I was hoping I'd enjoy this book but I just realized that this genre does not work for me. I am sure someone else would enjoy it if they are a fan of the genre.

Now, I loved the number one book in the series, but I was very angry in the second two! I came to this one. I’m hoping it would help me be less angry. I really hated the ending of the third book. Ugh! Why did it have to be so sad? I was not a huge fan of this story, but the writing is just so good. What a talented author.

First line: “Boy! Over here now!”

Summary: When the Tearling was founded it was supposed to be a utopian society where people would no longer deal with the evils of the past. However, since the death of William Tear the land he founded descended into what he had feared. Queen Arla reigns over the land with an iron fist. Princess Elyssa is the only hope for the people. She hopes that she can help her people through the tough times and rebuild what the Tearling was supposed to be. But with the arrival of a witch to the court things seem even more dire. With the assistance of her loyal servants and the rebel group, the Blue Horizon, she hopes to save the Tearling.

My Thoughts: It has been years since I finished the Tearling trilogy so much of the plot has vanished from my memory but as I read several characters and plot points were coming back to me. I liked that we got to see the background of many of the main characters of the Tearling. Plus we are given a peak into why the country has fallen into such turmoil that Kelsea has to save it when she reaches her age of majority. I am glad that I finally got around to reading this but I wish I had done it sooner so that I could be more invested in it and the characters. Maybe one day I will go back and reread the whole story now that I have the whole story. This is a wonderful fantasy saga!

3.5 ⭐️

I have to say I definitely enjoyed this and found it very compelling, but it was missing a little... something for me. Getting the backstory of the Mace was interesting but I found Christian a little boring at times. While I understood the inclusion of Aislinn, it didn't feel like her story fully meshed with the rest. Following Elyssa was heartbreaking though. My biggest issue was that this felt like it was building toward something that never happened, but I guess that's the problem with prequels. This did make me super excited to re-read the Tearling series! I'm hoping to pick up the Queen of the Tearling again asap.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Recommend: Yes
Review:
I read the Queen of the Tearling trilogy one by one as the books released, immediately falling in love with the first, enjoying the second, and finding myself utterly disappointed and annoyed by the final book. Hearing about this prequel, I was excited but also cautious, as the trilogy set up Elyssa as this vapid, materialistic, promiscuous princess who cared about nothing but pretty gowns, jewels, and the man in her bed. I was interested in learning more about the Mace’s past and how he came to be a Queen’s Guard.
Going into this book, I was prepared for a dim, clueless princess, a violent Mace, and I’m not sure what else. What I got was a wealth of information for characters I already loved, characters I didn’t know, a new respect for a princess I was led to believe only cared about herself, and much, much more. This book absolutely blew away my expectations and has me wishing there were more even though it perfectly sets up for book one and Kelsea’s story to begin.
I enjoyed how this book was told from several points-of-view; from characters I already knew like the Mace and Elyssa, to characters that were unknown until this story. The jumping of points-of-view helped push the plot along, set up the different dynamics at play, and really helped me connect to everyone.
Truly, I loved reading this book and it made me want to pick the trilogy back up for a reread to see all the Easter eggs hidden that I will now understand.


**Spoiler Alert Below**







This book reveals who Kelsea’s father is!

This was a prequel to The Queen of Tearling. It was very good. However, I thought this prequel was not necessary because we already knew the story from Queen of the Tearling. Therefore, I thought this was a rehash of events, and was not necessary. Thus, I recommend this for those that have not read this series, but the story is already well known from fans.

I was looking forward to reading this prequel. I liked the back stories of the characters. At times this book was very dark but that was expected if you read the other books in the series.

I know Johansen's previous books have been a bit polarizing, when I talk about them people either are all on board or having a whole lot of other feelings. But this gives a glimpse into the world I had to leave behind when I finished the trilogy and I was really glad to be back. It is so well crafted and you really feel a part of it. I will continue to read anything Johansen writes. She's a phenomenal author.

I still think about the Queen of the Tearling trilogy every now and then, so I knew I had to pick up the prequel story. Beneath the Keep doesn't follow beloved Kelsea, but her mother Elyssa back when she was still fighting to make a better world. We are also introduced to a younger Mace, known as Lazarus, and a cast of characters who are willing to do anything to enact change.

Like its predecessors, Beneath the Keep focuses a lot on the shortcomings of a feudal society far removed from the utopia that was once envisioned. Johansen creates a world that is corrupt and cruel, and watching her heroes struggle to survive in it really keeps you on your toes.

That being said, I wasn't able to connect as much to the characters as I did in the original trilogy. I loved Mace and Elyssa was fun, but something about the way this narrative was ultimately set up for tragedy just didn't sit well with me after how bittersweet the ending of the original trilogy was.

If you're a Tearling fan, I definitely recommend picking up this prequel!

I'm a sucker for good historical alternative fantasy, especially dark fantasy, and I adore a story that I can't predict. Erika Johansen's Beneath the Keep is brutally satisfying, and left me wanting to read the rest of the series as soon as possible.

Beneath the Keep is a standalone prequel to her Tearling series, establishing the fall of a society from the originally intended utopia to the worst sorts of violent despotism and poverty. The story follows multiple characters' plotlines, which Johansen weaves together over the course of the story: Lazarus, the murderer with his own morality; Aislinn, the unlikely teenage leader of a starving population's rebellion; Niya, the loyal maid to the beloved princess; and the Princess Elyssa, a young woman determined to rule with a kinder, gentler hand than her ruthless mother, the Queen. Each storyline travels mostly in parallel as the reader follows their journeys to the Keep.

