This review contains massive spoilers for the book. Please read at your own discretion.
Rating 2.5 stars


To be honest, this book is plain “meh” for me. From the description of the novel, which heralded The Queens of Innis Lear as the next Game of Thrones, I was expecting a mature fantasy novel with complex political problems and fascinating lore. Instead, I felt like I was reading a young adult fantasy novel that stuck to all the popular tropes of the genre—love triangles, helpless main female character who needs everyone to do everything for her, evil sisters, star-crossed lovers, princess in exile, etc.. Though the book does have potential, at least with its magic systems, this book reads merely like a setup for the next book in the series, which I would really be fine with or without reading.



Though the book attempts to weave complicated networks of people with strikingly different motivations, I never felt any connection to them or any urgency to discover what would happen next to them. The author desperately tries to make her main characters all complex and different, and does in fact describe her heroines as dark and curly-haired instead of the typical white and blonde female protagonists, but in spite of this, most of their development feels more like a stereotype than real character development. I was also let down that a book about three sisters vying for the role of Queen lacked feminine empowerment that went deeper than the surface.



The author does not seem to realize that slapping one sister, Princess Gaela, in chainmail and leading an army does not equal meaningful feminism. Instead, it feels like more of the familiar trope of the female warrior. The book does put a spin on it and make it better by revealing that Gaela undergoes some kind of painful, herbal, magical procedure to make her unable to bear children and more of a man. While this helps the intricacy of the stories, it is undermined by the fact that the other sisters are also seemingly plucked from the same stereotype list that renders Gaela a ferocious, angry, warrior, who is determined to be seen as powerful as any man. Regan is cunning, beautiful, and wise and Elia as pure, pretty, and innocent as any Disney fairytale.I was also befuddled that in a feminist novel, both Princesses Gaela and Regan, simply marry each other’s enemies to gain power—despite claiming that they are in actuality each other’s true consorts—pitting their husbands, territories, and people against each other. They also play favorites against their youngest sister, Elia, instead of empowering her and guiding her, even threatening to kill her if she returns to the Innis Lear before their coronations. However, I must say that I agree with Gaela and Regan in this case; I could never quite manage to Elia, though I am obviously supposed to judging from the author’s countless gushing descriptions of how stunning and precious she is.



Princess Elia is too helpless, innocent, devoted, beautiful, pure, and all around perfect for my taste. I cannot help but roll my eyes at her inability to even attempt to fight for the throne by answering her mentally diminished father’s question about whether or not she loved him the best. Yes, I understand that the question is unjust and I know that Elia’s staying quiet is purposeful in order to set her apart from her lying sisters, who do not even love their father. Nevertheless, I feel like if Elia truly cared about her father and their kingdom, she should have tried to save them from being ripped apart by the control of her two sisters, both named heirs in an upset that will clearly lead to war. The resulting chaos that ensues over her actions, or rather the complete lack thereof, feels completely preposterous and contrived to me.



As such, I could not really feel any sympathy for Elia reaping what she sows, and she already has more than enough pity for herself for the both of us. Every issue in her life is a direct result of her own poor choices. Her sisters do not love her, as she chose her father over them after her mother’s death—but she never stops whining about not fitting in with them. When her father strips her of her title, she immediately stops referring to herself as a Princess and consequently gives up on the biggest comfort of her life, Star Charting. I also have the dreaded feeling that there are only more poor decisions in her future; I believe she will attempt to rectify her current situation and exile by marrying King Morimaros, who will want to conquer her island and annex it to his kingdom. Can’t any of these women do anything without marrying a man or undermining each other? I have never read King Lear, so I cannot speak for whether this book is more or less empowering, but I was definitely disappointed with it.



From a writing standpoint, I think it would be more interesting if Gaela and Regan just made Elia the third queen of Innis Lear after they are sworn in as queens. Perhaps they could instill a voting system among them and used Elia as puppet, manipulating her for her third vote. Elia could have used her alliances with King Morimaros, the King’s fool, and Ban to gain power, to overthrow her corrupt sisters, and to take the throne. And if after claiming the throne, she is able to somehow mend things with one or two of her sisters, it’d be even better. To me, that type of storyline is more remarkable than the typical princess in exile fighting against her evil sisters story. I realize that this is probably not in line with a retelling of King Lear, but I believe it makes for a more exciting fantasy novel.



