Great continuation of a story I love! I'm so glad I was introduced to this series. Thank you yo Netgalley for this advanced copy.

This was a DNF for me. I normally love fantasy/sci-fi but this was hard for me to get into and to keep the names and characters straight. Thank you to Netgalley for the arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Book – Capture the Crown
Author – Jennifer Estep
Series – Gargoyle Queen #1
Cliffhanger? - Yes
Publication Date – July 6, 2021
Genre – Fantasy
Rating – 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

Complimentary copy generously provided by Harper Voyager through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts - Story

I really love starting a new Fantasy Series and going through all of the world building and character development...meeting new people, creatures, magic, towns and becoming part of the relationships that build.

Espionage, Romance, Vengeance, Torture, PTSD...are just some of the experiences from this story...but there is so much more contained between these pages. Ms. Estep outdid herself in her development of Gemma (our heroine) ---- a scared twenty-something who battles the demons from when she was 12 years old and witnessed her family mutilated. From this she suffers with anxiety on how to control her magic. She starts out weak and hides behind a necklace that keeps her magic controllable, but as she forms relationships, she starts to understand that she must take a stand for her friends and her country.

Ohhhh...and if you read the series, Crown of Shards...there are some mentions of Bellona!

The romance? Well, that's another tricky thing. Gemma sees Leo as her enemy and all she wants is vengeance for that fateful day when she was 12 years old. But as more mysteries unravel, Gemma may just be wrong about her feelings toward Leo.

Now I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series since Gemma has finally threw away her crutch and has let her magic free.

Reason for Reading – NetGalley Review
Story – 5 out of 5 Stars
Steam – 4 out of 5 Stars
Angst – 5 out of 5 Stars
Writing – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Would Read More from Author? Yes
Recommend To – Lovers of a slow burn...then heart pounding fantasy

4 stars - It was really good

“Spy the storm brewing, and you won’t get struck by lightning. Ignore the clouds, and you’ll get burned to a crisp.”

Gemma Ripley has a reputation for being a pampered princess but that is just a persona that she uses to hide behind. She is a powerful mind mager and a spy for her kingdom. When she goes undercover to find out who is stealing large amounts of tearstone she finds herself face to face with her enemy, Prince Leonidus Morricone of Morta.

I have been eagerly waiting for this book since I found out she was writing a spin-off series with Gemma. I loved the Crown of Shards series and everything about this world. Gemma is no longer the scared child we met in that series. She is now a powerful, strong, and courageous woman who is determined to protect her kingdom. While at times she was slightly childish for her age, I really enjoyed Gemma as a heroine. I found her abilities fascinating and I can’t wait to see how they grow throughout the series.

“My magic might be a storm, but it wasn’t caused by other people’s thoughts and feelings. Not really, not fully. No, that storm of emotion was all mine. My power, my feelings, my love and pain and rage. I was the true storm. Unpredictable. Uncontrollable. Unstoppable.”

Leonidus was a great hero. I loved a troubled and tortured hero and he fit that perfectly. He knows how his family, and him, is perceived to the world. Everyone hates them and fears them, which is warranted, but Leonidus isn’t like the others. I enjoyed his determination to show Gemma that not all Martans were evil and that it's just a few bad apples who are corrupt. I can’t wait for Leo and Gemma to be reunited, especially since there is so much tension and feelings between them. This is going to be a very slow burn of a relationship.

“...Leonidus Morricone was most definitely a strix at heart - a beautiful creature that was capable of great violence at any moment.”

Overall, this was an amazing start to a new series and I love that we are still getting glimpses of characters from the Crown of Shards series. I hate that we have to wait till next year for the next book but I will be eagerly waiting for it.

Trigger Warnings:
- Torture, on page and referenced
- Child abuse and torture, referenced
- Siblings trying to kill each other, referenced and attempted

Capture the Crown is the first novel in Estep's new spin off series The Gargoyle Queen set 16 years after the events of Crown of Shards series. While the latter focused on Everleigh Blairs rise to queen following the Seven Spire Massacre, the former follows Princess Gemma, who readers had seen as a child.

