Rating: 91% | A- | ★★★★★ Warnings: + Violence + Sexual content/assault + Profanity Synopsis (from Goodreads): Magic, adventure, mystery, and romance combine in this epic debut in which a young princess must reclaim her dead mother’s throne, learn to be a ruler—and defeat the Red Queen, a powerful and malevolent sorceress determined to destroy her. On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown. Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust. But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend . . . if she can survive. Spoiler-Free Section I really enjoyed The Queen of the Tearling. I'd read mediocre reviews about the book before starting it, so I wasn't expecting much—and ended up being pleasantly surprised. In fact, I've tried and failed to read this book many times; this time was the charm. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. Slave trading, sex trafficking, prostitution, rape, and murder are all depicted in gory, explicit ways. This is the first book that has managed to truly appall me in a very long time. Content-wise, I think that The Queen of the Tearling is toeing the line between YA and New Adult fantasy. Johansen skillfully crafts complex characters and complicated situations, contributing to an atmosphere that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Kelsea is unlike any other female protagonist I know, and the task of ruling a ruined country and the machinations of the court have never been so realistically portrayed. I admired Johansen's incorporation of so many different historical aspects, such as foreign alliances and the corruption of the church. The only real frustration I had with this book was the pacing of the plot. The beginning was quite slow, as was the end. And the constant shifts in points of view were slightly confusing at times. But overall, The Queen of the Tearling was beautifully crafted and one of the best books I have read this year (so far). (Click "Read More" for spoilers.) Plot (27/30)
(This retelling will most likely be haphazard, as Johansen jumps from one topic to another so quickly that readers can sometimes lose track. But I will do my best to be clear and concise.) Beginning (8/10) The beginning of this book is slow. It doesn't begin with the most exciting of adventures—Kelsea riding to the capital to take her throne. Even saying goodbye to her foster parents feels slow and not exciting. And I wasn't taken by Kelsea's narrative skills in the beginning. Kelsea's attitude towards the Queen's Guard and vice versa is also uncomfortable. They all but call her ugly (Lazarus actually does) and she all but yells at them. I felt for her when she was trying to muster up the courage to prove herself as more than a spoiled girl, but her interactions with the soldiers was downright painful to read. Even Kelsea and Lazarus getting caught by the Fetch is . . . not very exciting. Especially since Kelsea spent most of it fawning over him. I spent those chapters in quiet annoyance, waiting for her to come to her senses and continue on her way. Even the Fetch's "I'll come to collect a favor" comment is cliche. By far, the most exciting part of this third of the book is when Kelsea frees the slaves. And it was also the first scene that endeared me to her. Watching her declare herself queen and order the cages to be opened—it truly sent chills racing down my arms. “I may sit on the throne for only one day, but if you don’t open those cages right now, I swear before Great God that my sole act as Queen will be to watch every one of you die for treason! You will not live to see another sun set! Will you test my word?” And just the concept of trading slaves to Mortmense—wow. I can't find another word for it. All throughout history people have been traded as commodities and spoils of war. Other series have incorporated this (Throne of Glass being one) but none of them have humanized it as well as Tearling does. Watching the cages fill up through Kelsea's eyes, watching parents cry out for their children—it's enough to make one's heart physically hurt. The issue of the slave trade is also such an airtight way to connect the Tearling to Mortmense. Especially once the reader sees the issue from the point of view of the Red Queen. Middle (10/10) Life really doesn't slow down for Kelsea. Exploring with her free hand, she found a knife handle protruding just above her shoulder blade. When her fingers brushed it, a bolt of pain arrowed all the way down to her toes. Coronations are meant to be lavish affairs. A stately woman gliding down the aisle of Westminster Abbey. Sitting down on a throne. A scepter in one hand and a globe in the other. But that's in Great Britain. In the Tearling, coronations are hardly complete without a treacherous uncle, a treacherous member of the Queen's Guard, and many treacherous aristocratic spectators. Reading about Kelsea getting up after being stabbed in the back was adrenaline-inducing. Reading about her forcing her uncle off of the throne was even better. “I’ve given you . . . a running