4.5!!! 
 Okay, truth: I thought this was an entirely different sort of novel *nervous laugh* I thought it was about Fae people bc I associate the word "Tearling" as some form of fae annnnnd I was so wrong lol 
 But I freaking loved this book still! I loved Kelsea and her ascension as Queen of the Tearling! She was one of the strongest characters I've read about in a while. 
 Now, this book didn't really feel like an entire book. I don't know how many there will be in total but this one sets you up for the world, which I will explain. 
 The Tearling and Mortmesne: 
 Now these two worlds are a part of our worlds but think of them in an alternate universe that makes them a part of Europe? Mm well I'm not entirely sure but there are references to Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Lord of The Rings and stuff so I'm assuming it takes place in the now but the Tearling kingdom came off as a "Middle Earth" or "Terrasen" sort of place so try not to think too much of that haha but there are references to "modern Europe" and "the new world" so I don't really know 0.o 
 But that's not even important bc we don't deal with them. All we deal with is the Tearling. The entire book is about Kelsea coming into place as the Queen. She's known she was a Queen and had to eventually ascend the thrown but because her mother is dead (er, or killed?) she grew up in a cabin in the middle of the woods. So 19 years later, the Queen's Guard comes to pick her up because it's time she took the thrown. On her journey to the kingdom she meets a thief named "the Fetch" (He reminded me of Wesley from The Princess Bride! AS YOUUUUU WIIIISH!) no one knows his real name but obv we are gonna have to learn more about him in the next book! 
 So she arrives at the Keep and to her dismay things are not as they should be! Now, the summary on GR makes it sound like there will be an epic battle in this book but there isn't really. I think that's slightly misleading, not that I had read that but just beware: this is NOT a fast paced book. 
 But this is NOT a bad book either. Kelsea was freaking amazing. I kept thinking she was gonna mess everything up but oh my lawd, this girl has an actual head with an actual brain in it. She was amazing. I give her all the stars!!! 
 In the end, yes, I recommend this book but more for those who want a mature version of Throne of Glass! Also, I wouldn't recommend this to those under 15 bc there is a lot of colorful language hehe