Review | The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I first spotted Queen of the Tearling during one of my shifts at the University Bookstore — summer of 2014. It probably happened as I was walking between the till and the warehouse, which would have brought me right past the fiction section. I remember the cover catching my attention – but I didn’t stop to investigate further.

Then I saw it a few days later, while stocking shelves.

And a few days after that, when I was in to pick up some lab supplies.

And a few days after that, once again on shift.

… and this rom-com style flirtation continued for a few weeks, until I finally remembered to bring my wallet in.

… and I finished the book in one sitting that weekend.

The Queen of the Tearling capitalized brilliantly on a number of modern trends — and, in many ways, bears a lot of similarities to Furyburn: time-jumping, dystopias, a powerful magical force, and a strong female character. Where it differs is execution: Tearling is a shockingly dark story of betrayal, corruption, and all those nasty human traits that many of us would prefer to ignore. It offers a stark, biting commentary on socialistic ideals and good government, morality, and relationships.

Kelsea Glynn herself is a force to be reckoned with. At times Johansen reverts to rather cliché themes – a fair amount of text is devoted to reflections on physical appearances, only to conclude: “beautiful women are vain” – but, for the most part, Kelsea presents as a remarkably grounded lead. She’s also remarkably flawed in the most believable of ways, – stubborn, naïve, idealistic, prideful, judgemental – but she’s so dedicated to her people that you can’t help but cheer for her.

All that said, the book can be a bit awkward – particularly in its genre mash-up. The story is primarily a fantasy (medieval/feudal, magic, long dresses, thrones, armour, swords) with dashes of science fiction (time travel, dystopia) … which can be a little jarring. The story doesn’t really settle, and you’re left feeling a bit off-balance as things come to a close. (Small sacrifices?) On the plus side: given that the full trilogy is available, you don’t have to wait to find out what-the-heck is going on.

PRO TIP: Tearling has been primarily marketed as a YA book, and I read one review in which the author said that their eleven-year-old has read the book. While the writing is not overly complex, I’d be very hesitant to recommend this book to anyone younger than 17/18 — it deals with some pretty heavy themes, including references to child rape.

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The Details:

• The Book: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
• Published: 2014, Harper
• My Copy: KFPL
• Read date: February 15-17, 2019
• Rating: ★★★★☆
• You should read this if you like … a grounded female lead suitably fitted to her universe
• Avoid this if you dislike … JK Rowling references in a Medieval society