ARC Review--Tear Down the Throne by Jennifer Estep

 

Bestselling author Jennifer Estep continues her Gargoyle Queen epic fantasy series where magic reigns, alliances are tested, and a dangerous attraction could tear down a throne. . .

Crown princess. Clever spy. Powerful mind magier. Gemma Ripley of Andvari is all those things--and determined to stop an enemy from using magical tearstone weapons to conquer her kingdom.

Gemma's quest for answers leads her to a trade Summit between the various kingdoms. Among the other royals in attendance is Queen Maeven Morricone of Morta and her son, Prince Leonidas--Gemma's charming and dangerous nemesis.

Gemma knows that Maeven always has a long game in motion, and sure enough, the cunning queen invokes an arcane tradition that threatens the fragile truce between Andvari and the other kingdoms. Despite her best intentions, Gemma once again finds herself thrown together with Leo and battling her growing feelings for the enemy prince.

When a series of deadly attacks shatters the Summit's peaceful negotiations, Gemma realizes that someone wants to tear the royals down from their thrones--and that this enemy just might succeed.

 

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Jennifer Estep brings us an exciting sequel with Tear Down the Throne! Continuing the journey of Gemma Ripley, Gemma is going up against new challenges while still trying to deal with old foes who just don’t know when to quit.

Since coming home, Gemma’s main goal has been trying to figure out what Milo’s plan is and why he’s collecting tearstone. While trying to investigate though she runs into trouble and part of that trouble is Leo. Despite everything that happened in his kingdom last time around, Gemma finds herself fighting conflicting feelings. 

But Gemma’s investigation plans get put on hold when she attends the Summit with her family. The Summit is a gathering of all the kingdoms where there are talks of trades, treaties, and the like. Then Maeven drops the ultimate game-changer onto Gemma’s lap and proposes a Gauntlet! Basically a series of grueling and life threatening tasks that must be completed in order to win the prize. 

The prize? Gemma’s hand in marriage. The player? Leonidas himself. 

Soon Leo works to prove to Gemma that he will do whatever it takes to win her heart. He tries to apologize for past actions and is willing to undergo life-threatening challenges if it means they can be together. 

All the while though, Gemma is catching wave of other nefarious plots what with her powers. When you gather all the kingdom’s leaders together, you hear more than you want to. But she’ll never be prepared for just exactly what’s coming at her. 

This book was quite the exciting read! The action was always well-paced. There was never a dull moment in this mix! If there wasn’t a battle to overcome, there were secrets to uncover, or kisses to be stolen and shared! Estep really knows how to write an enticing plot to draw the reader in and keep them hooked! I never wanted to put this book down but alas I still had to attend work! Lol.

The ending to this one was quite shocking! There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming that left me reeling! While things ended on a high note, there are still a few cliffhanger-like items that need to be addressed in the next book. At least this time I’m not left with the anxiety of too many questions left unanswered. Yes, there are still issues to be addressed for the next book but at least I can say the wait will be tolerable—which as an impatient reader, saying this is HUGE!

Tear Down the Throne was a thrilling read that kept me on the edge of my seat! There were so many sordid secrets and twists happening in the background that one cannot possibly read fast enough to make it to the oh-so-satisfying conclusion! I am terribly excited to see how this series will come to an end next year. I know one thing for sure, the next one will be even more epic than it’s predecessor!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Tear Down the Throne releases May 3, 2022