No spoilers in this review of The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. This book was fantastic! I give it 4.5 stars. It is book two in a trilogy, but it doesn’t suffer from the usual middle book problems. There is a lot of story enhancement and development as well as growth in several characters. In fact, it is the perfect bridge from a great series opener to what I can only assume will be a dramatic, fulfilling conclusion to Kelsea’s story. If the excerpt of the prologue I recently read is any indication, book three is going to be spectacular! (See the end of this review for a link to that article.)
The Queen of the Tearling was fairly narrow in scope, focusing mainly on Kelsea’s adjustment to her new life as ruler and the changes she initiated to make the kingdom her own. The Invasion of the Tearling, on the other hand, expands on the brief glimpses of intrigue from book one into a whole new realm of magic and possibility. The scope broadens to include much more history of the Tearling and many new characters, all of which consistently point back to Kelsea.
Lets be friends on Goodreads:
Kelsea has visions to possibly learn the origin of the exodus to her current homeland. She tries to put together the missing pieces in the Tearling history since the Crossing to determine what lead to its current tumultuous state. She attempts to learn the full extent of the power contained in her sapphire necklaces. And she yearns to grow up, to emerge from adolescence into adulthood in a variety of ways. All the while, the evil Red Queen of Mortmesne is plotting her revenge on Kelsea for ceasing the monthly shipment of Tearling slaves. Her troops are advancing on the Tearling army and civilians, and Kelsea scrambles to protect her people.
Kelsea continues to be an intelligent, brave, and selfless heroine. And Johansen continues to provide a fascinating cast of characters. Their stories first appear to be background information but always weave into the overall story arc in exciting ways. Several mysterious characters have been introduced of which we still don’t know the extent of their importance. I can’t wait to see their full story and have several nagging questions answered in book three! I highly recommend this book! And please, please tell me the rumors I’ve heard about a movie starring Emma Watson are true. These books would make an excellent movie series!
Let us know what you think about The Invasion of the Tearling in the comments! No spoilers on this page please. 🙂
BEWARE: There are ***SPOILERS*** in the following article we’re linking to! It is an excerpt of the prologue of book three, as listed in Entertainment Weekly on May 17, 2016. Book three is entitled The Fate of the Tearling and is set to come out on November 29th!
View all my reviews on Goodreads.
[quads id=”1″]
What now?
Follow Book Series Recaps on Instagram and Twitter.
Friend us on Goodreads: Sara and Stacy.
Oh and share this review of The Invasion of the Tearling with your friends who might like this book!
