The Queen of The Tearling by Erika Johansen

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret after her mother – a monarch as vain as she was foolish – was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea’s uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea’s nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother’s guard – each pledged to defend the queen to the death – arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding…
And so begins her journey back to her kingdom’s heart, to claim the throne, win the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother’s legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea’s story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance – it’s about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive…

I knew from the second I finished this book that it would be forever a firm favourite of mine. I fell in love with everything, from the new and exciting world, the brilliantly thought-out characters, to the exciting and original plot, The Queen of The Tearling has it all.

Kelsea Glynn is the main character in this book and she is such a superb main character to read about. Throughout this book you learn so much about her, that you will start to believe that you are actually reading about a real person. Everything about Kelsea’s character has been thought out and written into the book so you do come away thinking that you really know this person. Every decision and tough choice she has to make you get all of her thoughts and feelings. It gives Kelsea’s character another dimension and more life like. The other characters in the book are also developed really well and are given back stories of their own that I am sure will become more useful in future books.

The way Erika Johansen writes gives you so much detail and depth that you learn something new every couple of pages. That’s not to say that the writing is boring or unimportant because it isn’t. The writing flows beautifully and you get swept away into this stunning world.

The Queen of the Tearling is something that I have never read before because its not just a Fantasy book, it also has a mixture of Historical fiction and Dystopia themes. Erika Johansen has managed to join these three themes into a solid and unique story, and shows that there is still life in the Dystopian genre, which has become pretty stale and boring.

If you are looking for something new and exciting to read then this book is definitely for you. The Queen of the Tearling is an engaging and interesting read and it will leave you wanting more from the world and its characters.