Though I am annoyed by the portrayals in what is supposed to be a feminist novel, I did enjoy other parts of the book. The standout for me is the magic systems. I thought it very original that the author included trees and wellsprings in the magic of the world, particularly on the island of Innis Lear, where the magic is rapidly dying out due to King Lear’s devotion to Star Charting and the restriction of any other religious practices. Combined with the ritualistic magic and the whispering of trees, the setting of the island of Innis Lear, filled with marshes, wind, and giant tree roots, feels like a sentient character itself.



I also enjoy Ban’s, Elia’s childhood friend and love interest, continued connection to the earth of Innis Lear and his determination to bring back the strength to these trees and the island itself, while putting Elia back on the throne somewhere along the way. I like Ban’s devotion to the old ways—the language of trees, blood magic, etc.—and how it is in stark contrast to Elia, who followed her father’s example and became a Star Charter. I cannot help but wonder what would have happened if Elia, who claims she never even wanted the throne, had simply taken Ban up on his offer and run away with him, instead of staying with a foreign leader who wants to marry her mainly for the foothold her former title will grant him in conquering Innis Lear and annexing it to his kingdom. I think Ban, as a bastard son who left home in order to make a name for himself in another kingdom—and made himself a legend in the process—is much more sympathetic and interesting than his female counterparts were and would look forward to reading more about him over the other characters.



Ultimately, The Queens of Innis Lear is really just not for me, despite the fact that I like both literature and fantasy. I found it meandering and hard to get through at some points and not unique enough to keep me glued to the pages. In addition, it just felt like a build-up novel or practice run for the next in the series, rather than its own standalone novel. I was not surprised when the book ended with a cliffhanger ending, as it was all really just staging for the next book. If you are a big fan of young adult fantasy, you might very well love this book, but if you are looking for more mature and complex writing, this might not be the one for you either.

I haven't read King Lear since my A Levels about 10 years ago, so I can't remember it well. However, this didn't matter at all - <b>you don't need to know KL to enjoy this, although I'm sure it would help.</b> I'm pretty certain Tessa Gratton has taken more than a few liberties with the plot and characters anyway - at least, I don't remember a warrior princess, a bastard who talks to trees, and magic swords. It's certainly a more enjoyable read than the King Lear I remember (no offence, Shaky).

The characters are very interesting - I liked Elia (the updated Cordelia) very much, who is lonely, kind, and entirely too naive; and also enjoyed the portrayal of Lear, who is certainly losing his mind but doing so in an entirely sympathetic way. As for the 2 other sisters - Regan and Gaela - man, I <i>HATED</i> them. Not because their characters were badly drawn at all, far from it! They are both extremely well rounded characters with a lot of depth, but also incredibly intense and exceedingly dislikable. I especially disliked Gaela. Although she is a warrior princess with an iron will, things I usually love above else, I simply couldn't understand why she was being so vile all. the. time. Girl's gotta chill! <b>The one good thing about Gaela was that if she was in a scene, you knew it wouldn't be boring.</b>

<b>The prose is absolutely, 100%, incredibly stunning.</b> It's one of the most lyrical novels I've ever had the pleasure to read and despite the rather slow pace and long introduction, I really enjoyed the reading experience.

The world building was perhaps my very favourite thing about the whole novel. I was <i>SO INTO</i> this incredibly complex world of politics, war, stargazing, betrayals, and magic. The magic systems were particularly intriguing for me - Ban the Fox, updated Edmund (I believe) speaks to trees with outlawed, almost extinct magic, while the trees no longer speak to poor Elia on her magical island of Innis Lear, since she's turned her gaze skyward. I wanted more - more magic, more intricate knowledge of the relationships and politics and manoeuvring, and more Ban, who despite being an utterly moody moaner still became one of my favourite characters quite quickly.

Tl;dr: It's really, really good. Give me the next book, please!

I didn't know this was only an excerpt because it's not stated anywhere in the title or the description, so I don't feel like I can give this a full review/rating. I might pick up the book when it's released so I can give it a proper rating!

