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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
*Apologizing for posting this review so late!*
Y'all!! Why in the world did I wait so long to read this book? I picked it up sometime early last year and told myself I was going to read it. Did I? Nope! It took a pandemic to make me read it! What is wrong with me? (Answer: You have so many interesting books that keep taking your attention away... hence self-imposed book buying ban.) *eye-roll at self*
This book intrigued me from the very excerpt. I mean as a lover of all things magical and historical, blending those two together, it is basically a match made in heaven. This book is set in the future, but due to unfortunate accidents, all modern knowledge is lost, so the atmosphere is very much more medieval than modern. I loved this kind of twist the author made with this book being in the future, but also in the past. So many advancements and then it is all lost on an overseas voyage. Brings back the history of our ancestors knew so much more than we originally thought and yet through war, famine, death, etc. the knowledge was lost and we had to work on rediscovering it.
The premise of the story is great and I loved the strong-female centered role the main character plays. Now, there are some very *obvious* flaws with Kelsea, but I am willing to over look them, for the story. The whole atmosphere of Kelsea growing up knowing she is the heir of Tear, but not knowing a single thing about her mother or her mother's reign was quite different. Usually the main character doesn't know they are the heir, or they grow up with all the knowledge of what has come before them. It definitely makes for a more interesting story because there is always this underlying theme of what new information will we learn on the next page, in the next chapter, in the next book. There is also a little romance thing going on, but it does not take precedence in the book at all really. There are multiple angles of mystery surrounding people involved in Kelsea's life as well as her reign. The mysteries of what is going on exactly and what is going to happen next, kept me turning the pages long after I should have been asleep.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I will continue throughout the series. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for Kelsea and the Tear.
Y'all!! Why in the world did I wait so long to read this book? I picked it up sometime early last year and told myself I was going to read it. Did I? Nope! It took a pandemic to make me read it! What is wrong with me? (Answer: You have so many interesting books that keep taking your attention away... hence self-imposed book buying ban.) *eye-roll at self*
This book intrigued me from the very excerpt. I mean as a lover of all things magical and historical, blending those two together, it is basically a match made in heaven. This book is set in the future, but due to unfortunate accidents, all modern knowledge is lost, so the atmosphere is very much more medieval than modern. I loved this kind of twist the author made with this book being in the future, but also in the past. So many advancements and then it is all lost on an overseas voyage. Brings back the history of our ancestors knew so much more than we originally thought and yet through war, famine, death, etc. the knowledge was lost and we had to work on rediscovering it.
The premise of the story is great and I loved the strong-female centered role the main character plays. Now, there are some very *obvious* flaws with Kelsea, but I am willing to over look them, for the story. The whole atmosphere of Kelsea growing up knowing she is the heir of Tear, but not knowing a single thing about her mother or her mother's reign was quite different. Usually the main character doesn't know they are the heir, or they grow up with all the knowledge of what has come before them. It definitely makes for a more interesting story because there is always this underlying theme of what new information will we learn on the next page, in the next chapter, in the next book. There is also a little romance thing going on, but it does not take precedence in the book at all really. There are multiple angles of mystery surrounding people involved in Kelsea's life as well as her reign. The mysteries of what is going on exactly and what is going to happen next, kept me turning the pages long after I should have been asleep.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I will continue throughout the series. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for Kelsea and the Tear.
adventurous
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:
Yes
I'm definitely of two different minds about this book. On one hand it's engaging, it's exciting, and while I have issues with the main character, Kelsea, I like her overall. I enjoy reading the book, which is one of the most important things about a book. That said, the setting makes absolutely no sense to me, the motivations are pretty shaky, and I leave off with an overwhelming sense that I just want it to be just a little bit better so that I could love it wholeheartedly.
So let's talk about the setting. As in I don't know what kind of world the main character is living in. As far as I can figure, this is some sort of future of our world, except we've somehow regressed into near medieval times (what with sword and horses and the distinct lack of electronics in general). You hear of people referring to the past (pre-crossing), so you at least know you're set in the future. Somehow. With horses and swords and magic. The magic bit makes no sense at all to me, not if one is trying to pass off the world as some sort of dystopian future (it's not quite).
Now even ignoring the irregularities with the magic (still doesn't make sense), you have a society that knows of things like the printing press, except they don't have any. And apparently they don't have the willpower to build any. I just don't get it. They seem stuck in the past to the point where they're stagnant. There seems to be no effort to try to propel inventions forward.
Obviously I have huge, HUGE problems with the setting. Perhaps the next book will clear it up (it better), but for now there's giant question marks over everything and it was so mysterious it kind of ruined my enjoyment.
The characters now... Are a bit unbelievable. You have Kelsea who becomes the queen because apparently there's no one else and she has magic stones. She's such a hothead that it's a bit off putting, but at the same time it was enjoyable because at least she's actively doing something and trying to accomplish things. I don't love her but I also don't hate her. Then you have the Queen's Guard that makes no sense to me. They're great in theory--a group of (mostly) loyal men who have honor and dignity and all of that jazz, but when you see all of the corruption around them, when you realize that they're the Queen's Guard but their queen had been dead for years and Kelsea had been in hiding, you start wondering how they could remain the way they are. Not that they cater to Kelsea's every whim and are loyal to her, but just the essence of who they are is what's in question. It doesn't make all that much sense.