All grown up, Gemma lives a double life as Princess Glitzma, adorned in jewels and attending fancy parties, as a Gemma the spy, seeking secrets and gossip to protect her family and kingdom. Someone is stealing tearstone and Gemma wants to know who and why? Events bring Gemma face to face with Prince Leonidas of Morta, her mortal enemy from childhood. As their paths entwine, the two find it difficult to hide their attraction; however family rivalries and lies escalate the danger.

This is an exciting read filled with lots of action and adventure. Someone is plotting Queen Maeve's demise and an all out war with Gemma's kingdom. Can Gemma trust anyone or herself to embrace her magic to save her people? Can Leo be trusted or is he just like the rest of his evil family?

Fans of Estep's other series will not be disappointed. There is plenty of character development and romantic angst to be had!

I'm a big fan of Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series. So when my mom asked if I wanted to read and review Capture the Crown I jumped at the chance.
This book is not a stand alone, it may be the first in the Gargoyle Queen series but it ties in heavily to the Crown of Shards series. I read Kill the Queen, the first in the Crown of Shards series, so I knew the back story of Gemma.
The book is definitely Jennifer Estep's style. Strong heroine doing what she feels needs to be done. She tries not to let her heart lead her astray. Especially when the man after her heart tried to kill her when they were kids, and his mother still wants her dead. Can Gemma focus on saving her kingdom? Or will she and her heart be betrayed?

I am excited for another series in the Crown of Shards universe. I liked Capture the Crown overall, especially getting to experience life on the Mortan side of the border for a bit. However, I wish that some things had ben more fleshed out. I wish I would have gotten more insight into how things had changed over the past sixteenish years since Crush the King ended. Obviously, things are still tense with Morta, but what else has happened? How have relations with Bellonia changed since Everleigh took the throne? Most importantly, I really wish there had been more elaboration on Leo and Gemma dream-sharing as kids! Just casual mentions of it weren't enough for me, I wish there were flashbacks of that. That seems like such a missed opportunity because it would have intensified and explained another layer of their relationship. Still, I am anxiously awaiting the next one!

Capture the Crown is a is a wonderful and incredibly rich fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

I loved the originals trilogy. And it is so interesting to see the conflict from the eyes of a different country. To see how evie's conflict has spilled over on the others. I also like how the resolution to the conflict introduced in the crown of shards series is going to be resolved by completely different people. This ride is going to be so much fun.

Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep, always a fan of Estep, but not quite what I was expecting with this book. That being said I did enjoy it!

If you loved the previous books set in Jennifer Estep's Crown of Shards world (the books that began with Kill the Queen) you will love this one too! Capture the Crown begins a new trilogy that is all about Gemma who is a gargoyle and the Crown Princess of nearby Andvari. It has been 16 years since we met her in Kill the Queen and Gemma and her best friend Grimley need to find out who is stealing tearstone from Andvari's mines and why.

Gemma puts on her spy hat and goes undercover at one of the kingdom's mines to find answers. What she never expects to find is an enemy prince trying to find out the same information. Also, why is he being nice to her? What follows will make you fall in love with a fantasy tale with twists and turns, intrigue, magic, unexpected trips to unexpected places, and just a little bit of romance.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with a copy of this delightful tale in exchange for my honest opinion!

BUY THIS BOOK NOW. I absolutely loved this book. Full disclosure, I didn't read the blurb and just saw the author's name. Excited to see a new series, I picked it up. It is a definite winner because this new trilogy continues on in the Crown of Shards universe. Can this book be read without reading the previous trilogy? Absolutely. I still highly recommend reading the previous trilogy because the worldbuilding will enhance the understanding of this book.

The main character is Gemma Ripley. She is one of a handful of survivors from the slaughter of the royals in a bid by the greedy and war driven country Morta. Sixteen years later, Gemma still carries traces of her traumatic times. Is she really a survivor or is she still a victim? Gemma is oddly both. Gemma is hiding in some ways. This first book gives us a baseline of Gemma, starting on her hero's journey. I am pretty confident that this trilogy is going to be focused on character progression which is my favourite type of storyline. Gemma is going to be coming into her own. Seeing her mistakes and how she grows to become a force to be reckon with, will be exciting. For too long, she's used her public and private personas to hid her uncontrolled power. When an undercover job goes totally wrong, Gemma is forced to integrate her two personas and grow into the potential she can be.

