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    The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel
    The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel
    The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Queen of the Tearling: A Novel

    Written by Erika Johansen

    Narrated by Katherine Kellgren

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A #1 Indie Next Pick and LibraryReads Selection

    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.

    This book will be a beautifully designed package with illustrated endpapers, a map of the Tearling, and a ribbon marker.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 8, 2014
    ISBN9780062332288
    Author

    Erika Johansen

    Erika Johansen grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. She went to Swarthmore College, earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and eventually became an attorney, but she never stopped writing.

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    Reviews for The Queen of the Tearling

    4/5

    277 ratings103 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Before I type anything else, let me first say that I'm stunned at the sheer amount of hype that this book is receiving right now. I'm always wary when something is hyped up too much. Always wondering as to why the PR department wants me to "LOVE THIS!" before I've even set my hands upon it. If a book is that good, shouldn't it be able to stand on its own? Why compare it to what has come before? All that aside, I was enchanted by the premise and added this to my wishlist. I can't resist an opportunity to become lost in a new world, and a new series.

      Let's get the bits I'm bitter about out of the way first. This book is long. Topping the charts at 448 pages, it's not light reading. Now, as a previous reader of tomes, I had no issue with this at first. As long as the story is interesting enough to carry me through 450 pages? No harm, no foul. The Queen of the Tearling, however, was a struggle for me to finish. I forgave the beginning for being slow. World-building takes time, characters must be introduced, all that is fine with me. What I couldn't overlook was how spaced out the action scenes after that were. Doesn't the synopsis promise an action packed book? Don't expect that. Expect travelling. Lots of travelling. I suppose this was meant to give the reader a chance to see the world. I wasn't sold.

      My other big issue with this story were the characterizations. Starting with Kelsea. Why, oh why, can't she be both beautiful and intelligent? I loved her strength, and her tenacity, but was aghast as all the things that made her female were slowly stripped away. Again, I can speculate. Maybe the author meant to make a point it isn't our outward appearance that makes us strong, tenacious women? Still, why couldn't Kelsea be benevolent and intelligent while also being at least pretty enough to feel confident in herself? I just don't know, and it bothered me to no end. Add in the fact that all the other characters who surround her are either perfectly good, or obviously malevolent, and the lack of effort just left a bad taste in my mouth.

      Okay, rant over. Let's talk about what I liked! This is the part that actually does make me look forward to the next book in the series, and that is the world-building itself. The land that Kelsea inhabits is definitely an original concept. Set in the future, but pulled back into the monarchies of old, it lends itself to an amazing mash-up of past and present. Science has flourished, but a monarchy remains. Technology has advanced, but the views of the people are trapped in the past. It's an intriguing concept, and allows a lot of room for little references to be thrown in here and there that made me smile. More than anything, this world is what I'm looking forward to going back to. Also, I can't help but be hopeful that they'll be a lot more action coming in the future. The scenes that were present were that delicious mix of bloody and satisfying. If you know how to write a good fight scene, you have my attention.

