She was 17th in line to the throne so wasn't considered at all important. The story starts when she is 28 having lived at the palace for 15 years where her Cousin the Crown Princess and all of the other royals were cruel to her. She wasn't wanted there either but they let her stand where she had to perform many tedious and boring duties to earn her keep. She ended up at the Palace where the Queen was the first cousin to Lady Everleigh's Mother.

She was then shuffled around between other relatives for the next year with no one wanting her to stay for long. Lady Everleigh Saffira Winter Blair was orphaned around age 12 when her parents were assassinated. This is a bit more of a Cinderella story then expected. Winter queens are cold and hard, with frosted crowns made of icy shards,” “Summer queens are fine and fair, with pretty ribbons and flowers in their hair.

Crush the King (A Crown of Shards Novel Book 3) (2020).

Protect the Prince (A Crown of Shards Novel Book 2) (2019).

Kill the Queen (A Crown of Shards Novel Book 1) (2018).

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

Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.įorced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. 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. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.īut dark forces are at work inside the palace. 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. Gladiator meets Game of Thrones: a royal woman becomes a skilled warrior to destroy her murderous cousin, avenge her family, and save her kingdom in this first entry in a dazzling fantasy epic from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Assassin series-an enthralling tale that combines magic, murder, intrigue, adventure, and a hint of romance.

Genre: Sword & Sorcery Fantasy, Adult Fantasy.

Jennifer estep crown of shards