What's it about? 

"With each passing day, Kelsea Glynn is growing into her new responsibilities as Queen of the Tearling. By stopping the shipments of slaves to the neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne, she crossed the Red Queen, a brutal ruler whose power derives from dark magic, who is sending her fearsome army into the Tearling to take what is hers. And nothing can stop the invasion.

But as the Mort army draws ever closer, Kelsea develops a mysterious connection to a time before the Crossing, and she finds herself relying on a strange and possibly dangerous ally: a woman named Lily, fighting for her life in a world where being female can feel like a crime. The fate of the Tearling —and that of Kelsea’s own soul—may rest with Lily and her story, but Kelsea may not have enough time to find out."- Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts?

This book was off to an incredibly slow start, and I was really close to marking it as "Did Not Finish" but then we met Lily Mayhew and the entire story and plot twisted upside down and exploded into amazingness. So there was Kelsey's story and then Lily's story, and we then learn how their lives are intertwined (totally crazy). Lily's character and story was my favorite part of the entire book. Her story was gripping and terrifying and I felt so many painful emotions for her. The story of Lily reminded me a lot of The Girl on the Train for some reason even though I know technically they're nothing alike. If you've read both, you might be able to understand. If not, I just sound like a crazy person. Oh well. 

As for Kelsey's story: Like I said, it was very slow in the beginning, and Kelsey has always bothered me because she's just so clueless. Yes, she makes for a wonderful Queen and cares about her subjects but it's so incredibly obvious that she's just a 19 year old girl. Which, kudos to Erika Johansen for being able to capture that obnoxious teenager attitude! ha! That being said, I think Johansen did a fantastic job on the character development of Kelsey in this book. Because yes, she was an obnoxious teen throughout the entire book, but I think she eventually became selfless and realized what she had to do for her land...and I respect her for that. 

The Invasion of the Tearling was impossible for me to even attempt at predicting the ending, given that the storyline is so complex. That being said, the ending was completely out of left field and definitely had jaw dropping moments. I love how Johansen tied everything together at the end, combining the two different worlds. The ending just made me beg for more because I need to know what happens!

Bottom line is: If you start it, and it seems boring and slow in the beginning, you're going to need to push through. Trust me. You will not regret it. At least keep reading until you meet Lily and then decide. 

Slow beginnings that turned into a page turner. Brilliant.

Overall, I gave The Invasion of the Tearling 3.5 Stars!