The Queen of the Tearling

A 19 year old princess who has grown up in hiding is smuggled back to the capital city of the Tearling to be crowned Queen. She spends the book learning how to be Queen while trying to put an end to the corruption and evil that had been allowed to run rampant under the Regent, her uncle. Also, she fights off assassination attempts. Meanwhile, in the neighboring country of Mortmesne, there's a 113 year old queen who is preparing to invade and inflict horrors on the people of the Tearling.

I liked this book up until nearly the end, when suddenly magic solved a major problem. Kelsea, the princess, had an interesting personality, the history of the Tearling was intriguing (is this a post-apocalyptic story?), and it was very readable. There were some characters who had second sight, and a necklace that had mysterious properties, but magic didn't play a major role until late in the story. I found the shift kind of jarring.

This is the first book of a trilogy. I'm not sure if I'll read the others.