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

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.

The Queens of Innis Lear is a fantasy re-telling of Shakespeare's King Lear with the three daughters preparing for war to win the throne instead of waiting for their father to choose an heir "when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted". I was fortunate to read a sampler, and all it did was make me crave more. Well-written and filled with characters and intrigue. I can't wait until March when this novel comes out so I can read what happens next.

The fact that this was just was an excerpt was a huge let down, but what I read so far is amazing, and I can not wait to read the whole book.
I did receive this excerpt from NetGalley, for my honest review. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wish I'd been made aware this was a preview before downloading and starting the book, as I make a point not to read previews or excerpts because they can diminish the full impact of the completed story. I will, instead, wait for the novel to be released in order to form my full opinions on the story. This is why, despite being forced to give this a star rating, I would rather not give this an actual star rating as I believe it is unfair to the story to try to judge it based on one small portion.

With that out of the wait, what I read of this preview intrigued me and I am cautiously optimistic I shall enjoy this book.

I am sorry but I do not read or review excerpts. I did not see the information in my initial look at this title. If I had seen it I would not have asked for it.

An interesting beginning, will definitely be on the lookout for this!

I am sorry to say that I ended up DNFing this work. While there was a story there the writing was so passionless and the characters so dry that I couldn't have cared less about them. Even now, after putting the book down only moments ago, I couldn't tell you a single character's name. There was a lot of potential in this book but I just don't feel that it was done justice.

The Queen of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton (Excerpt Preview)

2.75 / 5 🌟

Just a heads up. I read this book because it was available to download and I wasn't even interested in the premise but since it was included in my approved list, I decided to give it a go.

This book was a torture for me to read and it wasn't even the full book.

I didn't click at all with the writing. I found it to be very descriptive to the point where it was just boring.

Barely nothing happens in the excerpt and it was almost 200 pages of the book.

The multiple point of views was just unnecessary and didn't contribute much with the story.

However, I did enjoy the world building in a way but it wasn't enough for me to get hooked into the story.

And also points for the diversity this book has.

All in all, I am still considering if I want to continue this story only because of the hours I committed reading the first 100+ pages.

I can't wait for the full book! I really wish this would have been more than just a preview excerpt.

Now that is what I call high quality fantasy.
The Queens of Innis Lear is a re-telling of King Lear; a really good, detailed, fun re-telling of King Lear. We have the old king dying and going a little bonkers. His daughters are all very different. Gaela, the oldest, is a fierce warrior and wants the throne to be the most powerful. Regan, the second, is the nurturing mother type and wants the throne for her future children. Elia, the youngest, values the religion of the time (the stars and constellations), but she had time with the old religion of the earth. Nothing is as easy or as simple as it sounds when there's a crown around.
From the first few pages, this book knocked my socks off. The writing is purposeful and powerful. It's poetic at appropriate moments with real feeling and emotion. I was easily sucked in the characters and the story of Innis Lear. I sure hope this spells a series because I NEED to know what's going to happen in with the characters and the cray-cray King Lear.
You're gonna want to read this one!

Did not realize this was a preview, so I may wait until I can get my hands on the full novel (rather than having to wait two months for the rest of it).

First of all, let me thank Netgalley and Tor for the chance to read and review this book: The Queens of Innis Lear pre-release. As always, these thoughts are my own. This review is spoiler-free; no main plot points are revealed.

I give this story 4 stars.

Synopsis:

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 Regan, 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.

Full disclosure: I am not as familiar with the story of King Lear as I ought to be, nor have I read Three Dark Crowns (which some people believe this book to be too similar). I think probably if you liked Three Dark Crowns, you will also like this story. I also have neither read nor seen Game of Thrones (seriously, if I'm gonna read it, I'm gonna have access to the entire series, people. Not this waiting for years stuff).

BUT if you like Shakespeare + Game of Thrones + Three Dark Crowns,  you'll probably like this too.

Prose Pros:
I liked this book, I really did. Let me just start with that: I did like it. I gave it four stars and I'd like to have it on my shelf and NOT just because it's so pretty.

The world is dark and beautiful, the magic is fantastic (although perhaps a bit soft as far as rules go) and the characters are well-fleshed out, even if they are borrowed from the Bard. The writing is lyrical and there aren't too many complaints I can make.

But...
. . . guys, it's slow. It's a long book at over 570 pages and it moves like a snail. There are a few too many point of view characters, and while they're clearly delineated, I would have liked to see this story from just three or four characters viewpoints. In being pretty, it's a bit superfluous.



Character Pros:
Elia is a good narrator. She's sweet and loyal and diligent. She's lost a lot as the story starts and more when it finishes. She feels like a real heroine.

However...
She doesn't do a lot. She's not really that proactive. She sits around, comforts lear, studies star charts, and out of nowhere decides to have a backbone and make a decision that ruins everything for her. It didn't seem realistic to me.

And:
There's not a conclusion. It doesn't have a Denouement/ falling action. I'm not familiar enough with the original story to automatically know what's coming next. So I feel like the Ending of this book may well just have been the middle of an epic story split in two. 580 pages as book one and more as book two, maybe? I'm assuming here that there will be a book two.

Conclusion:
While I liked this book and definitely recommend it, you might wait a few months until the second one is announced, or go read King Lear first.

Frustrated to see that this is just a sampler and not the full book. I know myself well enough to know that reading the partial book now would probably annoy me more then anything, so I'll wait to read it until it is actually published.

It was very disappointing seeing that this is only a sampler, not the full book like I expected. But, from what I've read, the book is very good. I'm excited to read the full novel.

That being said, i was disappointed, but I still read some of it (I am awaiting the full book to buy anyhow) and I was intrigued. I need to own this book NOW