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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
So much like Game of Thrones (in a good way), with an Arya Stark focus. I loved the vague futuristic setting and the dash of magic. The writing is good and the characters all interesting, most especially all of the Queen's Guard. A really wonderful world has been created here.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great political fantasy in the vein of Game of Thrones. Can't wait til June to find out what happens to Kelsea Glynn and her compatriots in The Invasion of the Tearling!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After living most of her life in hiding Princess Keslea returns to claim her throne. What a group of at least read, even second time around!
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really, really enjoyed this. I bought book 4 at B&N last month without realizing it was part of a series, and found the first book at the library. I went in pretty much sight unseen and listened to 2 hours of the book in one sitting. (Obviously, I listened to the audiobook version).
The Queen of the Tearling has all the vibes of a medieval political novel, but brief mentions of Americans and the British as well as The Hobbit and other books make it clear this actually takes place some time in the very far future, when either an apocalypse or world war has happened to essentially send humanity back to a way of living similar to the medieval/renaissance time periods complete with horses, swords, kings and queens, and magic.
Normally I like my fantasy novels to have one clear genre, but this was really different from most things I've read, and I found myself so eager to read more to find out what happened during The Crossing (the event that apparently changed the world so much) and how this world was constructed.
In this book, we focus on Kelsea Glynn, who when she turns 19 is the rightful heir to the Tearling throne after her mother Elyssa passed away. However, she's been hidden away her entire life to save her from those who would assassinate her rather than see her on the throne. The book starts out with action right away, which was really what drew me in, as the Queen's Guard come to collect her from her foster parents. Along the way to The Keep, we get to see Kelsea earn the respect and loyalty of her guards, and get glimpses of her personality that will make her a ruler not like queens they've had before.
Once crowned Queen, her first act is to end The Shipment - essentially fulfilling a treaty with the infamous Red Queen of Mortmense by sending slaves (men, women, and children selected by a lottery system) - which will undoubtedly bring war to Tearling's doorstep.
As Queen Kelsea navigates her new life as monarch and struggles to keep her people safe and fight for what she believes in, she uncovers secrets about her own life and her family that will shape her future.
Though a long book, I read this in a few days and probably could have read it sooner if not for work and other obligations. I really loved the blending of political intrigue and magic that we got to learn about, and Kelsea's potential magical abilities are really exciting. I'll definitely be continuing this series!
The Queen of the Tearling has all the vibes of a medieval political novel, but brief mentions of Americans and the British as well as The Hobbit and other books make it clear this actually takes place some time in the very far future, when either an apocalypse or world war has happened to essentially send humanity back to a way of living similar to the medieval/renaissance time periods complete with horses, swords, kings and queens, and magic.
Normally I like my fantasy novels to have one clear genre, but this was really different from most things I've read, and I found myself so eager to read more to find out what happened during The Crossing (the event that apparently changed the world so much) and how this world was constructed.
In this book, we focus on Kelsea Glynn, who when she turns 19 is the rightful heir to the Tearling throne after her mother Elyssa passed away. However, she's been hidden away her entire life to save her from those who would assassinate her rather than see her on the throne. The book starts out with action right away, which was really what drew me in, as the Queen's Guard come to collect her from her foster parents. Along the way to The Keep, we get to see Kelsea earn the respect and loyalty of her guards, and get glimpses of her personality that will make her a ruler not like queens they've had before.
Once crowned Queen, her first act is to end The Shipment - essentially fulfilling a treaty with the infamous Red Queen of Mortmense by sending slaves (men, women, and children selected by a lottery system) - which will undoubtedly bring war to Tearling's doorstep.
As Queen Kelsea navigates her new life as monarch and struggles to keep her people safe and fight for what she believes in, she uncovers secrets about her own life and her family that will shape her future.
Though a long book, I read this in a few days and probably could have read it sooner if not for work and other obligations. I really loved the blending of political intrigue and magic that we got to learn about, and Kelsea's potential magical abilities are really exciting. I'll definitely be continuing this series!
The writing is good, everything is handled pretty well— I just got bored. Everything was standard, expected, all the characters acting and reacting right into the mold. And then we go to villain’s POV and she was cartoonishly evil, so I gave up.
Probably a great book in here, just didn’t give me anything to keep reading for.
Probably a great book in here, just didn’t give me anything to keep reading for.
I'm very torn. Is this a 3 Star book? A 4 star book? A 3.5, most likely, rounded up.
