Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

17 reviews

sparksofkell's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Colonisation

Minor: Death of parent, Addiction, Abortion, and Alcoholism

This book handles really dark things and treats them as reality. The main character wants to change this reality and restore a semblance of justice but that doesn’t happen in this book (book 1 of 3).

butterflymilkweed's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

Erika Johansen's "The Queen of the Tearling" weaves a tale of political intrigue, magic, and a young queen's journey to reclaim her kingdom. Set in a dystopian future where society has regressed to a medieval-like state, the novel introduces us to Kelsea Glynn, a young woman raised in seclusion who suddenly finds herself thrust onto the throne of the Tearling.

At the heart of the narrative is Kelsea herself, a refreshing departure from the typical fantasy heroine. Strong-willed, intelligent, and unapologetically flawed, Kelsea defies the traditional princess archetype. Her struggle to reconcile her sense of duty with her desire for justice forms the emotional core of the story. Johansen skillfully develops Kelsea's character, allowing her to grow and evolve throughout the novel.

Supporting characters such as the enigmatic Fetch and the formidable Queen's Guard Lazarus add depth to the narrative, each bringing their own motivations and secrets. The complex relationships between characters, rife with tension and hidden agendas, keep the reader engaged and guessing until the very end.

Johansen's world-building is another highlight of the novel. The kingdom of the Tearling is a harsh and unforgiving landscape, plagued by poverty, oppression, and the looming threat of invasion from the neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne. Yet, amidst the darkness, there are glimpses of hope and magic, hinting at a deeper mythology waiting to be uncovered.

One of the most intriguing aspects of "The Queen of the Tearling" is its exploration of power and morality. Johansen poses thought-provoking questions about the nature of leadership and the sacrifices necessary to effect real change. As Kelsea grapples with the consequences of her decisions, the novel forces the reader to consider the true cost of revolution.

Overall, I found "The Queen of the Tearling" to be a compelling and immersive read. While the pacing can be slow at times, particularly in the early chapters, the payoff is well worth it. Johansen's richly imagined world and complex characters kept me eagerly turning pages until the very end.

As I reach the conclusion of this first installment, I find myself eager to delve deeper into the world of the Tearling. Johansen has laid the groundwork for an epic saga, and I look forward to seeing where Kelsea's journey takes her next. If you're a fan of fantasy novels that defy conventions and challenge your assumptions, I highly recommend giving "The Queen of the Tearling" a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Trafficking, Pedophilia, Rape, Abandonment, Death, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Ableism, and Pedophilia

thebookvincicode's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Blood, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, War, Addiction, Classism, Child abuse, Body horror, Religious bigotry, and Self harm

Minor: Pedophilia

alixcallender's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

For me, this book ticked all the fantasy boxes that I need to enjoy it. I didn’t find the story slow the way some others seem to, and all the mysterious backstory intrigue has worked on me as intended. I want to know more! However, I do take issue with a few things:

There’s a petty disdain for beauty (particularly feminine beauty) that is hard to ignore. It seems NOT to be an important fixture of the actual story, but rather a personal hangup for the author. Beautiful women are either Very Evil (Red Queen) or Very Stupid (Elyssa) or Very Sad (Andalie and Marguerite). The only beautiful women who are “good” and earn any respect from Kelsea have been horribly punished by the world because of their beauty (either as beaten wives or beaten sex slaves). It’s an old fashioned, deeply flawed take on feminism that current thinking has outgrown, and having it at the forefront of this book leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s demonstrated in Kelsea’s disgust for fluffy throw pillows and gold vanity mirrors - “girlie things??? Not for me, I’m nOt LiKe tHe oThEr GiRLs.” And I don’t even know HOW to address the problematic way Kelsea treats that *old and ugly* noblewoman who dares to think of herself as beautiful. 

For someone who was isolated for literally her entire life, Kelsea is surprisingly well adjusted and ready to just, like, take charge of a whole ass country. And as for the country, I certainly hope this whole Crossing thing is cleared up in the next two books, because currently there are some major holes. Where is this magically unoccupied landmass that modern America and England can run to and colonize? Was it a space voyage? Why are there only TWO doctors in the whole country?? They really couldn’t have figured any of that out in all those centuries? The gunpowder “went bad”(????) and they couldn’t figure out how to make more?

None of these things offend me enough to put me off the series entirely, of course. What I’m hoping is that a complicated groundwork has been laid, that will be expertly resolved within the next two books. Do I expect that? Well, not really. But I’ll happily give it a shot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Sexism, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, and Child abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Torture, War, Violence, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence

Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Drug abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Homophobia

emmalily_1895's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

For me, the book was like going on a blind date on a whim and falling in love. Can't wait to read the next one.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Trafficking, Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Blood

It can get quite dark, but I felt like the potentially triggering issues were dealt with respectfully. Well worth it if you're in a good headspace.

themoodreader's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Addiction, Rape, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Confinement, Slavery, Torture, Child death, Sexual harassment, and Pregnancy

caitlintrutt's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Torture, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, War, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Violence

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Some aspects of the worldbuilding was absolutely wonderful and clever! Kelsea is a complex and compelling heroine. But all this was overshadowed by a positively glaring lack of anyone not of caucasian English (possibly a little Scottish or Irish?) descent. Despite everyone in the Tearling being refugees of Britain and America. It was incredibly uncomfortable to just pretend a couple stray POC who don’t even stay longer than a page exist in the Tearling, and only got worse when slave trafficking became a big part of the plot. In addition, every historic English caricature lobbed against the French was copy/pasted against the Mort in the laziest way imaginable. It felt like the author wanted to make a commentary on imperialism, without any introspection whatsoever on which countries have had the furthest imperialist reach or what that looks like. I wanted to like this book but too many things kept jarring me from the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Gore, Religious bigotry, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, Classism, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Alcohol

katrinarose's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The characters are a bit predictable and one-dimensional and not a whole lot seems to happen over the course of 400 pages, but I still enjoyed it. It definitely feels like a set up to the rest of the series and I think it has promise so I will continue on to book two. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Slavery, Trafficking, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug use, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

amelia99's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Trafficking

Minor: Slavery, War, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Violence, Addiction, Racism, and Sexual violence