THE FATE OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen

Rating: A+
Synopsis:
In less than a year, Kelsea Glynn has grown from an awkward teenager into a powerful monarch and a visionary leader.

And as she has come into her own as the Queen of the Tearling, she has transformed her realm. But in her quest to end corruption and restore justice, she has made many enemies - chief among them the evil and feared Red Queen, who ordered the armies of Mortmesne to march against the Tear and crush them.

To protect her people from such a devastating invasion, Kelsea did the unthinkable - naming the Mace, the trusted head of her personal guards, Regent in her place, she surrendered herself and her magical sapphires to her enemy. But the Mace will not rest until he and his men rescue their sovereign from her prison in Mortmesne.

So, the endgame has begun and the fate of Queen Kelsea - and the Tearling itself - will be revealed...

With The Fate of the Tearling, Erika Johansen draws her unforgettable story full of magic and adventure to a thrilling close.

My thoughts on the book:
I finished this book a few hours ago, and I'm still stunned. The only way to describe what I'm feeling is mindblown. This novel took me on one hell of a rollercoaster ride, and the ending surprised me. It was a satisfying ending, but wow did it have some hard learned lessons in it. This story was exactly what I needed to read at this point in my life, but I just have so many things spinning around in my head because of it that this review may not make much sense. In short, this is the best fantasy trilogy I've ever read. 

Johansen managed to seamlessly pull off the free indirect discourse point-of-view; I haven't seen someone wield a pen (so to speak) so well since Emma by Jane Austen. I was 100% invested in all the characters, and while I had my favorites, I loved learning so much about each character that we followed throughout the series. Kelsea really impressed me. Her strength was admirable, and her willingness to sacrifice was inspiring. Katie was a fascinating character, one who was also very smart and strong. The narration style varied with each character, which was very well-done on the author's part. The Mace's narration left some mysteries about him because, just like the man, the narration was closed off. Everything about the narrative was flawless. 

It's clear from how much I enjoyed the narration that I felt that the writing was extremely well-done. I haven't read many books that had such a plethora of "big words." Johansen assumes her readers are intelligent, and I enjoyed her descriptions much more because of the vivid language she used. The Tearling and Mort both came alive on the page, and each area had an energy about it that was palpable as I turned the pages. I felt like I was along on the journey with Kelsea and crew, and that made me fully engrossed for the whole 500 pages. The plot twist and the ending shocked me. I mean I was expecting some of it, but how everything ended up really surprised me, and the message that was clear at the end was heartbreakingly beautiful. This book left me feeling inspired, and that doesn't happen often anymore. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and trilogy to anyone who is looking for something a bit different in the fantasy realm. This is no run-of-the-mill fantasy novel. This series will make you think and evaluate your own life, and that's a good thing. Well done, Ms. Johansen.