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A review by sandygx260
The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
4.0
Ah hell, after a three hour ride from the shore, now is not the time to review this book, but I will. This book is far stronger than the first book. It is more nuanced, more introspective, and generally superior to "Queen."
I rated Queen of the Tearling only two stars, since I found the plot thin and the character development lacking. But— and this is crucial—I sensed a big reveal in the second book. The story left me curious enough to see what happened next in the series.
The reveal came in the form of hallucinations suffered by Queen Kelsea. The way Johansen set up the reveal worked for me, although the tidy chronological order was a little pat.If she had mixed up the blasts from the past, I would have slapped five stars on this story, because it would have worked. I also didn't understand why Kelsea's appearance changed. This is explained, but it is a bit flimsy.
I don't want to trip into spoiler territory, but if you thought the first book lame, this one grows muscles. There's a few silly details, like Kelsea saying "fuck" too many times, which seems odd given the courtly timeframe. Johansen seems to think having her main character say "fuck" is a sign of rebellion. Hell, if that's the case, I must be an absolute anarchist!
The ending is a kick in the head. There's plenty of revealing details, enough to ensure I will read book three. Will Johansen pull out all the stops? I hope so—Kelsea deserves a grand ending.
I rated Queen of the Tearling only two stars, since I found the plot thin and the character development lacking. But— and this is crucial—I sensed a big reveal in the second book. The story left me curious enough to see what happened next in the series.
The reveal came in the form of hallucinations suffered by Queen Kelsea. The way Johansen set up the reveal worked for me, although the tidy chronological order was a little pat.If she had mixed up the blasts from the past, I would have slapped five stars on this story, because it would have worked. I also didn't understand why Kelsea's appearance changed. This is explained, but it is a bit flimsy.
I don't want to trip into spoiler territory, but if you thought the first book lame, this one grows muscles. There's a few silly details, like Kelsea saying "fuck" too many times, which seems odd given the courtly timeframe. Johansen seems to think having her main character say "fuck" is a sign of rebellion. Hell, if that's the case, I must be an absolute anarchist!
The ending is a kick in the head. There's plenty of revealing details, enough to ensure I will read book three. Will Johansen pull out all the stops? I hope so—Kelsea deserves a grand ending.