The Queens of Innis Lear is an epic tale of daughters, of kings and stars, of an island crying out for peace. It's a battle between choice and destiny, between the choices we make and the paths set out before us.

They are not the only narrators, the only characters with plots and visions of the future, but the three daughters of Lear are the most important. Gaela, power-hungry and determined. Focused. Harsh and hard, trained as a warrior. She is ready to rule the island of Innis Lear after her father, ready to stand as king. Regan, manipulative and thoughtful. Plotting and planning. Full of passion and love for her husband. Most of her goals align with Gaela, and she is ready to stand alongside her sister as queen, her children as their legacy. Elia the youngest, sweet and kind. Blessed by the stars, devoted to their aging father. Content to just be Elia, but sometimes that's not enough. Sometimes princesses must act and move forward, take steps toward a destiny they never expected.

This is layers upon layers upon layers of motivation, chance, fate, and determination written in magical, lyrical prose. This is an island of people who want what they want. People who follow the stars and people who work hard to carve out places for themselves. There are so many different plots and plans afoot, so many hoping that they will be the one to win, to rule, to love. To survive. This is an epic retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear with haunting magic, realistic and flawed characters, and women going after what they want. I would definitely recommend this to epic fantasy fans searching for something new but also familiar.

Since I haven’t been on this site in awhile I haven’t yet gotten the chance to post my review for this eARC I received. Overall I enjoyed the writing styles and the characters in this book along with the progession of the story itself

I'm giving this a one star rating for now, because there is no way the copy I received from Netgalley (for review) is a finished copy. According to Goodreads this book is to be a stand alone, but the copy provided from Netgalley ends literally mid-sentence with in a scene where there is absolutely no resolution to anything that had occurred plot wise and no cliff hanger for a sequel???

Otherwise I was much enjoying this King Lear retelling, givin' that I am aware King Lear is one of Shakespeare's foremost tragedies I'm not really expecting a change in the ending, or a happy ending for any of the characters I find myself most attached to.

I'm going to be finding another copy of the book, so I can actually finish it all the way through before posting a full review on Goodreads. Once I've finished it, I'll provide an update there.

The Queens of Innis Lear

by Tessa Gratton



Rating: ♥♥♥

Pages: 567

Publisher: Tor

Publishing Date: March 27tht 2018

Synopsis:

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.

Mini - Review:

I have to say I expected a completely different plot after reading the synopsis, but I was really surprised by how complex and word ridden this book was. The prose was phenomenal, but made the story a bit too slow pacing for my taste. We have about 5 different "speakers" in this book and a million time jumps within, which made it sometimes difficult to read. In my opinion maybe it would have been a better fit with less jumping and more insight in a few characters feelings and life. I first thought it would remind me of Kandare Blakes "Three dark crowns", but it did not in any way.

I liked how completely different and explizit the characters were written, how difficult it was to dig deeper into the feelings of the characters, so you would never know what happens next and how colorful everything was described. Some were dark, some were delightful and others just naiv. my favorite Character must have been Ban, though I think he will follow a dark and bloody path in the next book. I loved how feminist and strong the three queens were and especially Gaela was a bomb. In this book the women are the kings and all the man can only hope for a place in their life. That was sooo great. Badass, fighting queens are my favorite. Also we need more books that talk about womanhood problems like the burning period or being unable to bear a child. To deal with this topics in this book was an absolutely amazing solution of it!

The world building in this book was so on point with all the detailed descriptions and the importancethe nature and the star constellations, it made my heart bloom. This book felt as old as a fairytale but was also absolutely innovative, with the kingdom made by stars.

In the end I found the book a bit to slow and not deep enough, but I couldn't put it down either, so its a solid good book and against all odds I can't even wait for the second book!

(23. August 2018)

This book was so good. I initially read the excerpt through Net galley and was hooked. I didn't realize how hooked I would have gotten to it. It is definitely a must-read.

So I honestly don't remember what drew me in besides the cover and sometimes that works for me, unfortunately this time it didn't. I can't give you a full review of reasons either it was simply that the story did not excite me enough to get past one chapter.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the storyline so I only ended up reading about 50 pages. I will definitely pick this book up at my own expense to give it another chance, in the near future.

This book was definitely not for me. I thought it sounded interesting, but the writing style didn't hook me.

I didn't realize this was not the full book when I requested it (should have looked better, totaly my own fault) however, I did enjoy what I read so far, Really want to finish reading this!

A low-key feminist fantasy novel with diverse and grown characters (most in their twenties), oh yes please. I felt life being given to me... Beautiful prose and very strong character development, which is to be expected since this is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear. It’s not an easy read but it is definitely well-crafted and well worth the coins to buy and time to read.

I am not particularly familiar with Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear. I missed out on taking AP English Literature and Composition in school, where some of my friends read King Lear. So at most, I'm vaguely familiar with the story from Akira Kurosawa's film Ran (乱).

That being said, I was still very interested in reading this book when I learned of it. An adult fantasy novel, with three women vying for the crown is appealing to me. The magical system—the practice of wormwork versus the religion of star prophecy—also appealed to me. This dichotomy between the earth and the sky feels very mystical, very rooted in Paganism and Western astrology, things I'm interested in.

