Come take a Sneak Peek at Kill The Queen by Jennifer Estep ~ #Excerpt #BookTour

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Hello and Welcome All!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Jennifer Estep author of Kill The Queen.

Tell us about the series… Why should someone dig into this series?

JE: Thanks for hosting me. I appreciate it.

KILL THE QUEEN is book #1 in my Crown of Shards epic fantasy series. The series focuses on Everleigh Blair, a member of the royal family who is distantly in line for the throne of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. But when the unthinkable happens, Evie finds herself fighting for her life—both inside and outside the gladiator arena.

So the book is sort of like Gladiator meets Game of Thrones with a kick-butt heroine. If you are looking for a fantasy book with a strong heroine, plus lots of action, adventure, magic, and a hint of romance, then you should check out KILL THE QUEEN.

Please share a few fun facts about this book:

JE: KILL THE QUEEN is my first published epic fantasy book. The very first (unpublished) book I ever wrote way back in college was also epic fantasy, so I’m thrilled to finally be writing and publishing an epic fantasy series. It’s been a dream and a goal of mine for a long time.

KILL THE QUEEN is also my longest published book to date – roughly 125,000 words. That’s about 25,000 words longer than the books in my Elemental Assassin series. So it is definitely “epic” from my point of view. LOL.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

JE: I always love writing fight scenes, and there are several in the book that I really enjoyed writing. But without giving too much away, probably my favorite scene is when Evie faces off against the villain at the end of the book.

If you could have dinner with any three authors (alive or dead, who would you choose and why?

JE: Fun question! I would say J.K. Rowling because I would love to hear how she came up with the magic and world building for the Harry Potter series; Ian Fleming because I would love to hear how he came up with James Bond; and David Eddings because his were some of the first epic fantasy books that I ever read back in high school and college.

If you could swap lives with the heroine of any Romance or Urban Fantasy book, which book would you choose and why?

JE: I don’t know that I would want to swap lives with any urban fantasy heroine. They are always in way too much danger for my tastes. LOL.

But I do think it would be fun to swap lives with Hermoine from the Harry Potter series, if only because it would be really cool to go to Hogwarts – especially the library.

I hope that everyone enjoys getting to know Evie and all the other characters in KILL THE QUEEN. Happy reading, everyone!

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview.

 

Kill the Queen
(Crown of Shards #1)
by Jennifer Estep
Expected publication: October 2nd 2018

The thrilling first novel in the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series combines magic, murder, and adventure when an unlikely member of the royal family suddenly becomes a contender in a clash for the crown . . .

In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.

But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.

Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of combat, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.

But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.

 


 

Life at the palace was cutthroat, with everyone always looking for an advantage over their friends and enemies alike. Business deals, political favors, arranged marriages, even something as small as who got to sit at the queen’s table during today’s luncheon. It was all a perpetual battlefield, with people rising and falling daily, as well as stabbing others in the back to further advance their own positions. From the kitchen to the throne room, the entire palace was one enormous arena, only everyone here fought with scathing words, poisonous rumors, and cold threats, instead of swords, shields, and daggers like real gladiators did.

My position, magic, and wealth might be insignificant—more like nonexistent—compared to others, but I was still a Blair, still a member of the royal family, and I had been the target of more than one scheme. At least, until people realized that I had no power to help them in any way. Still, I couldn’t afford to show any weakness. Not trusting people, especially with my feelings, was a lesson I’d learned the hard way when I was twelve years old, during my first month at the palace. It was perhaps the one thing, the one useful skill, that I had completely mastered.

Still, the workers’ curious glances made that sharp, stinging anger rise up in me again. It threatened to break through my calm facade, so I curled my hands around the edge of the table and focused on the feel of the cool stone under my palms. Sturdy, solid granite, worn smooth by the wear and tear of kitchen life.

Worn down, just like me.

Isobel returned with a jar filled with what looked like crystalized orange snowflakes. Even though it was tightly stoppered, I could still smell the sweet tang of citrus inside.

