Kill the Queen

April 23, 2018
In the entertaining first installment of Estep’s epic fantasy series, Lady Everleigh Violet Winter Blair, 17th in line for the throne of Bellona, goes from nondescript pawn to significant player in royal intrigue. When Queen Cordelia’s daughter, Vasilia, viciously slaughters the queen and most of the royal family in a genuinely horrific scene, Everleigh barely escapes, carrying proof of Vasilia’s treachery. Going by Evie, she joins up with the queen’s former personal guard, Serilda Swanson, and her gladiatorial troupe, hoping to enlist her help in taking down Vasilia—but Serilda has her own plans. Although Evie’s time with the troupe does give her some skills, it doesn’t transform her into an unstoppable fighting machine; instead, she relies on her unusual immunity to magic and ability to neutralize it in others, along with an enhanced sense of smell. The worldbuilding feels scant, but Estep (the Elemental Assassin series) knows her way around a fight scene (and a dance scene). There are hints of romance and a refreshing focus on female friendship. Readers will want to see brave Evie stop the cruel warmonger Vasilia, and will look forward to the next chapter in her story. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

Starred review from August 1, 2018

In the royal court of Bellona, a person's worth is equated with the magic they can wield. Lady Everleigh's ability to determine scents is definitely not considered a major power, plus, as 17th in line for the throne, Evie is mere ornament to the court. Then tragedy strikes: Evie's cousin, the crown princess Vasilia, assassinates her mother the queen, along with the rest of the royal family, and seizes the throne. Evie escapes the massacre owing to her secret immunity to magic. Forced into hiding to survive, she joins a traveling gladiator troupe that uses its members' warrior talents to entertain. Evie is becoming stronger, but as Vasilia's plans include forcing Bellona into war, Evie knows she must take matters into her own hands--and kill the queen. VERDICT This epic fantasy launch brings all of the action, magic, and smart cast of characters whom fans have come to expect from Estep ("Elemental Assassin" series). Readers of Chloe Neill, Kim Harrison, and Ilona Andrews will welcome this bright new heroine.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2018
Fantasist Estep (Venom in the Veins, 2018, etc.) debuts a new series with a tale of a young noblewoman's coming-of-age against a backdrop of assassination, magic, and fate. Seventeenth in line for the throne, the orphaned Everleigh (or Evie) is a footnote at Queen Cordelia's magic-filled court. She has learned to avoid the political infighting by being accommodating and unnoticed--which is made easier by her apparent powerlessness, as her magic is only a heightened sense of smell. Evie is thrust into any dull but royal task, such as baking an ambassador's ceremonial dessert or learning a formal dance of friendship. Of course, as Evie is a protagonist, such skills will turn out to be useful after all (in increasingly contrived fashion), and Evie will be revealed as magically powerful. Vasilia, Cordelia's heir, assassinates not merely her mother, but the entire royal family, in fine villainous overkill. Evie survives thanks to a secret immunity to magic, and within 24 hours has managed to find shelter with the country's most prestigious gladiator troupe, where she apparently learns to fight (never mind she managed to kill four trained guards during the original massacre and has killed before), stand up for herself, and make friends. Most of Evie's troubles are self-created, as the plot demands that she foolishly keep lying to her friends about her identity. Truth does finally come out, just before Evie's ability to dance improbably saves everyone's lives. After that, it's no great stretch to think that Villainous Vasilia is hubristic enough to allow a troupe of fully armed gladiators into her presence, allowing Evie to achieve her destiny (handily foretold in one of those children's-rhymes-that's-really-a-prophecy).Original worldbuilding suffers against a cartoonish villain and a plot that must continue straining to support its own premises.

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August 1, 2018
Estep (Poison Promise?, 2014) starts an exciting new fantasy series full of magic, fierce women, and revenge. Everleigh Blair was orphaned at a young age after her parents' murders, and she became the royal charge of her cousin, Queen Cordelia. Despite her royal pedigree, she is more servant than guest because she apparently lacks magic. This misperception is the thing that saves her during a royal massacre. Escaping with just the clothes on her back, Everleigh seeks out the Black Swan gladiator troupe, hoping they can turn her into a fierce warrior?because it's going to take someone strong and cunning to avenge the murdered Blair royalty and overthrow the queen. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)