Go Fetch: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I really enjoyed The Queen of the Tearling. I'd read mediocre reviews about the book before starting it, so I wasn't expecting much—and ended up being pleasantly surprised. In fact, I've tried and failed to read this book many times; this time was the charm. 

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. Slave trading, sex trafficking, prostitution, rape, and murder are all depicted in gory, explicit ways. This is the first book that has managed to truly appall me in a very long time. Content-wise, I think that The Queen of the Tearling is toeing the line between YA and New Adult fantasy. 

Johansen skillfully crafts complex characters and complicated situations, contributing to an atmosphere that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Kelsea is unlike any other female protagonist I know, and the task of ruling a ruined country and the machinations of the court have  never been so realistically portrayed. I admired Johansen's incorporation of so many different historical aspects, such as foreign alliances and the corruption of the church. 

The only real frustration I had with this book was the pacing of the plot. The beginning was quite slow, as was the end. And the constant shifts in points of view were slightly confusing at times. But overall, The Queen of the Tearling was beautifully crafted and one of the best books I have read this year (so far). 

​The beginning of this book is slow. It doesn't begin with the most exciting of adventures—Kelsea riding to the capital to take her throne. Even saying goodbye to her foster parents feels slow and not exciting. And I wasn't taken by Kelsea's narrative skills in the beginning. 

Kelsea's attitude towards the Queen's Guard and vice versa is also uncomfortable. They all but call her ugly (Lazarus actually does) and she all but yells at them. I felt for her when she was trying to muster up the courage to prove herself as more than a spoiled girl, but her interactions with the soldiers was downright painful to read. 

​Even Kelsea and Lazarus getting caught by the Fetch is . . . not very exciting. Especially since Kelsea spent most of it fawning over him. I spent those chapters in quiet annoyance, waiting for her to come to her senses and continue on her way. Even the Fetch's "I'll come to collect a favor" comment is cliche. 

By far, the most exciting part of this third of the book is when Kelsea frees the slaves. And it was also the first scene that endeared me to her. Watching her declare herself queen and order the cages to be opened—it truly sent chills racing down my arms. 

And just the concept of trading slaves to Mortmense—wow. I can't find another word for it. All throughout history people have been traded as commodities and spoils of war. Other series have incorporated this (Throne of Glass being one) but none of them have humanized it as well as Tearling does. Watching the cages fill up through Kelsea's eyes, watching parents cry out for their children—it's enough to make one's heart physically hurt. 

The issue of the slave trade is also such an airtight way to connect the Tearling to Mortmense. Especially once the reader sees the issue from the point of view of the Red Queen. 

Coronations are meant to be lavish affairs. A stately woman gliding down the aisle of Westminster Abbey. Sitting down on a throne. A scepter in one hand and a globe in the other. But that's in Great Britain. In the Tearling, coronations are hardly complete without a treacherous uncle, a treacherous member of the Queen's Guard, and many treacherous aristocratic spectators. 

Then Johansen focuses on another beast Kelsea must wrangle: the church. 

Many people forget just how powerful and how corrupt the (Catholic) church was throughout history. I myself had forgotten it until this book. But Johansen explains it in terrific fashion, first through Father Tyler's experience with the Holy Father wanting to have an agent inside the Keep, and then through Cardinal Anders' lechery . . . 

I was surprised to realize that the Red Queen would be a point of view character. Few books take the time to tell the story from the villain's point of view, and while the queen is still a despicable character even through her own eyes (killing the slave certainly doesn't earn her any reputation points), the reader can see how carefully Johansen wove her tale. Kelsea didn't send the slaves; the Red Queen notices and worries about how her nobles will react. Everything is interconnected, and these are concerns that would have certainly worried the kings and queens of old. 

And then there is the second assassination attempt on Kelsea. While it was exciting, I was exasperated by how the Tear jewel flared up and saved Kelsea. In fact, the entire lore and magic surrounding the jewel is roughly explained in the book and quite unclear. It remains the only part of the book that I cannot come to terms with. 

But Kelsea doesn't let the assassination attempt deter her from wanting to make the Tearling a better place. She immediately enlists the help of Father Tyler to create a library in the Keep and offers Marguerite a spot as a tutor. I especially loved the female relationships in this book. So much of the story is built around men being awful: soliciting prostitutes, trading slaves, double-crossing people for money, etc. So when Kelsea swoops in and actually liberates these women from their awful situations and gives them a roof over their heads and real positions, it is so immensely heartwarming. 

​I think because of the intensity of the story, I almost assumed that the book would end with a grand battle or something akin to it. The tone of the book certainly lends itself to that ending. Still, the last third of the novel is exciting in its own way. 

I still found myself frustrated by Kelsea's (the jewel's?) unexplained and hazy powers. The jewel can act violently towards those who wish to harm its wearer, but it can also transport its wearer into the body of another? Kelsea's entire scene as the mother whose son was being taken away was inordinately confusing. 

I was disappointed by the rescue of the slaves because it felt like a repeat of the beginning of the book. I was glad to see Javel come to his senses and Thorne be captured, but it felt like recycling a scene, in a way. The only thing that made me sit up in interest was the reveal that Mhurn was the traitor. 

Poor Mhurn. To hear the story of his wife and his daughter being taken by the Mort . . . it's heartbreaking to think about even now.

Kelsea faces so much loss in the last few scenes of this chapter, but she also faces the future. She sees the entirety of her kingdom and her enemies, and though she has just ascended to the throne, she knows how she wants to rule.