She placed the jar on the table with the other supplies. “Anytime you’re ready, Lady Everleigh.”

That was Isobel’s soft, subtle way of letting me know that Evie was gone and that it was time for Everleigh to do her duty.

More anger pricked my heart that I couldn’t have something as simple as a nickname from someone that I loved. For a mad, mad moment, I thought about ripping off my apron and storming out of the kitchen. But Auster, the captain of the queen’s guard, would track me down, give me a long, stern lecture about how my actions reflected poorly on Cordelia, and escort me back here. Which would be far more humiliating and time-consuming than making the bloody pies right now.

I served at the whim of the queen, just like everyone else did. And today, the queen wanted me to make thirteen pies.

“Dance, monkey, dance,” I muttered.

Then I sighed and reached for a bowl to start mixing the ingredients together. 

 

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Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series. Kill the Queen, book #1, will be released on Oct. 2.

The Crown of Shards series focuses on Everleigh Blair, a member of the royal family who is distantly in line for the throne of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. But when the unthinkable happens, Evie finds herself fighting for her life—both inside and outside the gladiator arena.

Jennifer is also the author of the Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy, Bigtime, and Black Blade fantasy series.

For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit www.jenniferestep.com or follow Jennifer on FacebookGoodreads, and Twitter. You can also sign up for her newsletter.

Website – Blog – Facebook – Twitter (@Jennifer_Estep) – Goodreads – Newsletter signup 

 

 

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I'm an outdoor sun loving reader living near San Fransisco. I’m a mother, wife, animal & book lover. I'm the owner, reviewer & mind behind Angel’s Guilty Pleasures. My favorite animals are horses & dogs. As for reading I love all things paranormal & urban fantasy & my favorite shifters are dragons.

24 comments on “Come take a Sneak Peek at Kill The Queen by Jennifer Estep ~ #Excerpt #BookTour

  1. It’s devilishly delicious.

  2. I #1 reason to read it is because it sounds like a great plot and I am going to love it!

  3. I like the name and the cover so I want to read it.

  4. I’d love to read this because it sounds like a good book.

  5. My number one reason to read KILL THE QUEEN is because it sounds like a fun read. Thanks for the giveaway!

  6. Love Kill the Queen! I can’t wait to read more fantasy from Jennifer. Thanks for the Interview!

  7. I love fantasy books.

  8. The author promises lots of action, adventure, magic, and a hint of romance

  9. The reason is the plot is good.

  10. Because it sounds like a really good book.

  11. What a fascinating book! Great excerpt. I enjoy fantasy books with strong heroines and Jennifer Estep has created some amazing characters. Love her Elemental Assassin series and look forward to her new Crown of Shards series.

  12. I love her Gin, The Spider series so I have high hopes for this one too.

  13. I enjoyed the excerpt and would like to read more.

  14. My best reason is because it sounds like I would truly enjoy it 🙂

  15. The book cover free me right from the beginning,it’s awesome!! And the reviews have been awesome!! And this excerpt was great!! Shared on all my socials!!??

    • Glad you enjoyed.

  16. I loved, loved, loved this one.
    Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer recently posted…Echoes of Evil by Heather GrahamMy Profile

    • That’s fabulous. I can’t wait to try it our. I’m loving her Elemental Assassins series. ^_^ Thank’s for visiting.

  17. Thanks for featuring my book. I appreciate it. Happy reading, everyone!

    • You are most welcome. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions about your up coming release. I’m excited to read or listen to it. ^_^

  18. Number one reason would just be because it is Jennifer Estep! I love her urban fantasy, and even though I am not a big epic fantasy fan, I am still curious on what Estep can do with that genre.

    • LOL… I just started her Elemental Assassins series this year and I’m loving, so I can’t wait to try out this new series. I do love Fantasy and it sounds really good. I even like the audio, so who knows maybe I listen to it instead. ^_^ Thank’s for visiting.

  19. The plot sounds good plus I’m always on the look-out for a new series to get my teeth into!

    • I hope you enjoy! This one sounds great and I can’t wait to read it. Thank’s for visiting.