Kill the Queen audiobook

❝ Summer queens are fine and fair, with pretty ribbons and flowers in their hair. Winter queens are cold and hard, with frosted crowns made of icy shards.❞ Hooking. Engaging. Gripping. Encompassing. I can cite the entire thesaurus, and the conclusion will still be the same: Jennifer Estep 's new high fantasy novel is wonderful!There is a nation founded on gladiator tradition. A ruthless heir who does not hesitate to plunge her country in bloodshed and mayhem to pursue her megalomania. Scheming foreign nobles who will stop at nothing to bring Bellona to its knees. And a neglected royal, the only one who can kill the queen.Have you ever experienced love at first site? It happens to me only as regards books, but I wouldn't like it otherwise. There was something about Kill the Queen that called to me ever since I laid my eyes on it, it was a beacon summoning my starving soul, which was aching for a good fantasy read, with solid world-building, intriguing magic system, scheming nobility, cunning villains and a dash of slow-burning romance. And I got everything I wanted, even though not in the way I expected.The truth is, I thought that the novel would start off with Evie being already in the arena, fighting as a gladiator, taking step after step in order to avenge her family, just like the blurb suggested. However, the first part of the book describes the day that led to the event, the massacre that changed everything, thus losing the element of surprise. Setting this aside, Kill the Queen was definitely an intense novel, one of those you read in one sitting and end up with dry eyes due to sleep deprivation. Kill the Queen is a character-driven fantasy, the development of the protagonist attesting to it. Once, she was a woman that learned to hold her tongue, to avoid standing out in order to prevent her nemesis' wrath from finding her. But after everything she loses, she discards lady Everleigh and embraces Evie, the gladiator, the Winter Queen everyone seems bent on murdering. Following a path of blood and loss, Evie claims her destiny in an exciting fantasy saga that left me begging for more, for various reasons.One of them being Sullivan.While the first instalment of Crown of Shards is not heavy on romance, there is a man with a grip on Evie's heart. They have a rocky start, and Sullivan is not exactly polite or kind, but they fight and clash with a searing intensity that will probably kill me until they end up together. Because they have to, right Jennifer? Right?To sum up, Kill the Queen delivers on many levels, and my grabby hands ache to meet Protect the Prince.

I enjoyed this book very much! The characters and world were very engaging and I want to read the next book. My only complaint was the fact that the back cover copy pretty much gives away what happens in the first third of the book. Even Part 1 is titled "The Royal Massacre" so this isn't a spoiler. And knowing what was going to happen made the first third anticlimactic with no surprises so all the clues that "something isn't quite right" didn't increase the tension for me. Parts 2 and 3 were wonderful and I think the book could have started at Part 2. Mostly the editor writes the cover copy for the book - mine always does and then I get to edit my editor, which is fun. But I'm not sure if all authors are able to provide input. The second book is coming out in April (I think) and while I plan to get a copy, I'll make sure not to read the cover copy this time :)

Breath-taking! White Knuckle Reading! Epic Fantasy at its finest! Estep rocks the epic fantasy genre with Kill the Queen and I can't wait for PROTECT THE PRINCE! I'm sure I'll want to re-read it at least once more before then...It is that AMAZING! This is going to the top of my list of favorite fantasy reads 2018.I received this ARC copy of Kill the Queen from HarperCollins - Harper Voyager. This is my honest and voluntary review. Kill the Queen is set for publication October 2, 2018.My Rating: 5 stars FavoriteWritten by: Jennifer EstepSeries: A Crown of Shards Novel Sequence in Series: Book 1Paperback: 480 pagesPublisher: Harper Voyager Publication Date: October 2, 2018ISBN-10: 0062797611ISBN-13: 978-0062797612Genre: FantasyAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Queen-Cro...Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kill...Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kill...Want more check us out on Tome Tender Book Blog or on Facebook

