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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Loved it. But I can easily see the second book going in a direction that I don't enjoy (all powerful magic item, stupid romantic nonsense) so I will keep my fingers crossed it doesn't!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Strong female heroine? Check.
Magic? Check.
Love triangle? NO! at least not yet.
Series that is not complete and may kill me waiting for the second book? Check.
Magic? Check.
Love triangle? NO! at least not yet.
Series that is not complete and may kill me waiting for the second book? Check.
I am in love with Erika's writing! Although the book is rather slow I loved most the main characthers and I'm dying to read the next book!
This book has been on my TBR for an embarrassingly long time
I really enjoyed reading this book! I thought all the characters were well done and I loved how Kelsea developed into a queen throughout the story. I am looking forward to reading the second one in the series.
Fantastic storytelling and overall character development. I loved the foreshadowing excerpts at the beginning of each chapter. Can't wait to get back to the Tearling in book 2!
"I have too much anger in me, Kelsea realized. But the thought was a proud one: whatever her other failings, she knew that the anger would always be there, a deep and tappable well of force."
Actual rating, 2.5.
Make no mistake folks, this is not a young adult novel. This is most definitely adult fantasy, however that does not mean that teenagers should not read this, just that there are language, sexual referencing, rape, and types of violence that probably aren't suitable for many readers under 16-17. Just had to get that off my chest and I'll step off that particular soapbox. Now, for the actual review.
The Worldview
The Queen of the Tearling is marketed as and described as a fantasy novel. What it fails to tell you, is that it is actually a dystopian fantasy. Huh? You may be saying. ...Exactly. For a lot of reasons I have a problem with this. The idea itself is not a bad one per se, it just was not executed well. There lacks a certain amount of information about why this land and its people deviated from modern society, as in: something similar to our current reality. What happened there? Why was it so terrible that people "crossed" to this new land? Those questions needed answers, desperately.
We are situated in this place that is depicted as a medieval landscape, with fantasy sprinkled in, yet there are references to a modern past society. It is as if time moved backwards for these people and they found themselves in the 1500's when not long ago it was 2016. The modern day references were awkward. Tolkien. Rowling. Shakespeare. Throwing in names like that is jarring when you're in the midst of horseback riding, mace and sword wielding Queen's guards. It just doesn't make any sense without the proper background information.
The fantasy itself in this novel is pretty weak, I must say. The majority of The Queen of the Tearling reads as just purely medieval/historical (with the awkward dystopian blips thrown in). Not a whole lot of fantasy is actually deployed. For example, a few people in this novel are seers, apparently. Kelsea herself out of the blue, begins having these dreams where she's seeing things that are happening in real time in her kingdom. But that only happens a couple of times, with no explanation given. Has she always had this ability or did it just appear since becoming the queen? The author should have put more emphasis on the importance of Kelsea's ability. Instead we read through it like the act of her possibly being a seer was nothing spectacular or meaningful to the plot at all. I believe it actually is very important, but it was glossed over.
The "seer" aspect and Kelsea's sapphire necklaces are about the only things in this novel that really stood out as fantasy. The Red Queen did have her whole thing going on, which I won't get into, but really that is it. Her portrayal of fantasy lacked imagination, big time.
Main Protagonist
Kelsea has been hidden away for 19 years of her life, and the only two people of memory she has seen are her foster parents. I think it's okay to give Kelsea some leeway, knowing this fact but after awhile her development fails can no longer be excused. There is too much time spent in this book talking about the fact that Kelsea is ugly. We get it. Once was enough. But the constant trite comparisons to other women became very irritating. The lack of vanity is supposed to be a huge deal in this book. Kelsea was raised to not be vain, so that she could focus on being a good queen unlike her extremely self-absorbed mother. But almost immediately upon leaving her home and venturing out into the world, Kelsea is focusing on the way she looks. The way her guards might look at her and think about her due to her ugliness. The fact that this so called Fetch person is not attracted to her because of her ugliness. At one point, even wishing she were as beautiful as her uncle's former sex slave that Kelsea freed. Really? You don't see the problem with that, only seeing how damn beautiful she is and "oh how if only I had been born with those traits?" Are you kidding? This over used thread in the plot sends a serious mixed signal. It's okay for her to feel out of place, and maybe a little awkward. But her appearance is emphasized too many times and it seriously took away from her as a character. She is a strong enough queen, and a good person - I didn't find faults with her in those regards. However, her appearance issues seriously damaged what could have been a seriously strong and driven character.
Romance
This is not a romance novel. There is no romance to speak of, really. There is one sided attraction on Kelsea's part. Albeit, misguided, and ultimately annoying. The person of her infatuation blatantly declared that she was not his type. Frankly, that sucks. I wouldn't feel great after someone said that to me. But her one sided adoration after meeting this guy once, got a little ridiculous. She's never met other men before. I understand. This is all new. But it had the feel of insta-love and her infatuation with this character was too immature.
