The queen of the tearling by Erika Johansen

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive

Review

So i have just finished The Queen of the Tearling  and i can honestly say i was left a little melon collie. I honestly wanted to love this book more than i did.

Our heroine is a very strong and not afraid to stand up and change the world around her. She is thrown back into a world that she doesn't know or truly understand.  Surrounded by people who she doesn't know if she can trust or not. With the hope to learn more about  her heritage, She must put that on the back burner to restore her kingdom

I liked the plot, but the climax was a little lackluster. I felt that the storyline barely took off. I did like the Queen and her guards, but also wanted more interpersonal relationship. I would have liked an element of romance or more of a true connection in this book, but it was more of a set-up novel. It kind of felt like a prequel.

The story mostly follows Kelsea's POV, but there are intermingled with some side characters. One of which is from the antagonist, the Red Queen of Mortmesne. 

The setting descriptions felt vague. I couldn't describe really any particular place. Also, the timeframe for this novel is a bit weird,I could really place it.

I did love the randomness of some of the sentence and swear words. At times you will suddenly read a swear or my favorite was the random line about the Regent and one of his women.

This is definitely one to add to to reading list this year. I am interested to see where this story will go.