Johansen's depictions of human trafficking, drug use, torture, and fanaticism are not for the faint-hearted reader. The horrors of her deep underworld to the city, the Creche, are occasionally hard to stomach: the book is a big trigger warning for many types of trauma. But I never got the feeling it was gratuitous, more that it was a brutally honest look under the blanket of civility that hides such things in real life. Thankfully, we are not privy to the worst events as they happen (Johansen leaves us out of the torture room or the actual post-trafficking scenes), although her depiction of the aftermath is graphic enough to give the reader a clear picture.

Overall I gave it four out of five stars, only because the five stars are for books that keep me up at night so I read them in one go, and while this book kept my attention, I wasn't compelled to finish it in the same day. I thought Beneath the Keep was a well written and well woven fantasy tale, with some surprises about who's actual hero/heroine's journey we're following until the bitter end. It left me wanting to read what happens next, which is always what I'm looking for in a series or, in this case, the prequel to a series.

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

I tried really hard to get into this book and it's completely possible it was just my mindset at the time. I can see myself enjoying Beneath the Keep at a later date but right now, it just wasn't for me.

I just keep picking this one up and putting it down, and it's a me problem, not the book. I loved the Tearling trilogy, and I'm sure I'd love this one if I could commit to it too. Timing just isn't right so I'm calling it a DNF for now.

This story speaks to many ills of the real world and wraps it in fantasy, dark truths that are sometimes uncomfortable to read about (beware if you are easily triggered).

By the time you are paying taxes, you will be aware of sad social structures in the world and how there are too many ways to be taken advantage of . . . used and abused. We are all born into a set of circumstances, good or bad, it is our fate to struggle for survival, to navigate beyond that station to an uncertain future. This novel is essentially about varying levels of hardship, self-discovery, the strength of will, and choices . . . even for individuals who seemingly have none.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Dutton for an advanced copy of Beneath The Keep for my unbiased evaluation.  3.5 stars

I've been trying to go back to my older books in my Netgalley TBR and my reading preferences have changed so much that I couldn't make it very far in this one. Just wasn't quite working out for me. At this time, I'm no longer interested in this title. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Beneath the Keep by Erika Johansen was an incredible book and I couldn’t put it down! This beautiful story gave us more insight into the world of the Queen of The Tearling while also giving us wonderful new characters. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC! Very well written novel, as is customary of Erika Johansen's work. I loved her Tearling trilogy. While this book was well-written and I was interested in the characters, I do wish that the author would have instead focused on starting a new adventure either after the Tearling events or within the same universe, but with completely different characters that are not a part of the original trilogy. This is a prequel, so if you have read the Tearling series, you know it is a rather somber read. Do I recommend it though? Absolutely.

Review: 4 Stars

I requested an ARC of Beneath the Keep because I was really interested in reading The Queen of the Tearling. When I got a copy of this prequel I decided it was time to read the original series and I wound up binge reading the trilogy. While Beneath the Keep could probably be read first or as a stand-alone I would recommend reading it after the trilogy because it really added layers to the original story. I think it will be appreciated best when you already know the characters. I was a little nervous starting this because I didn’t like the way the trilogy ended, but since this book takes place before the trilogy my issues with the ending didn’t really affect my experience with this book.

Beneath the Keep was a really fast read for me, which was great because I had some issues with the pacing of the original trilogy. It is a prequel, but it is a full length novel and has a solid plot. I really enjoyed learning more about characters I loved from the trilogy and also getting to know some of the new characters. Mace has a huge role in this book and this installment added so many layers to his character. Seeing how his backstory shaped him into the guard I loved in the trilogy was really interesting. I also really loved how his character grew throughout the course of this book. When we first meet him he is young and a bit naive and he started to become a cold and morally grey killer. But by the end of the book he has become a truly honorable man who fought for what was right. I know a lot of fans of The Queen of the Tearling were excited for this prequel because Mace was in it and those fans won’t be disappointed.

I also really liked that we got to know Elyssa, the mother of the main character in the trilogy, because before this book we hadn’t seen much of her. Another thing I really loved was that we got to see inside The Blue Horizon rebellion and The Fetch made a few appearances as well. Several questions that had been left unanswered by the original trilogy were finally answered and a lot of the puzzle pieces finally fit together. For the most part I really enjoyed this book, but I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed it if I hadn’t read the original series. I feel like there was a lot of character development and the plot kind of fell to the background.

I really enjoyed this prequel and I’m super glad that getting a copy finally pushed me to read The Queen of the Tearling trilogy. I felt like this book really added a lot to the series. I don’t read a lot of prequels typically, but I loved this one. If you are a fan of the series I highly recommend you check out this prequel that focuses on the previous generation.

I loved the original tearling series and wanted to love this one as well...but just didn't. I still bought a copy for the library since I have so many Tearling fans!

I’m going to start off by saying this is nowhere near perfect. This book was never going to have a 'happy' ending, as such, because it stops where the Queen of the Tearling begins - in an unjust, cruel world. And while the original trilogy had its dark moments, Beneath the Keep didn't hesitate to get darker still. There were some truly bleak scenes in this book (which never felt gratuitous or gory), and it would have been easy to get lost in depression. Yet the thread of hope that persisted throughout the book was very powerful.

Overall, a very satisfying prequel, cleverly written, and it has definitely made me want to reread the original three books all over again. Probably not one I would recommend as a standalone though - I think it works best in answer to the Tearling books.