[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Queen Everleigh has survived the Seven Spire Massacre and numerous assassination attempts. And she’s over playing defense. As all the kingdoms prepare for the annual Regalia Games, she’s ready to crush the king of Morta once and for all.
He’s the one who ultimately orchestrated the massacre. His illegitimate siblings comprise the Bastard Brigade who have tried to kill off the entire Blair line and conquer Bellona. If Everleigh can eliminate him at the Regalia Games, not only does she eliminate the threat to her kingdom and her friends, but she will show the rest of the world that she is not to be underestimated.
Review
This was perfection!!! It’s my first five star plus review of 2020. I loved everything about this. All of my favorite characters were back for this – and we added some new ones.
There’s a TON going on here! We get some new backstory on Evie we haven’t had before. There are some new players adding into the plots to kill her. We get to meet all the other royalty in this world. And through it all, Evie is learning even more layers to what it means to be Queen, and what that role looks like when she is in it.
One of my favorite pieces in this is the way Evie starts to see her various responses to danger based on where the responses come from. There are techniques she learned as a gladiator and others she learned growing up as an orphan in the palace. She traces her plans to these sources – including one that is ALL her, all part of the legacy of her family and her people. She realizes that another queen might handle things in different ways, but she is best served by being herself and using her unique skills. I loved all of it.
Fans of the series should not hesitate to grab this one immediately. I had hoped there would be a last minute shake up to point us towards a fourth book. There was certainly a weird wrinkle in this that could have developed into something. But this wraps up in a completely satisfying way with no cliffhanger. There may be lingering questions, but it sounds like the author has wrapped up this particular story arc with this book. There may be future stories set in this world, though, and I can’t wait to read them.
If you’ve missed the earlier books in the Crown of Shards series – book 1, Kill the Queen, and book 2, Protect the Prince (♥♥♥♥½) – and you love fantasy stories, you’ll want to scoop up all three right away. There’s plenty of royal intrigue and magic, amazing characters, and tons of scenes that will leave you frantically flipping pages. Don’t miss this series! (Language, sex, violence)