READ MY REVIEW ON THE BLOG A first in a new Fantasy series always has that unwelcome potential to be an information dump. When that happens the story seems to drag on and you don't seem to make much progress. Now Kill the Queen is a completely different caliber. It's addictive, fast paced and captivating. There is another thing that can slow a fantasy story down and that's archaic language. Jennifer Estep's first in this epic fantasy reads like a modern fantasy novel which is a welcome change.Evie is a fantastic heroine. She starts out as a young woman who has accepted her fate as a permanent stand-in as cousin to the reigning queen. She has lost so much - her parents, her home, everything she loved. When she first arrived at the palace Seven Spires in the kingdom of Bellona, alone, sad, she finds a friend in the princess but it doesn't take long until Vasilia betrays her and the whole kingdom. Evie's cousin craves power and when her greed escalates Evie experiences violence like she has never known. So much violence.Over the course of her journey she shows immense growth from the girl who keeps her head down to a self confident, strong woman who doesn't mince words. But through all this she always has an air of kindness and the heart of a lioness. Courageous, cunning, loving, driven by revenge. Having never had real friends before, she craved nothing more than true friendship and there were some touching moments when she found it.Fighting at her side is an array of colorful characters. Especially Lucas Sullivan who comes to mean more and more to Evie intrigues me. I loved Evie's needling him but I have to say I wanted to kick him a little bit along the way too.There are some inconsistencies that didn't make complete sense but although I registered them I was so invested in the story that I didn't mind.KILL THE QUEEN is a solid action-packed first book in an epic fantasy series with a spectacular finale that will leave you whooping and cheering. The world is rich with adventure, magic and fantastical creatures, schemes at a royal court, sword fights, villains and characters who live by their own code of honor. What's left is one question. When can I get the next book? “To the end?” “To the end,” they all murmured in unison.

Kill the Queen by Jennifer EstepFantastic. Engaging. Women gladiators and magic.Fantasy that once it got going, didn’t stop until the very end. Loved it.A little slow to start. First in a series. If I could, I would immediately start the second which is very out of the norm for me.Yes, lots of battles and killing which is also typically a negative for me. And the villain has no remorse as she slaughtered dozens. The heroine kills as well (certainly not as many) but is full of remorse and disgust when it happens. Love this author and can’t wait to read the next.

Kill the Queen was full of action, with an unlikely heroine who turned out to be fierce and powerful. I enjoyed it very much.Evie, the main character, was an orphan and 17 in line to the throne. She was not a contender for the throne and could barely tolerate palace politics and all the pettiness that comes with it. Then, in just a day, the crown princess massacred every royal, so she could claim the throne without anyone to challenge her in the future. It would have worked, except Evie had a rare type of magic that saved her life and allowed her to escape. She still wanted nothing to do with the throne, but she can't run away forever, and allow her mad cousin to plunge the country into a pointless war, that will claim a lot of innocent lives.This book was engrossing, fun, and exciting. I especially loved that it was packed full of fierce and strong female characters. Five stars.

