JULY 2015 - AudioFile
This sequel to THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is a complex weaving of the stories of Kelsea, the current Queen of Tear, and Lily, who was alive in the 21st century when a portion of America crossed over to a pre-technological society at the time of the founding of the Tear. Davina Porter assists the listener in keeping the storylines straight as they gradually converge. Her portrayal of Kelsea is nuanced and inviting. Porter draws on the feisty and passionate nature of the 19-year-old queen, particularly in her sparring with the condescending leaders of the church who, while unduly concerned with prudish morality, contribute little to the well-being of the people. Porter’s engagement with the characters and plot is contagious. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2016 ALA Media Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
03/09/2015
After the events of 2014’s The Queen of the Tearling, Kelsea Glynn is still settling into her role as the ruler of the titular land, which feels more like a fantasy realm than a distant planet populated by the descendants of people who fled Earth in search of a better life. Kelsea must juggle politics, war, and her own growing magical abilities as she faces an unstoppable opponent, the malevolent Red Queen. She is also having visions of the past, in which a young woman named Lily Mayhew gets caught up in William Tear’s exodus from 21st-century America to a new world. As Lily struggles to free herself from an abusive relationship, Kelsea finds the key to dealing with the Red Queen. Johansen’s vision of a dystopian near-future America is chilling and sadly plausible, but Kelsea’s far-future world remains vague and ill-defined, and the magic is always precisely as powerful and versatile as the plot demands. While many questions are answered, many more arise, leading to a cliffhanger ending. Readers enticed by strong female characters who seize control of their own destiny will forgive the story’s flaws. Agent: Dorian Karchmar, William Morris Endeavor. (June)
Bookriot
the protagonist was a real ass-kicker with unwavering strength and fierceness (but not without realistic self-doubt), and there’s just the right combination of believable politics and fantasy realm magic.
The Examiner.com
Will keep everyone on tenterhooks until the next book is released...a thought-provoking and finely tuned flight of fancy.
Locus Magazine
Spend long enough with this piece of fiction, and you’ll emerge more keenly aware of our own pontificating pundits, our tides of refugees. Any sense of distance is quite imaginary.
Bookish
[A] thrilling sequel.
Statesman Journal (Oregon)
This compelling, intriguing read is hard to put down as the ultimate connection between the two women is revealed. {A} unique take on traditional fantasy.
LibraryReads
The Mort are coming! Johansen introduces new characters and enticing bits of history, with the second volume of her intriguing tale of fantasy, mystery and royal politics...Readers will be eager for the final volume in the Tearling saga.
Bustle
Readers — Watson included — can’t seem to put down the novels, in large part because of the Queen of the Tearling herself: spunky, complex, tough-as-nails Kelsea Glynn.
USA Today.com
A dazzling and gripping followup. . . . Expertly combining modern and medieval themes, Johansen ratchets up suspense as she weaves a magical story that crosses time . . . one of the most original and well-written series in recent memory.
Buzzfeed
Genre-bending . . . So good . . . Gripping.
Us Weekly
All hail Queen Kelsea! In the series’ second action-packed book, the teen saves her throne from a power-hungry neighbor.
Booklist
Gritty, gruesome, and enthrallingly magical fantasy.
Cosmopolitan
Get caught up with Kelsea, a heroine so badass, Emma Watson’s already signed up to play her.
Entertainment Weekly
The Invasion of the Tearling glides over the sophomore slump, carrying the series upward with it. . . . The new Tearling characters are fascinating, and Johansen introduces them so smoothly, we care for them almost the instant we learn their names.
Library Journal
★ 03/15/2015
In this novel that picks up where Johansen's debut, Queen of the Tearling, left off, things are not looking good for Kelsea or her realm, as the armies of the Queen of Mortmense amass on her borders. But then this seemingly standard epic fantasy has an interesting twist. Kelsea, through the power of the sapphires she inherited with the crown, begins to connect to the life of a woman living in a modern, brutal, near-future New England. She sees Lily Mayhew suffer the abuse of her husband and watches as Lily learns of a resistance group that wants to find a better future, one that just might be in Kelsea's own Tearling. VERDICT A bold storytelling choice makes this so much more fascinating than just a saga of warring kingdoms. Both Kelsea's struggles in the Tear to protect her people and Lily's narrative are completely gripping, and the anticipation of a revelation of how these two women are linked will keep readers turning the pages. It's satisfying while leaving readers desperate for the next volume. [See Prepub Alert, 11/25/14.]
JULY 2015 - AudioFile
This sequel to THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is a complex weaving of the stories of Kelsea, the current Queen of Tear, and Lily, who was alive in the 21st century when a portion of America crossed over to a pre-technological society at the time of the founding of the Tear. Davina Porter assists the listener in keeping the storylines straight as they gradually converge. Her portrayal of Kelsea is nuanced and inviting. Porter draws on the feisty and passionate nature of the 19-year-old queen, particularly in her sparring with the condescending leaders of the church who, while unduly concerned with prudish morality, contribute little to the well-being of the people. Porter’s engagement with the characters and plot is contagious. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2016 ALA Media Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2015-04-01
There's a tear in the Tearling, and Tears are falling. Seriously. As Johansen (The Queen of the Tearling, 2014) opens the latest installment in her sword-and-sorcery series, Tear troops stationed on the borders of the kingdom find themselves battling an invasion by the Mort—you know, the bad guys across the line in the Mortmesne. It's a good thing Col. Hall is on the job, a fellow fate has put in just the right place at the right time: "Fortune had taken Hall away from Idyllwild," Johansen intones, "not good fortune, but the backhanded sort that gave with one hand while it stabbed with the other." Many stabbings, catapult launches, and other gruesome maneuvers later, the Mort are repelled. (It helps that, in a Tolkienian move, the hawks, real hawks, are on the side of the doves, metaphorical ones.) But the Mort'll be back, and an ugly picture will get even uglier. Meanwhile, the queen, our ever resourceful Kelsea, is getting prettier. At least after a fashion: "She wasn't beautiful, Kelsea thought, not by any stretch. But she was no longer plain either. She looked like a woman someone might actually remember." Whether Meryl Streep or Merlin, Kelsea rises to the occasion, despite all the obstacles that the Morts—and Johansen, for that matter—throw in her path. But is she the True Queen? Ah, that's for events to decide, nicely unfolded in this long—but not too long—yarn. Johansen is a skillful maker of fantasy worlds, weaving medieval and modern themes together with the comprehensiveness of a George R.R. Martin, though without his penchant for overly long episodes of violence that would make Sam Peckinpah blush. She does both battle scenes and quiet conversations equally well, though, with all the requisite plotting, regal self-doubt, and good-vs.-evil grappling required of the genre. A satisfying, well-crafted sequel that will leave readers looking forward to what might happen next to "that fantastic vision inside Tear's jewel" and those who treasure it.
