The Invasion of the Tearling

March 9, 2015
After the events of 2014’s The Queen of the Tearling, Kelsea Glynn is still settling into her role as the ruler of the titular land, which feels more like a fantasy realm than a distant planet populated by the descendants of people who fled Earth in search of a better life. Kelsea must juggle politics, war, and her own growing magical abilities as she faces an unstoppable opponent, the malevolent Red Queen. She is also having visions of the past, in which a young woman named Lily Mayhew gets caught up in William Tear’s exodus from 21st-century America to a new world. As Lily struggles to free herself from an abusive relationship, Kelsea finds the key to dealing with the Red Queen. Johansen’s vision of a dystopian near-future America is chilling and sadly plausible, but Kelsea’s far-future world remains vague and ill-defined, and the magic is always precisely as powerful and versatile as the plot demands. While many questions are answered, many more arise, leading to a cliffhanger ending. Readers enticed by strong female characters who seize control of their own destiny will forgive the story’s flaws. Agent: Dorian Karchmar, William Morris Endeavor.

March 15, 2015

In this novel that picks up where Johansen's debut, Queen of the Tearling, left off, things are not looking good for Kelsea or her realm, as the armies of the Queen of Mortmense amass on her borders. But then this seemingly standard epic fantasy has an interesting twist. Kelsea, through the power of the sapphires she inherited with the crown, begins to connect to the life of a woman living in a modern, brutal, near-future New England. She sees Lily Mayhew suffer the abuse of her husband and watches as Lily learns of a resistance group that wants to find a better future, one that just might be in Kelsea's own Tearling. VERDICT A bold storytelling choice makes this so much more fascinating than just a saga of warring kingdoms. Both Kelsea's struggles in the Tear to protect her people and Lily's narrative are completely gripping, and the anticipation of a revelation of how these two women are linked will keep readers turning the pages. It's satisfying while leaving readers desperate for the next volume. [See Prepub Alert, 11/25/14.]

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015

This sequel to The Queen of the Tearling (2014) continues Kelsea's story and provides the history that created Tear. At the border, Mort soldiers are restlessly awaiting orders to move forward into Tear territory. The ragtag Tear army is outnumbered and definitely under-armed. The Red Queen and her army want nothing more than to reach Tear, demolish the city, kill the new Tear Queen Kelsea, and plunder all. Kelsea desires to bring freedom to Tear. Her first act as queen was to stop the slave shipments into Mort. While this brought her the loyalty and admiration of her people, it increased the danger from the more powerful Mort, and now Tear is facing the consequences of that action with the coming invasion. The protagonist has much to learn, and in order to defeat the Red Queen, she must understand her own power, which comes from a past that began many centuries before. While the sapphires she wears on a chain around her throat link Kelsea with Lily-an important player in the Crossing, which created the Tear civilization-they are also the keys linking her to a growing awareness of who she is and where her destiny lies. As the Mort army moves forward, Kelsea prepares to parlay what she has learned to save Tear's future. But deals she made with shadow men, actions taken by others, and the Red Queen herself may change the outcome of Kelsea's hopes. VERDICT Teens need to have read the first volume in order to understand and appreciate this sequel; both books should be at hand for fantasy fans.-Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.