It truly is hard to put down any book Estep writes but I have to say, Kill The Queen is one that was impossible to put down. From the very first few bloody chapters right up until the spectacular ending, I knew that this was going to be a series I wanted, no, needed, more of. Right from the beginning this screams Estep with the classic allure of both food references and bloody fight scenes along with a strong female MC that you just know is going to kick butt and take names along the way. I absolutely adored not only the originality in this but the pure awesomeness of, well, everything. The setting has this almost historic fantasy feel to it that sets it apart from others in the genre. With a flare of magic and adventure it really was so very hard to resist. I am on edge for the next book to see where it will go from here. *ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. Jennifer writes the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series. Kill the Queen, book #1, will be released on Oct. 2.The Crown of Shards series focuses on Everleigh Blair, a member of the royal family who is distantly in line for the throne of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. But when the unthinkable happens, Evie finds herself fighting for her life—both inside and outside the gladiator arena. SYNOPSISThe thrilling first novel in the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series combines magic, murder, and adventure when an unlikely member of the royal family suddenly becomes a contender in a clash for the crown . . .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 combat, 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. "5- I dance to a different beat- Stars!"Just...WOW!I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could!This book was an incredible story of lies, treachery, deceit, and hidden agendas. There were so many twists and turns and unexpected circumstances and secrets that were wonderfully executed and beautifully revealed at the end. This story had an amazing ensemble of characters who played their roles perfectly and flawlessly right till the bitter end.It was all about the long game, and if there was anything Evie learned from living in the shadow of the castle for fifteen years, it was that she learned how to execute her long game exquisitely.Evie was an amazing character to read about and she developed beautifully through the story.I loved how she found her voice, courage, and strength to stand up and be the person... the leader she was meant to be and finally say "no more".Great story and an amazing start to a new series!EXCERPTTwo hours later, I poured the last of the cranberry-apple filling into the final pie crust, then reached for the orange flakes.“Whether you’re a cook master or not, the secret is not to overdo the orange,” Isobel instructed, the same way she had on the previous pies. “Most people shake the flakes on like they’re common salt. But too much orange, and that’s all you’ll taste. So go around the pie once, gently tapping on the jar three times with your index finger. That’s the perfect amount.”I did as she said, watching the tiny, delicate granules melt into the fruit filling like perfumed snowflakes. Then I drew in a deep breath, letting the air roll in over my tongue and tasting all the scents in it. The buttery crust, the sugary fruit, the hint of orange that curled through it all. Delicious aromas that would bubble up and become even more pronounced, fragrant, and intense as this pie and the others baked.Despite my own condescending view of my mutt magic, my enhanced sense of smell was one of the reasons why I had always gravitated toward Isobel and the kitchen. All the sweet scents here made the bitter reality of my life a little easier to bear.“Perfect! That’s my girl.” Isobel beamed at me, and I smiled back at her.She arranged a few strips of crust on top of the filling, creating a pretty lattice pattern, then slid the pie into the oven. Isobel had taken pity and had helped me make the pie crusts, although she had insisted on my preparing the cranberry-apple filling, orange flakes and all, claiming that it was the most important part.I often helped Isobel, as I enjoyed spending time with her, and the kitchen was a welcome refuge from other, less-friendly sections of the palace. She had slowly turned me into a decent cook, despite my not being a master. But after making so many pies in a row, I had all the ingredients, measurements, and motions memorized, and I felt like I could craft them in my sleep now. Just as I could bow, curtsy, dance, and make polite, inane chitchat in several languages. And those were just some of the many trivial skills that I’d learned as the unofficial royal stand-in.While Queen Cordelia and the rest of my Blair cousins were dealing with ambassadors and the like, I was attending all the functions they could not, due to their oh-so-important and exceedingly busy schedules.Breakfast recitals, charity luncheons, afternoon teas. I went to all those and more every week, both here at the palace and out in the city. Most of the time, it wasn’t so bad. Usually, all I had to do was smile, nod, and shake hands, along with thanking people for their time, admiring their music, artwork, or goods, and giving short and exceptionally vague speeches about how disappointed Queen Cordelia was that she couldn’t attend herself. At the very least, I almost always got a free meal out of the proceedings.ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jennifer is also the author of the Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy, Bigtime, and Black Blade fantasy series. For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit www.jenniferestep.com or follow Jennifer on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter. You can also sign up for her newsletter.Website: http://www.jenniferestep.com/ Blog: http://www.jenniferestep.com/blog/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferEstep... Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Jennifer_Estep (@Jennifer_Estep)Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...Newsletter signup: http://www.jenniferestep.com/contact-... "I voluntarily read an ARC of this book."

