Beneath the Keep: A Novel of the Tearling
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- Create Date：2021-06-23 09:56:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Erika Johansen
- ISBN：178763065X
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Summary
The story of a decadent kingdom descended into darkness， alliances forged under fire， and a battle over a prophecy that will change the course of history。
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， rumors of a prophecy begin to spread: a great hope， a True Queen who will rise up and save the kingdom。
But rumors 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。 In the Keep， the crown princess， Elyssa， finds herself torn between duty to the throne and the lure of the Blue Horizon， 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: a fight for a better world。
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， rumors of a prophecy begin to spread: a great hope， a True Queen who will rise up and save the kingdom。
But rumors 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。 In the Keep， the crown princess， Elyssa， finds herself torn between duty to the throne and the lure of the Blue Horizon， 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: a fight for a better world。
Reviews
Amy
，
Prequel to the other three books。 Read this one first if you haven't already read the others。Kind of dark and disturbing like the other books in the series。Cruelty and messed up political maneuvering mixed with fanaticism and rebellion。The characters are well developed to the point where you don't like anyone because you know a little too much about them。There is no happiness at the end of this book， it's dark and stays that way。 If you're looking for a lift from a triumphant adventure story you Prequel to the other three books。 Read this one first if you haven't already read the others。Kind of dark and disturbing like the other books in the series。Cruelty and messed up political maneuvering mixed with fanaticism and rebellion。The characters are well developed to the point where you don't like anyone because you know a little too much about them。There is no happiness at the end of this book， it's dark and stays that way。 If you're looking for a lift from a triumphant adventure story you won't find it here。Violence。 Sex。 Swearing。 All kinds of trigger stuff with cruelty and abuse and neglect of people of all ages。 Drug use。 Mind control/possession stuff。 Mentions of rape and torture。 。。。more
Meghan
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Reading this book was like meeting an old friend。 I loved the Tearling trilogy， and this prequel was even better than I expected。 Erika Johansen's character development kept me turning pages until well past bedtime。 Seeing more of the Tear history unfold was both beautiful and terrifying， heartbreaking and redemptive。 Everything I loved from the original books and more came through "Beneath The Keep，" and now I am left craving more。 The better world！ Reading this book was like meeting an old friend。 I loved the Tearling trilogy， and this prequel was even better than I expected。 Erika Johansen's character development kept me turning pages until well past bedtime。 Seeing more of the Tear history unfold was both beautiful and terrifying， heartbreaking and redemptive。 Everything I loved from the original books and more came through "Beneath The Keep，" and now I am left craving more。 The better world！ 。。。more
Amanda
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You can also read my review here: https://devouringbooks2017。wordpress。。。。Review: 4 StarsI requested an ARC of Beneath the Keep because I was really interested in reading The Queen of the Tearling。 When I got a copy of this prequel I decided it was time to read the original series and I wound up binge reading the trilogy。 While Beneath the Keep could probably be read first or as a stand-alone I would recommend reading it after the trilogy because it really added layers to the original story。 I t You can also read my review here: https://devouringbooks2017。wordpress。。。。Review: 4 StarsI requested an ARC of Beneath the Keep because I was really interested in reading The Queen of the Tearling。 When I got a copy of this prequel I decided it was time to read the original series and I wound up binge reading the trilogy。 While Beneath the Keep could probably be read first or as a stand-alone I would recommend reading it after the trilogy because it really added layers to the original story。 I think it will be appreciated best when you already know the characters。 I was a little nervous starting this because I didn’t like the way the trilogy ended， but since this book takes place before the trilogy my issues with the ending didn’t really affect my experience with this book。Beneath the Keep was a really fast read for me， which was great because I had some issues with the pacing of the original trilogy。 It is a prequel， but it is a full length novel and has a solid plot。 I really enjoyed learning more about characters I loved from the trilogy and also getting to know some of the new characters。 Mace has a huge role in this book and this installment added so many layers to his character。 Seeing how his backstory shaped him into the guard I loved in the trilogy was really interesting。 I also really loved how his character grew throughout the course of this book。 When we first meet him he is young and a bit naive and he started to become a cold and morally grey killer。 