start, Uncle. Get off my throne right now, or Lazarus will throw you out of the Keep. How long . . . do you think you’ll last?” What a truly fist-pump-worthy moment. Especially after the next chapter, when Kelsea's uncle wakes up to nothing. No sculptures, no paintings, no illegally obtained sex slaves . . . Anne smiled, a friendly grin that failed to conceal something unpleasant lurking at the corners of her mouth. “Clothing, jewelry, food, and gold, and you think you paid, Thomas. You didn’t, not even close. But I think you will.” Then Johansen focuses on another beast Kelsea must wrangle: the church. Many people forget just how powerful and how corrupt the (Catholic) church was throughout history. I myself had forgotten it until this book. But Johansen explains it in terrific fashion, first through Father Tyler's experience with the Holy Father wanting to have an agent inside the Keep, and then through Cardinal Anders' lechery . . . I was surprised to realize that the Red Queen would be a point of view character. Few books take the time to tell the story from the villain's point of view, and while the queen is still a despicable character even through her own eyes (killing the slave certainly doesn't earn her any reputation points), the reader can see how carefully Johansen wove her tale. Kelsea didn't send the slaves; the Red Queen notices and worries about how her nobles will react. Everything is interconnected, and these are concerns that would have certainly worried the kings and queens of old. And then there is the second assassination attempt on Kelsea. While it was exciting, I was exasperated by how the Tear jewel flared up and saved Kelsea. In fact, the entire lore and magic surrounding the jewel is roughly explained in the book and quite unclear. It remains the only part of the book that I cannot come to terms with. Mace turned back to the room at large, pointing at the hole in the floor. “That’s a tunnel, lads. I knew about it, but I wasn’t concerned. You know why? Because it runs beneath three chambers and comes out in one of the empty ones down the hall.” Her guards exchanged shocked looks. Elston took an involuntary step back. Mhurn had turned white as a sheet. “Anyone not see what that means?” All of them stood there as though waiting for a storm to break. “It means,” Mace roared, “that we have a traitor here!” But Kelsea doesn't let the assassination attempt deter her from wanting to make the Tearling a better place. She immediately enlists the help of Father Tyler to create a library in the Keep and offers Marguerite a spot as a tutor. I especially loved the female relationships in this book. So much of the story is built around men being awful: soliciting prostitutes, trading slaves, double-crossing people for money, etc. So when Kelsea swoops in and actually liberates these women from their awful situations and gives them a roof over their heads and real positions, it is so immensely heartwarming. End (9/10) I'm not sure why, but the last few scenes of the novel fell flat for me. I think because of the intensity of the story, I almost assumed that the book would end with a grand battle or something akin to it. The tone of the book certainly lends itself to that ending. Still, the last third of the novel is exciting in its own way. I still found myself frustrated by Kelsea's (the jewel's?) unexplained and hazy powers. The jewel can act violently towards those who wish to harm its wearer, but it can also transport its wearer into the body of another? Kelsea's entire scene as the mother whose son was being taken away was inordinately confusing. I was disappointed by the rescue of the slaves because it felt like a repeat of the beginning of the book. I was glad to see Javel come to his senses and Thorne be captured, but it felt like recycling a scene, in a way. The only thing that made me sit up in interest was the reveal that Mhurn was the traitor. Poor Mhurn. To hear the story of his wife and his daughter being taken by the Mort . . . it's heartbreaking to think about even now. Kelsea faces so much loss in the last few scenes of this chapter, but she also faces the future. She sees the entirety of her kingdom and her enemies, and though she has just ascended to the throne, she knows how she wants to rule. Characters (26/30) Development (13/15) There was really only one character to evaluate for development, and that was Kelsea. Kelsea does develop as a character, yes, but to a very limited extent. She's really not that different at the end of her journey as she was at the beginning of her journey. Kelsea started out the novel a hot-tempered, well-intentioned spitfire, and she ends the novel a slightly less hot-tempered, well-intentioned spitfire. On the whole, she doesn't go through a lot of character development simply because her character had already developed by the start of the novel. I suppose I could also consider Javel's character development, but I consider that arc more about Javel coming to his senses rather than true, thought-out development. Lure (13/15) Most of