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naymo's review against another edition
4.0
There were definitely parts of this that made me want to put the book down and walk away. Maybe too dark? Maybe the cutting? I'm not sure, but some of it was just over the top. It took Kelsea out of this "strong girl" persona and into something diminished and evil. I hope to see less of that if there is a book three - and I seriously hope there is. There was just too much left unfinished.
yvarg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.0
farrec's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thelibraryskeeper's review against another edition
5.0
I've found its very rare when the sequel to a book is equally as good as the first - this is one of those rare exceptions. This book was amazing. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Kelsea's visions into the past, it made the story that much more real. I CANNOT WAIT for the next one to come out.
jo_cbooks's review
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
This sequel dragged out too long and I did not enjoy watching Kelsea shift into a devolution of her previous character. I skim read the last 30% of the book cuz I am still curious what will happen but I no longer cared about the inner workings.
pewterwolf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - mainly because it's taken two months to read and, while good, it was a struggle in places.
Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf
The Invasion of the Tearling is the second book in the Tearling trilogy. Kelsea is the Queen of the Tearling, and she is fast becoming a queen of possible legend. She's fair, just and powerful.
But power is a double-edged sword... When she first came to the capital, she put an end to the horrible slave trade (this was back in book 1). But doing this defied the Red Queen, ruler of neighbouring country who rules with dark magic and fury.
With her armies ready to invade the Tearling, Kelsea has to find a way to protect her people. But with her beginning to get visions of a woman from before the Crossing and the walls of danger and mistrust growing around her, Kelsea and the Tearling's time are running out...
Right... ok... Writing this is going to be difficult so bear with me while I write my thoughts and feelings about this.
Because this book took me so long to read (TWO MONTHS!), I might be misremembering stuff and feelings but this, like [b:The Queen of the Tearling|23482780|The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)|Erika Johansen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432448519s/23482780.jpg|24267689], is an interesting beast of a book. It's interesting and, when it finds its footing, is gripping and complex (I enjoyed the complex twists and ideas this series is trying to lay out).
But there were moments where the book did lag and you flinched at certain issues the book tackles (some of these issues are triggers such as sexual assault, self-harm and others). Remember, this trilogy is found in the adult fantasy/sci-fi section rather than YA, so I understand this is more for an adult audience therefore tackles darker themes, but when it is sold as having huge crossover appeal, it would be useful to see if there was something to warn readers about trigger warnings (but this is a topic for a later date, me thinks...).
Don't get me wrong. I did like this book and I do plan to read the final book in the trilogy, The Fate of the Tearling, by the end of the year. I bought a paperback copy, against most of the book bloggers and vloggers who have read this and gone "DON'T DO IT! THE THIRD BOOK IN THE TRILOGY SUCKS!!!!". But I didn't seem to enjoy myself with Invasion as much as I did with Queen of the Tearling.
Maybe I'm being a little hard of this book. The writing is solid, the characters are complex and interesting to read, the political and religious intrigue was good and I always liked it when I read this and went "How is this going to pan out?". The same goes with characters relationship - I adore Kelsea's relationship with the Mace, and we got to spend more time with Kelsea and Pen. And with Kelsey's visions of the Pre-Crossing, most of the time, it made gripping reading. Most of this book is a solid fantasy read.
But, it didn't really hit the same heights as The Queen of the Tearling. It just missed it. There were times when situations and issues were put forward, but were either weren't resolved (I know, this is a second book in the series so foreshadowing, but some of these moments felt disjointed) or they were resolved far too quickly and out of character (the self-harm storyline is a good example for this).
While a solid read, Invasion of the Tearling didn't hit the same heights as its predecessor. I hold some hope that [b:The Fate of the Tearling|32794626|The Fate of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #3)|Erika Johansen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481612345s/32794626.jpg|42216233] will reclaim the wow factor, but am going to keep my hopes low due to everyone's reactions...
Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf
The Invasion of the Tearling is the second book in the Tearling trilogy. Kelsea is the Queen of the Tearling, and she is fast becoming a queen of possible legend. She's fair, just and powerful.
But power is a double-edged sword... When she first came to the capital, she put an end to the horrible slave trade (this was back in book 1). But doing this defied the Red Queen, ruler of neighbouring country who rules with dark magic and fury.
With her armies ready to invade the Tearling, Kelsea has to find a way to protect her people. But with her beginning to get visions of a woman from before the Crossing and the walls of danger and mistrust growing around her, Kelsea and the Tearling's time are running out...
