Review: The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

The thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Tearling trilogy.

In less than a year, Kelsea Glynn has transformed from a gawky teenager into a powerful monarch. As she has come into her own as the Queen of the Tearling, the headstrong, visionary leader has also transformed her realm. In her quest to end corruption and restore justice, she has made many enemies—including the evil Red Queen, her fiercest rival, who has set her armies against the Tear. 

To protect her people from a devastating invasion, Kelsea did the unthinkable—she gave herself and her magical sapphires to her enemy—and named the Mace, the trusted head of her personal guards, Regent in her place. But the Mace will not rest until he and his men rescue their sovereign, imprisoned in Mortmesne. 

Now, as the suspenseful endgame begins, the fate of Queen Kelsea—and the Tearling itself—will finally be revealed.


The Fate of the Tearling was my most anticipated read of 2016 – I’ve had it pre-ordered since July – and was sitting on pins and needles until it arrived at my doorstep. I had been dying to know the fate of Queen Kelsea after The Invasion of the Tearling, not to mention the Guard, and everyone else!

I was excited yet reluctant to start the beginning of the end of this journey. As the final installment, I knew my time with Kelsea and the Tearling was coming to an end and I wanted to savor it, but I also needed to know how it ended. Fate is written from several different points of view, which I thought blended nicely. Each gave a different perspective of the kingdom, Kelsea, and Johansen’s world, as well as a nice mix of past and present – one of the main concepts of these books that I’ve loved. These books are fantasy and sci-fi, in a cross between the medieval and modern.

There is magic, intense battles, drama, mystery and so much more. While there is some romance, it’s not the main point or focus of the story. It’s secondary, possibly even tertiary to everything else; so refreshing!  Kelsea fiercely loves her country and wants nothing more than to set right the wrongs and evils that are eating away it. She is rational (most of the time), educated, well read, and resilient. Some of the things I love most about this series is it’s gritty, it’s dark, and it’s not afraid to show the ugly side of religion and humanity, but it also has hope. That is the underlying theme - even though things have gotten so turned upside down and seem so far gone, there is still hope of making it right if only Kelsea can find the way.

I was not disappointed but I wasn’t 100% fully captivated as I had been with the previous books, and you know what? I’m okay with that. The ending is not what I expected, but it was perfect in its way. Johansen did an amazing job wrapping up an incredible series. I know some readers will be disappointed and find it a bit lackluster, but it was good. It left me with a sense of completeness. I’m sad that it's over but I'm happy with the ending.