laurenpedersen's review
3.0
The magic is getting stranger. It there were a lot of questions answered in this book.
vr_alyssa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The sequel surprised me as much as the first instalment in the series - which is surprising as I really enjoyed the first, so I was already convinced I would enjoy the second too. Still, surprising.
Kelsea has changed a lot since she left her adoptive parents and rode off to become the Queen, but she changes even more in this book. Initially she struggles to prove that she can do it, but now people learn to fear her. She learns to stand up for herself, but at what cost. Over time she stops noticing and seems to lose who she was mentally and physically. Regardless, she does what she does not for herself, but for the people in the kingdom.
On the other hand, through the sapphires around her neck, she learns more about pre-crossing existence through visions. The series becomes an interesting combination of fantasy and science-fiction. So, I move on the the next book in the series.
Kelsea has changed a lot since she left her adoptive parents and rode off to become the Queen, but she changes even more in this book. Initially she struggles to prove that she can do it, but now people learn to fear her. She learns to stand up for herself, but at what cost. Over time she stops noticing and seems to lose who she was mentally and physically. Regardless, she does what she does not for herself, but for the people in the kingdom.
On the other hand, through the sapphires around her neck, she learns more about pre-crossing existence through visions. The series becomes an interesting combination of fantasy and science-fiction. So, I move on the the next book in the series.
dtrumps's review
5.0
Originally posted in Gone Pecan
So, when we left the Tearling, Kelsea, the queen, had stopped the shipment of her citizens being sent to Mortmesne to be enslaved by the Red Queen. This has caused the Red Queen to declare war on the Tearling. The Invasion of the Tearling picks up there, with the Tearling awaiting war. It was great getting back to this world, seeing more of Kelsea and watching her grow as a queen. I also enjoyed watching her learn more about the history of the Tearling and the rulers that came before her.
Kelsea is coming into her own as Queen, but she still has many obstacles in her way, such as the church trying to usurp her power and being hampered by decisions and laws from before her time, as well as her own inexperience and youth. This inexperience has caused her to make some questionable choices, both personally and for the Tear, though it is clear that she is on her way to being a much better ruler than her mother and her uncle before her. Kelsea is also hindered by a lack of romantic experience, which has caused her to make poor decisions several times in the book. I have to go on record now to say I am not happy with the way things are going in that arena. The “romance” that she gets herself involved in feels like filler and like she’s rebounding, though she’s never been in a romantic relationship before. Her immaturity in romance has me worried because it is making her impetuous and selfish, and makes me think she has more in common with her mother than she would like to think.
Kelsea begins having visions of a woman named Lily, who is from a time and place much more like our own modern society (though from far into the future and obviously an allegory of what could go wrong, which is unsettling), which is to say, very different from the world that Kelsea knows. Lily is the wife of a very important and vicious man and lives in a time where people are even more separated by their wealth and stature. She is alone and vulnerable to her husband’s whims and regularly is subjected to his rage, though she is hopeless for any way out of the environment due to the way that society is now set up. Kelsea is intrigued by what she sees and feels when she “visits” Lily, but does not immediately understand why she is getting these visions and what they mean to her.
Lily’s story, while initially incongruent to Kelsea’s, was interesting and absorbing. Her story became a more fascinating than Kelsea’s and I grew to love her…more even than I love Kelsea. The two stories could be two different books, except for Kelsea’s involvement in facilitating our getting to know Lily. And of course, through the course of the book, we come to realize Lily’s significance and how it affects or concerns Kelsea. I have to say that it was a great addition to the story as well as fascinating in its own right, particularly the way that Johansen has decided to tell it.
In the end, I do think that I loved Invasion of the Tearling more than Queen. Lily’s story and the things that we learn serve to entrench the reader more in Kelsea’s story. I loved the storybuilding and learning some of what happened that lead to the founding of The Tear. There are lots of other elements of the story besides these two women, including what’s happening with the Red Queen and how she became who she is and all that that entails as well as what’s going on with Father Tyler, the priest who is tasked with spying on Kelsea but who just might be an integral part of helping to break the Tear from the tyranny of the church. This series has become a favorite of mine and I am anxious to know how it will all play out.
5/5
So, when we left the Tearling, Kelsea, the queen, had stopped the shipment of her citizens being sent to Mortmesne to be enslaved by the Red Queen. This has caused the Red Queen to declare war on the Tearling. The Invasion of the Tearling picks up there, with the Tearling awaiting war. It was great getting back to this world, seeing more of Kelsea and watching her grow as a queen. I also enjoyed watching her learn more about the history of the Tearling and the rulers that came before her.
Kelsea is coming into her own as Queen, but she still has many obstacles in her way, such as the church trying to usurp her power and being hampered by decisions and laws from before her time, as well as her own inexperience and youth. This inexperience has caused her to make some questionable choices, both personally and for the Tear, though it is clear that she is on her way to being a much better ruler than her mother and her uncle before her. Kelsea is also hindered by a lack of romantic experience, which has caused her to make poor decisions several times in the book. I have to go on record now to say I am not happy with the way things are going in that arena. The “romance” that she gets herself involved in feels like filler and like she’s rebounding, though she’s never been in a romantic relationship before. Her immaturity in romance has me worried because it is making her impetuous and selfish, and makes me think she has more in common with her mother than she would like to think.
