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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Kill the Queen is the definition of epic fantasy: exciting, original, and filled with characters who jump off the page. Jennifer Estep enters the arena and takes no prisoners. Long live the Winter Queen.
I had been seeing so much anticipation for this book (and I do like Jennifer Estep’s writing) so I might have slid this book up in the TBR pile to a top spot. And I was glad I did. Fun, imaginative, and truly a wonderful sort of Cinderella story about the distant heir who finds her unlikely power. What I really loved was the broad cast of characters who surrounded her and supported her. Looking forward to the next book in this series. If you like a fantasy adventure, this is for you. Definitely a Friday night, bowl of popcorn read.
WOW, what a fabulous start to a new series by Jennifer Estep. When I first heard about this series I was very excited. I had just discovered Estep, Elemental Assassins series, and feel in love, so finding out a new series was coming I couldn’t pass it up.
Everything about this book captured me. We’ve got a spoiled villain, gladiators, magic, and a young women who must accept who she is, transform to save herself, and her kingdom.
Bellona is a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition and history. Lady Evie has a secret, one she must keep hidden. Her parents where killed and her life in the palace isn’t a good one, but she makes do until that fateful day when everyone is betrayed and assassinated. Evie has a journey ahead of her, one that will change her and the world.
Estep excels in writing strong heroines and bring the world and characters to life. Her world-building is impressive and she has a way with pulling me into the story. I loved the magic and the gladiator world. I also enjoyed many of the secondary characters from Lucas the handsome trainer, to the dance instructor, and also the leader of the gladiator troop. We get a nice balance of dark to light aspects in this story. It’s also full of secrets, laughter, action, adventure, and more.
I was kept on the edge of my set wondering what secrets we will learn and what will happen next in Kill the Queen. The story wraps up nicely, but their is still more to come and explore with a budding romance and a kingdom to secure. I can’t wait for the next installment.
Rated: 5 Stars
Couldn’t put this down. From the very opening scene to the end, this book had me on the edge of my seat. I can’t wait to read Protect the Prince and continue on in this world!
Great epic fantasy. I listened to the book—the narrator is awesome.
Lady Everleigh Blair has been ridiculed ever since her parents were murdered and she came to live at the castle. Her cousin Vasilia is especially cruel, spurning her when she learns Evie has no special powers other than a super sensitive nose. Evie’s nose saves her from drinking poison in a massacre staged by her cousin to kill the queen, all her relatives, and usurp the throne. Evie barely escapes and only survives due to a power she’s kept hidden. Forced into hiding, she joins a gladiator troupe and trains to become a fighter. Can she defeat her evil cousin and save her country from an unnecessary war? Action, adventure, romance and magic mingle in this thrilling tale that grips your attention from page one.
Terrific heroine with an appealing mix of strength and vulnerability. Great secondary cast, fun world-building, and a fast-paced plot made for a very entertaining read. Loved it!
Jennifer Estep takes the world of high fantasy by storm with a book so perfectly plotted and executed that I gasped out loud at each new reveal and unexpected turn. Evie is the heroine we all want to read about: as compassionate as she is ruthless, as cunning as she is kind, and as fierce and focused as anyone must be in order to KILL THE QUEEN.
This is one of the best books I have read in years! It was so engrossing I sat and read so long my eyes quit focusing. I don’t do that often. Lady Everleigh sure ended up being fierce and strong. Being the unwanted orphan was a tough life to bare. The descriptions were so vivid I could visualize the events as they unfolded. My heart was racing at the end of the story. Brilliant book! I received an advance copy of this book. I freely leave this honest review.
Everleigh is only seventeenth in line for the throne and the ambitious nobles and royals of her family treat her like trash. When she witnesses an act of betrayal and great tragedy, she has to run away from the court to avoid being killed. Hiding who she really is, she starts working with a group of touring female gladiators and bides her time until she can claim her revenge. Need I say more?
Well, I will, because this book–this series–is so freakin’ good. The female-centric adventure story is everything I wished had been available when I was a little girl. The romance, the world-building, and the amazing characters are everything I want from an epic fantasy tale. When you get the first book, get the other two in the trilogy as well because you’re not going to want to stop between books.
An entertaining epic fantasy with a compelling protagonist and a fun, imaginative world. My one complaint? Despite gargoyles being mentioned repeatedly—in the artwork, in the gladiator ring, pulling the carriages—they were never once described! And you know I’m going to be picky about gargoyles! 😉
A fun and fast read that’s perfect for the post holiday slump. This is an epic fantasy to escape into, high on imaginative world building, great characters, and twisty plot.