But by the end of the book he has become a truly honorable man who fought for what was right。 I know a lot of fans of The Queen of the Tearling were excited for this prequel because Mace was in it and those fans won’t be disappointed。I also really liked that we got to know Elyssa， the mother of the main character in the trilogy， because before this book we hadn’t seen much of her。 Another thing I really loved was that we got to see inside The Blue Horizon rebellion and The Fetch made a few appearances as well。 Several questions that had been left unanswered by the original trilogy were finally answered and a lot of the puzzle pieces finally fit together。 For the most part I really enjoyed this book， but I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed it if I hadn’t read the original series。 I feel like there was a lot of character development and the plot kind of fell to the background。I really enjoyed this prequel and I’m super glad that getting a copy finally pushed me to read The Queen of the Tearling trilogy。 I felt like this book really added a lot to the series。 I don’t read a lot of prequels typically， but I loved this one。 If you are a fan of the series I highly recommend you check out this prequel that focuses on the previous generation。 。。。more
Donna Callaghan
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The prequel to the Tearling series was really good， I found it had answers to questions I didn't know I had！ It makes me want to reread the whole trilogy over again！ The prequel to the Tearling series was really good， I found it had answers to questions I didn't know I had！ It makes me want to reread the whole trilogy over again！ 。。。more
Bradford
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nah
Xander Kennedy
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There are still some qualities of these stories that I appreciate， but I think that even if Johansen writes more Tearling tales， this will likely be the last I read。 I want to truly love these characters and really be able to celebrate their achievements with them， but there is such an ever-present sense of dread and doom that I can't be bothered to really develop a strong emotional connection。 Also， as I picture these scenes that are depicted I have trouble believing that no one could/would jus There are still some qualities of these stories that I appreciate， but I think that even if Johansen writes more Tearling tales， this will likely be the last I read。 I want to truly love these characters and really be able to celebrate their achievements with them， but there is such an ever-present sense of dread and doom that I can't be bothered to really develop a strong emotional connection。 Also， as I picture these scenes that are depicted I have trouble believing that no one could/would just go ahead and knife the witch。 Barty had the chance but then waited long enough to let the witch break his knee。 Oh well。。。 。。。more
Tory Hunz
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The prequel to a trilogy I enjoyed， this story does a good job building up to book 1 and describing more about the world of the Tearling。 The series is right at my borderline tolerance for the fantasy sci-fi-type genes so if that's not your jam， it would be a tough read。 The prequel to a trilogy I enjoyed， this story does a good job building up to book 1 and describing more about the world of the Tearling。 The series is right at my borderline tolerance for the fantasy sci-fi-type genes so if that's not your jam， it would be a tough read。 。。。more
Anne Bezek
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Every storyline has constant and unnecessary extreme violence
Jen Holman
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I love this series。 I think the author is brilliant and I care so much about her characters。 Queen of the Tearling is a fantasy series I will follow and read。 But this prequel is DARK。 There is abuse of children on multiple levels。 Abuse of women and men and indentured servants。 A lot of brutality and abuse， okay！ It is not YA。 But man， this world。。。 I love it despite the darkness。
Gabi
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I wasn't sure what to expect from this prequel， going in。 I really loved the original trilogy， but I wasn't sure how far back in time or place this prequel would take us。 Well， I needn't have worried。 The author pulled off a masterstroke here， instantly evoking the setting， vibes and worldbuilding of the original series， introducing us to a number of new characters while also visiting with some old favourites。 This book was never going to have a 'happy' ending， as such， because it stops where th I wasn't sure what to expect from this prequel， going in。 I really loved the original trilogy， but I wasn't sure how far back in time or place this prequel would take us。 Well， I needn't have worried。 The author pulled off a masterstroke here， instantly evoking the setting， vibes and worldbuilding of the original series， introducing us to a number of new characters while also visiting with some old favourites。 This book was never going to have a 'happy' ending， as such， because it stops where the Queen of the Tearling begins - in an unjust， cruel world。 And while the original trilogy had its dark moments， Beneath the Keep didn't hesitate to get darker still。 There were some truly bleak scenes in this book （which never felt gratuitous or gory）， and it would have been easy to get lost in depression。 Yet the thread of hope that persisted throughout the book was very powerful。Overall， a very satisfying prequel， cleverly written， and it has definitely made me want to reread the original three books all over again。 Probably not one I would recommend as a standalone though - I think it works best in answer to the Tearling books。 。。。more
