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…
From Goodreads:
A fierce gladiator queen must face off against her enemies in an epic battle in this next thrilling installment of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep's Crown of Shards series—an action-packed adventure full of magic, murderous machinations, courtly intrigue, and pulse-pounding romance.
Queen Everleigh Blair of Bellona has survived the mass murder of the royal family, become a fearsome warrior trained by an elite gladiator troupe, and unleashed her ability to destroy magic. After surviving yet another assassination attempt orchestrated by the conniving king of Morta, Evie has had enough. It's time to turn the tables and take the fight to her enemies.
There is no better opportunity to strike than during the Regalia Games, a time when warriors, nobles, and royals from all the kingdoms come together to compete in various sporting events. With the help of her loyal friends, Evie goes on the attack at the Regalia, but things don't turn out the way she hopes. Soon, she is facing a terrifying new threat, and she will have to dig deep and learn even more about her growing magic if she has any chance of defeating her foes.
Because to secure her throne and ensure her kingdom's survival, Evie must think like a true Bellonan: she must outsmart and outwit her enemies . . . and crush the king.
My first review of Kill the Queen, Protect the Prince, Crush the King
A fierce gladiator queen must face off against her enemies in an epic battle in this next thrilling installment of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep's Crown of Shards series—an action-packed adventure full of magic, murderous machinations, courtly intrigue, and pulse-pounding romance.
Queen Everleigh Blair of Bellona has survived the mass murder of the royal family, become a fearsome warrior trained by an elite gladiator troupe, and unleashed her ability to destroy magic. After surviving yet another assassination attempt orchestrated by the conniving king of Morta, Evie has had enough. It's time to turn the tables and take the fight to her enemies.
There is no better opportunity to strike than during the Regalia Games, a time when warriors, nobles, and royals from all the kingdoms come together to compete in various sporting events. With the help of her loyal friends, Evie goes on the attack at the Regalia, but things don't turn out the way she hopes. Soon, she is facing a terrifying new threat, and she will have to dig deep and learn even more about her growing magic if she has any chance of defeating her foes.
Because to secure her throne and ensure her kingdom's survival, Evie must think like a true Bellonan: she must outsmart and outwit her enemies . . . and crush the king.
My first review of Kill the Queen, Protect the Prince, Crush the King
My second review of Kill the Queen
My review:
I really enjoyed reading this series again! I've been meaning to for a while, I just had to before reading Capture the Crown, and the timing worked out, and I just binged this series, because it's just that read! I love Evie and she's such a fantastic character to follow!
I love watching Evie go through through this journey. She starts off pretty powerless-but as she gains power, she also gains the responsibility, and I loved watching her deal with it, and with facing this threat that Morta faces!
The relationship between Evie and Sully, just loved it! That they have sparks, but they also have reasons that they won't work out, given his past being a bastard prince. I'm glad that things worked out in book 2, so that in book3 they were solid!
Even knowing of Evie's long game with Maeven, I picked up the clues that I picked up the first time. I loved watching it play out, of how Evie got the idea, and then started planting the seeds, nudging Maeven along so she had the idea to take the Morta crown!
Love this series and world so much, and I can't wait to continue!
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Crown of Shards #1, 2, 3
First Read: May 2nd, 2018, January 12th, 2019, October 12th, 2019
Second Read: January 12th, 2019
Series: Crown of Shards #1, 2, 3
First Read: May 2nd, 2018, January 12th, 2019, October 12th, 2019
Second Read: January 12th, 2019
Read: February 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike, Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Books, and Crush the King is a End of Series 2022 Book!
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published: October 2nd 2018, July 2nd 2019, March 17th 2020
Kill the Queen:
Protect the Prince:
Source: Ebook.bike, Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Books, and Crush the King is a End of Series 2022 Book!
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published: October 2nd 2018, July 2nd 2019, March 17th 2020
Kill the Queen:
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |
Protect the Prince:
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| 5/5 Hearts |
|
| 5/5 Books |
|
| 5/5 Stars |
Crush the King:
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| 5/5 Hearts |
|
| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |
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