I love themes where growth comes from adversity. Facing past demons and hurts to see that perhaps the actions in the past were not as we exactly remember it is great to witness. For Gemma, coming across her "arch nemesis" Prince Leonidas of Morta is the catalyst for her to finally stop hiding. Leo is a character first introduced in the 1st trilogy. His affinity for animals and his interactions with Evie on the downlow is leads me to believe Leo is not what he comes across. His world is vastly different from Gemma's. Ms. Estep does a wonderful job in comparing and contrasting between two family environments. It is clear that Gemma believes family will always be there for you whilst Leo knows any member of his family could be out to kill him. There are a couple more characters in this book that are intriguing. I am looking forward to seeing Leo's sister and if she will have her own novella or perhaps a trilogy of her own.

This book is action packed and layered with intrigue. I have been reading Ms. Estep since her Elemental Assassin series. Each of her series have refined her writing voice and world building creation. I feel like this universe with Evie and Gemma is the culmination of all her growth. The maturity of the worldbuilding and character creation shows in this universe. I can see Ms. Estep's writing voice becoming stronger and more complex in the stories she weaves. I cannot wait to see what happens next. This fantasy is highly recommended to readers who enjoy blurred lines, a spunky heroine and frienemies coming of age themes.

Princess Gemma is a pampered, selfish, glittery airheaded princess. Or at least, that's the persona she created to hide her strong magic and secret spy life behind. When she runs into an enemy prince on one of her missions, Gemma is pulled between insinuating herself as a spy among the enemy, the charming duplicitous enemy prince, and the risks she will need to take to survive.

I've never read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but I imagine the theme here is the same. Two young people from enemy royal families are drawn to each other by their magics, history, and mutual attraction. Yet, they know a future together is impossible. The theme might be cliched, but it made a great story here. The attraction was fiery and compelling, and Gemma and Leo's respective situations were understandably complicated. I'll happily take this fun modern version over the archaic Shakespeare any day. (No offense to Shakespeare. The bard's work can be appreciated when I have the time and patience for it.)

I liked how both Gemma and Leo had their own mythical animal friends, like familiars. I love books with human-animal bonds, and Grimley and Lyra did not disappoint.

If you've read the sister series, you'll be familiar with some background history here. This series is set some 16 years after the first. The characters in here were side characters in the first series, and one can jump in here without reading the other series. There's enough background info and flashback scenes to bring every reader up to speed. If you have read the other series, you'll be happy to get to know Leonides, Gemma, Lyra, and Grimley a lot better, in addition to meeting some new friends and old enemies. Most of Estep's books feel very similar to me. They're predictable, but still make for a fun journey and a very enjoyable read. If you liked her other books, you'll enjoy this one too.

Although sixteen years have passed, Gemma still struggles with the trauma she experienced at the massacre. Back then, she hid under the table. Now, she hides behind her pretty princess persona and the necklace that protects her from the strength of her own magic. Spying is just another way of hiding, but when her past mirrors her present and old enemies return, Gemma will need stop hiding and finally face her fears.

LOVE Jennifer Estep!! I not read the Crown of Shards series and I wonder if I would have gotten into this book a little easier if I had? Overall, really enjoyed this though I tend toward more urban fantasy but am such a fan of Estep I thought I would give it a try. Love her writing style and her stories, this one just didn't appeal to me the way I thought it would. Just my personal preference. Thank you for allowing me the preview.

My thanks to Harper Voyager, Jennifer Estep and Netgalley.
I read this book to the 51% mark, then I quit.
This isn't because I thought the story was awful. Matter of fact, I was almost having fun! But, eventually the youthfulness is what did me in! Insta love is always bothersome, but it was actually the color purple that killed it for me. 2 kingdoms. One is purple and the other is blue. I never made it to blue. So many shades of blue.
Everyone wears shades of purple in our first kingdom. Every one. And it's always, and I mean always a detailed description of what shade of purple. "Also, my favorite color is purple."
Finally, by my forth or fifth description of lilac, or maybe lavender...I groaned. That's when I decided to call it quits.
Otherwise, I did like the story. A bit young for me, but I liked it. Also, gargoyles!