Andrea
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I'm sorry but I can't with dark fantasy。 I'm not sure if I can't with dark fantasy *right now* or I can't with dark fantasy *ever again* but I'm going to stop trying。 I thought this would be an exception because I adore the Tearling trilogy so much， but no。 Much of the plot takes place in the Creche， which is literally the underworld of the capital city of the Tearling。 The story also includes Elyssa， who is the Crown Princess of the Tearling， and I would have been interested to learn more about I'm sorry but I can't with dark fantasy。 I'm not sure if I can't with dark fantasy *right now* or I can't with dark fantasy *ever again* but I'm going to stop trying。 I thought this would be an exception because I adore the Tearling trilogy so much， but no。 Much of the plot takes place in the Creche， which is literally the underworld of the capital city of the Tearling。 The story also includes Elyssa， who is the Crown Princess of the Tearling， and I would have been interested to learn more about her backstory， but there's a lot of murder and prostitution and abuse of power in this story and that's the part that I just don't want to force myself to read right now。 I think I need a nice long course of comfort reading。 In this case， it's definitely me， not the book。 It's well-constructed and the characters are engaging， but I'm putting it aside。 。。。more
Heather Venard
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This is a surprisingly good prequel that still has the ability to teach you new things about characters you thought you knew well。 Elyssa is a revelation in this book。
Groucho42
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Prequel to the Tearling trilogy。 This focuses on Kelsea's mother and how the future queen ended up in hiding。 Of course， mom was noble and grandmother was evil。 It's a very trite novel that was very dull， nothing unexpected happens and the plotting is about as simple as can be。 Prequel to the Tearling trilogy。 This focuses on Kelsea's mother and how the future queen ended up in hiding。 Of course， mom was noble and grandmother was evil。 It's a very trite novel that was very dull， nothing unexpected happens and the plotting is about as simple as can be。 。。。more
Samantha Fraenkel
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I loved the Tearling trilogy so I was really excited to see that Johansen had written a prequel novel。 This met my very high expectations and filled in gaps in characters and plot that I didn't realize I needed。 Gritty， heartbreaking and full of love， loss， and hope， Beneath the Keep sucked me into the world of the Tearling and didn't let me go （and honestly I'm still thinking about this days after I finished it）。 A wonderful addition to one of my favourite fantasy series。ARC Provided by NetGall I loved the Tearling trilogy so I was really excited to see that Johansen had written a prequel novel。 This met my very high expectations and filled in gaps in characters and plot that I didn't realize I needed。 Gritty， heartbreaking and full of love， loss， and hope， Beneath the Keep sucked me into the world of the Tearling and didn't let me go （and honestly I'm still thinking about this days after I finished it）。 A wonderful addition to one of my favourite fantasy series。ARC Provided by NetGalley & Edelweiss 。。。more
Ashley Sabatka
，
I have very mixed feelings about these books。 Some parts seem to drag on and I start to think I don't really care for it much。 But other parts are great， and the story as a whole is really good。 I give it 3。5 stars。 I liked getting to learn about the Tearling pre-Kelsea。 It was also nice to know that Elyssa was a good person before Brenna took over her mind/possessed/bewitched her or whatever you want to call it。I thought it was a good twist that Arlen Thorne was supposedly Queen Arla's son that I have very mixed feelings about these books。 Some parts seem to drag on and I start to think I don't really care for it much。 But other parts are great， and the story as a whole is really good。 I give it 3。5 stars。 I liked getting to learn about the Tearling pre-Kelsea。 It was also nice to know that Elyssa was a good person before Brenna took over her mind/possessed/bewitched her or whatever you want to call it。I thought it was a good twist that Arlen Thorne was supposedly Queen Arla's son that was cast off for whatever reason。 Can understand his need for vengeance a little more。 He's still horrible and it doesn't justify his character， but it's nice to know the reason behind it。 Mace's backstory and character development was really good I think。 Liked getting to know him more。 。。。more
Bethany Dickey
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4。5
Katie Steele
，
I loved this so much。 It was absolutely heartbreaking。 Make sure to read the acknowledgments！
Rebecca Raeske-Grinch
，
So now that I have this missing piece， I need to re-read the series。。。
RH
，
Great precursor to the Tearling series。
Isabelle