I am intrigued, but not entirely sold, on the idea of this book. Since this is only an excerpt I cannot give a definitive review but I have enjoyed it enough so far.

I picked this from the "Read Now" section on Netgalley, so thanks for that, I guess.

DNF @ 12%

"The tree was sturdy enough that it never shivered with his weight, merely chuckled at his tickling grip."

Shoot me now. The first chapter read like an prologue and was just as annoying as one. No talking and fluffy writing that tells me lots of stuff but is super forgettable and info-dump galore, I lost interest almost immediately, but pressed on until I read about a sentence per page.
The actual story starts with some naked guy running around the forest and communicating with trees. And then he's embarrassed when another guy sees him. Hmm, I wonder if he should have PUT SOME CLOTHES ON BEFORE MAKING AN ENTRANCE. And then there's this girl who likes stars and blah blah blah.
I've never read the original King Lear, but wow, this doesn't make me want to.
If you like books with very little dialogue and nature-centric/lots of description, go ahead.

While I am not a huge Shakespeare fan, I am now a fan of Tessa Grafton. She filled my head with such an awesome amazing story, that I simply must have more! Highly recommended!

I did not realize this was an excerpt but will give a full review once I read the book.

I found this book SUPER interesting and it actually kind of confused me. In the little under 200 LONG pages, I realized that basically nothing had happened. It has taken me DAYS to get through those pages which is way longer than normal. Normally, I would give up on a book in that situation but I am weirdly enjoying it. If the writing wasn't as good as it was, I would have bailed.

Now I haven't read the full story but this perspective is coming from someone who enjoys worldbuilding, character development and detailed fantasies/historical fiction-ey books. That in mind...I could see other readers really turned off well before this point because (as stated above) nothing has really happened. While the writing is beautiful and the author clearly put a lot of thought into this whole thing...it can be too much. Now I don't know if some of these small details will show up later on but there's no way that they all will. Despite being well written, the book is a little bit "information overload-ey" and definitely would need some serious editing before final release.

Despite having so many different POVs and time periods, the characters are all pretty distinctive so I was able to easily tell them apart and keep their plots, roles and characteristics sorted (which can sometimes be a hot mess in writing this detailed). I think I'd have to say my favourite character is Gaele despite my feeling that she is going to be the "bad guy." I also really enjoy Mar and Fox and am really curious to see how they follow along and fit in with the Lear sisters.

I do hope the remainder of the book has more Lear. I feel like his character hasn't really been fleshed out the way it's needed to. He's just perpetually mentioned from other POVs about being crazy since his wife died and then disowning his youngest daughter...that's it. If I'm supposed to sympathize with him (as I assume I am supposed to)...I need more than what was given in this excerpt.

Really excited to read and see the final product

Since this wasn't the full book, I'm just going to give the rating based on the excerpt that I read. The Queens of Innis Lear started off a bit slow but, by the time this excerpt was over, I found myself desperate to find out what happens next. The characters were interesting and well-developed, although I did find Elia's sisters a bit one-dimensional. I am very intrigued by the various political plots going on and the magic system was amazing! Definitely going to be picking this one up when it's released.

I did not realize that this was only a preview and will wait until the full book is available to review

I am not posting a real review on my blog for this because I do not tend to read or review excerpts, as I rather read the whole book at once. When I requested the book it did not say that it was an excerpt and it was only after I had gotten a few chapters in that I realized and soon stopped reading. Still, I liked what I read thus far and am looking forward to the full novel. I just wish it had been more clear that this was not the whole book as it seems I'm not the only one who had the same issue.

I have to say that the wait for May will be a little harder. Even if I read only one other book from Tessa Gratton I was left with a fondness for her writing. Reading "The Queen of Innis Lear" is quite a treat because the author had such a beautiful writing style. There are many POVs, something that for me was perfect. I always enjoy a big group of characters sharing a story. I found myself liking all three sisters and empathizing with them. Can't say the same for their original counterparts. It is clear from the start that this will be one of those books where nothing is black or white and that plots within plots will push the characters into action. So I can't wait to see what action Elia will take.

I thought this was for a full ARC and not just a preview. I am highly interested in the story and look forward to when the full book releases!