This is the first book I read from this author because I think the others were NA/YA and that's not for me.Also, I'm not overly fond of 1st person narrative, but in this case it worked very, very well!Anyhow, I liked it very much!The action is logical and the heroine, Evie, is excellent! She's intelligent. At the beginning she's repressing her nature because she knows that if she doesn't she'll be putting herself in harm's way. But, when all hell's been loosen, and she's left alone and without anything, she knows that keeping her indentity's secret is the best way to survive.She listenes and evaluates everything and reacts, for the first time in her life, freely. She's not repressing herself anymore. She replies to taunts with quick wit. And she demands the respect she's due. I liked her reasoning and her willingness to work hard for herself!The story is very inetersting and the secondary characters are interesting as well. They're also keeping secrects of their own, but Evie is smart enough to discover them one by one. Obviously, she doesn't have enough informations to understand all of their secrets, but she learned her lesson very well during her life on court to know that you cannot just blindly trust the first person who acts freindly. I appreciated her caution.There's almost no romance in this book. Just a hint of ineterst between Evie and Sullivan that I hope will be developed in the next book/s.I also loved that the action is strong and interwoven with clever use of magic and lore. There was a slightly unbelievable fact about Evie becoming a very acomplished gladiator/warrior in a very short time, but, hey, this is fiction so I accepted it.I'm really looking forward to the next book and hope it will live up to this one!

I'm just thrilled to welcome Jennifer Estep to the Fantasy Romance Dark Side. She brought the BEST FREAKING COOKIES! She's calling it epic fantasy, but I think the romance - a sizzling, very slow burn, as in, you don't even get a kiss, people - is too delicious not to mention. Her heroine is awesome, storytelling flawless. Great characters and conflict. I devoured it over the weekend which I now bitterly regret because I wish I could be still reading it.Cannot wait to get my mitts on the sequel: PROTECT THE PRINCE.(Oh yeah, I'll help. SIGN ME UP TO BE BODYGUARD)

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.This was a fantastic story! As soon as I saw this book online, I knew that I wanted to read it. Since this book is the beginning of a brand new series, I was really excited to give it a try. I did have a bit of a slow start with this book but that had everything to do with me and nothing to do with the book because the book was great. Once I had some time to dedicate to reading, I ended up devouring the bulk of this book in a single day. This was a story that grabbed me and didn't want to let go.Lady Everleigh's life is about to change. She lives in the royal court and is actually seventeenth in line for the throne but she is treated rather poorly. She is often the token royal sent to do the things that more important royals don't want to do like bake pies or learn complicated dances. Things go horribly wrong at an event at the palace and soon Everleigh is more focused on survival than anything else.I try to go into books as blindly as possible and I don't think I even read the entire summary for this book before I got started with it. I do recommend going into this one blindly because I think that the book's summary gives a whole lot away. I was completely shocked by some of the turns this book took which I think added to my enjoyment. I thought that Everleigh was a fantastic character. I loved how much growth we saw in her over the course of the story. She starts out knowing her place in the world and just trying to do what was expected of her to the best of her ability. She proves to be quite resourceful and has a lot of strength she didn't know she had. Even at her toughest, she never stopped thinking about others and was willing to make huge sacrifices in order to protect those she cared about. This book had a lot going for it. There are some pretty intense action scenes that really kept the excitement level high. I thought that the world building was very well done and loved all of the different ways that magic could manifest in an individual. I thought that the relationships between the characters were very well done and felt quite authentic. I liked that there is just a hint of romance worked into the story. I would highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy or urban fiction. I thought that this book was a fantastic story filled with a lot of action and characters that I grew to care about. I can't wait to read more from this wonderful series!I received a digital review copy of this book from Harper Voyager via Edelweiss.Initial ThoughtsThis was really good! I kind of had a slow start with this one but that had everything to do with my life and nothing to do with the book. Once I had the chance to really sit down and read, I didn't want to put this book down for a moment. I just loved the characters and thought that the world-building was very well done. There was plenty of action to keep the story moving forward. I can't wait to read more from the series.