The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Call it The Hunger Games of ThronesErika Johansen's debut novel is a genre mashup: medieval fantasy meets dystopian futureThe setting, combined with Johansen's deft hand with character and plotting, really does workAn addictive and enjoyable adventureThe Tear is just as easy to get sucked into as Westeros or Hogwarts or Panem--USA Today

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 thronePlain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen ElyssaBut 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 LazarusKelsea 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 nothingBut what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imaginedAn 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 magicNow 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

This book is a beautifully designed package with illustrated endpapers, a map of the Tearling, and a ribbon marker

Erika Johansen grew up 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 she never stopped writing.