Revenge is sweet in "Kill the Queen" by Jennifer Estep

I haven't been so engrossed in a fantasy book like this in a long time. The first book in the Crown of Shards series by Jennifer Estep is an exciting story of an underdog royal set on revenge against her cruel cousin, the queen.

If you like The Cruel Prince by Holly Black or Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, then you'll definitely like this book. There's political intrigue, magical powers and gladiator death matches. The plots coalesce into this action-packed story with scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Haven’t read the Crown of Shards series yet? Get them on Book Depository!

1. Kill the Queen  
2. Protect the Prince (Pre-order 2019) 
3. Crush the King (Coming in 2020?)

3 Highlights of "Kill the Queen"

#1 Story Structure

I found this book in my Amazon recommendations and the title intrigued me. "Kill the Queen" is a very strong title. It immediately implies action and I was totally up for an action-packed fantasy adventure. The first part of the book was called "The Royal Massacre". At first, I felt like both of them were spoilers. But, as I continued to read, it felt more and more like a deliberate attempt to build tension. 

And Ms. Estep was successful! Because as I was meeting people in the first few chapters, especially Evie's mother figure, Isobel, I dreaded what I knew was coming. I wondered about which characters would be killed off and stopped myself from caring too much about it them. It didn't matter; I still couldn't help but care for them as Evie did. 

Vasilia, the crown princess and usurper of the throne, plotted to kill everyone in her family so she could finally rule as queen. She was the bad guy in this story and I truly feared she would somehow escape and that we would not get to see Evie kill her. We did, though. Vasilia died in the end and it was one of the most satisfying scenes in the book. I loved that the book delivered on its promise.

Also, the last sentence of the book is "kill the queen" and I thought that was just so good!

#2 Evie

Lady Everleigh Saffira Winter Blair - such a badass name! - is an underdog and you can't help but root for her. When she was a child, her parents were murdered. She came to the palace as an orphan looking for a place to belong. But when people found out that she had no magic, except for her extraordinary sense of smell, no one wanted to associate with her. At least, none of her family (other royals) did.

They were all wrong, of course. Because Evie is hiding her power. She is immune to magic which means that she can snuff out other people's magic as though dozing a fire. Her parents encouraged her to hide her abilities so she wouldn't be used as a tool for nefarious purposes. The secrecy came in handy because it's the reason she survived the massacre.

She seeks refuge within a gladiator troupe where she learns how to fight and finally makes real friends. I loved that she still desperately wants to belong. Seeing that vulnerability in contrast with her cold rage, her ruthless desire to destroy her cousin, makes me want to root for her to succeed. 

I like that she was bitchy. I like that she was kind. I like that she consistently chose to save other people despite the danger to herself. And I love that she's a badass fighter who wins because of smarts.

#3 Romance (or lack thereof)

I really admire the restraint of the author when it came to the romance department. I, obviously, love to read romance books and I looked forward to the romance between Evie and Lucas "Sully" Sullivan, the bastard son of the Andavarian King who is also a member of the gladiator troupe. But nothing happened. Both parties showed interest and willingness to pursue a physical relationship, if not a romantic one. But neither party acted on it because of royal duties.

While this frustrated me as the reader, I recognize the once again the deliberate repression. Because it makes me want to read the sequel even more!

As a romantic partner, I'm not head over heels about Lucas yet. I think the first book did a good job in establishing that romantic interest and the physical attraction. But as far as "love" is concerned, we're not there yet. It just means there's more to look forward to in the next book.

Thoughts about the Sequels

We already know that the sophomore title will be Protect the Prince and the final book will be Crush the King. I'm thinking that the sequel will be about an Andavarian Prince. I'm not sure if it's referring to Lucas because why would he need to be protected? Is he now the heir? Can bastard princes be heirs? Is he secretly the actual Prince Friedrich who was killed in the massacre? 

What? Stranger things have happened!

The final book, Crush the King, is probably about the Mortan King. Morta seems to be the belligerent kingdom who wants to conquer all. I have a feeling that they have some beef against Evie's ancestor, the Winter Queen who defeated the Mortans and established Bellona.

Speaking of Winter Queens, we still don't know what it means. I know it's gonna be badass because Evie's ability to suppress magic is already super cool. I'm thinking she might upgrade her magic as the series continues. Personally, I think it will be great to see Evie neutralize others' magic without even touching them. Now, that's badass!

We also need to find out what happened to Evie's parents. They were murdered for a reason. The Mortans were probably behind it. For some unknown reason, they're targeting the Winter Blair line. Something about their power must be a threat to the Mortans' plan to rule the world. Maybe they've been slowly but surely eliminating their line as it's the only thing that could stop them.

Bah! I can't wait to read the next book!