This book is going to be great! I wish this wasn’t just an excerpt. Can’t wait to finish reading this when it comes out in March!!!

Shakespeare, lyrical prose, and ancient magic?
SIGN ME UP

I've only read an excerpt so I'm not sure how to rate/review a book until it's finished (plus my eyebrow is twitching a little bit because I'm unable to finish it...).

The writing is absolutely beautiful and fully lyrical from beginning to end. This is coming from a fan of 'flowery' language and Gratton nails it by blending fantasy and literary. It's rich and descriptive, painting a dark and lush image of Innis Lear.

My favourite character(s) would be the war-hungry Gaela, first daughter who shies away from anything that will weaken her, including her own womanhood. She is rock and anger. I also really love Morimaros, King of Aremoria with his steely countenance and weighted shoulders.

I TRULY wish I would have realized it was an excerpt before I started reading...

FAB-U-LOUS! I adore this book and it's characters! It has everything a fantasy lover could want. It was just SO GOOD!

An excellent introduction, I can't wait to read the full novel.

I received a copy of The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the summary and really wanted to like this novel, but it was a chore at times to keep reading. Mainly, the plot could have been pulled together better (more linear). There were flashes of real goodness, but then the story would get bogged down. Also, there were too many primary characters and their perspectives. In theory, this can be done and it's a neat concept when it's done well and each character is developed and crafted well, but they were not in this novel.

I would try reading another book by Tessa Gratton to see if a future novel would improve in pacing and character development, but I wouldn't recommend this novel.

This book is incredible. I don't know if the author herself has some sort of magical writing powers because WOW is it written BEYOND well. This is an author who put a whole lot of love into her writing, and it shows.
This book just works. It truly does. The setting and the plot just weaves itself together so well. You can feel as if you are connected to the characters.
All in all - definitely worth the read! I will be picking up a copy for my bookshelf when it becomes available!

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book and loved the world that the author created. There were a few two many points-of-view for me to really get hooked into the characters. There's a little inkling of a love triangle, which I wanted more of but reading six different POV's didn't allow for much character development. This book felt like the first half of a story and not an entire standalone novel. (Not sure if a sequel is in the works or not.) I wasn't sure what the stakes of the story were and was looking for a climax but there wasn't one. I'm interested to see where the story continues.

I received this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I liked this book, the world is dark and beautiful, the magic is fantastic and the characters are well-fleshed out, but, it's slow. It's a long book at over 570 pages.
The Queens of Innis Lear is an intricate fantasy that takes the Shakespearean play, King Lear, and expands upon it crafting together an intense tale of magic, power, and those willing to shed blood and bonds for a crown that could control everything. Recommended for those whom love fantasy, history, politics, and a striking defiance that is indomitable.

I have to be honest here and say that I cannot continue reading beyond half the book. The argument is no not interesting, and the writing is so difficult and entangled that almost made me quit the book after the second page. No original story, I am not dying to finish the book...

Well, at least it was short.

Two stars, barely. Arc provided by NetGalley.

I just could not get into this At. All. It is slow going to get into, first of all. The author also chose to divide the book up into different perspectives. So many!! There were at least...six, I believe. I would just get invested in one storyline before being whipped around to another. I never became invested in any characters. I wasn’t particularly impressed by the writing, either, which I felt was very distant. There was some semi-interesting world building but also not really.

The ending was so abrupt I searched online to see if I was missing part of my arc (I wasn’t). Is this a standalone with an open ending? A sequel? I won’t be checking it out.

Honestly, it’s really a one star for me, plus one star for Shakespeare.

This preview is so atmospheric and alluring and completely captivated me. I'm usually more of a character-driven reader, but everything melded together beautifully that I didn't want to distinguish the characters, setting, or plot. They all work together and build on each other.

I don't really want to give too much away because this is only an excerpt, and I don't know how everything plays out, but I am invested. I can't wait to see what happens.

PLEASE NOTE: I only read a sampler of this book - precisely 193 pages - so my opinions/review is based on that alone.


The characters are riveting, twisty, compelling, damaged, and ruthless. It's a big cast, but everyone is vivid and layered.

The plot is achingly romantic and heartbreaking. It's a bit confusing, but otherwise extraordinary. Unique, as well, and running with the characters' dangerous agendas.

The setting is stunning and seductive. It's a maelstrom of dark imagination.


The only thing I don't like about the book is how overtly flowery and purple the prose is. It's laid on way too thick.



I can't wait to continue the story once I get the chance to read the full book! From the pages I got to read, this book was an absolute treat. Think Three Dark Crowns meets Caraval meets Game of Thrones.

What!!! I thought game of thrones was epic, but this book had me on pins and needles the whole time. I couldn't put it down.

With a family divided, the poor island of Innis Lear is at the mercy of a crazy king and his daughters. We follow many different story lines, as we try to sift through the muck and figure out who is going to be crowned the rightful heir to the thrown. The world building is grand and the characters are all so unique and full of depth. I really was kept on edge, wondering who would win in the end. George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan will love this book.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

As my eARC was only the excerpt, I don't feel comfortable writing full reviews for excerpts of books and will come back and edit this with a full review after reading the finished release.

AMAZING!
I dont even know what to say, or how to explain how much I loved it.

I really loved this story. It was clear that this is the start of a fantasy series. A lot of time spent world building and the pacing was a little slow. These characters are where the book shines. They are all complex and diverse in both race, gender identities, and mental health. I cannot wait to read more! Drunk thought to come.

This was the first piece of work that I've ever read from Tessa Gratton, and it has only made me more interested in reading more from her!

Queens of Innis Lear gets off to a slow start, with immense descriptions and extended use of prose and imagery. This might not be for everyone, but I found Gratton's prose to be so beautiful and well-written that I loved every minute of this. I loved how each character was introduced and the basic setup of the book that was so careful unveiled to the reader.

From this sample, I've also gotten a fairly good sense for the characters, and I am so intrigued to find out more about them! Each characters feels as if they are presented in such a unique manner--I can't wait to read the finished book.

Overall, this sample gets four stars from me! Can't wait for the full and final version!

This was only an excerpt, unfortunately. When downloading it, I believed I was downloading the full arc.

What I did read was excellent. Rich, intriguing writing and storytelling. Strong female characters. Creative feminist spin on the story of King Lear. I absolutely loved it, and I am really excited to read the rest of this book. I was actually disappointed that I was not informed I was only downloading a partial arc.

This was easily my most anticipated read of 2018 and I'm sorry to say that I was a bit disappointed. Literally the moment I saw this was available (even knowing it was a sample) I downloaded it, stared at my Kindle willing it to load faster, and then dropped my afternoon to get into it. And... I just couldn't. The prose felt forced and inorganic, the sentences overly complicated for the sake of themselves. I couldn't turn off the editing part of my brain since I kept mentally slashing away at all the extraneous words and clauses. If I had the whole book I probably would have finished it since some of the characters and plot threads were enough to hook me despite the voice, but I was also sort of grateful to be done with it so not sure whether I'll continue when the whole text is available. Since most of my issues were due to personal taste, I'll chock this one up to impossibly high hopes. Crawling back to my cynical shell now.

Seeing as how Tessa Gratton has been named as one of the abusers after the recent outbreak about the SLJ article, I will be giving this book a pass.