Kill the Queen
Jennifer Estep
Overall: 5/5
Plot and themes: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing style: 5/5
Attention-grabbing: 5/5
So the first book in the sequel trilogy to this trilogy came out last week and I decided it was time to do a reread and I didn't write a review the first time I read it. Let me tell you, the reread did not disappoint. If you're a fan of gladiators, magic, and underdog heroines this is the perfect book for you. Evie has been a royal underling for most of her life. She was only twelve when her parents were killed and she became a ward of the queen as an unwanted cousin. As such, she's been forced into all the diplomatic duties that the people with the real power have ignored. When her psychotic cousin stages a coup to take the power from the queen and murder every single possible heir, she goes into hiding as a gladiator to figure out a way to fight back.
Evie is great because she's realistic. She knows her worth and has spent 15 years performing below it. She doesn't want to be a pawn, even for the good of the kingdom. Some people could find problems with that but like she still does what she's supposed to, even while recognizing the weight of the injustice. I love her for training and fighting for something she doesn't even really want but something that she knows is necessary.
It also helps that the romance is so cute yet subtle. I thought it was a bigger part looking back on it so it was a little disappointing to see so little of Sullivan, but I think it speaks to the centrality of Evie's own arc that the romance plays such a minor role. Doesn't prevent the significance of their scenes though and makes me really excited to reread the next book.
If you haven't read this series then you really need to get on it, it has every single thing that I think anyone could possibly want. It's way underrated and it's one of those books that I'll never stop recommending.
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