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Buckle up。 This fantasy focuses on uprising and revolution。 Can those who were mistreated rise up to change a kingdom？ Told through the eyes of a peasant uprising， a determined princess， and a boy raised in the dark tunnels beneath the capitol where criminals thrive。 I adored this series and was eager to read this prequel。 I'm happy to say it is also a great stand alone。 The characters are unique and captivating， and you feel immensely for each of them。 The only reason I didn't give it five star Buckle up。 This fantasy focuses on uprising and revolution。 Can those who were mistreated rise up to change a kingdom？ Told through the eyes of a peasant uprising， a determined princess， and a boy raised in the dark tunnels beneath the capitol where criminals thrive。 I adored this series and was eager to read this prequel。 I'm happy to say it is also a great stand alone。 The characters are unique and captivating， and you feel immensely for each of them。 The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because of how violent it can be。 As a bookseller this can be a tricky book to sell because it deals with concepts that may be difficult for some readers。 Half the story takes place beneath the capitol where every crime is legal。 You'll encounter prostitution， pedophilia， and murder。 Some moments are upsetting， and will leave you uncomfortable。 But I know the author did this intentionally to show just how corrupt this society is and how desperately it needs to change。 By the end of the story I felt incredibly satisfied， and I truly did enjoy it！ As a thriller reader， and an individual who enjoys dark fantasies， I thought the darkness was done incredibly well and purposeful。 The author really makes you feel for these characters and I appreciate her not going easy on us。 If you struggle with violence， I would recommend that you read this after you read Queen of the Tearling instead of before， because I'd hate for you to be turned off by the violence of this prequel to turn down a fantastic trilogy。 But it's truly up to you。 I still very much recommend this book！ 。。。more
Erin
，
Yessssss！ I am so glad that this brought back some of the energy from the first book in the series。 It took me a little while to get re-oriented into this world， it has been a while since I read the series， but once I got there I was hooked。 I really enjoyed this one a lot。 I like to see where favourite characters come from， and what they went through before we "knew" them。 Yessssss！ I am so glad that this brought back some of the energy from the first book in the series。 It took me a little while to get re-oriented into this world， it has been a while since I read the series， but once I got there I was hooked。 I really enjoyed this one a lot。 I like to see where favourite characters come from， and what they went through before we "knew" them。 。。。more
Christine
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This was so slow to get going and took me forever to slog through。
camilla
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DAMN
Lilly
，
I'm just so obsessed with this world， I don't understand how it doesn't have a GoT/HP-esque following。 It's so good， so compelling， so detailed， so advanced This is one of Johansen's best books。 It's everything to love about the Tearling。 She adds so much to the worldbuilding and lore。 My complaint is minor and - to anyone who finished book 3 - how are there historical notes talking about the Glynn Queen？ How does that make sense？ Am I missing something？ Loved it。 Can't wait for her next book I'm just so obsessed with this world， I don't understand how it doesn't have a GoT/HP-esque following。 It's so good， so compelling， so detailed， so advanced This is one of Johansen's best books。 It's everything to love about the Tearling。 She adds so much to the worldbuilding and lore。 My complaint is minor and - to anyone who finished book 3 - how are there historical notes talking about the Glynn Queen？ How does that make sense？ Am I missing something？ Loved it。 Can't wait for her next book 。。。more
Melody
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Rating 3。5 still don't know what I want to give it。 But leaning towards that rating。 Rating 3。5 still don't know what I want to give it。 But leaning towards that rating。 。。。more
Sara
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I remember absolutely loving the first book in this series， and this book reminded me why。。。 I had forgotten the stories and the characters but this book delved into their world and I remembered。。。 I really surprisingly enjoyed it - as I remember not loving how the series ended （is it a trilogy？）
Karen
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A bit tedious to me but I know I would have enjoyed it more if I could remember the 'later' books in the series in more detail。 A bit tedious to me but I know I would have enjoyed it more if I could remember the 'later' books in the series in more detail。 。。。more
Rachel
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Based on Elyssa’s future in fashion instead of， say， political organizing， （third book）。。。。does this mean her retcon in this prequel was impulsive？ It’s definitely a question for me。 The message of the series （and the reason for the ending） is kill your gods， burn your idols， but Beneath the Keep functions as more of an examination of civic responsibility。 I enjoyed the Arlen Thorne reveals。
Julia
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Well written。 It made me want to read the trilogy again， which I did。 Although there are a few inconsistencies now with the trilogy。 Small， but I noticed them。
L。
，