Jennifer Estep

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.

Kill the Queen

Die Splitterkrone 1

Josephine 

Seit langem habe ich kein Buch mehr gelesen, dass mich so wenig überzeugen konnte wie dieses. Ich habe zwei Wochen an dem Buch gelesen und bin trotzdem nur bis knapp über die Hälfte gekommen, bevor ich es abgebrochen habe.
 Die Grundidee an sich fand ich super, aber die Umsetzung...
 Mein größtes Problem mit diesem Buch war unsere Protagonistin Evie. Ab Seite 100 hat sie in nahezu jedem Kapitel davon geredet, was für eine krasse und tolle Charakterentwicklung sie durchgemacht hat und das die "alte" Everleigh das nie getan hätte, aber für die "neue" Evie alles kein Problem ist. Im Allgemeinen hatte ich das Gefühl die Geschichte einer 16-jährigen auf Krawall gebürsteten Jugendlichen zu lesen, die noch dazu absolut kein Talent dafür hat sich Beleidigungen auszudenken, aber trotzdem denkt sie wäre der größte Gangster, und nicht die Geschichte der 28-jährigen Frau, die sie angeblich sein soll.
Noch dazu fand ich, dass alles etwas zu doll zu Evies Gunsten gelaufen ist. Nur um ein Beispiel zu nennen: Königin Cordelias letzte Worte sind, dass Evie zu Serilda Swanson gehen soll, da diese ihr helfen wird. Evie wird von Vasilia aus dem Palast katapultiert (wortwörtlich), sie landet in einem Wald und zufällig zu dem Zeitpunkt in dem sie die Stadt erreicht, findet gerade eine kostenlose(!) Show der Gladiatorengruppe von Serilda Swanson statt. 
Im Englischen wurde mit dem Satz "Gladiator meets Game of Thrones" für das Buch Werbung gemacht und das finde ich dann schon sehr, sehr übertrieben, da dies für mich bedeuten würde, dass mich eine actionreiche, spannende Geschichte erwartet, die mit einer toughen und coolen Protagonistin Punkten kann. Das tut dieses Buch aber nicht! Everleigh wurde nur in der Gladiatorengruppe aufgenommen, weil sie gute Apfelkuchen backen kann und das sagt für mich schon vieles über diese Geschichte aus.

Grace O'Callaghan

When Lady Everleigh witnesses the massacre of the royal family of Bellona, she barely makes it out alive. Given another chance at life she vows to get revenge for those who lost their lives by training with the best gladiator troupe in the country.

Despite me only rating this three stars, it was compulsively readable. It was just so easy to fall into and was just an entertaining read.

I enjoyed Lady Everleigh okay. She’s a pretty standard fantasy heroine, nothing dislikeable but nothing that makes you really warm to her. Her character arc of learning to fight and becoming strong is one I’ve seen before but was still fun to read about. I will say that it was a bit too on the nose as we are in her point of view she’s constantly telling us how much she’s changed which got a bit annoying.

The romantic subplot was my favourite thing about the book. It’s a classic snarky dynamic which I eat up. Sullivan is the brooding fighter while Everleigh is the sassy heroine. Not too much romance happens in this book which is why I like it because I can tell it’s going to be a slow burner. That is what my angsty heart needs right now. It’s for that reason alone I’ll probably continue with the series.

The plot left a little something to be desired. I could pretty much call what was going to happen beat for beat. It some senses it was a comforting read because of this, but it doesn’t exactly stand out from the genre. The same could be said for the worldbuilding, it was just pretty basic.

I do think this would be a good book for YA fantasy readers who are intimidated by adult fantasy. This one’s easy to comprehend but does have some more gruesome scenes than YA does.

All in all, while not bringing anything new to the genre, I still enjoyed this for its comfort and readability.

Nickie Mohler

I really enjoyed this book. It was somewhat predictable at times, but I still thought it was great.

Everleigh is part of the royal family. But, since she's seventeenth in line for the throne, she might as well be a servant. She gets the same amount of respect as a servant most of the time.
She attends whatever functions the Queen sends her to, and tries to attract as little attention as possible.

When the Queen decides it's time to marry off her hateful daughter Vasilia, everyone must be there for the announcement. Vasilia has other ideas. Not only does she refuse the marriage, she kills her would-be fiance, , everyone in her family, and all those in attendance. Well, almost everyone. Everleigh manages to escape and goes into hiding until she can figure out a way to avenge the Queen.

I'm excited for the next book. I loved these characters.

Totally Addicted to Reading

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.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Jennifer Estep (Touch of Frost), Kill the Queen follows Evie, or Lady Everleigh, as she deals with all of the aftermath of the Princess, her cousin, killing the Queen, Evie’s other cousin.

This novel was really interesting because of the characters and plots drove that. The writing was very… repetitive. And read a lot like YA (not surprising, given her other work). If you can’t deal with those – or random cussing that just feels unnecessary, I would recommend you don’t read this.
 
The other thing to note is that this is the first novel in the Crown of Shards series (currently a trilogy, and I think it will stay that way), and while this novel doesn’t have any adult bits (other than a lot of violence and blood), the next two books DEFINITELY do.

Okay, the good things. The plot, and how the past plays into the present, very much feels like something that could happen and falls in line with the kind of plotting people are actually capable of.

The characters? I loved them all. Evie is an interesting character that is surprisingly devious and loyal to the duty of her family. Those are really the character traits to keep in mind as you work through this series. She isn’t a bad person, but she looks at the world in a very real way.
 
