Fate of the Tearling (Johansen)

The Fate of the Tearling  (Tearling Triogy, 3)
Erika Johansen, 2016
HarperCollins
496 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062290427


Summary
The thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Tearling trilogy.

In less than a year, Kelsea Glynn has transformed from a gawky teenager into a powerful monarch. As she has come into her own as the Queen of the Tearling, the headstrong, visionary leader has also transformed her realm.

In her quest to end corruption and restore justice, she has made many enemies—including the evil Red Queen, her fiercest rival, who has set her armies against the Tear.

To protect her people from a devastating invasion, Kelsea did the unthinkable—she gave herself and her magical sapphires to her enemy—and named the Mace, the trusted head of her personal guards, regent in her place. But the Mace will not rest until he and his men rescue their sovereign, imprisoned in Mortmesne.

Now, as the suspenseful endgame begins, the fate of Queen Kelsea—and the Tearling itself—will finally be revealed. (From the publisher.)

The Queen of the Tearling (2014) is the first book in the series. The Invasion of the Tearling (2015) is the second, and this is the third.

Author Bio
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. (From the publishers.)

Read Erika's Buzzfeed article: Why We Need "Ugly" Heroines

Book Reviews
Kelsea flourishes alongside the other female characters at the center of the novel: These are powerful, determined women who work hard to accomplish their goals even as their mistakes haunt them. Johansen doesn’t punish them for these mistakes; she allows them to grow, leading to a well-earned ending.
Washington Post


The final Queen of the Tearling installment continues to follows the fate of Queen Kelsea and the Tearling in a heart-pounding, epic conclusion of this series. It’s one that’s been eagerly anticipated, so if you haven’t read the prior two books, you’ll definitely want to get on top of that.
Buzzfeed


[T]he conflict is fleshed out through myriad character arcs, some more compelling than others. However, the bittersweet resolution, which wraps up the story quite nicely, undermines much of what transpires here....a solid, if not entirely satisfying, end to the series.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Johansen has consistently taken huge narrative risks with this series, which started as a traditional fantasy and then began incorporating glimpses of a dystopian alternate world. Verdict: [T]he finale of this outstanding series will be talked about by readers.
Library Journal


(Starred review.) This is a thrilling conclusion to a fantastic trilogy.... Johansen’s fans will be pleased.
Booklist


[T]he end gets all liony, witchy, and wardroby...requiring more than a little disbelief-suspension. Still, the writing is smart and...a touch above a lot of sword-and-sorcery stuff—but still very much bound up in the conventions of that genre. Overall, a satisfying close to a long but worthy yarn.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
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