Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret after her mother a monarch as vain as she was foolish was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelseas uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelseas nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of her mothers guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding... And so begins her journey back to her kingdoms heart, to claim the throne, win the loyalty of her people, overturn her mothers legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive...

ERIKA JOHANSEN grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She went to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania before attending the celebrated Iowa Writers Workshop, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. She eventually became an attorney but she never stopped writing. Her debut was the international bestseller,The Queen of the Tearling -the first novel in a remarkable trilogy. This was followed by the acclaimedThe Invasion of the TearlingandThe Fate of the Tearling.Erika now lives in England.

Author photo (c) Victoria Webb