Kill the Queen
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4.1 • 36 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the entertaining first installment of Estep's epic fantasy series, Lady Everleigh Violet Winter Blair, 17th in line for the throne of Bellona, goes from nondescript pawn to significant player in royal intrigue. When Queen Cordelia's daughter, Vasilia, viciously slaughters the queen and most of the royal family in a genuinely horrific scene, Everleigh barely escapes, carrying proof of Vasilia's treachery. Going by Evie, she joins up with the queen's former personal guard, Serilda Swanson, and her gladiatorial troupe, hoping to enlist her help in taking down Vasilia but Serilda has her own plans. Although Evie's time with the troupe does give her some skills, it doesn't transform her into an unstoppable fighting machine; instead, she relies on her unusual immunity to magic and ability to neutralize it in others, along with an enhanced sense of smell. The worldbuilding feels scant, but Estep (the Elemental Assassin series) knows her way around a fight scene (and a dance scene). There are hints of romance and a refreshing focus on female friendship. Readers will want to see brave Evie stop the cruel warmonger Vasilia, and will look forward to the next chapter in her story.
Customer Reviews
Estep’s signature elemental magic
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.