Amy 
fantasy
The final book of Erika Johansen's Tearling series, The Fate of the Tearling wraps up the story of Kelsea and the kingdom of Tear.
Amy's Review
Overall, this trilogy is a cautionary tale about what happens when one group of people thinks they’re better than another group of people and when governing decisions are not made by a representative society but, rather, a ruling few (or one). It cautions against following people blindly without using a fair and rationale thought process. And it advises that history (as well as parental responsibilities) never be forgotten or ignored--that it is paramount that people understand what happened before they came along so that they can learn from history’s mistakes. This strikes a chord with me in our current climate. If only our current population could learn these lessons, the world would be a better place.
I was disappointed by the downfalls of the two female “bad guys”. One just sort of withered unspectacularly instead of continuing to behave ruthlessly in the manner in which we had come to expect. And the other accidentally fell into a fire. It was very dissatisfying. That whole section of the journey on horseback and temporary capture in Gin Reach was like the literary equivalent of having the thrilling roller coaster upon which we were riding suddenly and drastically slow down in a flat, boring lower section of track. I kept wanting the ride to start up and get exciting again. It took a long while before that happened.
Some questions were never answered that I can recall. For example, where/how did the Raleigh line of royalty begin? Who was Katie’s father? Despite having amazing parents, lifelong training to be a leader, and being named for their good friend who gave his life in Lily’s rescue in Book 2, why was Jonathan so unaccomplished? The reader was never told of a single action he took for the leadership or benefit of the Town. Rather he was just a name-holder who needed protecting in this novel.
It got a bit weird at the end. Without giving it away, I’ll say that Kelsea’s situation of “solo awareness” seemed inconsistent. But, I still enjoyed that part after deciding to not let it bother me. Overall, the trilogy was a fun ride. And you’ve gotta love a story where the ideal world includes lots of books and librarians are heroes!
I will also mention that I read some sections and listened to the audiobook in other sections of this final novel. Thankfully, the publishers replaced the previous audiobook narrator from Book 2 for a more appropriately aged narrator. However, I did not love this new one either. She often spoke too slowly and her male voices were insufficient—mostly monotone and emotionless and not very male-sounding. I give her a B-.
Lynnie's Review
The final book in the Tearling series, The Fate of the Tearling, does not disappoint... until it does. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 90% of this book- there was action, adventure, and answers to questions we had from previous books. I really loved the way the pieces fit together and issues were resolved. Where the flashbacks to the Pre-Crossing/Crossing had bothered me in Invasion of the Tearling, I found that I didn't mind them as much this time and even enjoyed that part of the tale and how it really helped fill in some blanks in the story.
And then...
Wtf did I just read? I've thought about this overnight now & I still can't decide if I thought the ending was genius or horrible. Maybe it's both, but damn was it frustrating! I love that it wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I also hate it for the very same reason. In the end, I took away a star for the lack of a satisfying end.
Still, this is one of the best series from start to finish that I've read. I will be recommending it to people often & enthusiastically.
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