PROTECT THE PRINCE (CROWN OF SHARDS #2)

Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.

First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.

Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.

But dark forces are at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is safe. Worse, Evie’s immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes her wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.

But Evie’s magic, life, and crown aren’t the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king’s bastard son and Evie’s . . . well, Evie isn’t quite sure what Sullivan is to her.

Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen…

Release Date: July 2, 2019

Harper Voyager

Crown of Shards #2

Epic Fantasy

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Protect the Prince is the second book in the Crown of Shards series from Jennifer Estep, and picks up right where Kill the Queen left off. Everleigh/Evie Blair is one of the Winter Blairs which makes her a winter queen, and Evie is still trying to figure out what being a Winter Queen really means as the book opens. Evie has such a big heart and truly wants to take care of the people in Bellona, though she really doesn't enjoy the politics that goes along with being Queen.

I really enjoyed getting to spend more time with Evie and all of her friends. I loved that she decided to visit Andvari to try and align their kingdoms for the future. Lucas Sullivan/Sully, who Evie has a complicated relationship with, is in fact the bastard son of the Andvarian king. Evie does in fact continue to have to deal with the Bastards Brigade of Morta trying to kill her along with members of the Andvarian royal line. I loved the intrigue, action, and the romance of this story so very much. I will say I figured out the spy in Andvari pretty early on in the story and wondered how Evie missed so many of the signs, and could only figure it was because she was so biased about another character.

I saw so much growth of Evie's character from the start of this series until the end of this book. She seems much more willing to listen to others and has finally started to understand more about her magic. I also loved the romance that had been building between Evie and Sully from the first time they met. Evie has to make some pretty tough choices in this book to make sure she takes care of her kingdom, and I was so afraid it would destroy everything between Evie and Sully. I feel like her plan totally could have backfired on her had she not had so many of her friends watching her back.

Evie continued to communicate with Maeven, who is Mortan and I feel like she will play a very big role in the third book in this series. There is just too much left unfinished between Evie and Maeven for it not to be important for the next book. Protect the Prince left me wanting more in the best way possible. I can't wait to see where Ms. Estep takes us with the third book in this trilogy.

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

KILL THE QUEEN (CROWN OF SHARDS #1)

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.

Release Date: October 2, 2018

Harper Voyager

Crown of Shards #1

Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Kill the Queen is the first book in the new Crown of Shards series from Jennifer Estep. Jennifer Estep has been a go-to author for me for Urban Fantasy/Fantasy books from the moment I first read her books, and I have to sayKill the Queen was another winner.

Jennifer Estep has a talent for writing kickass heroines, and she did so in spades with Lady Everleigh. I will say that much like Evie herself, I found myself seeing Lady Everleigh as Evie from the very beginning of the  book. Evie has never seen herself as strong thanks to years of abuse from her cousin Vasilia and all of her friends. However, if there is one thing Evie is, it is a survivor. She survived the assassination of her parents as a young child, and then the mass assassination of the Queen and the rest of the royal family by her cousin Vasilia. The one secret Evie's mother had her keep to herself was her immunity to magic, which ends up being the only thing that saves her life in the attack.

As this is the first book in the series, there is much world building in this book, yet it wasn't overwhelming or detracting from the story, though the book did move a little slowly in the beginning. Part of what I love about each series from Jennifer Estep is the fact that her heroines have such character growth in each book. Evie really does start out as a wallflower in Kill the Queen, yet start to grow into her strength the longer she is on the run. When Kill the Queen begins, and even soon after Evie escapes, she is still hiding her true self and her strengths. 

I really felt like we just started to see the beginnings for Evie's true potential in Kill the Queen. Not only do I want to see what happens next with Evie, but so many of the other characters we met in this first book. I also want to know more about the various kingdoms and how each one will tie into the series overall. While I feel like the Crown of Shards series will mostly focus on Evie, I feel like along the way we will learn more about both her friends and enemies and I can't wait to see where Ms. Estep takes us next.

Rating: 4 Stars (B)