I'm going to stop myself here. I will be reading the second novel, hopefully within the week, and I have heard that it is much better. We'll see. I don't recommend this to readers who only read a few books a year. If you can churn this out in a day or two like I did, and want to see for yourself: go for it. Otherwise, move onto something better.
I recommend instead: the His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers. Solid fantasy. Excellect protagonists. Great romance that doesn't overwhelm the point.
Actual rating, 2.5.
Make no mistake folks, this is not a young adult novel. This is most definitely adult fantasy, however that does not mean that teenagers should not read this, just that there are language, sexual referencing, rape, and types of violence that probably aren't suitable for many readers under 16-17. Just had to get that off my chest and I'll step off that particular soapbox. Now, for the actual review.
The Worldview
The Queen of the Tearling is marketed as and described as a fantasy novel. What it fails to tell you, is that it is actually a dystopian fantasy. Huh? You may be saying. ...Exactly. For a lot of reasons I have a problem with this. The idea itself is not a bad one per se, it just was not executed well. There lacks a certain amount of information about why this land and its people deviated from modern society, as in: something similar to our current reality. What happened there? Why was it so terrible that people "crossed" to this new land? Those questions needed answers, desperately.
We are situated in this place that is depicted as a medieval landscape, with fantasy sprinkled in, yet there are references to a modern past society. It is as if time moved backwards for these people and they found themselves in the 1500's when not long ago it was 2016. The modern day references were awkward. Tolkien. Rowling. Shakespeare. Throwing in names like that is jarring when you're in the midst of horseback riding, mace and sword wielding Queen's guards. It just doesn't make any sense without the proper background information.
The fantasy itself in this novel is pretty weak, I must say. The majority of The Queen of the Tearling reads as just purely medieval/historical (with the awkward dystopian blips thrown in). Not a whole lot of fantasy is actually deployed. For example, a few people in this novel are seers, apparently. Kelsea herself out of the blue, begins having these dreams where she's seeing things that are happening in real time in her kingdom. But that only happens a couple of times, with no explanation given. Has she always had this ability or did it just appear since becoming the queen? The author should have put more emphasis on the importance of Kelsea's ability. Instead we read through it like the act of her possibly being a seer was nothing spectacular or meaningful to the plot at all. I believe it actually is very important, but it was glossed over.
The "seer" aspect and Kelsea's sapphire necklaces are about the only things in this novel that really stood out as fantasy. The Red Queen did have her whole thing going on, which I won't get into, but really that is it. Her portrayal of fantasy lacked imagination, big time.
Main Protagonist
Kelsea has been hidden away for 19 years of her life, and the only two people of memory she has seen are her foster parents. I think it's okay to give Kelsea some leeway, knowing this fact but after awhile her development fails can no longer be excused. There is too much time spent in this book talking about the fact that Kelsea is ugly. We get it. Once was enough. But the constant trite comparisons to other women became very irritating. The lack of vanity is supposed to be a huge deal in this book. Kelsea was raised to not be vain, so that she could focus on being a good queen unlike her extremely self-absorbed mother. But almost immediately upon leaving her home and venturing out into the world, Kelsea is focusing on the way she looks. The way her guards might look at her and think about her due to her ugliness. The fact that this so called Fetch person is not attracted to her because of her ugliness. At one point, even wishing she were as beautiful as her uncle's former sex slave that Kelsea freed. Really? You don't see the problem with that, only seeing how damn beautiful she is and "oh how if only I had been born with those traits?" Are you kidding? This over used thread in the plot sends a serious mixed signal. It's okay for her to feel out of place, and maybe a little awkward. But her appearance is emphasized too many times and it seriously took away from her as a character. She is a strong enough queen, and a good person - I didn't find faults with her in those regards. However, her appearance issues seriously damaged what could have been a seriously strong and driven character.
Romance
This is not a romance novel. There is no romance to speak of, really. There is one sided attraction on Kelsea's part. Albeit, misguided, and ultimately annoying. The person of her infatuation blatantly declared that she was not his type. Frankly, that sucks. I wouldn't feel great after someone said that to me. But her one sided adoration after meeting this guy once, got a little ridiculous. She's never met other men before. I understand. This is all new. But it had the feel of insta-love and her infatuation with this character was too immature.
I'm going to stop myself here. I will be reading the second novel, hopefully within the week, and I have heard that it is much better. We'll see. I don't recommend this to readers who only read a few books a year. If you can churn this out in a day or two like I did, and want to see for yourself: go for it. Otherwise, move onto something better.
I recommend instead: the His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers. Solid fantasy. Excellect protagonists. Great romance that doesn't overwhelm the point.
There was a lot I didn't like about this book, but there was just enough of something there to keep me reading. Summer fluff, to be sure.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No