The Queen of the Tearling

May 5, 2014
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.

Starred review from September 1, 2014

In this promising series opener from debut author Johansen, Princess Kelsea was raised in hiding after her mother, Queen Elyssa, died prematurely. Now, on her 19th birthday, it's time for Kelsea to take up the mantle of leadership. The Tearling, originally founded as a low-tech utopian society after the "Crossing" from modern Europe, is a struggling kingdom with few resources. With the assistance of the Queen's Guard and her knowledge of Tear history, Kelsea must evade assassination to claim her crown and begin to right the wrongs of the previous decades. In the distance looms the kingdom of Mortmesne and the threat of the seemingly ageless Red Queen, to whom the Tearling has been paying a terrible price. Katherine Kellgren expertly narrates this broad fantasy, the first in a projected trilogy. VERDICT An essential audiobook for libraries, poised to become the next big thing. ["Johansen's debut is a solid fantasy that doesn't stray very far from the traditional playbook," read the review of the Harper hc, LJ 6/15/14.]--Anna Mickelsen, Springfield City Lib., MA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
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 are-it'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 aside-when 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 night-Johansen 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 Earth-ian yarn, then, that seems destined to be the next big thing among the Game of Thrones set.

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Starred review from May 15, 2014
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 leadershe 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

June 15, 2014

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.--Ed.]

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014

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?

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.