Rating: 4⭐️
I’d heard Jennifer Estep’s novels and series recommended highly and decided that her Crown of Shards would be a good place to start exploring her writing. It’s more recent release than some other series. It’s a magical fantasy universe. Unlike her earlier contemporary action thriller series that began in 2010 where elements of that social era seep into narratives of the time.
I liked Kill The Queen. It has great drama, with the Queen, the Royal family and court being massacred at the start of the novel. No spoilers. That’s part of the description.
The surviving royal family member, a former nondescript woman of no magical powers, Evie Blair, fled to the gladiator troop run by a old friend of the betrayed Queen. There she finds herself with a found family, training and the skills she needs to survive and revenge the massacre of her family.
It’s a terrific story with lots of action and interesting characters. The gladiator group is very believable and engaging. And their outfits are imaginative.
But it has its issues. The magical system isn’t really given much of a structure. It’s just “there”. One person can shoot lightning sort of thing.
And the romance aspect is really flawed. It’s a instalove relationship but without any chemistry or foundation. Estep wants the reader to believe that Evie, who’s been through a traumatic childhood, then an even more devastating loss of family by massacre, then survival by gladiators now finds herself in love with someone she barely knows. She trusts no one really. But this?
It’s not credible and loses much of its appeal for strength of the character.
She’s also supposed to be driven by a cold rage that dominates her personality, an aspect of her character we rarely see here.
I did find her and her journey entertaining reading but remained aware of the issues of the narrative. Something that doesn’t happen when I’m fully engaged in the storyline.
I’ll probably pick up the rest of the series eventually. For me, this was good but not great.
Btw, the description say Gladiator meets Game of Thrones which had me laughing. These over the top blurbs really need to stop with this type of thing. Just describe your story and leave it at that. Cause no. It’s not.
Yay for Queen Evie. *giggles *
Map designed by Virginia Norey
Title page art © mashakotcur/Shutterstock, Inc.
Cover design by Alicia Tatone
Cover art by Tony Mauro
A Crown of Shards series:
Kill the Queen #1
Protect the Prince #2
Crush the King #3
Buy link
Blurb
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.
Publisher
Harper Voyager
Publication date
October 2, 2018
Language
English
Print length
483 pages
Book 1 of 3
The First Crown of Shards Epic Fantasy – A Gladiator’s Reven
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 