Book Review : Crush the King by Jennifer Estep

Crush the King by Jennifer Estep

Series : A Crown of Shards #3
Genre : Fantasy Romance
Publisher : Harper Voyager
Publication Date : March 17th, 2020

A fierce gladiator queen must face off against her enemies in an epic battle in this next thrilling installment of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards series—an action-packed adventure full of magic, murderous machinations, courtly intrigue, and pulse-pounding romance.

Queen Everleigh Blair of Bellona has survived the mass murder of the royal family, become a fearsome warrior trained by an elite gladiator troupe, and unleashed her ability to destroy magic. After surviving yet another assassination attempt orchestrated by the conniving king of Morta, Evie has had enough. It’s time to turn the tables and take the fight to her enemies.

There is no better opportunity to strike than during the Regalia Games, a time when warriors, nobles, and royals from all the kingdoms come together to compete in various sporting events. With the help of her loyal friends, Evie goes on the attack at the Regalia, but things don’t turn out the way she hopes. Soon, she is facing a terrifying new threat, and she will have to dig deep and learn even more about her growing magic if she has any chance of defeating her foes.

Because to secure her throne and ensure her kingdom’s survival, Evie must think like a true Bellonan: she must outsmart and outwit her enemies . . . and crush the king.

Amazon

B&N

Apple

Kobo

This was an amazing conclusion to the Crown of Shards trilogy that started off with Kill the Queen! Jennifer Estep is well known for her YA and UF books, and her foray into the fantasy world has been equally interesting!

Evie has gone through so much and evolved from an orphan mutt to an astoundingly powerful Winter Queen! And she has an amazing inner circle to back her up too! This series has got lots of action, political intrigue, romance and amazing world-building! I've been waiting for the showdown between Maximus and Evie, and we finally get it in this book.

Maximus has caused a lot of grief to Evie and many others, but defeating him isn't easy as he's got his Bastard Brigade and a lot of magical power too. We get to find more about how he's accumulated this power and where the allegiances of his family members lie.

I think my favorite part of this series has been the character development of Evie and we get to see much she has matured. She has learned to play the court games and is ready to make some alliances and end the threat to her kingdom. The Regalia Games gives a perfect setting for all of this to happen.

I loved seeing Evie's friends back her up and help her with every step!

And though the romance between Evie and Sullivan has been the highlight of this series for me, in this book it was a little disappointing to see Sullivan fade into the background. I'd have loved to have seen more scenes of them working together and just being themselves, but I get why the focus was on Evie mainly as it was her turn to shine.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I do believe that the ending and the few loose ends leaves room for future spin-offs. Maeven might be a threat at any time in the future and we do not have any reasons for Seraphine's actions, so I'm hoping that we get to visit this world again!

*I was provided with an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. In addition to Kill the Queen and Protect the Prince, the first two novels in the Crown of Shards series, Jennifer is the author of the Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy, Black Blade, and Bigtime series.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram