The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton Published by Tor on March 27th 2018
Pages: 576
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A kingdom at risk, a crown divided, a family drenched in blood.
The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.
The king's three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm's only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted.
Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.
I requested Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton just after I joined NetGalley. I didn’t expect my request to honoured, but I got one! I’ve heard about the book on Twitter and Instagram and the name itself made me curious. The ARC is only the first part of the book, so I can’t comment on the ending.
While this book is about three princesses waiting to hear who will become queen of Innis Lear, the princesses are all their own person. The warrior princess, Gaela. The elegant, dutiful Regan. And the star priestess Elia. I’d say that the story is all about these three women, but there’s a fourth, Innis Lear itself. The island lives as much as the people on top of it and that’s due to the magic originating there.
Ban the Fox is one of the few people who still talks to the trees and listens to the wind. I think he will get a bigger part later in the story. The magic of Innis Lear is hidden the old magic, and so far Ban is the most obvious option to heal the land. It would be a waste to create magic belonging to nature, kill it, have someone who learns the old ways and not use it.
The writing is poetic and it makes the magic more real, the women more interesting, and the story longer. It’s part of Gratton’s style and it makes the story more alive, but it’s not necessary. It slows down the story, and that’s okay. Queens of Innis Lear is the kind of book you want to last.
Queens of Innis Lear has earned four stars. The story so far is interesting, the characters are complex, and the world is magical. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t easy to read for me because of the writing style. It will be out the 27th of March, so you can still pre-order it and read it on release day.
