The Queen of the Tearling
Magic, adventure, mystery, and romance combine in this epic debut in which a young princess must reclaim her dead mother’s throne, learn to be a ruler — and defeat the Red Queen, a powerful and malevolent sorceress determined to destroy her.
On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon — from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic — to prevent her from wearing the crown.
Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.
But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun — a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend... if she can survive.
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Erika Johansen
Erika Johansen lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She went to Swarthmore College, earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and eventually became an attorney, but never stopped writing. She is the author of The Queen of the Tearling.
The Queen of the Tearling
A female-oriented Game of Thrones that is also an insightful human story, whose heroine is grappling with both the daily realities of coming-of-age and the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly - all while simply trying to stay alive.
The story is set three centuries after a small portion of the human race has populated a landmass that mysteriously emerged in the wake of an environmental catastrophe.
The Queen of the Tearling consists of three primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads and considered as a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Reviews and Comments
Sometimes, there are these debut authors who blow your mind. Johansen is one of those. I devoured "The Queen of the Tearling" - a book of almost 500 pages with not the easiest writing style in one day; not bad. The style is really marvellous, Kelsea Glynn is amazing and the plot as well. This is one of those series of the moment. Emma Watson has said she's "obsessed" with it, making clear she wants to direct the film and play Kelsea - that means something, and I understand her completely. If there's one adult fantasy series of this time you have to read, it's this one.