Wow, I forgot how amazing this book was. I can’t believe I have been putting off rereading it.
Lady Everleigh (Evie) has been living at the palace since her parents were killed. She is seventeenth in line for the throne but is treated now better than a servant. They only pay attention to her when they need her to fill in for events for them. But things quickly go wrong during a large family event and her life changes forever.
This was an amazing and powerful start to a new series. Everything about this story was captivating and addicting. I couldn’t put it down. We have spoiled and greedy villian, gladiators, elemental abilities, magic, shapeshifters, and of course strong heroines. Jennifer Estep excels at writing amazing and strong female characters and she has knocked it out of the park with this one.
Evie was a fantastic character. We see her change and grow stronger so much throughout this book, especially mentally. She believes she is just another cog in the wheel of royal life until it all changes and she realizes she has to step up or things are going to get worse. She is reluctant to step back into royal life but she does it to protect the people. I loved how caring she was of others and how she was always willing to sacrifice herself for her friends.
This book is also filled with some great action and battle scenes. We have the gladiator fights, training, and of course the battle for the crown. This was a wonderful and captivating world, filled with strong characters with different kinds of magic. I really love all the different kinds of ways magic can manifest in people. There is also just a hint of romance in this book and I really hope we see more development of that in the next book.
If you like fantasy then I totally recommend this book. It was fantastic and captivating and makes me remember why I love fantasy novels.
Kill the Queen rocked my world! With court intrigue, a cast of fantastic characters, epic political sweep, and a slow-burn romance to die for, this book had me rapt. I only regret I devoured it so fast. And that I didn’t write it. More please!
A first in a new Fantasy series always has that unwelcome potential to be an information dump. When that happens the story seems to drag on and you don’t seem to make much progress. Now Kill the Queen is a completely different caliber. It’s addictive, fast paced and captivating. There is another thing that can slow a fantasy story down and that’s archaic language. Jennifer Estep’s first in this epic fantasy reads like a modern fantasy novel which is a welcome change.
Evie is a fantastic heroine. She starts out as a young woman who has accepted her fate as a permanent stand-in as cousin to the reigning queen. She has lost so much – her parents, her home, everything she loved. When she first arrived at the palace Seven Spires in the kingdom of Bellona, alone, sad, she finds a friend in the princess but it doesn’t take long until Vasilia betrays her and the whole kingdom. Evie’s cousin craves power and when her greed escalates Evie experiences violence like she has never known. So much violence.
Over the course of her journey she shows immense growth from the girl who keeps her head down to a self confident, strong woman who doesn’t mince words. But through all this she always has an air of kindness and the heart of a lioness. Courageous, cunning, loving, driven by revenge. Having never had real friends before, she craved nothing more than true friendship and there were some touching moments when she found it.
Fighting at her side is an array of colorful characters. Especially Lucas Sullivan who comes to mean more and more to Evie intrigues me. I loved Evie’s needling him but I have to say I wanted to kick him a little bit along the way too.
There are some inconsistencies that didn’t make complete sense but although I registered them I was so invested in the story that I didn’t mind.
KILL THE QUEEN is a solid action-packed first book in an epic fantasy series with a spectacular finale that will leave you whooping and cheering. The world is rich with adventure, magic and fantastical creatures, schemes at a royal court, sword fights, villains and characters who live by their own code of honor. What’s left is one question. When can I get the next book?
I enjoyed everything about this series, from the world to the characters. It is definitely something I will read again.
Loved it!
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep is my new latest obsession and I believe Evie is going to be one of my all time favorite heroines. She starts off seeming pretty weak and passive, but then steps up to the plate to train with the gladiators and kick ass. Her development from an overlooked member of the royal court to warrior was gradual and believable. I enjoyed actually seeing her train, get knocked down, and then stand back up to start again. The last fight scene was so immersive. There’s a lot of blood, killing, and darkness in this novel. I very much enjoyed the world Jennifer Estep has created and can’t wait to start the next book in the series.
A great fantasy read with a strong female growing into her power and a more than suitable hero to challenge her. Evie is seventeenth on line for the throne and used to being overlooked in the royal household with nothing but an enhanced sense of smell as a magical tool. This situation changes when on one terrible day her cousin, the crown Princess assassinates the Queen and all the other royals, except Evie. She escaped and joins a troop of gladiators and her life changes forever. Revenge is on her mind and the troop trainer, Lucas Sullivan challenges her in so many ways that she never expected.
I absolutely loved it. Whizzed through it in 1.5 days, because I couldn’t put it down. Very fresh new world that drew me in and I loved the journey of the heroine. Can’t wait to jump into the rest of the series!