Review: The Fate of the Tearling

The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, but honestly, I did not enjoy it as much as the first two. The first 3/4 of the book was similar to the first two. It moved quickly and I really enjoyed and admired Kelsea's character. It continued to shift perspectives and time, which at first I found confusing, but it does all tie together in the end. The last quarter, (view spoiler)[ however, was completely different. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. I understand why Kelsea chose to go back in time and restart, but I found the ending somewhat unsatisfying. It made me sad that such a fearless leader ended up being a librarian without anyone who knew or recognized her from her old life. Of course, a librarian is a wonderful job, especially for someone who loves books as much as Kelsea, but it is a very different sort of job from queen. I just felt like the author sort of made too much of a mess of the present time period and had no choice but to say "Oh well . . . Can't fix that. Might as well start over." Obviously that's not what the author really did because she has clearly planned to have Kelsea go back in time since at least the second book, but I still didn't love the ending. I understand it, but I did feel somewhat disappointed. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, this was a great series. I liked the first book the best, but I'm glad I finished the story. I especially loved Kelea's character throughout the series and really felt connected to her. I heard there may be a movie at least about the first book, which would be awesome. I hope they really do make it and I hope Erika Johansen writes more!

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