First thing first: the audiobook narrator is mostly lovely, but whenever something actiony starts she swings violently toward the excessively melodramatic and it makes me want to muffle the volume. It's a shame, because her range of voices is otherwise excellent: a few times it even sounds like we've got a multi-cast crew back there.
My home library shelves this one in adult, and I'm reluctant to call this one a YA book, because it's dripping with blood, language, and sexuality, but the themes--young adult coming into her own, ruling a new kingdom, fighting against injustice and also flirting with the handsome Robin Hood in the forest--is straight up teen fiction. So, if you've got a mature reader on hand, feel free to throw this hefty volume at them. It helps that Emma Watson is apparently going to play Kelsea in an upcoming movie (a slight shame, as Kelsea is clearly overweight and out of shape and not all that pretty--it would be nice to see that portrayed on screen properly as further representation, but Watson will pull the viewers). It IS a slow read/listen, and there's tons of meandering walking about and lots of little subplots with the villains that are sometimes interesting, sometimes not. But the characters are mostly interesting and diverse, and it's not afraid to let our heroine be unpleasant.
Be warned that, as other reviewers are pointing out, this has absolutely zero things to do with Hunger Games or Game of Thrones. It's definitely a beast of its own.
Also be warned that it's one of those weird books that starts out clearly medieval but somehow along the way you realize it's actually set far in our future. Genetics studies are a thing. Heroin and various narcotics, a thing. J.K. Rowling's books are bouncing about the fields, passing from grubby knight hand to grubby knight hand. So, that's distracting and pretty unnecessary. Just make a fantasy world of your own. Why it has to be New London, I don't know. Especially because doing that makes the random magic all the more random and not all that appealing, and it's never explained.
A solid average book. A good foray into an interesting world with a great cast. It harps a little bit on the "Oh woe, women and children in danger" but that could have been the audiobook narrator drifting toward the melodramatic again. I'm interesting in seeing where it goes next...but not so desperate to find out that I'll bump the next one to the top of my list.
First thing first: the audiobook narrator is mostly lovely, but whenever something actiony starts she swings violently toward the excessively melodramatic and it makes me want to muffle the volume. It's a shame, because her range of voices is otherwise excellent: a few times it even sounds like we've got a multi-cast crew back there.
My home library shelves this one in adult, and I'm reluctant to call this one a YA book, because it's dripping with blood, language, and sexuality, but the themes--young adult coming into her own, ruling a new kingdom, fighting against injustice and also flirting with the handsome Robin Hood in the forest--is straight up teen fiction. So, if you've got a mature reader on hand, feel free to throw this hefty volume at them. It helps that Emma Watson is apparently going to play Kelsea in an upcoming movie (a slight shame, as Kelsea is clearly overweight and out of shape and not all that pretty--it would be nice to see that portrayed on screen properly as further representation, but Watson will pull the viewers). It IS a slow read/listen, and there's tons of meandering walking about and lots of little subplots with the villains that are sometimes interesting, sometimes not. But the characters are mostly interesting and diverse, and it's not afraid to let our heroine be unpleasant.
Be warned that, as other reviewers are pointing out, this has absolutely zero things to do with Hunger Games or Game of Thrones. It's definitely a beast of its own.
Also be warned that it's one of those weird books that starts out clearly medieval but somehow along the way you realize it's actually set far in our future. Genetics studies are a thing. Heroin and various narcotics, a thing. J.K. Rowling's books are bouncing about the fields, passing from grubby knight hand to grubby knight hand. So, that's distracting and pretty unnecessary. Just make a fantasy world of your own. Why it has to be New London, I don't know. Especially because doing that makes the random magic all the more random and not all that appealing, and it's never explained.
A solid average book. A good foray into an interesting world with a great cast. It harps a little bit on the "Oh woe, women and children in danger" but that could have been the audiobook narrator drifting toward the melodramatic again. I'm interesting in seeing where it goes next...but not so desperate to find out that I'll bump the next one to the top of my list.
The first 100 pages are soooo slow. I finally gave up after the 50th mention of her being "plain" and when the clunky prose made me full on rage. At one point the author writes "she squeezed the horse more tightly" and I just couldn't continue. Maybe the story gets better, but the prose reads like a middle schooler trying to write a novel and I can't handle that.
Also the brief chapter with the Red Queen was very jarring and definitely needs a trigger warning.
Also the brief chapter with the Red Queen was very jarring and definitely needs a trigger warning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated