Kill the Queen

Jennifer Estep

Oct 2018 · A Crown of Shards Novel Book 1 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Jennifer Estep’s KILL THE QUEEN is an amazing debut to the Crown of Shards series. Lady Everleigh Saffira Winter Blair was the seventeenth in line for the throne. Her cousin, Vasilia, the crown princess, kills everyone in the royal family to ensure her spot on the throne. Evie manages to escape hiding among a troupe of gladiators, while determining her next move. This fantasy is suitable for adult audiences. I loved this story. It was refreshing and exciting. Evie is a likable character. She was orphaned after the murder of her parents. She was at the bottom of the royal family food chain, not being treated very well. She has a good sense for right and wrong. She has a magical ability that she keeps hidden. She has all the makings for a humble heroine. She is courageous and ruthless. She is caring and selfless. I adored her interaction with Lucas Sullivan. Their verbal banter was entertaining. They have amazing chemistry. Lucas has an interesting history. The plot was skillfully executed and clever. There are interesting twists, lots of drama, and action. The characters are well-developed and believable. KILL THE QUEEN would make an excellent movie or television series. I look forward to the next book in the series. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This is my first time reading any of Estep’s adult fantasy titles, and I was not disappointed! Kill the Queen starts off with Evie, a minor royal, narrowly escaping a deadly coup by the Crown Princess to take the throne before her time. With no one to trust, she joins a gladiator troupe to hide, as well as gain some skills for survival. However, soon she begins to trust the people in the troupe, as well as win them over, and prepares for a final showdown against the one who took her family. Evie’s characterization is of one who has been putting up walls her entire life, due to a betrayal in her childhood, and now that she is in a gladiator troupe, she starts to let people in. She doesn’t trust them with the truth initially, but she also isn’t entirely cynical about them; this opposed to her only seeing vipers at court. Additionally, she has been made to be a dutiful royal half her life, so now she has a chance to make her own decisions, which is why she is initially hesitant to be another figurehead ruler to oppose her cousin’s rule. She slowly starts to accept her birthright and her duties; where she was forced into it earlier, now she accepts it for the greater good. Her friendship with the people in the troupe as well as her budding romance one of the them, Sullivan, are the highlights of her journey towards trusting people. The magic of the world has its flavor – it is mostly about controlling a specific material or element (like stone, or fire), but there are also people with ‘low magic’ who have enhanced senses; Evie is one of the latter, with enhanced smell that allows her to sniff out emotions, among other things. She also has a nullification ability, which serves her well when matched against opponents much more experienced than her. The action scenes in the book are dynamic and entertaining to read, as well as the whole training aspect, and there is one scene about a particular dance that was utterly magical to visualize. Overall, it is an interesting start to what looks like an amazing series.

Estep's signature Elemental components 3.75 stars--KILL THE QUEEN is the first instalment in Jennifer Estep’s CROWN OF SHARDS epic fantasy series focusing on the Lady Everleigh Saffira Winter Blair aka Evie, a young woman of royal blood whose entire family was murdered in a coup for the throne. Told in three distinctive parts, using first person point of view (Evie) KILL THE QUEEN follows Lady Everleigh Saffira Winter Blair aka Evie as she struggles to survive in the aftermath of a murderous rage that destroyed everyone and everything that she loved. Years earlier, orphaned at the age of twelve as a result of her parents’ murder, Evie entered the magical kingdom of Bellona, a kingdom ruled by her cousin Queen Cordelia, and her daughter Crown- Princess Vasilia. Believing Evie to hold no magical powers of her own, other than the simplified and basic ‘mutt magic’, our heroine, the now twenty seven year old, seventeenth in line to the throne of Bellona, has been virtually ignored for the past fifteen years. A royal celebration in honor of the Andvarian ambassador proved otherwise as Evie would be one of only two survivors of the Blair family massacre meant to destroy all those with any bloodrights to the throne. What ensues is Evie’s journey to the status of The Black Swan, as she and her fellow warriors and gladiators set into motion a plan to avenge the death of them all. KILL THE QUEEN is awash in Jennifer Estep’s affinity for ‘elemental magic’. Like Gin Blanco in the author’s Elemental Assassin, our heroine Evie must become an assassin in order to avenge the death of the people she loves. From weather mages, elementals, gem and metal workers, ogres, shifters and gladiators, KILL THE QUEEN follows the magical journey wherein Evie must prepare to battle to the death in an effort to prove she is worthy of the throne. Many of Jennifer Estep’s signature go-to story line components are present including Evie’s band of misfit elementals and warriors; a potential love interest; and the mention of the Delta Queen, as well as several characters from both her Elemental Assassin, and Bigtime Series. Not withstanding the numerous and obvious parallel similarities between the Elemental Assassin and Crown of Shards series, KILL THE QUEEN is an intriguing, magical and infinitely detailed story of magic, honor, power and greed.

About the author

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.Jennifer is the author of the Crown of Shards, Elemental Assassin, and other fantasy series. She has written more than 35 books, along with numerous novellas and stories.In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.