You can also read this review on my blog. 
 In short: While there were a number of inconsistencies that kept The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen from being a perfect read, this debut novel delivered on what it promised to be: a high-stakes political fantasy. 
 When a book gets picked up by a major movie production company with a leading lady already cast months and months before it is set to be published, you can't help but take notice. And so it was no surprise that The Queen of the Tearling flew onto my radar immediately and sent me into a frenzy of excitement and high expectations. I NEEDED this book! I freaking LOVE high fantasy, especially when it comes with a medieval setting and court politics. 
 And thankfully, The Queen of the Tearling MOSTLY lived up to my high expectations. Of course, it was far from perfect and I had a number of issues with it... but it delivered on what it promised to be: a highly political court fantasy with a complex world. I can definitely see why Warner Brothers would snap this one up so quickly: The Queen of the Tearling is like Game of Thrones, but for a younger audience (although extreme violence and mention of sex is still found in plenty, so it's not a read for too young an audience). 
 The Queen of the Tearling has most of the typical elements that you would usually find in court fantasies, but one thing definitely stood out as unique: this novel is actually set in the FUTURE. There were even mentions of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings as being classics from a long ago past. This would mean that at some point in the future, society has actually regressed to a feudal kingdom system with little technology. This was a little weird and unfortunately no explanation was given as to how the world became like this, but I was definitely intrigued at this unique development. 
 My main criticism would be for The Queen of the Tearling's protagonist, Kelsea, whom I felt was kept at a distance. We are told many times in the text that Kelsea has a temper, likes to read, is honourable, and is very plain in her looks, but very little else of substance is indicated about her and so she failed to truly come to life in my eyes. She wasn't REAL to me. She grows up in an isolated environment with next to no knowledge of the history of the world or how the outside world works, and yet somehow she immediately rises to the position of perfect, wise, and experienced Queen, no problem. There were also a number of other inconsistencies in the plot that I wish had been smoothed over more thoroughly, as well. 
 Inconsistencies aside, I enjoyed The Queen of the Tearling overall. There were a ton of secondary characters that I found more interesting and compelling than Kelsea, so at least my desire for good characterization was assuaged a bit, and hopefully we'll see Kelsea come to life more in future instalments. Fans of romance may want to look elsewhere as there was none to be had here, ditto to fans of more fast-paced fantasies as The Queen of the Tearling is not one of them. But for fans of high-stakes epic fantasies and complex political turmoil, look no further as The Queen of the Tearling is the book for you.