I was unaware this was a preview excerpt, so I will not write a review but will give this a 3-star rating as I am anticipating the book but cannot provide an in-depth, critical, or constructive review.

I enjoyed the parts of this I read, but I stopped a few chapters in because it was only a preview excerpt and I don't want to get to end of it, super invested, and then have none left. Anyway, WOULD READ WHOLE THING, 100% planning to read/discuss when it comes out properly!

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.
-pooled ink Reviews

As is often the case with books that switch to the different paths of various characters, I found myself preferring particular sections of this excerpt and wanting to stay a little longer with one character before being moved to the next. The princesses are intriguing characters and have their own merits in terms of inviting the reader to engage with their stories, but I felt that the writing was a little description heavy and prevented me from making more immediate connections with them. I love re-tellings and would recommend this book to any with an interest in Shakespeare (Lear) and re-imaginings of tales, though the references to Lear are a touch heavy handed at times.

This book was NOT my cup of tea. That doesn't mean it doesn't have any good aspects, or that no one would like it, so I'll mention those things first. I think the writing style is good, though overly descriptive, and it's interesting to have a King Lear retelling. The princesses are biracial, and especially with Gaela, there's a lot of commentary on her being the "black princess," so the inclusion of diversity is cool. The issue for me was that I don't really like ANY of the characters. Elia and Ban are the most likable but even with them, I don't really feel any connection. This was only a sampler galley and I had no sense of loss upon finishing it while not getting the full story. The only thing I regret not being able to read is the murder. And it says something about the characters when you're looking forward to reading them all dying. And now onto what I think is the biggest flaw: nothing happened. I understand that it's a retelling of King Lear and the whole first act is basically like here are the characters and these are the plots, but slow going non action for one hour of a play is much different than slow going non action for half of a book. The most interesting thing in this sampler was Lear disinheriting Elia. The slow moving pace works for a play but not for a book. It just left me uninterested, and coupled with the (for me) non likable characters, this was just a flop. The writing style was nice and you can see that Gratton has a good grasp of literary language and sentence structure, but I thought it was too descriptive. I really don't need a long paragraph describing what the courtyard of a castle looks like. It just exacerbated the I-don't-care feelings I was getting from the main aspects of the book, being storytelling and characters. I was super excited to read this so this was a giant let down for me. I'm giving it 2 stars for the diversity and interesting magic concept. That's not to say others would not like this book, but to me it was just a bore.

Despite the title it took me a while to realise this was a beautiful retelling of King Lear.  I was swept away by the idea of working with nature, talking to it and asking for help in the things we do.  
Theres alot of characters at the start of the book that the narrative switches between, and it took me a minute to sort the family tree, and surrounding connections out - but from the sampler I already feel like I know them well. 

The King who believes in the stars, and refutes earth magic.

The Eldest daughter, Gaela, is a warrior, soldier and believes she should be the next King. 

The middle child, Regan,  Girly and wanting a family, who sides with her older sister, somthing tells me she is not as unassuming as we currently see her. 

Elia, the youngest, who has shunned magic and works with the stars like her father, clearly his favorite daughter. 

Ban, the Fox, who is Elias child hood friend, and magic wielder.

All of these characters along with others make up the cast list for what looks to be an enthralling story of the fight for both the Crown and a Kings Love. What will happen once the kingdom is divided? Will the Banished Elia make it back?

I hold Gratton to a near impossibly high standard so I fell into Innis Lear hopeful but unsure, excited but worried that my expectations were setting me up for disappointment. I should not have worried; this is Gratton, after all. While this is as devastating and intense as the play upon which it is based, there are some differences that make it more tragic and then again, a very tiny bit more hopeful (and I mean tiny). The last few pages left me in tears, as one might expect, but I didn't realize how much I was shaking as well. This is one of the bard's most disturbing tragedies for obvious reasons, and fills readers with so much trepidation over the very fabric of family as blood as well as an institution, over trust in love and loyalty, and the idea of self and selfhood, of destiny, of duty - and Gratton captures all of it with just enough difference (oh, Ban - I am shaking my head over this boy as I type) to make it her own. Extraordinarily well done.