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madamespook 's review for:
The Queen of the Tearling
by Erika Johansen
Who this book is for:
Those who aren't fantasy purists. If you bothered to get passed the first 100 pages (which most 1 starred reviewers have not), you'll see this book has sci-fi elements AND fantasy. Many complain about the recessive gene part, and that's because the society takes place hundreds of years after ours, and much of that knowledge has been forgotten.
I disagree that this book is a cross between Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. It has the same "horrors" as Hunger Games (human sacrifice), but our protagonist doesn't experience the horror herself, which is at the heart of Hunger Games. I think the book is more of a watered down GoT. I personally can't get through GoT because the world building is so incredibly detailed, it makes me fall asleep. I've tried reading GoT three times, and it's just not for me. in my experience, fantasy purists LOVE world building, which I can understand, but it's not for everyone. In contrast, this book focuses more on plot/character development than world building, which is probably why I liked it so much and read it in two days.
Audience:
This book is best for readers who want to experience a bridge between YA and adult novels. Yes, there's violence, swearing, rape, etc. but I would argue it's fairly tame for upper teens who are used to violence in Hunger Games and Grand Theft Auto V. I also categorize it as a YA/New Adult book because the main character is 19, yet is going through a transitional time in her life where she is trying to evolve out of ignorance and a sheltered childhood. If anything, this can be also a "New Adult" book, like a book for 20-somethings, but that genre is still fairly new.
Characters
Some were complaining about how this book is trying to prove that you don't need beauty to be a queen. Yes, I know, it's a little obvious to those of us who survived high school. But, if I read this as a teen, when I had the self-esteem of a mosquito, I would have found a new Enlightenment and appreciated it. I think today's teens are going through even more body-image pressure than before (blame the media, patriarchy, whatever you like), and I think this book really hammers that idea into a younger reader. Again, this is why I think this book fits into the YA genre.
I loved Kelsea. She's smart, witty, tactical, and she's not skinny. However, she only lets her looks sometimes get her down, which I think is realistic to girlhood and womanhood alike. In short, Kelsea is the bad bitch my bookshelf has been looking for.
Those who aren't fantasy purists. If you bothered to get passed the first 100 pages (which most 1 starred reviewers have not), you'll see this book has sci-fi elements AND fantasy. Many complain about the recessive gene part, and that's because the society takes place hundreds of years after ours, and much of that knowledge has been forgotten.
I disagree that this book is a cross between Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. It has the same "horrors" as Hunger Games (human sacrifice), but our protagonist doesn't experience the horror herself, which is at the heart of Hunger Games. I think the book is more of a watered down GoT. I personally can't get through GoT because the world building is so incredibly detailed, it makes me fall asleep. I've tried reading GoT three times, and it's just not for me. in my experience, fantasy purists LOVE world building, which I can understand, but it's not for everyone. In contrast, this book focuses more on plot/character development than world building, which is probably why I liked it so much and read it in two days.
Audience:
This book is best for readers who want to experience a bridge between YA and adult novels. Yes, there's violence, swearing, rape, etc. but I would argue it's fairly tame for upper teens who are used to violence in Hunger Games and Grand Theft Auto V. I also categorize it as a YA/New Adult book because the main character is 19, yet is going through a transitional time in her life where she is trying to evolve out of ignorance and a sheltered childhood. If anything, this can be also a "New Adult" book, like a book for 20-somethings, but that genre is still fairly new.
Characters
Some were complaining about how this book is trying to prove that you don't need beauty to be a queen. Yes, I know, it's a little obvious to those of us who survived high school. But, if I read this as a teen, when I had the self-esteem of a mosquito, I would have found a new Enlightenment and appreciated it. I think today's teens are going through even more body-image pressure than before (blame the media, patriarchy, whatever you like), and I think this book really hammers that idea into a younger reader. Again, this is why I think this book fits into the YA genre.
I loved Kelsea. She's smart, witty, tactical, and she's not skinny. However, she only lets her looks sometimes get her down, which I think is realistic to girlhood and womanhood alike. In short, Kelsea is the bad bitch my bookshelf has been looking for.