      Apologies for the long review, but I could probably write many more paragraphs about this book and barely skim the surface of what I'm feeling. Do I think that The Queen of the Tearling is worth all the hype? No, I do not. Do I think that it has the potential to become a successful series? Yes, I actually do. This first book isn't the best introduction, but if you can make it through I think you'll see that it does have that glimmer of hope at the end. This is coming from a girl who almost gave up, but pressed on. I'd love to give this book a better rating, because I was so looking forward to it, but I am sadly unable to. That doesn't mean I won't revisit this world when the next book comes out though. Call me crazy, but I have hope.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I have been eyeing this book for a while now, but just kept sliding it down in my TBR pile. After being left hanging by several YA fantasy series, I decided I needed to read one that was complete, and so I grabbed The Queen of the Tearling.This book had me hooked from the beginning. The plot, the characters, the pace; it was all perfect for me. I read at a fairly normal speed, but I found myself whipping through The Queen of the Tearling. I read it on my lunch break, at my desk (for shame!), and during my free time. It felt like every little word was integral to the plot, and that I shouldn’t let anything slip by me. My absolute favorite part was the relationship that developed between Kelsea and her guards. It makes me happy when books, movies, or television shows depict to teenagers that it is possible to earn the respect of an adult just by being yourself. Queen of the Tearling goes on the shortlist of favorite books that I’ve read this year, and possibly ever.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This is an interesting book, full of colorful characters and surprising events. We see Kelsey change from a simple girl into a queen. There will be war, but Kelsey will be ready.
    • 2/5
      Way overhyped, not that great.
    • 4/5
      I love the cover of this, the idea of the crown as trap, and that's true about it, this crown is a trap with a lot of pitfalls and problems. Kelsea is 19 and, as expected, the Queen's Guard comes to take her away from her foster family. She is to be queen and her foster family have trained her for her future, but they have told her very little about her mother, who is dead. On her way to the city she encounters adventure and a bandit who intrigues her.When she arrives it's to the tribute to be sent to the Red Queen, hundreds of people, torn from their families, thrown into cages to be sent away to an unknown fate. She loses her temper and frees the tributes and declares no more. This starts a ball rolling, unseating her Uncle, the regent from her throne will be the next thing, that and staying alive.I liked it, I want to know more about what happens, even if there are several rather blatant clues with some characters, I'm still curious about how the people got to this world and what's behind a lot of the mysteries.
    • 4/5
      The Queen of the Tearling is Book One of an adult fantasy/post-apocalyptic fairy tale. Like a fairy tale, it has plenty of overused tropes and caricatures. Yet it also includes some unique aspects, and is riveting and entertaining, perhaps explaining why it has been optioned for a movie and is set to star Emma Watson as Kelsea, the main protagonist. In this future world, Kelsea has just turned 19, and therefore is scheduled to take over the throne of the Tearling, an area in what was once England. The Tearling was named for the person who established it several hundred years ago, after a crossing from America. Kelsea has been brought up by foster parents who have hidden her to protect her from enemies such as her uncle, who has acted as Regent and would like to keep that position. But now that she is at the age of ascension, she is taken by a group of her late mother’s guards to New London to be crowned. There is doubt, however, she will make it there alive.We know she will, of course, since this is a trilogy, but the journey is full of surprises, especially about Kelsea herself. Most significantly, Kelsea is what might be described on a good day as “plain,” and is zaftig to boot. She is insecure about her looks only because she knows that men value prettiness, but she consistently manages to focus her concerns on (1) staying alive, and (2) righting the wrongs perpetrated on the kingdom by her incredibly evil uncle.She becomes