Sully, Lucas Sullivan, is fantastic. Honestly, I think he is the most interesting character and clearly the love interest. He is reason enough to keep going through the series. He is the enforcer at a certain gladiator group, and he really helps to push the story as well as the other characters on. And, I mean, who doesn’t like a tall guy with devastating blue eyes?

Another thing that this series does well, is giving a good reason to read the next one.

The world itself is interesting though a bit confusing. There is never a section that does a great job of laying everything out. Bellona (Evie’s country) was founded by a gladiator, and therefore everyone learns how to fight and gladiators are huge, including black ring matches where someone will die. With this, one of the downfalls is that they don’t have Evie as a semi-decent fighter. Even if you are bad, you’ll at least be able to handle a weapon if you have been training for over 15 years.
 
Overall, this was a fun book to read, and the series (yes, there will be more reviews) was decent. If you enjoy blood and fighting and gladiators, you will likely enjoy this if you can deal with the repetition within the writing.

Ally Wagner

Jessica Nottingham

This was pretty much a perfect book for me, dear friends. In fact, it was perfect to the point that my headphones died with only 3 minutes left to go in the audio version, and I audibly yelled at them. You know those endings that make you feel just a little more powerful, and all but push you into buying the next book in the series? That's Kill The Queen. Consider yourself warned that is one addictive read.

I can't praise Estep enough for the character that she's created in Evie. My favorite characters are always the ones who rise up from the ashes, reluctantly, and claim what is rightfully theirs. Friends, this is Evie through and through. Her persona at the beginning of the book was so much different from the one presented at the end of the book. However, at her core, she was still Evie. She was still kind, still always thinking of others, still full of quiet strength. I adored that she didn't completely morph but, instead, became the most powerful version of herself possible. I cheered for her. I cried for her. I was so in love with her character that I couldn't stand it. Remember how I said that I needed the next book in the series, stat? This is why.

That's not to say that the plot isn't absolutely excellent as well. In fact, the amount of tension that is slowly ramped up in this story is breathtaking. From the first line, I was hooked. Court intrigue, bloody coups, and the perfect amount of simmering possible romance touch each and everyone one of these pages. Between reading a print copy, and listening to the audio book, there were so many times that my hands were clenched and I was breathless with anticipation. Readers, you will find yourself so immersed in Evie's world, so a part of the little family that she finds for herself, that I promise you'll be reluctant to let go at the end. Thank goodness that there is another book, because I'm already missing my new friends.

Outstanding female relationships, realistic self growth, and perfectly tempered romances are just some of the wonderful things that you'll find within these pages. If you love Fantasy, and are looking for something new to get lost in that already has a sequel out, Kill The Queen needs to be next on your list. I loved this book so very much. Time to see what happens next!

Kaylee Z

I binged this trilogy back-to-back and I am genuinely sad that it’s over. There seems to be whispers of a potential spin-off series though so I will definitely be keeping me ear to the ground for when those come out. That being said, I would stick with Evie’s story for several more books if I could.

One of my favourite things about this series is that it focuses on Evie and her journey. Yes there are side characters (who are great by the way) and yes there is a hint of romance but that’s not the point and none of it will get in the way of Evie saving Bellona. This book was refreshing for me in the sense that it gave us a lead who grew up knowing she was of the royal family but being so far down the line that it would be near impossible for her to take the throne. This meant that Evie starts out pretty well set with her lot in life and plans to leave the kingdom and live the rest of her life in peace until she gets thrust into a situation she never would have anticipated. It really gave a wonderful starting point for her and it’s a plot point that I don’t see very often. 

The inclusion of the importance of gladiators to the Bellonans was also so much fun! I wish that Estep got a bit more gritty with this side of things though because I feel it could have been darker and more visceral to give us more of a payoff with certain outcomes (trying to be vague and avoid spoilers here!). Some of it felt a bit too easy but the overall idea and purpose came through well enough.

Another interesting element to this story are the side characters. There are a very specific few that we tend to always hear from within Evie’s inner circle which seemed like missed opportunities to add new characters and dynamics but we pretty much stick with the same core group. I know this is common in books but for some reason I really made note of it in this one (books and series in particular). It isn’t often that I’m so aware of always hearing from the same people. That being said, I really enjoyed all of the characters that Estep created. I don’t think there was one that I felt was unnecessary or jarringly out of place. And, let’s be honest, Sully was always a treat to hear from.

Overall, this is a story about finding your voice and strength and fighting for the good of the kingdom. Evie’s growth was great to watch unfold and I quickly learned that ‘basic girl fashion’ totally works in a fantasy setting too! Haha seriously though, EVERYONE wears leggings, tunics and boots in this world.

Im Königreich Bellona bestimmen die magischen Fähigkeiten einer jeden Person über deren Ansehen und Rang. Da die junge Lady Everleigh anscheinend über keinerlei Magie verfügt, verbringt sie die meiste Zeit in den Schatten des königlichen Hofs. Üblicherweise wird sie vom restlichen Adel übersehen und vergessen. Doch dunkle Mächte arbeiten innerhalb des Palasts. Als Everleighs Cousine, die Kronprinzessin Vasilia, ihre Mutter ermordet und den Thron besteigt, verändert sich alles. Evie selbst kann Vasilias Anschlag nur dank ihrer geheimen Fähigkeit entkommen – sie ist immun gegen Magie, die auf sie gerichtet wird. Auf ihrer Flucht stößt Evie auf den berüchtigten Gladiator Lucas Sullivan, einem mächtigen Magier, den ein Geheimnis umgibt ...

Kill the Queen

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