Right... ok... Writing this is going to be difficult so bear with me while I write my thoughts and feelings about this.
Because this book took me so long to read (TWO MONTHS!), I might be misremembering stuff and feelings but this, like [b:The Queen of the Tearling|23482780|The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)|Erika Johansen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432448519s/23482780.jpg|24267689], is an interesting beast of a book. It's interesting and, when it finds its footing, is gripping and complex (I enjoyed the complex twists and ideas this series is trying to lay out).
But there were moments where the book did lag and you flinched at certain issues the book tackles (some of these issues are triggers such as sexual assault, self-harm and others). Remember, this trilogy is found in the adult fantasy/sci-fi section rather than YA, so I understand this is more for an adult audience therefore tackles darker themes, but when it is sold as having huge crossover appeal, it would be useful to see if there was something to warn readers about trigger warnings (but this is a topic for a later date, me thinks...).
Don't get me wrong. I did like this book and I do plan to read the final book in the trilogy, The Fate of the Tearling, by the end of the year. I bought a paperback copy, against most of the book bloggers and vloggers who have read this and gone "DON'T DO IT! THE THIRD BOOK IN THE TRILOGY SUCKS!!!!". But I didn't seem to enjoy myself with Invasion as much as I did with Queen of the Tearling.
Maybe I'm being a little hard of this book. The writing is solid, the characters are complex and interesting to read, the political and religious intrigue was good and I always liked it when I read this and went "How is this going to pan out?". The same goes with characters relationship - I adore Kelsea's relationship with the Mace, and we got to spend more time with Kelsea and Pen. And with Kelsey's visions of the Pre-Crossing, most of the time, it made gripping reading. Most of this book is a solid fantasy read.
But, it didn't really hit the same heights as The Queen of the Tearling. It just missed it. There were times when situations and issues were put forward, but were either weren't resolved (I know, this is a second book in the series so foreshadowing, but some of these moments felt disjointed) or they were resolved far too quickly and out of character (the self-harm storyline is a good example for this).
While a solid read, Invasion of the Tearling didn't hit the same heights as its predecessor. I hold some hope that [b:The Fate of the Tearling|32794626|The Fate of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #3)|Erika Johansen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481612345s/32794626.jpg|42216233] will reclaim the wow factor, but am going to keep my hopes low due to everyone's reactions...
chaffinch_22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
buecherfuechsin's review against another edition
5.0
Sucks you right in. I loved the references to the past!
ameserole's review against another edition
5.0
The Invasion of the Tearling also doesn't suffer from the usual second book problems most series have. This book was so freaking good! Plus it doesn't hurt to have a British lady narrating it to you.
I loved everything about Kelsea in this book. She just seemed so much better than she did in the first one - which I wasn't expecting to happy nor did I get mad about it. I just loved how much her life changed and how she grew more into her position of power. I'm still really intrigued with the whole Sapphires and everything too.
Other than Kelsea, I fell in love with Lily. I felt so bad for her life and how she had a horrible man for a husband. I can't tell you how many times I wished I could reach into the book/cd and slap the man silly.
There were a bunch of people I didn't like in this book, like: The high priest and the Red Queen. There's probably more but I don't want to dive into all of the people I didn't like. Just know that I didn't and I wanted them to die the entire time.
I completely recommend this book to everyone and anyone who knows what a book is. It was so good. I can totally see myself rereading this series over and over again.
I loved everything about Kelsea in this book. She just seemed so much better than she did in the first one - which I wasn't expecting to happy nor did I get mad about it. I just loved how much her life changed and how she grew more into her position of power. I'm still really intrigued with the whole Sapphires and everything too.
Other than Kelsea, I fell in love with Lily. I felt so bad for her life and how she had a horrible man for a husband. I can't tell you how many times I wished I could reach into the book/cd and slap the man silly.
There were a bunch of people I didn't like in this book, like: The high priest and the Red Queen. There's probably more but I don't want to dive into all of the people I didn't like. Just know that I didn't and I wanted them to die the entire time.
I completely recommend this book to everyone and anyone who knows what a book is. It was so good. I can totally see myself rereading this series over and over again.
lizliu's review against another edition
4.0
Kinda disappointed that one of my praises for the first book was that they didn’t make the heroine pretty and now she has just become pretty. I’m crazy intrigued by the double story lines and this whole Tear Heir situation but really don’t have any clue where it’s going to go.