queen, and also inherits the two sapphires associated with the crown and said to have magical powers. Indeed they do, and the jewels are coveted by The Evil Queen of the neighboring evil kingdom, Mortmesne. In fact, the first thing Kelsea does as queen of the Tear is to antagonize that queen by putting a stop to the regular shipments of slaves paid as tribute - an arrangement made by Kelsea’s mother to bribe the Mort Queen not to invade Tear. But after Kelsea’s act of defiance, the threat of a war with the overwhelmingly superior forces of the Mort threatens the kingdom of Tear.Discussion: There is a lot of physical and sexual abuse, a dashing “bad boy,” guards who are either loyal to the death, treacherous, or corruptible because of some weakness or other, and a very corrupt and evil Church. The series is being hyped (or discredited) as a mashup of “Game of Thrones,” “The Hunger Games” and “Maleficent.” But what really makes this book stand out is the character of Kelsea.Kelsea, as mentioned above, is not stereotypically good-looking. Although she is 19, she has never been involved with any other children, much less any boys. When she tries to train to use weapons, she is a failure. But she grows up very fast, in almost every way. And she shows that value comes from what is invisible to the eye, to paraphrase The Little Prince. Kelsea is unlike any other YA heroine I can think of.Evaluation: This series has its faults, but it makes for irresistible reading.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book! It's a great coming of age story.
    • 4/5
      Great series....found it hard to follow as it jumps between time. A little disappointed in the last book.
    • 1/5
      Story seemed to skip around a lot. I felt really lost most of the time while listening to it.
    • 5/5
      5 out of 5! Absolute perfection! My favorite book of the year thus far.
    • 4/5
      I thought it was a really good quick read. It was not a terribly deep book and I thought that the characters could have been more well-rounded. I would have liked to see more character development as well. The Plot also seemed very shallow.
    • 3/5
      I read this about three years ago, so this is going to be short. I absolutely loved the writing which I know is one of the main complaints for many reviewers. It is slow and detailed, but read with a fine smoothness that kept me engaged. I went into the book knowing really nothing about it, but to shock and horror it went in a completely different direction than I thought it would thus why I did not continue the series despite owning the second book. This book and series had so much potential which was why I was so disappointed.
    • 3/5
      The reason I'm giving this book 3 stars is because while it was good, I enjoyed the world building and seeing all the politics that goes on behind the castle doors. I didn't like how slow the book was. I found myself putting the book down many times and then coming back to it think 'will it ever end or speed up?' The answer to that is "NOPE"
      definitely not a book I'd keep around to reread.
    • 3/5
      Now I tried reading this book a few years ago I got bored and out it down and never picked it back up. Fast forward and booktube loves this series So I'm like I'm on a big reading kick lets do this..... Well it was a slow read for me. and I know they have to build the world and the cast of characters but I feel like I don't know anything real about them. Now there are 3 books in this series I'm planning on going to book 2 this month and hoping it kicks it up and I can fully get into it.
    • 4/5
      Probably considered a YA book but I enjoyed it. She is a very descriptive writer, able to paint you a picture of hard stone castles and hallways lined with tapestries to the people within scheming, plotting and mulling on ways to sway a new young queen. She is intelligent, young, inexperienced and opposed by an older, arrogant, experienced queen. Read and see how she fared...
    • 2/5
      I have questions, most of them unflattering.
    • 5/5
      Wow. Willow mets Lord of the Rings and Snow White and the Huntsman! I just didn't want to put it down!
    • 3/5
      Well, that was fun! This is a surprisingly dark political fantasy written with intelligence and humor. Some of the symbolism feels heavy-handed at times, but the well-written dialogue and somewhat intriguing plot kept me turning the page steadily. If you're in the mood for something dark & political, Kelsea's journey through early queenship is a great fit!

