Erika Johansen's Queen of the Tearling first came on my radar a few years ago when her second novel, Invasion of the Tearling, was about to be published. This isn't a book that would normally appeal to me. Fantasy isn't my genre of choice, although I will admit there are exceptions (Harry Potter, the Madeleine L'Engle books). Queen of the Tearling received so many glowing recommendations that I couldn't help check out a copy.
Shortly after that, I went on vacation and even though I took this book with me, I never got around to reading it.
TLC offered this as a book tour, and I immediately jumped at it. Every once in a while it's good to get out of my comfort zone.
Kelsea sets out to claim the throne that her dead mother left. Kelsea doesn't know her mother, raised alone by two guardians who have told her little about her mother or her kingdom.
As she makes her way to the capitol, she relies on a group of knights who are sent to keep her safe. There is danger all around, and Kelsea must determine who she can trust and who she cannot. The magical sapphire that hangs around her neck gives her some measure of security, but there is much that Kelsea doesn't know about the way her mother ruled and what has happened in the kingdom.
And to add to the danger, the Red Queen of Mortmesne is out to destroy Kelsea, relying on her dark magic to do so.
This is a fantastic tale of adventure. I felt transported to this kingdom that Johansen created in her debut novel. As I was reading I knew instantly that I could hand this off to several of my friends. Readers who enjoyed The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard, the Selection books by Kierra Cass, the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and the Divergent series by Veronica Roth should all add the Queen of the Tearling trilogy to their TBR stacks. Even thoug this isn't the typical book I pick to read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't race through this one. Instead I savored it, allowing myself to get lost in this kingdom.
Happily there are two more novels in this series: The Invasion of the Tearling and The Fate of the Tearling just waiting to be devoured.
Thanks to TLC Book tours for providing a copy of this book for my review and including me on the blog tour. As always, all opinions expressed, are my own.
1 comment:
Like you, I've had this series on my radar for a while but I still haven't picked it up. I know I'll enjoy it though - and I think my son will as well!
Thanks for being a part of the tour.
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