[Review] The Queen of the Tearling - Erika Johansen

Titel: The Queen of the Tearling

Series: The Queen of the Tearling #1

Author: Erika Johansen

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: Kindle

Synopsis: GoodReads

Review: 5*, GoodReads, LovelyBooks, Amazon

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.
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I’ve been wanting to read ‚The Queen oft the Tearling‘ for quite a while, but somehow never got around to reading it. Now with all the talk about a movie coming out and everything I decided it was time to start reading it.

It took me a couple of pages to get into the story, but once it really started I couldn’t stop reading.  I really enjoyed Johansens writing, as well as her world-building.

All the talk about the “crossing” and the references to “our” world made me really curious about the backstory to all of this and I’m hoping we’ll learn more about it in the sequels.

I liked the queen and found it easy to connect with her and understand her reasoning’s. What I had trouble understanding was why no one would tell her things about her mother and what happened in the past. I don’t get how she is expected to rule properly when she doesn’t know the immediate past.

The red queen was also a very interesting character and I hope we’ll learn more about her and her magic, as magic is one part that’s been kinda neglected in this novel. Considering it is a fantasy novel I expected more magic, or at least something similar.

There was a lot of politicking involved here and I enjoyed that quite a bit.

All in all I’m really looking forward to continuing the series and seeing more of this world.