Capture the Crown

A Novel

De: Jennifer Estep

Narrado por: Lauren Fortgang

Best-selling author Jennifer Estep returns to her Crown of Shards world with an all-new trilogy and a bold new heroine who protects her kingdom from magic, murder, and mayhem by moonlighting as a spy.

Gemma Ripley has a reputation for being a pampered princess who is more interested in pretty gowns, sparkling jewelry, and other frivolous things than learning how to rule the kingdom of Andvari. But her carefully crafted persona is just an act to hide the fact that Gemma is a powerful mind magier - and a spy.

Gemma is undercover, trying to figure out who is stealing large amounts of tearstone from one of the Ripley royal mines when she encounters Prince Leonidas Morricone of Morta - her mortal enemy. Gemma tries to steer clear of the handsome prince, but when she finds herself behind enemy lines, she reluctantly joins forces with Leo. Also coming to Gemma’s aid is Grimley, her beloved gargoyle.

Despite the fact that Andvari and Morta are old, bitter enemies, a dangerous attraction sparks between Gemma and Leo. Further complicating matters is Leo’s murderous family, especially Queen Maeven Morricone, the mastermind behind the infamous Seven Spire massacre.

The closer Gemma gets to the stolen tearstone, the more deadly plots she uncovers. Everyone is trying to capture the crown, but only one queen can sit on the throne....

©2021 Jennifer Estep (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Good but not great

This book would have been much more enjoyable had the FMC not repeatedly rehashed the reasons that she hated/mistrusted her “nemesis”. It had a good storyline and a good narrator, but the author definitely overused the “you did me wrong in the past” line as an excuse for the FMC to keep her distance from the MMC.

Amazing series continued!

Such a fantastic continuation of the series! The development of the characters years later is flawless and such a nice treat. Couldn’t recommend enough!

excellent!

I love Jennifer estep s books!!!I am looking forward for her next book!!!I love the plot and the story!!!

Loved this series

Love this story! Gemma and Leonidis’ story is definitely one of my favorites so far!

A great start

“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

Great story

I love it! The only thing that I have to “critique” is the narrator’s tone for a few characters. It’s just not the tone I read it to in my mind, which isn’t her fault, but again, it’s the only downside for me. Jennifer Estep has done it again!

Enjoyed this

Action and light romance abound in this book. Surprising that a princess would dare venture in as a spy, but it made for an interesting story. The narrator did a great job with providing unique voices for each character and appropriate tone inflections for each scene.

Excellent series

Really enjoyed this series by Jennifer Estep, looking forward to the next book that comes out in may. If you like this series you will love the series elemental assassin. It is one of my favorite series, I highly recommend it.

It was enjoyable

I enjoyed the book for the most part. There was a lot of weird noises the author had to “make” that were getting annoying like “clink, clink, clink” clump, clump, clump” “tap, tap, tap” etc. so many times. I’m sure there were other ways the author could have conveyed those sounds/images.

Awesome

Fabulous Story
There is so much about. Families that you just don’t see or can’t believe .., never mind finding friends in unexpected places
Xoxox