybe if they do make the movie and it becomes something that may interest you, then you can give it a shot :)

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  7. OH my goodness! This books looks amazing! I am a huge fan of fantasy novels and have been looking for some new series to start.

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    1. Heh, well then you have quite a lot of series to choose from if that is the case! I'm looking to finish up some series before starting new ones, myself.

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  8. I'm a high fantasy junkie and I'm dying to read this book. I actually didn't know that this book already has a movie deal and this just made me much more excited. Game of Thrones for younger audiences? Where do I sign up?! I'm quite apprehensive about Kelsey, though, because sometimes even if I love the story, if I wasn't able to connect to the protagonist, then it would tremendously affect my liking of the book. Anyway, lovely review as always, Aylee. :)

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    1. Yup, and Emma Watson is set to star as Kelsea, apparently! haha, I know it appealed to me as a Game of Thrones fan :) The not connecting with the protagonist thing was my only major drawback, so that wasn't too bad. But I do totally agree with you that it has a major effect on my enjoyment of the book! Thanks, Sarah :)

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  9. There's been so much hype about this one and the fact that it's a fantasy immediately made it go on my wishlist. It's too bad there are some inconsistencies in terms of the worldbuilding and that Kelsea never felt completely real to you, but I like the sound of the secondary characters and politics. I'm looking forward to giving this a try, hopefully soon.

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    1. I am definitely curious to hear what you think, Zahida, because I know you will be able to suss out the inconsistencies right away. I do hope you like it at least as much as I did!

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  10. Amazing review sweetie. <3 But oh. Is it wrong that I wanted everyone to hate this book? lol. Because I did :( I just didn't find anything good about it :\ It annoyed me so much. Grrr. But I'm still happy you loved it; despite not understanding why, lol :) Loved reading your review. Thank you for sharing. <3

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    1. Haha, I think I know where you're coming from. But it's usually the opposite in my case - wanting people to LOVE the book that I LOVED and I'm disappointed when they don't. I'm curious to read your review now, Carina, to see what you thought!

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  11. The cover of this book has been catching my attention for a while, but this doesn't sound as good as I had hoped. The flat protagonist and undeveloped world building seem like they would be too frustrating.

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    1. It's not as good as I had hoped either, but I still maintain it's worth a read. It does have a lot of good going for it, as well. And hopefully the other stuff will be sorted out in future instalments.

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  12. I've been looking forward to this one, though I'm sad to hear the protagonist isn't fully realized and that it's written at a slower pace. I'm ashamed to admit that the cover is still drawing me in despite some doubts. I mean, it's just so pretty! haha The premise does sound intriguing but also kinda confusing, and I hope we get more details and background later on in the series. Lovely review, Aylee!

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    1. Oh yeah, that cover is a thing to behold! I wish I had read a finished cover (with a pretty map) for that reason. But yeah, it did have a few faults so it wasn't this perfect book that some folk were making it out to be... but it was pretty good still so I recommend it and hopefully you like it too!

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  13. I definitely plan on reading this one eventually. Any time a high fantasy becomes super hyped, it's basically guaranteed I'll look into it. Those flaws that you mentioned, though, sound a bit unfortunate. Like, what's a solid fantasy without solid worldbuilding? And it is really a fantasy if it takes place in the future? I'll still give this a try myself, but with some knowledge that it's not nearly as perfect as it's being made out to be. Great, helpful review, Aylee!

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    1. Yup, I'm the same way about super-hyped fantasies. I just need to see what all the fuss is about for myself! And sometimes that means being let down... it was definitely a bummer because the world building is definitely one of the parts I love the most in my fantasies. I would still say that it is a fantasy because there is magic. It was definitely unique though. And I think that's the right attitude to have - hope you enjoy this one!!

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  14. No romance and no face paced fantasy... sorry friend, but I think I may skip this one. Even though you enjoyed it in the end. I am trying to jump out of my comfort zone, but with baby steps. Haha. I struggle with high fantasy as it is. Maybe one day- probably when the trailer of the movie comes out and I get super curious and can't wait till the movie...

    Thanks for the review!

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    1. haha, I can understand that. High fantasy is my thing so I was able to embrace this one even with its flaws, but I can understand why you would need to take baby steps when going outside your comfort zone. Romance may be on the horizon, so maybe you can wait and see before delving in...

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  15. I had some problems with this book, but those minor flaws never got in the way of the amazing story. I hope we get more information about the world (because it might be set in the future, it does have a medieval feeling to me)and I hope Kelsea can let go of her obsession with appearances. I like that she was described as 'plain' and that she is insecure, but it was a little too much sometimes.

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    1. Yeah, the world was definitely strange! It was definitely set in the future, but why would it have regressed to such a medieval state? I hope we get answers in the next books! I was totally loving that Kelsea was plain, but yeah, it annoyed me that she was SO fixated on it.

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  16. I wasn't such a fan of this, overall- I thought Kelsea has really good qualities, and the fact that she wasn't made to seem perfect, was rash and all that, made me quite like that aspect of her, but there was just something about her that I couldn't go with. I think it's like you say, and I just couldn't connect with her because of it. And the romance, though not forefront to the story or anything, really bugged me- I didn't get her infatuation at all! He was not even a marginally nice character!
    The world was pretty interesting- I read an ARC and it did kind of get explained in that, but maybe they cut it from the final copy?

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    1. Hmm, that could be the case with the world building, although I did read an eARC. I just hope we get even more info in future books!

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