That said, I did enjoy the book (I know, I know, all of those paragraphs of what-the-hell seem to say otherwise). It was an engaging read and I really wanted to see how Kelsea manages to become queen, less in name and more as what she should be. You get a lot of Kelsea grimly surviving or grimly trying to do her best, and she's trying and at least she's not shirking her duties. She's a woman of action, is our Kelsea, though her frequent thoughts of how plain she is is off putting (seriously, for someone who has been kept basically in exile with two other people max she puts a lot of thought of how plain she is). I also don't really understand her obsession with the Fetch, but let's put that aside for now.
Overall it was an engaging book with something new and exciting popping up every often. Kelsea has a lot of assassination attempts on her life, but she tries her best to forge through with being the best queen that she can. That said, the fact that the world itself made no sense and character motivations were like wha? was a let down. 2-3 stars, rounding up to 3 because I did like reading it, even with all of my issues.
So let's talk about the setting. As in I don't know what kind of world the main character is living in. As far as I can figure, this is some sort of future of our world, except we've somehow regressed into near medieval times (what with sword and horses and the distinct lack of electronics in general). You hear of people referring to the past (pre-crossing), so you at least know you're set in the future. Somehow. With horses and swords and magic. The magic bit makes no sense at all to me, not if one is trying to pass off the world as some sort of dystopian future (it's not quite).
Now even ignoring the irregularities with the magic (still doesn't make sense), you have a society that knows of things like the printing press, except they don't have any. And apparently they don't have the willpower to build any. I just don't get it. They seem stuck in the past to the point where they're stagnant. There seems to be no effort to try to propel inventions forward.
Obviously I have huge, HUGE problems with the setting. Perhaps the next book will clear it up (it better), but for now there's giant question marks over everything and it was so mysterious it kind of ruined my enjoyment.
The characters now... Are a bit unbelievable. You have Kelsea who becomes the queen because apparently there's no one else and she has magic stones. She's such a hothead that it's a bit off putting, but at the same time it was enjoyable because at least she's actively doing something and trying to accomplish things. I don't love her but I also don't hate her. Then you have the Queen's Guard that makes no sense to me. They're great in theory--a group of (mostly) loyal men who have honor and dignity and all of that jazz, but when you see all of the corruption around them, when you realize that they're the Queen's Guard but their queen had been dead for years and Kelsea had been in hiding, you start wondering how they could remain the way they are. Not that they cater to Kelsea's every whim and are loyal to her, but just the essence of who they are is what's in question. It doesn't make all that much sense.
That said, I did enjoy the book (I know, I know, all of those paragraphs of what-the-hell seem to say otherwise). It was an engaging read and I really wanted to see how Kelsea manages to become queen, less in name and more as what she should be. You get a lot of Kelsea grimly surviving or grimly trying to do her best, and she's trying and at least she's not shirking her duties. She's a woman of action, is our Kelsea, though her frequent thoughts of how plain she is is off putting (seriously, for someone who has been kept basically in exile with two other people max she puts a lot of thought of how plain she is). I also don't really understand her obsession with the Fetch, but let's put that aside for now.
Overall it was an engaging book with something new and exciting popping up every often. Kelsea has a lot of assassination attempts on her life, but she tries her best to forge through with being the best queen that she can. That said, the fact that the world itself made no sense and character motivations were like wha? was a let down. 2-3 stars, rounding up to 3 because I did like reading it, even with all of my issues.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I read this book for the first time 2 and a half years ago. I remembered thinking that this was a magnificent series and I couldn't wait to read more. I wanted to revisit the first book again since the final installment has been released, and I must say it was just as wonderful as I remembered it
Good storytelling that captured and held my interest. As part of a trilogy this doesn’t satisfy as a stand alone book, however, and that frustrates me. I want to read the sequels but don’t feel driven to do so immediately.
This book is exactly what I have been looking for. It's Tamora Pierce for adults and I could not be happier with it. I am very much looking forward to the next couple of books.
I’m obsessed!! This book is a RIDE - and I’m not saying that just because 25% of the book is spent on horseback!! Lol
I love the main character’s determination to create a kingdom that she’s proud to rule. The discoveries she’s making along the way made me gasp! Kelsea is quickly becoming one of my favorite book characters.
I love the main character’s determination to create a kingdom that she’s proud to rule. The discoveries she’s making along the way made me gasp! Kelsea is quickly becoming one of my favorite book characters.
Admittedly this trilogy is not breaking news—the final volume has been out since 2016. However, if you, like me, suffer from Swiss cheese memory and thus prefer to wait until an entire series is published and read it all in one go, now is the perfect time to get into the Tearling. I started the first book over Thanksgiving weekend wanting to be completely swept up in a story, and it did just that. I did not want to put it down—and I couldn’t order the second and third books fast enough. Kelsea was raised in a secluded forest by foster parents, but now that she’s in her late teens, a group of men shows up and she’s forced to go with them to take on her role as queen of the realm. Her foster parents told her maddeningly little about why she was hidden and what awaits her as queen, and her escorts are hardly more forthcoming. All those unanswered questions make these books just about as page-turning as they could possibly be. Kelsea is an incredible heroine—imperfect, complicated, occasionally selfish, but deeply principled, and I just loved her. Despite the mention of The Hunger Games on the cover, and despite the fact that Kelsea is a teenager, this trilogy feels very adult fantasy to me, so calibrate your expectations accordingly.