YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom's haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea's forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea's nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen's Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen's vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen's Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as "the Fetch."

Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea's journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her.

I'm going to join yous if that's okay :)

Just finished chapter 3
(view spoiler)[I don't know if I like these guys or not. On one hand they don't seem keen on killing her but on the other hand, they basically kidnapped her and they were about to kill Mace.
I would like to find out more about the necklaces as well (hide spoiler)]

All the different POVs are annoying me. I get that they will probably be a good addition later on in the book but for now, I just find them annoying

I would like this better if it was written in the first person but im only in the second chapter, hope it doesnt get to boring

I found it really hard to get into at the beginning and it does get better I suppose but I'm not loving the book so far.

Just finished chapter 13
(view spoiler)[I feel so bad for not liking Carlin now. (hide spoiler)]

Ending
(view spoiler)[I really wanted to love this book because I've heard a lot of good things about this book. But between the different POVs and the slow beginning, a lot of things put me off. Hopefully the next book is better. (hide spoiler)]

I'm just starting.. the beginning is a bit weird but it looks promising.

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ wow this chapter was really long! It's an interesting start to the book, it's strange how it's just accepted that she will likely be killed! I like Mace and Carroll (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[ I'm not sure how I feel about this lot, they kidnapped her, and they hurt Mace, so I can't trust them...but they don't seem like they really want to hurt Kelsea either. I wonder why Barty and Carlin and her mother's guard were keeping so many secrets from Kelsea (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ I'm glad that Kelsea freed the people being sent to the red queen, definitely an impressive entrance into the keep! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7 (view spoiler)[ I really don't like the Regent, he's so self centred, all he cares about is his own comfort and money! Thorne is one to watch too, I think he and the Red Queen might come to some sort of deal when she finds that the shipments have stopped! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[ the black market in the Tear seems to be really thriving! I wonder why the previous rulers before the regent let it go on so much? I'm also curious why the sapphire works for Kelsea but didn't work for Elyssa? Maybe because Kelsea wants to change things? A better ruler? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 11 (view spoiler)[ Mace and Pen should have believed her about her vision of Thorne's shipment. I can't figure out who the traitor will be...and I'm a little suspicous of Andalie (hide spoiler)]

Ending (view spoiler)[ I felt so sorry for Barty and Carlin in the end! They were brave to take the cyanide, but I would have liked it if they would have tried to escape to a village or came to the palace with Kelsea. The ending was good, but I thought the Regent's head on a pike was a strange gift! (hide spoiler)]

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Reading from the 1st of March 2016

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

have started and i looks very promising :)

Have had this on my to read pile for a while, and won't start it until tomorrow but I have heard good things about it.

my time zone is the 1st of march already :)

chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ After being kidnapped and then set free Kelsea and Mace arrive in her kingdom along with the Queens Guard. Kelsea makes a great first impression, setting the slaves free. Good for her! I would like to think the Fetch will turn out to be a good guy time will tell. Now its time to meet the uncle hmm i wonder what he will be like lol (hide spoiler)]

chapter 10 (view spoiler)[ i wonder who the spy will be, i would hate to be him/her when they are found out and they will find them. Love that the sapphire has a mind of its own and who is that talking to her in her head hmm maybe her grandmother? The uncle is such a pompous ass lock him in the dungeon i say. (hide spoiler)]

chapter 12 (view spoiler)[ i wonder if fletch is her father (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ :( Carlin and Barty r dead how awful. Like the uncle's head on the pike touch lol have enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

I am going to be starting this today.

Read 68%: (view spoiler)[ Really enjoying this so far although there are some similarities to other novels. I am intrigued to find out who the spy will be. At first I thought it might be Pen but now I don't think it is. The world in this book is really interesting at first I found it confusing as it is such a vast world with a lot of different countries. I am not a huge fan of the different points of view. (hide spoiler)]

Kirsty wrote: "Read 68%: [spoilers removed]"
i agree it always throws me for a bit when they swap points of view i start going back thinking i missed something lol

Chapter 5: (view spoiler)[ I think it was good that she set the slaves free, but what will they do now? Also, I'm very interested in who her father may be. I have a feeling that it could be Fetch but I'm not sure. I'm finding it kind of boring at the moment, with other things that aren't very interesting and such long chapters. (hide spoiler)]

Felt like a slog getting through ch1! Nothing wrong with it, but the need to establish the world means we get quite a lot thrown at us.