the characters in this book mesmerized me. Whether they were viciously amoral like the Red Queen or virtuous like Kelsea, every single character had a solid backstory and their own complicated agendas. That being said, the brunt of the deduction falls on Kelsea. It's easy to be irked by her at times: when she's being bratty about the way she's treated, when she runs her mouth in the worst situations, etc. But I don't think Johansen intended for Kelsea to be completely accepted by the reader, either. She simply exists as her own, three-dimensional (and she is the most three-dimensional character I've ever read) human being. And the reader has to either take it or leave it. The other character I wasn't amazed by was Javel. Javel seemed like such a random addition to the cast of POV characters. I understand why Johansen included him plot-wise, but his sections were the most boring to read. I would have much rather read something from Thorne's point of view or from the point of view of any woman in the Keep. Writing (18/20) Descriptions (5/5) Johansen's writing is beautiful. Even with such an intricate world, she manages to squeeze in the tiniest details—such as the long lines of soldiers marching on the road, the wagons rolling toward Mort, the wailing of the crowd. All of these minuscule details are what makes the world of the Tearling seem so real, compared to other fantasy landscapes. I especially loved Johansen's little chapter introductions, where she included excerpts from Tearling history books and songs. They felt so real to me and while I didn't read all of them, it made me feel as though I was living through a true historical epoch and not reading a fiction book. Some of my favorite introductions: Many families waited in front of the Keep that day, preparing themselves for grief. They couldn’t know that they were about to become players on the stage of history, and some to hold parts greater than they could ever have imagined. –The Early History of the Tearling, AS TOLD BY MERWINIAN So many forces were at work against the Glynn Queen that she might have been a rock outcropping in God’s Ocean, worn down by the inexorable tide. Instead, as history shows, she shaped herself. –The Glynn Queen: A Portrait, KARN HOPLEY God’s Church was a strange marriage of the hierarchy of pre-Crossing Catholicism and the beliefs of a particular sect of Protestantism that emerged in the early after- math of the Landing. This sect was less concerned with the moral salvation of souls than with the biological salvation of the human race, a salvation viewed as God’s great plan in raising the New World out of the sea. This strange mixture of disparate elements was both a marriage of necessity and a harbinger of things to come. God’s Church became a realist’s religion, its interpretation of the gospels riddled with pragmatic holes, the influence of the pre-Crossing Bible limited to what would serve. Ecclesiastical discontent was inevitable; many priests, faced with the increasingly brutal political realities of theology in the Tear- ling, needed only the slightest touch and they were ready to topple. –Religious Dimensions of the Tearling: An Essay, FATHER ANSELM Flow (5/5) Some people have complained about Johansen's repetitiveness in certain sections, especially when she is describing movement, but I didn't experience any such disturbances. I thought that there was a clear chain of events set in motion from the first stage of the book, and the author followed it faithfully to its conclusion. World-Building (8/10) Alas, all the intricate historical details in the world cannot make up for poor world-building. There are two factors to consider when evaluating the world-building of the Tearling world: magic and mechanics. By magic, I mean Kelsea's jewels; by mechanics, I mean just about everything else. The kingdom's foundations, the social hierarchy, etc. The mechanics worked just fine. I was engrossed in the way the kingdom ran, the aristocrats having stolen everything from the common people and the government officials becoming fat off of the backs of everyone else. It was easy to draw parallels between the Tearling and real human history, and those comparisons helped me rationalize the characters' actions. The magic, on the other hand, was a muddier affair. Exactly what powers do Kelsea's jewels have? What powers does the Red Queen have? Where did this magic come from? It seems as though only Kelsea and the Red Queen have magic (and Andalie), but does that mean that magic is out there, somewhere? Many, many unanswered questions. Closure/Set-Up (20/20) Logic (10/10) For the first book in a series, hardly any ending is considered illogical, and with an author as careful as Johansen, everything works like a charm. Lure/Closure (10/10) Actually, at the time of writing this, I've already read the second book, so I can confidently say that The Queen of the Tearling's ending was everything needed to persuade me to continue the series and more. Thanks for reading!
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