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 … 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.
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Just finished this book last night and loved the beginning to this series. It moved much faster than I anticipated, with a satisfying conclusion and me frantically searching for Protect the Prince (the next book in the series).
Evie was an awesome character, as were the surrounding cast. I can’t wait to see Evie and Sully find their way and am looking forward to the next book!
I enjoyed this, though occasionally I wanted to slap Evie – but a lifetime of not trusting anyone would make us all hesitant. Now I need to read book 2 and wait (impatiently) for book 3 to come out.
Great book. Super plot with lots of twists. I especially enjoyed the method the author employed for flash backs. Compelling read. I finished it in two days and immediately ordered the second book in the series. It is a trilogy and book 3 is not out yet, so be prepared for a cliffhanger.
I have meant to read Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep since it released last year and thanks to the Romanceopoly Challenge ‘Faraway Land,’ I was able to make time for it finally. I was almost in a reading funk, and this book helped me not get into that funk. Now I’m waiting for my purchased copy of the second book from Amazon in the mail because I had a hard time putting down the first book.
If you are looking for something that will comfort you after watching the disastrous last season of GoT, then I would recommend this book. Its Gladiator meets GoT, which is how it’s described in the synopsis of the book. It’s High Fantasy with a lot of corruption, murder, action, and drama in this book.
I’m so glad that Jennifer Estep wrote this book/series because it reminds me of Game of Thrones, but it’s way better than the last season of GoT. It follows Everleigh ‘Evie’ who is the female protagonist of the book, and she’s determined to avenge her family after her cousin killed her mother ‘the queen’ and all of the Blair family. Well, she didn’t kill all the Blair family since Lady Everleigh is still alive. She’s keeping herself hidden though and hopes to gain help from the Queen’s former guard and her gladiators, but she hesitates to tell who she is since she doesn’t want her cousin getting word that she’s still alive and end up sending assassins to finish the job.
What did I think about the first book in the Crown of Shards series? I friggin’ loved it. Did I mention I had a hard time putting it down? The first part of the book is action-packed with what happens to the Queen, and then Everleigh finds out something from the Queen before she dies. The second part is when Everleigh is thrown into the world of Gladiators and ends up doing things out of her comfort zone. She meets likely friends and foes, and one of them may be a love interest in the story.
I don’t want to give anything away because this was one highly addicting book that was hard to put down. I know I’ve repeated that line several times, but I can’t help it. This book is an excellent start to the series with the fantastic world-building and storyline. I love Jennifer Estep after reading this book. She should have written the last season of GoT.
I can’t wait to read Protect the Prince, which is the second book in the series. I already bought it and waiting for it to arrive. I’ll stop what I’m reading and immediately pick up the second book because I want to find out what happens next in this series.
Story Rating: 5 stars
Steaminess Rating: N/A
Standalone or part of series: Part of series and highly recommend reading in order.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, most definitely.
Will I read other books from the author? This was my first book by the lovely Jennifer Estep, and it won’t be my last, so I recommend her books.
Tropes/Elements: High Fantasy (set in Faraway Land); Royalty; Corruption; Murder; Magic
I love a sword wielding gladiator heroine whose special skill set includes baking amazing pies.
A great story. It held my interest from the start
All good! I look forward to the next!
I have been provided with a copy of Kill the Queen by the publisher through Edelweiss for an impartial review. This is the first book in the new Crown of Shard series and let me just say wow. I absolutely loved this book it just dragged me in and didn’t want to release me until I turned the last page. I really fell in love with Evie and all the interesting characters that you get introduced to. This book just had my emotions all over the place I just felt so much for what was going on. This was just a wonderful start to a series and I can’t wait to read the next installment.
I enjoyed this book and would buy any follow stories for this fantasy world.
Ummm…where’s the romance???
Kill the Queen has been on my radar for a wee while. Sure, the title is interesting and I’ve heard about Jennifer Estep and her talent with Para-Fantasy, but that wasn’t the drawcard. The heroine on the cover is wearing black leather pants. I’M A SUCKER FOR BLACK LEATHER PANTS!! I think they look so cool. I WANT TO BE COOL!! I have some leather-look ones, which I think look pretty amazing, but you can’t compare to the real deal. I want to look as BADA$$ as Evie…but I’ll leave the acting BADA$$ for the professionals.
