A Review of The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

 Rating: 5/5 stars

Raised to be a Queen by a former Queen’s Guard and a Noble Lady turned historian, Kelsea had been in hiding for 18 years of her life prior to her mother’s death. At the age of nineteen, the time comes where she is able to ascend the throne but it seems like all of Tearling doesn’t believe she’ll even make it to the royal keep alive. Although she had been training for her Queendom her entire life, Kelsea isn’t sure about her capability to rule, though the uncertainty diminishes as she learns about her blood relatives. Weak and vain as her relatives were, Kelsea slowly becomes sure that she is able to rule her queendom. Though first, she has to win over her Guard and people. 

***

Count on this book to absolutely suck me in. I mean, it had me on the first page. First I’d like to address the kickass female protagonist- Kelsea- The Queen of the Tearling. There is so much that I love about Kelsea and I’m sure that she is now one of my favorite protagonists of all time. I think what I love about her most is just that she is so damn normal. She’s not described as drop-dead gorgeous or thin. In contrast, she’s described as plain and a bit on the “thick” side. Kelsea is also a bookworm and into history, maybe one of the reasons that I like her so much is because she reminds me of myself. Kelsea is determined to prove herself to her Guard before her queendom- after all, what’s the use of even attempting to rule when even your Guards don’t  have your trust?

The Queen’s Guard also play a huge role in this series, which by the way I love. I feel like out of all the stories that feature royalty, a lot of their staff aren’t given any character which I find odd, especially considering the role that these people play in the life of royals. Kelsea doesn’t rule alone, after gaining the trust of Lazarus of the Mace; a former guard of her mother’s- Kelsea often seeks out his advice and approval when making decisions. Also Pen Alcott?? I love him so damn much already. 

As the story progresses, the fear of the impending war with rival country Mortmesne looms. Having successfully stopped the slave trade that had taken place for years, offering “peace” between the two kingdoms, The Red Queen is not happy. Though, it’s revealed that she’s slowly weakening and becoming unsure of herself unbeknownst to Kelsea. 

I really don’t know what else to say besides the fact that I really enjoyed this book. It was so easy for me to read and as I write this, I’m shaking with impatience to go check out the second book from the library. Because god dammit I loved every second of this book. 

As always, my review can also be found on Goodreads here.