But must I really wait so long for the next book?! It'll be torture, but we'll worth the wait.

Where do I even begin with this review? I had nooo idea what to expect, but if I had them, they were well blown out of the water.

From the world building to the characters (and yes, I mean allll the characters, villains included), everything was soo well written. I mean, I read this book in just about one sitting, I truly couldn't put it down.

Gemma! I stan a strong heroine and that's exactly what she is, but there's still so much more for her to learn when it comes to herself and what she's fully capable of. As this series continues, there's no doubt how much of a powerhouse she'll be. She's definitely someone you don't want to be on the opposite side of.

The romance part is a slow burn and it's still burning by the end. I was screaming because absolutely no... I just... I need book 2 even more! I won't say more on that.

I loved that there was so many layers to what was happening and I even had to re-read some parts because I missed it the first time. There's so many power players on the board and it's the matter of who will make it out on top. It's obvious who the preferred winner should be, but it won't be an easy journey.

I am so pumped for this series, I just wish I took more time reading since we have wait a year for book 2!

Great fantasy adventure! I love Jennifer Estep and her Crown of Shards series, so when this spin off book came up I was very excited. It definitely did not disappoint. There is plenty of fantasy world building, adventure, and wonderful leading characters. I look forward to reading the next in the series!

4 out 5 stars

Recommended for fantasy lovers and those who enjoyed the Crown of Shards series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

I'm always eager to try out new series when the heroine is the hero in story. I like reading about women who can kick butt and take names. I will admit that Gemma fell just a tad bit short here, but I also think she is being set up to really come into her powers in the next books in the series.

Gemma is a princess and a spy. I found that very intriguing and looked forward to the adventure I knew she would take us on. After the first initial slow start, things pick up with the first hint of danger and it kept my attention all the way to the end.

I found it interesting that Gemma's love interest is a man who is really her enemy and one she can't trust...or can she? I'm also super intrigued by the enemy queen. I can't quite get a read on her. Is she truly evil? I think she is but she also does a few things that made stop and contemplate. I liked that. It shows that this story is unpredictable.

I'm going to have to reserve my judgement until I read more in this series. For now, it was intriguing despite having a few things that made question if Gemma really is as powerful as we are being lead to believe. That can make or break this series for me.

Good book, but I felt some of it was overly descriptive. Characters we developed well and plot was great. I’d check this out from my library but I wouldn’t purchase it

This book was soo good! Iam so happy that we got to come back to this world and read about Gemma. The little girl we first met in the Crown of Shards trilogy.. and I cannot wait until the next book.
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I do think that this book gives us enough backround information that it could be read as a standalone. But you would get alot more out of it if you read the previous trilogy.. Or you could just read it because its also super good..

It is now 16 years after the events of the first trilogy and Gemma is a princess... and a spy. She is working in the mines trying to uncover who is behind the thefts of Tearstone. Tearstones are magical gems that can be used for alot of different things and in this case Gemma is afraid that they are going to me used to make weapons that will be used against her own people. So with the help of her bodyguard and her Gargoyle companion Grimley she sets off to see what information she can gather..
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What she doesn't expect to find is Prince Leonides., Someone she met as a child while she was running from a massacre. His family is who Gemma is suspects is behind the thefts, and when something horrible happens and Gemma ends up in the royal families.. She takes the opportunity to figure out what going on, and what she finds is truly surprising.
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This book is full of action, and political intrigue.. I love the magic system, and the companions they have like Grimly the Gargoyle or Lyra the Stryx ( a bird like creature that can be ridden). I also love that even though Gemma has been through some horrible things she still is able to show compassion and not lump a whole group of people into one category. Leonides is also a pretty interesting guy.. I can't wait to see how Gemma and Leo will figure out their relationship and get more of the amazing chemistry they have..
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I have already preordered this book and can't wait for more books by Jennifer Estep.