JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Kate Reading is a master narrator of fantasy audiobooks of great length with multiple points of view. This study of Shakespeare’s KING LEAR is true to form. She narrates the story with clarity as the plot weaves back and forth through time, telling the story of the king and each of the three daughters’ formative years. She portrays with subtlety the king’s mounting madness. Parallel to that, she depicts the eldest daughter’s growing hardness of heart, the second daughter’s increasing frustration at her failure to produce an heir, and the third daughter’s quiet steadfastness. Reading’s pace is never hurried, but she efficiently moves the story steadily forward. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Amal El-Mohtar
…the Shakespearean counterparts are at most touchstones for the fully developed characters Gratton writes…Queens is always thoroughly engaging; right up until the end, I found myself wondering with increasing urgency whether this story, like Lear, would end in tragedy. I'll leave you to wonder, too.
Publishers Weekly
01/29/2018
Gratton’s enthralling debut fantasy novel reinvents King Lear as the tale of a king’s three daughters: Gaela, martial and ambitious; Regan, as desperate for a child as she is devoted to her elder sister; and Elia, a star priest and her father’s favorite. When Lear declares that he will divide the island of Innis Lear between Regan and Gaela and strips Elia of her title and dowry, the court is thrown into chaos. Elia must contend with her greedy sisters, consider her suitors—a nobleman’s bastard son, a nearby king who has his own plans for the island—and find a way to unite the island and undo her father’s disasters before it’s too late. Shakespeare aficionados will recognize the spine of the plot, including Lear’s terrible choices and the rivalry between the legitimate and illegitimate sons of nobility. Gratton sets her version of this story in an island kingdom where reverence for earth magic has recently been supplanted by star prophecy, which provides yet another thread of tension among the characters. Also, Lear’s wife was a dark-skinned princess from a foreign land, and the three daughters take after her in varying degrees. Gratton’s emphasis on the voices of the women (including Elia’s maidservant, Aefa) and the depth and dimensionality of their stories is what truly reshapes the familiar elements of the Lear tragedy into something fresh, with a suitably tragic yet satisfying ending. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Queens of Innis Lear
"Amazing." —Robin McKinley
"The Queens of Innis Lear is a spectacular book. This is a story about family and love, jealousy and destiny, with its roots in the earth and stretching to the stars. Beautifully written, it's full of complex characters who will break your heart and heal it again. An instant favorite, this is a book I'll return to again and again."—Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians
"Gratton takes Shakespeare's Lear to the sharpest, darkest, and most beautiful edge, perhaps where it should've existed all along." —Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles
“I adore this—rich, epic, blood-soaked—a glorious and grand sweeping fantasy.” —Kate Elliott, author of The Poisoned Blade
“A gloriously symphonic, thematically rich variation on the story of the daughters of Lear. The danger of seeking certainty makes this a tale for our time; the power of truth and mercy makes it a tale for all times. Prepare to devour every word, for Innis Lear will consume you.” —Karen Lord, author of Redemption in Indigo
"Messy, beautiful, and dark, darker than Shakespeare could have dreamed." —E. K. Johnston, author of Star Wars: Ahsoka
"A darkly rendered epic of old magic, hardened hearts, and complicated choices"—Booklist, starred review
“Enthralling.”—Publishers Weekly
“Engrossing and magical adult debut.”—Library Journal
“A welcome sight in the genre.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[An] extraordinary and epic tale of family tragedy.”— RT Book Reviews
School Library Journal
05/01/2018
In this epic fantasy retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear, the king of Innis Lear is obsessed with prophesies, but this fixation has stolen much of the magic from the land. The prosperity of the people disappears soon after. Now the king must name his successor. Gaela, the oldest, is the rightful heir to Innis Lear. Regan, the second child, is a manipulator and also seeks the crown. Elia, the youngest, is a priest of star magic and the king's secret favorite. Thus, the three sisters vie for the same crown. At more than 500 pages, this book has plenty of room for complex character development; even villains are given sympathetic qualities. Readers will savor this lyrical tale. Intricate world-building and descriptions of various types of magic add to the measured pace. Though teens need not have read King Lear to enjoy the novel, those with some familiarity with the play will get the most out of this read. VERDICT Give to fans of Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," or George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones.—Jenni Frencham, formerly at Columbus Public Library, WI
JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Kate Reading is a master narrator of fantasy audiobooks of great length with multiple points of view. This study of Shakespeare’s KING LEAR is true to form. She narrates the story with clarity as the plot weaves back and forth through time, telling the story of the king and each of the three daughters’ formative years. She portrays with subtlety the king’s mounting madness. Parallel to that, she depicts the eldest daughter’s growing hardness of heart, the second daughter’s increasing frustration at her failure to produce an heir, and the third daughter’s quiet steadfastness. Reading’s pace is never hurried, but she efficiently moves the story steadily forward. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-02-06
Three very different sisters vie for their father's crown in this fantasy inspired by King Lear.It's a setup familiar to anyone who knows their Shakespeare: An aging king gathers his three daughters and asks them each to describe their love for him and prove they are deserving of inheriting his crown. The two eldest, here called Gaela and Regan, are happy to comply. The youngest, and his favorite—here called Elia—refuses and is disinherited. As the king descends into madness, Gaela and Regan, along with their respective husbands, scheme to ensure that the crown passes to the person they've agreed should have it: Gaela, with Regan beside her. But Elia, who lacks her sisters' bloodthirsty ambition, fears she may have to take a stand to save her home before her sisters tear it apart. Gratton, making her adult debut, stays true to much of the play while building past it to create an inventive universe full of ancient magic and prophetic stars. Her writing is atmospheric, staying just shy of florid. The racial diversity is a welcome sight in the genre, as is an epic tale full of such dynamic women. And yet, as the page count pushes past 500, it's hard not to feel that the action drags. Scenes of political intrigue become repetitious, and the final plot points feel mired in lyrical imagery by the time they finally arrive.Gratton achieves the rare feat of a Shakespeare adaptation that earns the right to exist, but it's possible to have too much of a good thing.
