Queen of the Tearling follows a young girl as she ascends the throne. What could easily have been another story about a hidden princess, Erika Johansen has crafted into the adventure story with a strong female heroine that we’ve all been waiting for. Kelsea is as rough and tumble as Katniss but as educated as Hermione; while reading I was constantly reminded of the way that Elizabeth I was described as a child.

The world that Kelsea lives in is a strange one. It at first appears to be medieval, until pennies are mentioned. Later we learn that the story takes place long after our own time, after contraception, heroin and modern medicine have been invented. Something happened that caused a great rule to take all of the people through what is only called “The Crossing” during which time the world goes through a sort of Dark Ages and loses all of its medical and technological advances. The result is a feudal society eerily reminiscent of the Elizabethan period, but one with a knowledge of technology that we know now. The result is a sometimes jarring glimpse at what would happen if we were forced to leave behind all of our technological advancements.

Equal parts The Hunger Games, The Lottery, Game of Thrones and The Bone Season, Queen of the Tearling has everything you could want in an epic story…except of course an ending. The story has just begun and I for one cannot wait to read the sequel.