The Invasion of the Tearling

Title: The Invasion of the Tearling

Series: The Queen of the Tearling - book 2

Author: Erika Johansen

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Number of Pages: 511

Publication Date: 2015

Publisher: Bantam Press

Summary: Kelsea Glynn is the Queen of the Tearling. Despite her youth, she has quickly asserted herself as a fair, just and powerful ruler.

However, power is a double-edged sword, and small actions can have grave consequences. In trying to do what is right - stopping a vile trade in humankind - Kelsea has crossed the Red Queen, a ruthless monarch whose rule is bound with dark magic and the spilling of blood. The Red Queen's armies are poised to invade the Tearling, and it seems nothing can stop them.

Yet there was a time before the Crossing, and there Kelsea finds a strange and possibly dangerous ally, someone who might hold the key to the fare of the Tearling, and indeed to Kelsea's own soul. But time is running out...

The Invasion of the Tearling is not a fast paced book nor does it cover a huge amount of time in the plot line. But this does not hold the book back. Johansen's story is told from multiple perspectives which allow you to fully understand the complexity of the world she has created for her regressive-fantasy future. Johansen manages to weave the web of a world that is familiar, yet unique with characters that are so complex and well developed you can't help but love them all.

While the first book in this series deals with Kelsea's journey to taking on her rightful position as the Queen of the Tearling, this book follows Kelsea's next major hurdle...how to deal with the impending doom that is coming in the form of the Mort army. In this second book we begin to get more details on who the Red Queen is, even a name...which I won't spoil...

Through the stress that Kelsea faces we are reminded that she is human, a major highlight for me. We get to see Kelsea make a few decisions she would not have made in the first book and begin to her unravel a little at the edges.

While all of this is happening, Kelsea starts getting visions of the past before the crossing over to what is now Tear. At first I must admit I really didn't like where the book was going with these and I was tempted to skip ahead, but as the story progressed it becomes more and more obvious that these flashbacks of soughts, play an integral role in the story's present. Johansen's ability to weave the past and future together seamlessly is astounding and brings so much to the overall story.

The only thing I really wished that this book had included was more of The Fetch. I absolutely loved him in the first book and I was dying for him to play an even bigger role in this book and he didn't. I hope we get to see a considerably more of him in the next book because the short moments we do get of him, one thing is clear, he knows a lot more of what is going on than everyone else.

I would totally love it if we got a novella or even better a entire book that focuses on the story of The Fetch.

The Queen of the Tearling

Title: The Queen of the Tearling

Series: The Queen of the Tearling - book 1

Author: Erika Johansen

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Paranormal, Dystopia

Number of Pages: 434

Publication Date: 2014

Publisher: Bantam Press

Summary: It was on her nineteenth birthday that the soldiers came for Kelsea Glynn. They came to escort her back to the place of her birth - to ensure she takes possession of what is rightfully hers. But like many nineteen-year-olds, Kelsea is unruly, has high principals and believes she knows better than her elders. Unlike many nineteen year olds, she is about to inherit a kingdom that is on its knees - corrupt, debauched and dangerous. Kelsea will either become the most fearsome ruler the kingdom has ever known...or be dead within the week.

For the month of June by TBR Challenge was to read a book by a new to me author. So I went looking for an author I had never heard of and I didn't read any reviews, I simply picked the book up based entirely on its summary.

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen was a new and refreshing read and is filled with a good dose of realism. The story follows the journey of Kelsea as she becomes the Queen of the Tearling, a dangerous and difficult role as Kelsea is forced to fight for the lives of her people as well as herself.

When and where this book is set I'm not really sure. It is a dystopian world but whether it is set in our world or another I'm not 100% on. But this is one of the reasons I loved it. There is a small amount of paranormal to this book, and I suspect the second book will contain more, but is otherwise set in a medieval type setting.

Another thing I loved about this book was the lack of romance. Yes, that's right, lack of romance! While there is a handsome guy Kelsea likes, her thoughts and feelings and their interactions are only seen in a mere 20-30 pages throughout the entire book.

The main thing I loved about this book was that we got to see the political side of being a Queen, politics being a subject most authors seem to gloss over if possible, because lets face it, politics can go very wrong. But Johansen found a balancing point and managed to write a good deal of detail without causing anyone to drown.

I did have a few small issues with the book though. I felt there were a few incidents and details of the story that didn't seem to match as seemlessly as they could have. However, thankfully these details were usually a part of the back story and easy to overlook.

I look forward to picking up the next book in the series, The Invasion of the Tearling and I hope I can give the second book a 5 star rating as well.