Kelsea begins having visions of a woman named Lily, who is from a time and place much more like our own modern society (though from far into the future and obviously an allegory of what could go wrong, which is unsettling), which is to say, very different from the world that Kelsea knows. Lily is the wife of a very important and vicious man and lives in a time where people are even more separated by their wealth and stature. She is alone and vulnerable to her husband’s whims and regularly is subjected to his rage, though she is hopeless for any way out of the environment due to the way that society is now set up. Kelsea is intrigued by what she sees and feels when she “visits” Lily, but does not immediately understand why she is getting these visions and what they mean to her.
Lily’s story, while initially incongruent to Kelsea’s, was interesting and absorbing. Her story became a more fascinating than Kelsea’s and I grew to love her…more even than I love Kelsea. The two stories could be two different books, except for Kelsea’s involvement in facilitating our getting to know Lily. And of course, through the course of the book, we come to realize Lily’s significance and how it affects or concerns Kelsea. I have to say that it was a great addition to the story as well as fascinating in its own right, particularly the way that Johansen has decided to tell it.
In the end, I do think that I loved Invasion of the Tearling more than Queen. Lily’s story and the things that we learn serve to entrench the reader more in Kelsea’s story. I loved the storybuilding and learning some of what happened that lead to the founding of The Tear. There are lots of other elements of the story besides these two women, including what’s happening with the Red Queen and how she became who she is and all that that entails as well as what’s going on with Father Tyler, the priest who is tasked with spying on Kelsea but who just might be an integral part of helping to break the Tear from the tyranny of the church. This series has become a favorite of mine and I am anxious to know how it will all play out.
5/5
jwels's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not sure why but I got caught up in the story and couldn't put it down at the end. I like flawed characters that make me think that things aren't just black and white and this book has plenty. I like the surprising development and flashbacks of the Tearling Queen and how the Tear was formed. The story basically asks the question, is there such a thing as an utopian society and where is our society going now and where could it end up leading us? All questions that make me think a little bit more.
sleepycharlene's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars★★
The Queen of the Tearling series:
✿ [b:The Fate of the Tearling|22698569|The Fate of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #3)|Erika Johansen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457023801l/22698569._SY75_.jpg|42216233]★★★★
✿ [b:The Queen of the Tearling|22864842|The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)|Erika Johansen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461864815l/22864842._SY75_.jpg|24267689]★★
✿ [b:The Invasion of the Tearling|22698568|The Invasion of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #2)|Erika Johansen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461864829l/22698568._SY75_.jpg|42216232] Currently unsure if I will continue with the series
This book took forever to finish.
There were a lot of things that made me not like this book that much.
- Kelsea was kinda annoying
- Mace was not nice to Kelsea half the time like bro she's the queen don't be mean
- The constant jumping to the past was annoying and dragged the story
- The entire story was dragged out too much
- Kelsea is a girl who was given an impossible task and everyone around her constantly either drags her down or acts like she is a stupid little girl
- The anti-religion makes me a little uncomfortable because I am religious but I understand the message of absolute power corrupts absolutely but shit
- Why are the black people in this book still treated less than??? Like the country Caderese is basically an Arabic type nation that has dark skinned people and compared to the people of Tearling they are treated less than.
- Also I'm tired of slavery being a book plot where the black people are still under the thumb of the oppressor and white people are either saved or don't even go through slavery???
-Actually I'm just tired of slavery being a book plot period
- Theres no romance. Like Kelsea deserves to fall in love or whatever like just let me girl love.
- Dont @ me saying the Fetch is her romance because we both know:
1. The Fetch is a stupid name
2. He is at least 300 years old so thats gross
3. Hes 100% not a good person or will remotely be a good person to be her boyfriend let alone KING
4. THE FETCH. Like if you had to choose a cool badass assassin/thief name and you choose something that stupid like we cant talk. boy bye.
Things I liked
- Kelsea is a boss ass bitch
- Kelsea is a not an idiot (despite what every man in the entire book thinks)
- Mace is dope
- The message that women are not just put on this earth to breed and have sex with
- That sometimes there are no choices
- Feminist views shine bright in this one
This wasn't a thought out review but idc this book made my brain melt with frustration and anger.
I don't know yet if I will continue on in the series. Maybe because there is only one book left.
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meganmreads's review against another edition
4.0
One of the interesting aspects of the first book was that, while it was a fantasy as I expected, it actually took place in the future. The Invasion of the Tearling felt more futuristic since Kelsea was able to see visions of the past, which resemble a futuristic world to us where things fell apart, technology was used to control people, and a man named William Tear had a better vision of the world.
I loved the twists and turns in the sequel and how it sort of opened up the big picture so we weren’t just concerned about the fate of Tearling or Mortesme, but how the past has shaped it and how the Queen can use those visions to better her present world.
I cannot figure this trilogy out and I love not really knowing what will happen since I’m not even certain what genre it fits into. I highly recommend it!
I loved the twists and turns in the sequel and how it sort of opened up the big picture so we weren’t just concerned about the fate of Tearling or Mortesme, but how the past has shaped it and how the Queen can use those visions to better her present world.
I cannot figure this trilogy out and I love not really knowing what will happen since I’m not even certain what genre it fits into. I highly recommend it!
mirta95's review
5.0
https://secretlifeofapotterheadgirl.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/recensione-the-invasion-of-the-tearling/
jerseygrrrl's review
4.0
Even better than the first! I was worried about the Lily subplot taking away from the main story, but Johansen handled it beautifully. Both stories were gripping and wholly engaging. Can't wait for book #3!