Book One-some parts seemed slow (giving background to events) of necessity, but Kelsea clearly has the potential to do great things. Curious to know exactly who The Fetch is.

Finished: (view spoiler)[ I ended up really enjoying this book. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book as it seemed very slow going. The world is vast and at first it seemed confusing but once I got into the story I ended up really enjoying it. I am looking forward to continue this series and see where the story will go. Towards the end I had gotten used to the multiple POVs and I didn't dislike them as much as I did in the beginning. I thought that this was a really enjoyable start to a series and I can't wait to see what will happen in the next book. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8: (view spoiler)[ I'm finding it decent, but not too interesting. 2 stars or so at the moment. It's very political in a way that isn't appealing to me. I only enjoy the politics side of books if it's written a certain way, for example Grave Mercy. I also don't really understand why Lazarus is allowed to treat her poorly sometimes. (hide spoiler)]

Initially off-putting because I kept picturing Emma Watson as Kelsea - and she most certainly is not plain. Once this mental hurdle was cleared, I found myself drawn into the world and enjoying the intrigue/Kelsea's learning about her new kingdom. Plenty set up to look forward to the second part.

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Hope I've done the right number of comments now. Didn't realise it was separate to status updates.
Has anyone who's finished this read Book Two yet?

Having now completed the book, so many questions!

Chapter 11: (view spoiler)[ At the beginning of that vision I was very confused! It took me a bit to figure out that it was probably a vision, because at first I thought it was an alternate life or something. I knew for sure it was real when the cages were revealed. The book has had boring stretches but I have a feeling that a lot will go down at the end. (hide spoiler)]

Done: (view spoiler)[ I had gotten more interested in it by the end. I had suspected Mhurn, but I wasn't sure he was the traitor. I definitely wasn't surprised that it was him, though. I'm curious as to what the second book will be about. I haven't decided whether I want to read it or not. (hide spoiler)]

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Reading from the 1st of November 2016

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Joining!

I'm joining too!

20% (view spoiler)[I’m really enjoying the book so far and I’m really curious to know more about Kelsea’s mom and how she was as a queen. I like that we are getting some bits of information and we learn about the Tearling history little by little. (hide spoiler)]

35% (view spoiler)[I have to say that I love Kelsea! Loved how she has things clear in her head and she decided to free everyone. I also liked her determination to become a queen and how she stole the tiara from some noble woman lol (hide spoiler)]

Starting now, premise seems interesting enough.

Started, post thoughts in a little bit! :)

47% (view spoiler)[I enjoyed reading from the Regent POV and seeing how he loses everything little by little (his women, his furniture, his place in the Keep, etc.) (hide spoiler)]

61% (view spoiler)[I've just finished reading the scene where an assassin tries to get Kelsea's jewel while she was having a bath. It was really tense and I'm glad someone came to help Kelsea. I also was expecting the jewel to protect her. (hide spoiler)]

21%: (view spoiler)[ I like it so far. There's so much mystery and plot twists unfolding. I want to see more of fetch and I'm really curious about Queen Elyssa and what really happened during her reign. I also want to read more of the Red Queen's point of view. (hide spoiler)]

Nicole wrote: "21%: [spoilers removed]"

The red queen reminded me of Red Queen lmao

Pragya wrote: "Nicole wrote: "21%: [spoilers removed]"

The red queen reminded me of Red Queen lmao"

Me too! haha

78% (view spoiler)[I think Kelsea is one of the best main characters in a YA book (at least that I've read lately). I like how she's ruling her country and I agree with all the decisions she's making. I also am very anxious to discover who the traitor is, because I've become attached to many of the characters and I think I couldn't stand for some of them to be the traitor. (hide spoiler)]

I finished the book! I loved it and I give it 5 solid starts. I'm going to write my review now so I don't forget anything.