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"The Lady moves, the Witch despairs"

For eighteen years, Kelsea Glynn has been raised in hiding by her foster parents, but on the day she turns nineteen, the Queen's Guard arrives at their small cottage to escort Kelsea to New London, where she will be crowned Queen of the Tearling. Despite the fact that Kelsea is the rightful heir to the throne, the road to attaining her crown is far from straightforward, and she quickly learns that she will have to win over the loyalty of her Queen's Guard, as well as the citizens of the Tearling, if she wants to be the respected ruler her foster parents raised her to be. 
Adventures such as the one in Erika Johansen's novel, The Queen of the Tearling, is a perfect example of why I read fantasy fiction. In order to write this blogpost, I read the book for a second time, and it was just as thrilling as the first time I opened the pages almost five years ago. A book has to be truly wonderful if I am going to make it through a second read through without getting bored. If you are interested in fantasy fiction, and enjoyed The Hobbit, The Hunger Games, or Game of Thrones, this may well be the next book in your fantasy adventure.

The Glynn Queen

At the age of nineteen, Kelsea is far from perfect, which becomes very clear as the story progresses. She is naive when it comes to the ways of the world and politics, which makes sense, as she was raised in isolation. Under the tutelage of Carlin and Barty Glynn, Kelsea formed an idealistic view of what her reign would be like, but the moment she sets foot outside of her little world, she is forced to adapt to the complexities and nuances of Tearling politics. 

 The flawed protagonist is one of the most realistic aspects of this novel, because who, at the age of nineteen, is not exposed to a rude awakening? No one knows everything at 19, and the difficult journey Kelsea undertakes is what makes the story relatable, something that can be tough to accomplish in fantasy fiction.

Feminism in Fantasy

I honestly found few faults in this book, but one thing that scared me was what happens in Johansen's dystopian setting; after all, the Tearling is a look into the future, with the appearance of the past.

I know, very confusing. But let me explain...

Somehow, the world as we know it comes to an end, and William Tear leads an American escape (called the Crossing), abandoning most scientific discoveries we use today, to start a socialist way of life in a land that would then be called the Tearling. He becomes the first King of the Tearling (not sure how that works when you are operating under socialism?) but things soon take a turn for the worst. Fast forward to Kelsea's time, and not only is there no socialism, but people seem to have forgotten that there has ever been feminism, which is frightening.
"This is how women are trained to stay indoors...This is how women are trained not to act." The Queen of the Tearling, 255.

 I don't like to use the term "backwards" when referring to other civilizations, but Johansen has literally taken us backwards. The Tearling may have been ruled by Queens for decades, but aside from that, it appears that Kelsea has to fight for feminism all over again. I am not saying this is a problem, after all, I believe that fantasy fiction is often a reflection of the way things are, rather than what they will be. In fact, one of the best aspects of fantasy fiction is the presence of women warriors, and despite her flaws, I think Kelsea is an excellent woman warrior to add to fantasy fiction collections. 

 (Fan art found on https://www.deviantart.com/tag/tearling)

A good start to the trilogy 

Overall, The Queen of the Tearling is a well paced and exciting dystopian/fantasy fiction novel, and a great start to the trilogy. I have no problems giving this book 4/5 stars. 

 I have read the trilogy before, so unfortunately I know how it ends and I will be stalling by reading other books before I move on with Kelsea's story. Nevertheless, I remain your Opinionated Bookworm, and I look forward to your comments or recommendations. 

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