Tuesday, April 29, 2014

[Review] The Queen of the Tearling


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.

Review 
I really liked the idea of the book and could really get behind where the author was coming from with the story-line, but I would have liked a bit.. more. More explanation about the setting of the book and more evil from the villain. I would have liked a little less of the traveling, however. haha. Besides that, I felt like Kelsea was an enjoyable character who had a good heart and good intentions- someone you would want as your queen. The guardsmen were entertaining as well, although they could be a bit ridiculous at times. Is a royal guard supposed to get drunk and loud in the middle of the night when they are supposed to be protecting their queen? No. No, they are not. Other than that, I liked all the individual ones, even the snotty ones. I liked that they each had their own personas. 

I am a lover of villains, so I was excited that we got to get POV shifts from the Red Queen. She was alright, but I could have used a little more evil. That's just me, though. ;) 

There was not really any romance, but I feel like there may be some in the second book, so something to look forward to. I am not sure about the interest, but he seems pretty interesting. 

The book was entertaining and very mysterious (like seriously.. mystery everywhere) and has promise. (: It is being made into a movie, so I will definitely check that out if it happens to see if they may alter some of the stuff that bothered me in the book. All in all, a pretty decent read with an original story-line. Not on the same level as Game of Thrones or the Hunger Games (like it claimed), but definitely entertaining in its own right. I am looking forward to a sequel. A good fantasy novel to read if you are looking for something different.


3.3/5







1 comment:

  1. It's not often we see things through the villian's eyes so that part has me intrigued!

    Thanks for being on the tour.

    ReplyDelete

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