Erika Johansen: The Invasion of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling #2) | Lara
Kelsea Glynn is the Queen of the Tearling. Despite her youth, she has quickly asserted herself as a fair, just and powerful ruler.However, power is a double-edged sword, and small actions can have grave consequences. In trying to do what is right - stopping a vile trade in humankind - Kelsea has crossed the Red Queen, a ruthless monarch whose rule is bound with dark magic and the spilling of blood. The Red Queen's armies are poised to invade the Tearling, and it seems nothing can stop them.Yet there was a time before the Crossing, and there Kelsea finds a strange and possibly dangerous ally, someone who might hold the key to the fate of the Tearling, and indeed to Kelsea's own soul. But time is running out...
“Pain only disables the weak.”
Second installment in Queen of the Tearling series continues with Kelsea’s efforts to save her kingdom. Red Queen of Mort is advancing with her army toward their border and Kelsea cannot find a way to prevent her land to be wrecked without reopening slave trading. Tear’s economy and army are a disaster, like everything else her mother left her. She starts having visions and glimpses of past which could be crucial for understanding phenomenons that are appearing in her kingdom. As the lines between past and present are starting to blur, Kelsea has more than one enemy to deal with.
I liked this book waay more than the first one. While first is boring-ish with little events or action, sequel was intense and full of action and plot twists, where there was not a lot of characters and they were one dimensional in first book, second book introduces some new interesting characters and the old get more characteristics, development and are more likable and relatable.
The Invasion of the Tearling upholds series of different perspectives which complete the story. This was, in fact, my favorite part of author’s writing. Alongside intriguing retrospectives, the plot is developed from povs of some minor characters, that don’t seem important, as well from povs of the main ones. Queen of the Tealrling was a bit boring, with too many description of travels and not so much action. That was not the case with this book. From the very start there are several problematics Kelsea has to deal with, the Mort invasion biggest of them. Kelsea has her gotten in conflict with the God’s church and has to make some difficult decisions in order to keep her crown. Everything becomes grey and Kelsea can’t be certain whom to trust.
Readers are slowly introduced to the Lily Mayhew’s story which is tightly connected to Kelsea’s past, heritage and mystery of the Teat jewels. I really liked those retrospectives and the way they were slowly introduced, until they became parallel, if not as important as the main plot.
I think all character experienced major glow up. Characters like Mace, Pen and Andalie got some more characterization and immediately became more likable. Other characters like Father Tyler, Aisa and the rest of the Queen’s Guard got a bigger role in the plot itself and it wasn’t all about Kelsea anymore.
“When it fails, they do call it madness, Lazarus. But when it succeeds, they call it genius.”
Once again I really enjoyed reading about Tearling and its problems, ups and downs (more downs, really). I am starting to see where is author trying to take this book and which problematics she is trying to discuss. “A better world”, but there is no such thing as Tear’s utopia. There can be a better world in which people tend to be good and take care of each other.
I can’t wait to finish these books and if the third is going in the same direction as this one, then it’s going to be really good. I would recommend continuing these series even if you didn’t like first book.
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