Protect the Prince
Author: Jennifer Estep
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Crown of Shards Book #2
ISBN:
0062797654
ISBN13: 9780062797650
Genre: Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Edelweiss
Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep.
Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.
First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.
Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.
But dark forces are at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is safe. Worse, Evie’s immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes her wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.
But Evie’s magic, life, and crown aren’t the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king’s bastard son and Evie’s . . . well, Evie isn’t quite sure what Sullivan is to her.
Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen
PROTECT THE PRINCE is book two in Jennifer Estep's Crown of Shards fantasy series.
PROTECT THE PRINCE starts off just a few months after the events of KILL THE QUEEN. Everleigh is on the throne, but she has to fight to keep it at every moment. I enjoyed seeing Evie navigate her court and learn to be the ruler she wants to be versus the ruler her people expect.
As with book one, Evie can't catch a break and is tested at just about every turn. I didn't feel like there was much movement in the overall plot happening in book two, but I think the events were critical to Evie's growth as a person and as a ruler trying to secure her thrown for the long term.
The romance between Evie and Sullivan was a bit painful. It moves along, but it seems hopeless for most of the book which is super frustrating because they want to be together so bad and you FEEL it. You WANT it to work.
I really enjoy the secondary characters of this series. They are entertaining and I feel like I am invested in each of their stories. The world building continues to get better with each place we visit in Estep's world.
PROTECT THE PRINCE ended on a great note and I am looking forward to CRUSH THE KING.
I gave it 4/5 stars
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.