Book
The Queen of the Tearling : a novel
Record details
- ISBN: 9780062290380 (trade pbk.)
- ISBN: 006229038X (trade pbk.)
-
Physical Description:
print
447 pages : map ; 21 cm. - Edition: First Harper paperback edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : Harper, 2015.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Includes an excerpt from "The Invasion of Tearling", volume 2 in the Queen of the Tearling trilogy. |
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| Genre: | Fantasy fiction. Fiction. |
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Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Creek Municipal Public Library | F JOH (Text) | DCL158776 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
| Fort St. John Public Library | AF JOH (Text) | 35211000302002 | ADULT Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2014 May #2
*Starred Review* Although the setting resembles medieval times, this story takes place far in the future. Following a mysterious cataclysmic event referred to as the Crossing, humans now exist without modern technology and have reverted back to feudalism. At the story's opening, Kelsea, the rightful Queen of the Tearling, turns 19 (the age of ascension) and is escorted by the Queen's Guard from her forest home to claim her throne. Raised, educated, and protected by an elderly couple since birth, Kelsea possesses much book intelligence but lacks practical political knowledge. Nevertheless, she is everything one desires in a leaderâshe is strong, decisive, just, and possesses an inner strength that allows her to face any challenge placed in front of her. However, her challenges seem insurmountable and include the need to abolish the slave lottery that plagues her people. In an impressive start to a series, Johansen expertly incorporates magic necklaces, political intrigue, questions of honor, well-drawn characters, and a bit of mystery into a compelling and empowering story. As much is (understandably) left unexplained, it will be interesting to see where future installments take this series. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2014 June #1
Chick lit meets swords and sorcery in the perfect commodity for a hot demographic.But is it art? Debut novelist Johansen turns in a fantasy novel that's derivative of Tolkien, as so many books in the genre areâit's got its merry band of warriors, its struggle for a throne that has a long and tangled history, its battle for good and evil. That this novel just happens to have commanded a huge advance and a movie deal, with Emma Watson attached at this writing to play the heroine, Kelsea, is incidental to the tale, which, schematized, would be pretty by-the-numbers. As a worldbuilding exercise, it has many deficiencies: While the story is set in the not-too-distant future, its trappings are medieval and not, as in A Canticle for Leibowitz, because of an intervening apocalypse; it's a churchy and mystical sort of place, but the heroine has a command of Mendelian genetics ("Red hair was a recessive gene, and in the three centuries since the Crossing, it had bred slowly and steadily out of the population"). But, continuity errors and improbabilities asideâwhen hiding from a deadly enemy, for instance, a troop of royal guards isn't really likely to get drunk, sing loud songs and keep the orcs awake all nightâJohansen adds value to the tale with well-crafted sentences that sometimes build into exuberant paragraphs: "The queenship she'd inherited, problematic enough in the abstract, now appeared insurmountable. But of course, she had already known the road would be difficult. Carlin had told her so obliquely, through years spent studying the troubled nations and kingdoms of the past." On the plus side, too, is Johansen's wise choice to make the heroine a plain-ish Jane who learns on the go, discovering her inner resources as she emerges from adolescence into adulthood. And applause, too, for some nicely gory closing moments.A middling Middle Earthâian yarn, then, that seems destined to be the next big thing among the Game of Thrones set. Copyright Kirkus 2014 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2014 February #1
Just 19 and raised in exile, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn is returning to the land of her birth to reclaim her throne. Though the Queen's Guard is accompanying her, she doesn't know whom to trust, but she does have the powerfully magical Tearling sapphire around her neck. Rights have been sold to 20 countries, Warner Bros. has bought the rights to The Queen of the Tearling in conjunction with Harry Potter producer David Heyman, and Emma Watson looks to star, so how can you go wrong?
[Page 55]. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2014 June #2
Princess Kelsea has been hiding in the forests of the Tearling since her mother's death, training for the role she will have to play when she turns 19 and becomes the queen. But once Kelsea arrives in the capital and proves her right to the throne, her troubles begin. Her uncle had been acting as regent, and the alliance he made with the sorcerous Red Queen of neighboring Mortmesne is the first thing Kelsea decides to change. She will have to find allies fast as her actions threaten to plunge her kingdom into war. VERDICT Johansen's debut is a solid fantasy that doesn't stray very far from the traditional playbook. Intriguing references to a "great crossing" that happened 2,000 years ago and led to the immigrants' civilization losing access to higher technology could have added depth if developed (perhaps it will be in future volumes). The novel does have a strong heroine, but the publicity campaign describing this as Game of Thrones meets Hunger Games is misguided. Libraries will want to purchase, as the movie is already in the works with Emma Watson set to star. [See Prepub Alert, 2/1/14; also named the top Indie Next pick for July.âEd.]
[Page 67]. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2014 May #1
Johansen makes an impressive debut with this ambitious fantasy adventure, which takes place several centuries from now following the collapse of civilization and mass migration to a newly discovered continent. The resultant society resembles medieval Europe, with modern technology all but forgotten, and magic is subtly present. Finally come of age, 19-year-old Kelsea Glynn must evade assassins and her uncle's nefarious plans in order to take her place as rightful queen of the nation known as the Tearling. Her first acts as ruler break a treaty with neighboring Mortmense and anger the unaging sorceress called the Red Queen; Kelsea rallies her allies and prepares for war. Johansen starts strongly, with a forceful, memorable heroine immediately thrust into a series of intense situations and forced to make dynamic, if overly idealistic, decisions. While the setting and backstory could stand further explanation and exploration, and many elements fall apart under closer scrutiny, this trilogy launch is still an engaging page-turner. Agent: Dorian Karchmar, William Morris Endeavor. (July)
[Page ]. Copyright 2014 PWxyz LLC - Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews : VOYA Reviews 2014 June
Following the death of her mother, the queen, when she was just a toddler, Princess Kelsea has been raised in exile by foster parents. On her nineteenth birthday, it is time for her to take her rightful place as ruler. The Queen's Guard, knights led by the loyal and brave Lazarus, accompanies her on the difficult journey back to the castle of her birth. Upon arriving in the capital, Kelsea is overcome by the inequities that the ruler in her absence, her uncle, has allowed to flourish. In an impulsive act of bravado, Kelsea corrects a terrible wrong but throws her country into an unavoidable clash with a nearby kingdom ruled by the evil and bloodthirsty Red Queen. As Kelsea strives to save her kingdom and discover her true destiny, many lives hang in the balance This debut novel is divided into three books, and book one (approximately the first 140 pages) is particularly engaging, detailing Kelsea's life with her foster parents and her journey to reclaim her late mother's throne. However, from that point forward, the number of characters drastically increases and the story muddies. The coarse language and sexual situations featuring the Red Queen do clarify her character, but they are sometimes jarring and incongruent with the tone of the rest of the book. This is book one in a series and, as befits a series starter, there are a great many unanswered questions looming despite the moment of triumph upon which the book concludes.âSherrie Williams 3Q 3P S Copyright 2011 Voya Reviews.
