Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Description

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.

The Queen of the Tearling introduces readers to a world as fully imagined and terrifying as that of The Hunger Games, with characters as vivid and intriguing as those of The Game of Thrones, and a wholly original heroine. Combining thrilling action and twisting plot turns, it is a magnificent debut from the talented Erika Johansen.

Review

Normally, I write reviews based solely on my own experiences, but in a case like this, I believe some context is necessary.

The Queen of the Tearling is a book that divides. From what I can tell by casually glancing through Goodreads, some people really hate this book. Some don't find the world building consistent or believable. Some find the narrator unreliable due to contradictory thoughts. Some can't stand the narrator's views--and preoccupation with--beauty. Some find the pacing slow--plodding even. Some hate the long descriptions. Some call the narrator stupid. 

I'm going to break these points down. I'm not trying to "knock them down" or anything along those lines. I'm simply analyzing these points while sharing my own opinions. 

1. The world building is inconsistent and unbelievable.

I get why the setting frustrates people. It is a blend of the past and the future, an alternate world and a society that has regressed. I don't really have a problem with the setting. I think denying that a fantasy world is possible seems...odd. Part of fantasy is suspending disbelief. I think the problems is that when a reader isn't expecting this strange world, they feel tricked. If a reader thinks that this is set in a medieval world only to find out the narrator has read Harry Potter, they could definitely feel misled. 

     2. The narrator is unreliable due to contradictory thoughts.

This point pains me. Yes, the narrator has contradictory thoughts. And yes, the narrator, Kelsea, is unreliable. But every narrator is unreliable to some extent! And people can have contradictory thoughts. This is a part of being human. This is what makes our narrator realistic and relatable. This narrator has more of an excuse for contradictions and confusions than most. She has known only two people, her foster parents--and a bunch of books--for most of her life. Everything is new to her. Everything is strange. It's going to take some time for her to adjust. Criticism of Kelsea, our narrator, is what bothers me most. Cut the girl some slack. 

     3. The narrator is obsessed with beauty.

Well...duh. Kelsea is an overweight, homely female in a position of power. She is going to face ridicule. And she is very aware of it. To make matters worse, she isn't used to being in the public eye. She was raised in hiding, isolated from society, with her foster parents. She never interacted with anyone else. But she read about beauty in books. I'm sure there were plenty of stories about beautiful and dainty princesses. Kelsea became aware that she wasn't a conventional beauty.

A person's preoccupation of beauty is often shaped by the society they live in. There are many clues that Kelsea's society prizes and emphasizes beauty. There are comments made about how Kelsea doesn't look as one might expect, about how she doesn't look like her (famed for beauty) mother. There are men with carefully curled, stylized beards. Red hair is rare, and people dye their hair to achieve the rare color. Noble people pay close attention to style. One noblewoman who resents Kelsea gives Kelsea a dress several sizes too small to cause embarrassment. This woman appears to have "work done" on her face and very intricate hair styles.

Multiple reviews reference a scene where Kelsea criticizes this woman in her thoughts:

What does she see when she looks in the mirror? Kelsea wondered. How could a woman who looked so old still place so much importance on being attractive?

Many reviewers find this line of thought repugnant. But Kelsea has just been greviously insulted by this woman. Is it a wonder that her personal thoughts aren't particularly kind? Also, Kelsea is condemning the woman's vanity. This is a very personal subject for Kelsea since her own mother was incredibly vain--to the detriment of others. Kelsea feels a need to prove that she is different from her mother.

I don't think Kelsea's "obsession" is so out of place for her society, position, and personal experiences. Also, this leaves room for character growth.

     4. The pacing is slow. 

This point is reasonable. It's a long story. The narrator is very introspective. Many of the big scenes are political rather than action-based. If a psychological, political, epic fantasy not driven by romance isn't your cup of tea, yeah, the pacing might feel slow. This wasn't a problem for me as this is exactly my cup of tea.

     5. The writing is too descriptive.

Yes. If you don't like writing with lovely, detailed descriptions that bring the story to life. I see your point.

But really, the writing is actually Queen of the Tearling's greatest strength. It's good stuff. Clean writing. The author earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, for goodness' sake. That's impressive. It doesn't get much more impressive than that.

     6. The narrator is stupid.

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this point. Kelsea is a teen who was raised in seclusion and is crowned in a hostile environment. She is in the top 1% in dealing with all this. Top .1%, maybe.

A few other points about Queen of the Tearling...

• The romance is close to non-existent, and this is lovely and worth mentioning. I like a good romance, but, man, is it refreshing to get a female-centric, political-based, non-romantic epic once in a while.
• I'm curious about how the author will deal with religion in the future. I saw at least one review saying they thought Kelsea was too anti-theistic. I might have agreed with this the first time I read the book. But upon rereading, I took a greater interest in Father Tyler. He is the foil for the corrupt Church. He recognizes the corruption of the Church, but he remains a devout believer in "the great work of God." He is given a good deal of "screen time" in this book, and I believe his role will only grow in books to come. I wonder if he will ever become a true spiritual advisor to Kelsea. Kelsea hates the corruption she sees in the organized religion of the Church, but she recognizes the value in and respects Father Tyler. Queen on the Tearling seems more anti-Catholic-Church-circa-16th-century than anti-theistic to me.

I highly recommend The Queen of the Tearling.

Upcoming

I do not feel patient about the June 9 release date of The Invasion of the Tearling. Doesn't this sound amazing?:

With each passing day, Kelsea Glynn is growing into her new responsibilities as Queen of the Tearling. By stopping the shipments of slaves to the neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne, she crossed the Red Queen, a brutal ruler whose power derives from dark magic, who is sending her fearsome army into the Tearling to take what is hers. And nothing can stop the invasion.But as the Mort army draws ever closer, Kelsea develops a mysterious connection to a time before the Crossing, and she finds herself relying on a strange and possibly dangerous ally: a woman named Lily, fighting for her life in a world where being female can feel like a crime. The fate of the Tearling —and that of Kelsea’s own soul—may rest with Lily and her story, but Kelsea may not have enough time to find out. 

Preorder The Invasion of the Tearling here.