I really enjoyed the audio for Kill the Queen. The story was fantastic and Lauren Fortgang did an amazing job of bringing the characters to life for me. The narrator has a very easy voice to listen to and I never struggled to tell when the characters changed or when inner-monologue changes to dialogue. This is the second audio I’ve listened to from this narrator and it will definitely not be my last.
Kill the Queen was the kind of story that I find extremely hard to stop or even pause. I was at work today knowing that I only had one hour left of the story. IT WAS BLOODY TORTURE!! I was desperate to see if good would win over evil and whether or not we’d finally get to a bit of LVING. Sadly, I was left a wee bit disappointed. There’s this teeny weeny flicker of romance for like 2.5 seconds, but sadly, he was being too sensible and good intentiony. BLOODY IDIOT!!
I loved the strength and determination Evie showed when it seemed like there was no hope. At the beginning of the story, I never once considered Everleigh as a champion for her people. She came across as a bit of a doormat, timid and weak. Being away from her horrible and despicable cousins helped to change her into the woman she was always meant to be…strong, confident and determined to see justice served.
The additional characters were very interesting and I can’t wait to spend more time with the Black Swan Gladiators. I will definitely be back for Protect the Prince and hopefully, I’ll get the romance I was hoping for.
I’m looking at you, Lucas Sullivan…stop being so good intentiony.
Summer queens are fine and fair, with pretty ribbons and flowers in their hair. Winter queens are cold and hard, with frosted crowns made of icy shards.
Deserves 10 stars! I can not belive how much I loved it, how great this story was and yay, there’s more!
I need more, Gods do I crave more.
This story was awesome. I do not know why I waited so long to read it, but better late than never. This is my first time reading Jennifer Estep and it will definitely not be my last. I enjoyed every moment of this story; there was never a dull moment. This is a story that is best going into blind, as the experience will be better.
The vivid descriptions and the world building enhanced my enjoyment of the story. I felt I was a part of this world steeped in magic and gladiator fights.
Character development was on point. I met characters whom I loved and then there were those whom I passionately disliked.
Evie, the main character proved a force to reckon with. She showed remarkable growth throughout the story. She started out meek and mild like a little lamb but by the end of the story she was like a roaring lion. I loved how she stood up for herself and others and in the process discovered true friendship.
The secondary characters fascinated me. There was the dance instructor, the jewelry maker and the members of the gladiator troupe. They brought their own blend of flavour, which included humour, secrets, danger and romance.
I loved the pacing, which had me on the edge of my seat. I kept wondering what next would transpire. Intense action scenes and battles to the death added to the darkness and grittiness of the story.
The story wrapped up nicely. No cliffhangers, but based on the ending we know there‘s more in store for Evie and her friends. I cannot wait to know what next the series has to offer.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Fans of fantasy will enjoy this offering from Jennifer Estep. Action packed with interesting characters, this story is not to be missed.
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.
Kill the Queen is a fantastic epic fantasy with a slow burn romance in the works. You can feel it simmering and there was not even any lip-smacking yet! I am looking forward to the explosion I am sure is to come in the future. There is so much to enjoy in Evie’s story; a lot of twists and turns, betrayal, lies, deceit, constant suspense, a shroud of mystery and lots of action. Could you imagine being so far down a royal line that you are invisible but still having to be suspicious of everyone and their actions and look for any signs of danger at every turn; not knowing who your true friends are or who you could genuinely trust? This beautifully written story will have you devouring it as fast as you can read. The characters are fantastic and the storyline engaging. I loved watching Evie grow throughout the book, seeing her rise to be her true self. She showed great courage and strength. I also enjoyed how Estep always incorporates cooking into her stories. It is always fun to see what she ‘cooks up’, so to speak. And no matter the series, there is always food. Lol! I also thought it was cleaver to have Evie’s ability be a heightened sense of smell and for her to be able to smell emotions and compare the scents to food. Now that is definitely a new twist on senses and a very cool add-on in this story and it comes quite handy for Evie. Estep has created a wonderful new magic-filled world for us to enjoy and I look forward to more exciting adventures for Evie and her friends in the next installment of the series, Protect the Prince.
* I received an ARC of this book from the author with no obligation to review. The thoughts expressed in this review are non-biased and completely my own.
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-hint hint Easter eggs. 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.