Initial Note: I had first read and reviewed The Queen of the Tearling over eight months ago and am still regularly recommending to anyone and everyone. When my brother picked up the audiobook I decided to give this delightful novel a reread to see if I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. Needless to say, I loved it even more the second time around and finished the audiobook in two days! This book is an absolute must read!
Rate: 4.5/5
Medium: Book
Overview (No Spoilers): Yet again Kari recommends another truly captivating series. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen is the tale of a young girl, Kelsea, who is thrust into the role of Queen on her 19th Birthday. However, she must first survive the harrowing journey to her castle, assassins, and her traitorous Uncle Regent, all while trying to heal her fractured land. Johansen’s world appears to be postmodern, with vague references to America and libraries containing the works of Rowling, Tolkien and such. The history of this world is wrapped in secrets as Kelsea’s lessons on the aforementioned subject were heavily edited. This fog of mystery very slowly beginning to clear by the end of the book, however there are so many unknown pieces of the world that have yet to be revealed. Kelsea’s strong, pure personality soon manages to draw a crowd of loyal supporters to her side. Her world involves many complex countries, traditions and cultures, with emphasis on their resources and goods. Kelsea also demonstrates magical abilities, shrouded in mystery, which offer the promise to only get more powerful. Overall, I’m so pleased to have found two series back-to-back that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in Throne of Glass and The Queen of the Tearling. I’m looking forward to the point of impatience to reading the next book both series. There’s talk of a movie, with Emily Watson starting as Queen Kelsea. In personality she is the ideal fit, however I’m not sure if she is ‘plain’ enough to fully to portray sweet Kelsea due to this fact being emphasized throughout the book. Regardless, the concept is intriguing and I am curious as to the remaining cast. Perhaps the Hound would be an appropriate cast for Mace.
Additional Insight (May Contain Spoilers):
- When will a GOT reference make an appearance?
- Mace is so mysterious! What is his history?
- Kelsey’s instant transformation from a sheltered girl with no actual court or even public experiences to a Queen displaying leadership skills was a it much to swallow. There should have been a bit of a transition period.
- Who is Kelsey’s father? I initially thought it was Fetch, however there was a lot of sexual tension, from Kelsea toward him. What is Fetch and who is he? Is he the evil demon that visits the Red Queen? If not why would that demon forbid the Red Queen from attacking Kelsea? Why has he been waiting for her for a long time, a statement that Fetch made almost verbatim?
- How will Thorne meet his demise and what other acts of revenge will he plan prior to his death?
- It was apparent, from almost the initial description that Mhurn was going to be a traitor. However, I wanted this foresight to be wrong, so wrong. I liked his character and felt terrible for his losses. Kelsea performing the execution was a powerful statement to her personal resolve and leadership.
The Critiquing Chemist 
[…] (No Spoilers): What an absolutely delightful sequel to Queen of the Tearling! Glancing back to my review of the aforementioned novel, many of my complaints or questions […]
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[…] (No Spoilers): What an absolutely delightful sequel to Queen of the Tearling! Glancing back to my review of the aforementioned novel, many of my complaints or […]
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It never occurred to me that the Fetch could be Kelsea’s father, interesting. You’re right though, if it turns out to be true Kelsea’s going to feel very awkward. Haha. 🙂
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Hey! Thanks for checking out my blog! I really like how you pose all your questions you had during the book at the end. I personally think the Mace is Kelsea’s father and that the Fetch is just a mystery – but we shall see!
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After reading the second book I’m leaning toward a different theory. One a little more crazy. Have you read it yet?
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I have! Curious to hear what your crazy theory is haha
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[…] Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen […]
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I feel like I loved the first book, and then the second book WRECKED me. I absolutely loved the Invasion of the Tearling.
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Agreed! I can not wait for the next installment!
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W00t! I’ve got a hardcopy of this book on my shelves and was kind of bummed about seeing so many negative reviews on it. Thank you for giving me hope again! And for the lovely review of course 😉
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I honestly haven’t seen any bad reviews. Maybe I’m blind to them because I enjoyed it so much. 🙂 Let me know what you think of Queen of the Tearling when you get around to reading it!
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Maybe it’s a classic case of rose-tinted glasses XD. Or maybe it’s simply good! I know I bought it because I thought it sounded awesome :).
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Glad to know this is good. I have it in my to-read pile, but the sequel is on sale on Amazon this month, so I wanted to read it before even buying a lower-cost version.
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You’ll have to let me know what you think! I can’t wait for the third book!
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[…] (No Spoilers): The Fate of the Tearling is the eagerly anticipated, concluding novel of The Queen of the Tearling trilogy. As often happens upon obtaining the last book in a well loved trilogy, I find myself […]
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[…] coworker and I started naming off some of our favorite series and were excited when Red Rising and Queen of the Tearling both were high on our lists. As such, when he recommended the Grisha Trilogy by Bardugo I had to […]
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[…] (No Spoilers): When I first started reading The Queen of the Tearling I was blown away by the first and second books. Johansen took a risk with the final installment of […]
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Wow, what a great review! I have this book hiding somewhere and I just haven’t had the chance to read it yet. I’ll have to now.. it sounds so good!
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[…] me for months to pick up the Demon Cycle series. We even made a deal, he reads Queen of the Tearling and I pick up The Warded Man, however I kept delaying holding up my end of the bargain. With […]
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