Still, in the end, the writing style is what has gotten me stuck with this book. If I had only read the prologue—which I honestly skipped in the end, because it was very confusing—and the first chapter alone, I would have put this book down. Gratton is clearly a talented writer, but at times her writing is too flowery for me. Luckily, I continued reading, past the first chapter, which is told from the POV of Ban the Fox, who corresponds to Edmund, the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester in King Lear. While Ban is one of my favorite characters so far, this chapter, again, spent much too much time describing the forest and the exterior world for my taste. And I was about to give up reading this book at that point when I finally reached chapter three.

Chapter three is told from the point of view of Lear's youngest daughter, Elia, and it helped me to finally start getting into the story. The chapters told from Elia, Reagan, and Gaela's POVs are the most interesting. Each daughter has a different voice, a completely different perspective, each equally intriguing. It's because of them that I think I can keep going through this book.

I'm on the waiting list at the library, so hopefully I can finish it soon, since, as I said at the beginning, I received only an excerpt of this from NetGalley.

I think this is the kind of book that you definitely have to be in the mood for. It's beautiful and haunting, but also plodding and dense. I've heard it compared to Game of Thrones, which is ridiculous. Just because it's about a throne and has multiple POVs doesn't make it so. I'd compare it to Robin McKinley or perhaps Patricia A. McKillip instead, due to the writing style and the retelling.

So, if you like a deeply infused natural magical system, breathtaking descriptions (which, at times, don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore) that make the world feel both gritty and beautiful, and three fully developed women of color at the fore, then this book is for you.

Absolutely LOVE this book. If you haven’t read up on Kind Lear, I recommend reading a synopsis before starting this book.

Beautiful prose, although a little dense. I feel as though it could have said more, with less at times.

Gratton wrote very strong female characters, and I loved each of the three sisters. This is the feminist Queendom you want to be immersed in. I found myself rereading passages quite often because of how powerful they were. I don’t want to say too much about this story, as I believe it’s best to be discovered as you turn the pages.

Highly recommend this book! I’m off to order the beautiful UK edition to sit alongside the US hardcover! Happy reading!

Didn't realize this was a sampler, but I still enjoyed what I read so far and I am intrigued to see what happens next and I hope it is as bloody as people say it is!

With gorgeous writing and an intriguing retelling, Gratton made me a fan of Shakespeare—it totally counts.

I know the very basics of the original, so I don't know if that helps at all. But somehow, this tragedy was enjoyable. Everything is complex: from the plot down to the characters. The diversity of the characters. Just, everything is positive.

I think I held back from rating it 5 stars simply because at times the writing kept the pacing slow.

I was not aware this was a sampler when I requested it. I don't read those so I would not have requested if I had. I tried it and this has some serious potential as a retold King Lear. We shall see.

Fascinating book with a unique plot! This is not typically the type of book I choose, as I generally prefer male protagonists, but I was thoroughly hooked on this band of women and their adventures. I read it non-stop and loved every minute! Highly recommended.

I had high hopes for THE QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR and, although I did very much enjoy it, it didn't blow me away. I had added it to my Goodreads TO BE READ pile long before I found it available on NetGalley. I wish to thank the publisher for allowing me to read a copy before its publication.

At first, it was desperately slow and I was pretty sure that I was going to DNF it. However, I continued, and i'm glad that I did as after the scene setting it started to pick up pace and I begun to appreciate it a lot more. So, if you are finding it hard getting through the beginning, I urge you to persist as it does get better. You also see that a lot of the details given are what make the rest of the book make sense.

I am pleased that this is described as an "epic adult fantasy" as there are some pretty bloody scenes and a rather graphic description of a miscarriage that would not be appropriate for teenagers. As it is based on the Shakespearean tragedy King Lear, the story encompasses a king with a lack of sanity and an obsession with prophecies, and his three daughters - Gaela, Reagan, and Elia who end up having to take matters into their own hands as their kingdom crumbles.

I'm a big fan of William Shakespeare, possibly the greatest storyteller who ever lived, this retelling is definitely worth a read. As you would expect with King Lear, there is much blood and brutality. It is basically a story following the King in his gradual descent into madness.

I know one complaint in many of the reviews of this title is the writing. People feel that Gratton's style bogged it down but many people also feel this about my favourite author, Haruki Murakami, so this for me worked wonderfully. I felt her writing was brilliant and bold. No complaints from me. I tend to love books that describe things in minute detail so her worldbuilding felt like heaven to me. A masterclass in how to construct a world, in my opinion.

Tessa Gratton is such a talent, I know I will be purchasing a copy of this for my bookshelf, and would be interested in reading any future titles she chooses to publish.

I would like to thank Tessa Gratton, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an e-arc copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I did not realize this was a King Lear retelling when I was first interested in reading this book and I have never read King Lear so I cannot compare the two.

I thought this book was ok with some interesting moments, but overall, it was a little too boring and slow-paced for me. Nothing happens in this book. Literally, nothing. Some people travel for a meeting, said people meet, some people get mad about the meeting, and that's about it. There wasn't enough plot for me and it was a little all over the place.

Three daughters battle for the crown in this epic fantasy. The house is divided and everyone has their own plan. These three strong women will have you questioning and then agreeing with their decisions. Can they bring back magic without destroying all around them? I couldn’t put this book down and I was so drawn into the world that was built. Hurry up and pick this book!

Love that this is a fantasy retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear. More Shakespeare retellings! <3
That being said, this book was SO wordy that it really dragged and wasn't always very fun to read. Thought about DNFing a few times because it just seemed so weighty and I went into it expecting something a little more accessible (isn't this YA?)