Week 3 Reviews: Kill the Queen, Protect the Prince

From Goodreads:
Gladiator meets Game of Thrones: a royal woman becomes a skilled warrior to destroy her murderous cousin, avenge her family, and save her kingdom in this first entry in a dazzling fantasy epic from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Assassin series—an enthralling tale that combines magic, murder, intrigue, adventure, and a hint of romance.

In a realm where one's magical power determines one's worth, Lady Everleigh's lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.

But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.

Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.

But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie's fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.

From Goodreads:
Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep.

Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.

First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn't bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.

Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.

But dark forces are at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is safe. Worse, Evie's immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes her wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.

But Evie's magic, life, and crown aren't the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king's bastard son and Evie's . . . well, Evie isn't quite sure what Sullivan is to her.

Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen…

My first review of Kill the Queen
My Review:
Oh, yeah, I loved reading this series some more! It's been just over half a year since I first read Kill the Queen, which was just as good as it was the first time. I still didn't pick up on references to her other series, which I'm thinking is because of how long it's been since I've read some of them (and I still haven't read all of them, boo!)

These two books fit together so well. The first book introduces the conflict and the characters and the world, and then the second book pivots a bit and explores more, and deepens our knowledge base. I really enjoyed going to Sullivan's birth country, and meeting his family!

There was one big mystery/twist in Protect the Prince that I guessed before the reveal. Mostly because, given what the enemies tactics seemed to be, this was a move that was repeated. And there were also a few dropped clues that didn't make sense unless something sinister was going on. I love guessing, which I never seem to do a lot, and being right is so awesome!

I loved that ending so much! I don't want to spoil, so I won't say what I love about it, but it was a really great ending and so enjoyable to read! And with everything that's happened, things are really geared up to go for the (I think) final full length book in the series! (I would love to have short stories or novellas!)

These books were so freaking great, I loved reading them, and I'm so excited for Crush the King, the wait is going to be absolutely terrible!

Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Crown of Shards #1, 2
First Read: May 2nd, 2018
Read: January 12th, 12th, 2019
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Books, and Protect the Prince is a WoW Book!
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published: October 2nd 2018
Expected Publication: July 2nd 2019

Kill the Queen:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Protect the Prince:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars