Her throne awaits ...if she can live long enough to take it. It was on her nineteenth birthday that the soldiers came for Kelsea Glynn. They'd come to escort her back to the place of her birth - and to ensure she survives long enough to be able to take possession of what is rightfully hers. But like many nineteen-year-olds, Kelsea is unruly, has high principles and believes she knows better than her elders. Unlike many nineteen-year-olds, she is about to inherit a kingdom that is on its knees - corrupt, debauched and dangerous. Kelsea will either become the most fearsome ruler the kingdom has ever known ...or be dead within the week. Combining thrilling adventure and action, dark magic, mystery and romance, The Queen of the Tearling is the debut of a born storyteller blessed with a startling imagination.
I found the premise of the plot intriguing and the characters enjoyable. This is definitely a book that was intentionally written with a second book in mind, so there are questions and situations that have not been answered in the end. If you think you might like this book, be prepared to purchase the next one. If you think you might hate it, be glad that the torture has an intermittence.
Truthfully though, for 434 pages, I felt that it lacked action and development. Most of the "it's getting good" part was in the last few pages of the book, but overall it did hold my interest long enough to keep me turning the pages. I hope that the continuation picks up the pace a bit though. This first book felt slow in comparison to similar genre readings, but might be worth more stars later if the lag time was worth it. (Only the continuing book to follow will tell for certain.)
Overall, I enjoyed the book enough to probably search for the 2nd book after it's release, but it's not necessarily on my "I must have it now" shelf. I think it's one of those stories that will either be a sensational read after the next book, or a complete let down depending on what the following book reveals.
Disclaimer *I received an uncorrected Advanced Readers Copy of this book in a First Reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book or the content disclosed in my review. *
