Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* It is a time of great upheaval for the kingdom of the Tear. When last seen, in The Invasion of the Tearling (2015), Queen Kelsea Glynn had surrendered herself to enemy custody and designated the leader of her guard as Regent. Captain Mace and the Queen's Guard are prevented from mounting a rescue due to serious unrest at home. The church is rallying the populace against the throne, and the evil Row Finn has loosed a hoard of bloodthirsty, childlike creatures on the land. Puzzled to still be alive, Kelsea finds herself in chains while being transported to Mortmesne under heavy guard. She wonders if it was the right decision to give her sapphires to the Red Queen after all. Even without the magical jewels, her visions of events from the past continue—this time as Katie Rice, a member of the first Tearling settlement. Secrets are revealed, providing answers to unresolved issues from earlier volumes. Both Kelsea and Katie will examine past mistakes, consider the nature of forgiveness and the morality of right or wrong, and ultimately deal with the consequences of trying to achieve a utopian dream. This is a thrilling conclusion to a fantastic trilogy.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The finale of this popular series expands upon the past and provides answers to unresolved issues from earlier in the series. Johansen's fans will be pleased. Copyright 2016 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
In this wrap-up to the "Tearling" trilogy, begun with two LibraryReads picks that feature Kelsea Raleigh Glynn's reclamation of her throne, Kelsea has surrendered to her mortal enemy, the Queen of Mortmense. The Mace, left regent, schemes to rescue Kelsea, but don't you think she has some tricks of her own? With a 75,000-copy first printing.
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At the end of The Invasion of the Tearling, Kelsea, Queen of the Tearling, turned herself and the sapphires she controls over to her enemy, the Red Queen of Mortmesne. She named the head of her guard, Mace, as regent in her absence and obtained a guarantee from the Red Queen that the Tear would be safe for three years. Even imprisoned and without the sapphires, Kelsea is still seeing visions of the past, this time through the eyes of Katie, a young woman living in the early days after the Crossing. In Kelsea's time Mace works to recover Kelsea from the Red Queen's dungeons, while in Katie's time the seeds for the downfall of Tear's utopian dream are sown. 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 With richly developed characters who are never boring black and white, and villains who are as fascinating as the heroes, the finale of this outstanding series will be talked about by readers. [See Prepub Alert, 11/30/15.]—MM. Copyright 2016 Library Journal.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
In this centuries-spanning epic adventure, Johansen concludes the Tearling trilogy (after The Invasion of the Tearling) with Queen Kelsea Glynn risking everything to save her beloved, beleaguered homeland from troubles both internal and external. Beset by visions of the time after the Tear's founding some 300 years ago, she struggles to understand how the past defines the present and what part the malevolent Orphan, the enigmatic Fetch, and the ruthless Red Queen of Mortmesne have yet to play in the destiny of their world. Numerous stories play out against a wide backdrop, with the death of a dream creating hope for the future. Johansen's vision—a society tearing itself apart amid the effort to redefine itself—is ambitious, and the 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. The historical scenes carry more weight and significance than the chaos of the present, though Johansen adeptly describes the destruction and despair. This is a solid, if not entirely satisfying, end to the series. Agent: Dorian Karchmar, William Morris Endeavor. (Nov.)
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