Review: Crush the King by Jennifer Estep

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.

CRUSH THE KING by JENNIFER ESTEP

Series: Crown of Shards #3

Publication date: March 17, 2020

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Genre: adult fantasy

 

SYNOPSIS

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.

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Praise for Crush the King:
"Estep knows how to create strong and relatable fantasy female leads. Evie's rise into her power in deeds and magic is a fabulous, inspiring read. Solid writing, bold characters, and action-filled sequences create an exciting finish for this trilogy."
-- "Library Journal"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin codenamed the Spider who can control the elements of Ice and Stone. When she’s not busy killing people and righting wrongs, Gin runs a barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit in the fictional Southern metropolis of Ashland. The city is also home to giants, dwarves, vampires, and elementals – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone.

You can find her on:

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REVIEW

Crush the King by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Evie has evolved so much from book one that it's like she's been reborn into the bolder, fiercer woman she was meant to be. Once she existed in the shadows, simply trying to blend into the background to keep from becoming a target. In the second installment, she had an adjustment period where she settled into being the new queen. In Crush the King, all of Evie's preparations and plans will now be put to the test. Maeven isn't the only enemy she has, in fact, the king of Morta and the DiLucri family pose the biggest threat to her safety. We all know that the Mortans have been attempting to kill the Blairs in order to take the kingdom of Bellona. The DiLucri's are far less transparent, but whatever the reasons for their attacks, it seems to be far more sinister than Evie anticipates.

Evie is inundated with assassination attempts in this book. It seems like it's a constant stream coming from every direction, but since the massacre of her family, she's worked hard to be prepared to fight for her life at a moment's notice. And fight she does. Her large group of friends and protectors are always nearby to assist her in dispatching any difficult enemies, but she's more than capable of handling things on her own. Not only is she physically strong, but she really has a firm grip on the capabilities of her magic. She used to think that her magic was weak, simply something to use on the defense, but her immunity can also be used in powerful ways to attack as well. I enjoyed seeing her flex her magic muscles in this book.

    I had just kicked a nest of coral vipers. Now all I could do was wait and see how many of them slithered out and tried to kill me.

As much as I enjoyed the plentiful fight scenes, the games between the royals were something to behold. All of the kingdoms converged at the Regalia competition, and the plotting and backstabbing started the instant the festivities began. Evie didn't hesitate to face off with anyone who challenged her or attempted to make her look weak. She had a strong plan going in, and if she was successful, she'd be well on her way to having a more secure kingdom for her people.

    Being queen was about far more than just plotting to kill your enemies. I had come to the Regalia with a three-pronged attack in mind to accomplish three separate things: crush the king, advance Bellona’s fortunes, and manipulate Maeven.

We really got to understand the depth of King Maximus' depravity in this installment. We knew from the beginning that he was dangerous when it came to Evie, but even his family members and countrymen were not exempt from his wrath. He rules with fear and cruelty, whereas Evie earns loyalty with respect and love. I really loved the bond she has with her friends, and Paloma in particular had a developed history that is just starting to be revealed. I'd seen hints of it coming earlier on, and my suspicions were basically confirmed. This side story as well as Maeven and the mystery of the DiLuca family is left up in the air which leads me to believe there are more books to come in this series. I always though this would be a trilogy, but the ending potentially left room for more.

I would have liked to have seen Sullivan play a bigger role in this book. He felt more like just another person on her team rather than her love interest. But overall, the lack of romance didn't bother me all that much. If the series ends here, it would be in a good place for all, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the possibility to continue on with more in the Crown of Shards saga.

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