Blog Tour - Review & Giveaway: Kill the Queen (Crown of Shards #1) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Kill the Queen

Series: Crown of Shards #1

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, high fantasy

Publication date: October 2nd 2018

Published by: Harper Voyager

Source: E-ARC for review from publisher

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Synopsis:

The thrilling first novel in the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series combines magic, murder, and adventure when an unlikely member of the royal family suddenly becomes a contender in a clash for the crown...

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 combat, 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.

My rating: ★★★★★
So, I actually don’t read very much epic fantasy—I don’t have anything against it, I just prefer my urban fantasies. Lol. But I gave this one a shot cause I adore Jennifer Estep’s work! Literally everything I have read by her I have loved! I’ve actually been binge reading her Elemental Assassin series lately, but I took a tiny break from that to read this, and I loved it! Honestly, I’m not even surprised. Lol. I always say I will read anything she writes cause I know I will love it no matter what it is, and this book just proved my point. Lol.

I really liked this world and all the different types of magic it had. I do admit that I had a hard time distinguishing magiers from master at first, but that might be more of a me thing since I’m not used to reading epic fantasies. Lol. I’m not kidding when I say I don’t read a lot of epic fantasy. This is probably my first epic fantasy of the year. Last year I think I read one also. Maybe two? Lol. Anyway, where was I? Lol. I really loved the magic in this book and all the different types. Evie’s magic was awesome! At first I thought her mutt magic of having enhanced smell was strange... very strange. But I ended up really liking it! She used her magic in the most interesting ways—it was very creative! It was almost like synesthesia, with certain emotions smelling like certain food to her. Very cool. And her immunity magic was amazing as well, of course.

This is gonna sound insane, but I was so surprised when Vasilia murdered her mother, the queen.

First of all, the book is called Kill the Queen, so duh. Second, this piece of info is in the synopsis of the book! Lol. Anyway, I guess I was just surprised by how cold-hearted and vicious she was. She was absolutely insane! And this Maeven character, I really need to know more about her! What is her deal?! Why does she care? She sure makes me uneasy and I know she’s got some sinister plans in the works. I wonder what they could be...

Anyway, so after the queen is killed, Evie goes into hiding and along the way learns to fight with the gladiators. And in the end this will hopefully help her in taking on her treacherous cousin.

The irony of the situation didn’t escape me either. Six months ago, Vasilia had been doing the exact same thing that I was--plotting to kill the queen.

And let me tell you, that big fight scene at end was epic! I always love reading Jennifer Estep’s action sequences. It was just amazing!

Evie came such a long way in those months she trained with the gladiators and I was so proud of her. Cocky Vasilia with her lightning magic did not expect Evie’s exceptional fighting skills and immunity magic, and in the end...

The queen was dead. Again.

I was so happy for Evie and this accomplishment. I cannot tell you how satisfying it was seeing Evie kill her treacherous cousin

Speaking of Evie, I loved her and how sassy she was. I loved this “new” Evie who said what was on her mind and did as she pleased. When she was at the palace she was always expected to act a certain way.

Most importantly, I didn’t want to be weak. I didn’t want to keep my mouth shut and plaster a smile on my face and stay in the background like I had all those years in the palace. I just wanted to be myself, for the first time in a long time.

I was so happy for her that she found her place with the gladiators. She was not the best fighter when she arrived with them, not by far, but I loved seeing her train and develop her skills. And I was even more happy when she found a friend in Paloma, who was great! She was very friendly and nice and fierce, and just an overall interesting character. Serilda, too, was interesting and I really want to learn more about her. And I absolutely loved Cho! He was so funny! And Sully, of course, I loved as well. He was kind of a jerk in the beginning, but he had every right to. Lol. The way he and Evie met was the funniest thing ever! Sassy Evie is the best! Lol. And the sexual tension between him and Evie was palpable. The thing I love about Jennifer’s books is that the romance is slow burning. As much as I wanted them to get together ASAP, they don’t and it actually broke my heart. But that is actually what I love! I love that the characters take the time to really get to know each other!

I loved pretty much everything about this book, as you may have noticed. Lol. But there was one tiny thing that just—surprisingly, I didn’t love it very much. And it’s actually a very small thing that’s pretty much nothing. So, Jennifer Estep likes to put little Easter Eggs in her books from other series, and I really love that! I love going into her books wondering where I’ll find these Easter Eggs. So I was wondering how she was going to do that in this book since this is an epic fantasy and would take place in a completely different world. I mean, it’s not like Evie could go up to Cypress Mountain on vacation or head down to the Pork Pit to grab lunch because it’s just not the same world...

Here's the thing, Evie has a lot of cousins and family. She is 17th (soon to be 18th) in line for the throne after all. And here is where the Easter Eggs come in: her cousins are named after the characters in the other series! We got Genevive, Owen, and Finn from Elemental Assassin. Gwen, Logan, and Rory from Mythos Academy. Lila and Devon from the Black Blade series... and that is just naming a few! My issue with this was that these grouping of names was so surprising to me it took me out of the story! I do appreciate the shout out to the other amazing series, but idk. I wasn't feeling it. But that is literally my only issue with this book. Lol.

So, yeah. Overall, I just really loved this book! This is Jennifer Estep’s very first epic fantasy novel and it was epic indeed. Lol. Kill the Queen had a very interesting world with lovable characters and some very cool magic. It had tons of action, just like any other Jennifer Estep book, and I loved it! I enjoyed the story and especially Evie’s journey. I am really looking forward to the next book and coming back to this world and seeing what sort of things Evie has to deal with next after that incredible ending.

Literally me reading any of Jennifer's books. Lol.

About the author: Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series. Kill the Queen, book #1, will be released on Oct. 2.

The Crown of Shards series focuses on Everleigh Blair, a member of the royal family who is distantly in line for the throne of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. But when the unthinkable happens, Evie finds herself fighting for her life—both inside and outside the gladiator arena.

Jennifer is also the author of the Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy, Bigtime, and Black Blade fantasy series.

For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit www.jenniferestep.com or follow Jennifer on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter. You can also sign up for her newsletter.

Ends October 7th 2018!

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Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! :)