Beneath the Keep
A Novel of the Tearling
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4.3 • 7 Ratings
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- £1.99
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
The much-anticipated stand-alone prequel to the bestselling Queen of the Tearling trilogy . . .
A decadent kingdom . . . a descent into darkness . . . alliances forged under fire . . . a prophecy that will change the course of history . . .
'A suspenseful, multi-layered tale' Cassandra Clare 'A must-read for fans of the Tearling!' Helene Wecker 'Dark and timely' Kim Harrison
The Tearling has reverted to feudalism, a far cry from the utopia it was founded to be. As the gap between rich and poor widens and famine threatens the land, sparking unrest, rumours of a prophecy begin to spread: a great hope, a True Queen who will rise up and save the kingdom.
But rumours will not help Lazarus, a man raised to kill in the brutal clandestine underworld of the Creche, nor Aislinn, a farm girl who must reckon with her own role in the growing rebellion.
And in the Keep, the crown princess, Elyssa, finds herself torn between duty to the throne and the lure of a group of fierce idealists who promise radical change. But Elyssa must choose quickly, before a nefarious witch and her shadowy master use dark magic to decide for her.
It is only a matter of time before all three will be called into the service of something bigger than they have ever imagined: the fight for a better world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Johansen delves into the forces that tore the kingdom of Tearling apart in this captivating prequel to her Queen of the Tearling series. Queen Arla Raleigh is widely feared for her oppressive rule over Tearling. When a prophecy reveals that a True Queen will rise and free the kingdom from Arla's tyranny, Arla takes an albino witch named Brenna into her court to confer with her about prophecies. Meanwhile, Arla's daughter, Elyssa, becomes convinced that she is the prophesied queen messiah and joins a socialist rebel group called Blue Horizon. As politics divide Tearling, discontent spreads among farmers over their horrendous living and working conditions, sparking an uprising in the countryside—and Brenna takes advantage of all the chaos to bring both queen and princess under her control. Johansen pulls off an impressive feat in crafting a spellbinding prequel that works just as well as a standalone. Though it takes some time to get oriented, the steadily building tension carries the story forward. New and old fans alike are sure to be taken in.