      (*TW for mentions of rape, pedophilia, and abuse. Like I said, surprisingly dark.)
    • 5/5
      The reading was so good - the narrator did unique and consistent voices for each character, with different accents that made me curious if she had behind the scenes information from the author about these characters' backgrounds. She also read the non-dialogue parts with great emotion. a real performance, must have taken lots of effort.

      The story was interesting - it seemed to move slowly, with a lot of insight into the protagonist's thoughts, and a pre-journey at the beginning before things got going that reminded me of the pre-Rivendell parts of The Fellowship of The Ring. But that made the setting/world-building all the better for the slow pace. On the one hand it seemed to drag on, and the story could have been told faster if going by plot points alone. But it was also very well plotted and made more sense than another fantasy novel I listened to recently.

      This book brings up questions about human rulership / governance - in a future with less technology and resources, would humans revert to a monarchy? This is an underlying assumption that I question, and I wonder if they will address it in the sequels, which I'm eager to read.

      Thanks to Emma Watson for putting this title on her book club list.
    • 5/5
      I really don't understand all the low star reviews. I loved this book. Strong lead female protagonist who isn't drop dead gorgeous and doesn't have the best figure. She acknowledges her faults but doesn't feel like she has to change to be a great ruler. She's brave, smart and sassy to boot. I can't wait for the next book.
    • 3/5
      Kelsea has spent her entire life in hiding. She is heir to a kingdom that she knows very little about. The odds are against her survival, much less a long and successful reign, but she knows that, for the good of her people, she must make the attempt.I'm torn as to my opinion of this book. It had a lot of potential, but I don't think that potential was realized. There were so very many holes in the world building, and there were several points where I was thinking, "I don't think you understand how X works" -- X being any number of things: rivers, genetics, fire, guarding royalty... I read the whole thing (well, listened to, and I'm sure Katherine Kellgren's narration was a factor in me sticking with it even when I was frustrated with it), but I did not find the ending satisfactory either. It's the first book in a trilogy, but I'm not sure if I will bother with the other books, even though the plot was left wide open in so many ways.
    • 5/5
      The Queen of The Tearling was a superb book. The main character, Kelsea, is witty, proud and lacking in looks, which makes her character much more lovable since she isn't this perfect girl. She is the long lost queen who is tasked with fixing her damaged kingdom, which makes for a marvelous and intense adventure.
    • 3/5
      The Queen's heir, 19 year old Kelsea must leave the cottage where she was raised by a couple with not outside contact and cripplingly little knowledge of the current state of her kingdom and try to make her way to the capital with a double handful of Queen's Guards. Although the first section is pretty much a long chase scene it seems static and unflowing. Later the writing picks up some momentum but there there are arbitrary acts and awkward choices of language that balked absorption in the narrative. Not a bad young queen takes over a kingdom in peril, and extra points for a plain faced heavy set queen, but I found nothing particularly attractive in the way post apocalyptic setting, the characters or the sparse magic that was acknowledged but not understood.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful world building, multi-dimensiinal characters, and a plot that keeps you up reading well past midnight...
    • 3/5
      It was pretty good - lots of action and intrigue - but I guess it just wasn't what I expected? Mind you, I'm not too sure what it was that I expected exactly...but apparently this wasn't exactly it.
    • 3/5
      Erika Johansen's debut novel, The Queen of the Tearling, attracted notice months before its publication date. The film rights have already been bought by Warner Bros and Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has signed on as both executive producer, and its star.The Queen of the Tearling is the first book in a trilogy featuring nineteen year old Kelsea Glynn, the newly revealed heir to the throne of Tearling. After a lifetime in hiding she must claim her birthright and defend her rule against her debauched uncle, corrupt officials and The Red Queen, a depraved sorceress who reigns the neighbouring land of Mortmesme.In terms of plot there isn't really much to distinguish this fantasy novel from those with similar tropes, but there is plenty of action with a surprisingly dark and gritty edge. Kelsea's fight for her throne results in a wealth of political intrigue, involving spies at court, assassination attempts and attempts to circumvent Kelsea's orders, which leads to multiple sword clashing confrontations. Magic shimmers in the air, but affords only a few its privileges, and there are also seeds of romance for Kelsea with a handsome rogue named Fetch.Tearling is a realm rife with corruption, heavy with bureaucracy which favours the rich and exploits the poor. Initially I was puzzled by the setting but eventually figured out that despite the medieval detail, it is set not in the past, or an alternate universe, but the distant post-apocalyptic future of our own world. This creates an unusual landscape that blends a feudal society with reminders of modern life, which also embraces magic, but exactly how, and why, it came about is only hinted at.I liked Kelsea well enough, she is a mixture of teenage insecurity, often naive and headstrong, but also compassionate, determined and well intentioned. She faces a myriad of ethical challenges with both the idealism and pragmatism of youth. I was a little disappointed at the emphasis both the author, and her character, place on appearance though.The Queen of Tearling is an entertaining read and though it is not without its flaws as a novel, I can see its cinematic potential, and I'll be interested to read its sequel.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic

      This is the best book of its genre that I have read in a very very long time. I haven't read the second in the series but seriously can't even wait for the third. Well done. Well done. Well done.
    • 3/5
      This story read like a cross between Game of Thrones and the Hunger Games. I liked it. The story blended the real and the magical very nicely. But it is obviously the first in a series and I didn't like it well enough to want to read the others in the series. Game of Thrones fans will like this book and the series, I think.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. Its pretty different from what is coming out right now. It was also a plus to hear that it will be a trilogy and a movie. The story is about a girl who was hidden away till her 18th birthday, till then she was in danger. This wasn't just an ordinary girl, she was in line for the Tearling throne. With out spoiling too much, give it a try, its pretty interesting.
    • 4/5
      Kelsea Raleigh has lived all her life in hiding with Barty and Carlin. In their cottage in the woods, this odd couple has taught her and groomed her to become Queen of the Tearling. Now, at the age of 19, Kelsea has come of age and it is time for her to go back to the Keep and rule her people - if she can survive. Internal and external threads surround her, and she must quickly learn how to deal with politics and the thread of the Red Queen of Mortmesne.This is the first book by author Erika Johansen, and it shows a lot of inventiveness and promise. The idea of a good person thrown into a terrifying political situation reminded me of [The Goblin Emperor], but the world created here, its politics and history is very different. I like Kelsea and some of the other characters I encountered; the violence was a little much for my taste. The audio version is read by Katherine Kellgren, and is a fantastic performance.