Book Review on Queen of the Tearling
"Queen of the Tearling" by Erika Johansen tells the story of young Kelsey Raleigh, lost to the world and the rightful heir of the Tearling throne. She must battle political intrigue, spies within her ranks, and a deadly queen from the neighbouring country while ascending to the throne as queen and enacting changes to save her people. The pacing of the plot was riveting, the rich language engaging, and the characters believable.
There wasn't any one time when I was wondering, "Is something going to happen HERE?!" Erika did a fantastic job of keeping me spellbound, wanting to know more, wanting to peel back the history of this kingdom and how it coincided with the present. The political intrigue was a great mover for the plot. After one attempt on Kelsea's life had failed, another would be in the making.
There was at one point at the beginning of the book that I thought was slightly dragging. But I quickly realized that the initial drag I felt was really Erika's way of deeply describing such beautiful layers in Kelsey's grandiose story. Her description of Kelsey's Queen's Guard, the land, her turmoiled thoughts brought the story more to life than it would have been without it. But it was never too much that I felt had to skip any parts.
The characters...many of them were exactly what you expected and then they weren't. For example, Kelsey is a queen. Most of us think of a queen as beautiful and of a fine figure. Kelsey is plain, round in the face, and carries a little extra weight; but her strength of character and conviction makes you root for her the entire length of the book. Many of the men in the Queen's Guard are described as incredibly handsome, well built. But then Elston, one of the guards, in the beginning of the book opens his mouth...and Kelsey describes his having broken teeth (anything but eye-pleasing). These realistic additions to the characters' outward appearance break any fanciful visions the reader has of a perfect "medieval" period containing beautiful princesses and handsome, roguish knights.
Set in a medieval-like society about a century after our present day society, this novel can both cater to the dystopian and medieval/fantasy readers alike. I found myself slouching on my big, comfy chair for a whole Sunday afternoon, restless to read until the end, and yet hoping that it never would.
There wasn't any one time when I was wondering, "Is something going to happen HERE?!" Erika did a fantastic job of keeping me spellbound, wanting to know more, wanting to peel back the history of this kingdom and how it coincided with the present. The political intrigue was a great mover for the plot. After one attempt on Kelsea's life had failed, another would be in the making.
There was at one point at the beginning of the book that I thought was slightly dragging. But I quickly realized that the initial drag I felt was really Erika's way of deeply describing such beautiful layers in Kelsey's grandiose story. Her description of Kelsey's Queen's Guard, the land, her turmoiled thoughts brought the story more to life than it would have been without it. But it was never too much that I felt had to skip any parts.
The characters...many of them were exactly what you expected and then they weren't. For example, Kelsey is a queen. Most of us think of a queen as beautiful and of a fine figure. Kelsey is plain, round in the face, and carries a little extra weight; but her strength of character and conviction makes you root for her the entire length of the book. Many of the men in the Queen's Guard are described as incredibly handsome, well built. But then Elston, one of the guards, in the beginning of the book opens his mouth...and Kelsey describes his having broken teeth (anything but eye-pleasing). These realistic additions to the characters' outward appearance break any fanciful visions the reader has of a perfect "medieval" period containing beautiful princesses and handsome, roguish knights.
Set in a medieval-like society about a century after our present day society, this novel can both cater to the dystopian and medieval/fantasy readers alike. I found myself slouching on my big, comfy chair for a whole Sunday afternoon, restless to read until the end, and yet hoping that it never would.
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