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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*I was able to read this book via NetGalley thanks to Harper Voyager!*
The Gargoyle Queen series has been pretty consistently fun, hitting a nice balance of adventure, fantasy, and political intrigue, with a heaping side of romance. And Capture the Kingdom, the conclusion of the trilogy, ticks all those same boxes.
That said, this third installment also felt clumsier and sloppier. The plot felt a little slapdash, some of the writing didn't quite land for me, and the characters felt a little hollower than they had in the past. I found myself skimming occasionally to get through the book, and especially to get past long descriptions of outfits or other unnecessary background info.
While I think this is a satisfying conclusion to the series in terms of the way it wraps up the story, the book unfortunately didn't entirely work for me as a whole, leaving me a little bit disappointed.
The Gargoyle Queen series has been pretty consistently fun, hitting a nice balance of adventure, fantasy, and political intrigue, with a heaping side of romance. And Capture the Kingdom, the conclusion of the trilogy, ticks all those same boxes.
That said, this third installment also felt clumsier and sloppier. The plot felt a little slapdash, some of the writing didn't quite land for me, and the characters felt a little hollower than they had in the past. I found myself skimming occasionally to get through the book, and especially to get past long descriptions of outfits or other unnecessary background info.
While I think this is a satisfying conclusion to the series in terms of the way it wraps up the story, the book unfortunately didn't entirely work for me as a whole, leaving me a little bit disappointed.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Conquer the Kingdom by Jennifer Estep
Gargoyle Queen #3. Crown of Shards #6. Fantasy.
Despite being a cunning spy and a powerful magier, Gemma hasn’t been able to track down the most dangerous enemy her kingdom of Andvari has ever seen. She knows he’s out there and planning the ultimate destruction. Will her magic be enough?
A phenomenal series. This is the conclusion of Gemma’s trilogy. It’s epic and a touch romantic. Gemma is fierce and still caring. She’s strong in her loyalties, and her love of family, found and made including Grimley, Fern, Lyra and little Violet. And of course, Leonidas.
I hope there’s more to come. We have to wait and see.
This is a series (all 6) I may just have to read again in the future.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings: Sex scenes, violence, blood/gore, murder, sexism, sexual harassment, grief and PTSD. Mention of: death of a parent, death of a child, torture, child abuse, grief, genocide, and war.
In preparation for this book to release I reread book 1 and 2 and annotating the crap out of them. I almost pushed off reading this longer because I just wasn't ready to let go of the world yet...but I also desperately wanted to know what happened.
Back in "Capture the Crown" we saw Gemma sneak and spy in an attempt to protect her kingdom and try to stop her enemies before they could enact any grand plans. We also got to see her meet and get to know a grown up Leo and battle her feelings for him. The mutual pinning was *chefs kiss* We also got a few flashbacks to her childhood when she first met Leo while fleeing the Seven Spires Massacre. It was so excited getting some of those details that I wondered about while reading "The Crown of Shards" trilogy. [If you haven't read the Crown of Shards series have no worries there's a great 1-2 page refresher of everything that happened back then...though I do recommend reading the first trilogy just to have a deeper understanding of the kingdoms and people]
In "Tear Down the Throne" we get to witness royals, who do not all get along, gather at the annual Summit to cement trade agreements and we get to find out more about Maeven's long game. Although they're enemies and Gemma knows nothing can come of their mutual feelings...Gemma and Leo continue to grow closer even as politics, and their own past feelings, threaten to get in the way. OMG the pining, the growing romance, and the confessions of feelings has me giggling and cheering them on. Not going to lie this book had my feelings about Maeven shifting a lot too...it hurts me that I'm starting to understand her. 😭
Now in "Conquer the Kingdom" there's a big tournament coming to Andvari and Gemma is still hunting down the one person set on destroying them. Even though Gemma now has Leo at her side she still feels it's temporary and that a future will never be possible. I adored the flashbacks we get in this book so much...and trust me you will too! We get to see Gemma blossom even more as she grows in her power, self confidence, and her place in the world. I love this trilogy so much and plan to reread it over and over so I never have to leave this wonderfully crafted world. 🥰
OMG, I know that Estep hasn't officially announced another spin off...but there are LARGE bread crumbs throughout this trilogy that are telling me we're getting one and it's going to focus on another favorite character of mine! 😍 I CANNOT WAIT!
In preparation for this book to release I reread book 1 and 2 and annotating the crap out of them. I almost pushed off reading this longer because I just wasn't ready to let go of the world yet...but I also desperately wanted to know what happened.
Back in "Capture the Crown" we saw Gemma sneak and spy in an attempt to protect her kingdom and try to stop her enemies before they could enact any grand plans. We also got to see her meet and get to know a grown up Leo and battle her feelings for him. The mutual pinning was *chefs kiss* We also got a few flashbacks to her childhood when she first met Leo while fleeing the Seven Spires Massacre. It was so excited getting some of those details that I wondered about while reading "The Crown of Shards" trilogy. [If you haven't read the Crown of Shards series have no worries there's a great 1-2 page refresher of everything that happened back then...though I do recommend reading the first trilogy just to have a deeper understanding of the kingdoms and people]
In "Tear Down the Throne" we get to witness royals, who do not all get along, gather at the annual Summit to cement trade agreements and we get to find out more about Maeven's long game. Although they're enemies and Gemma knows nothing can come of their mutual feelings...Gemma and Leo continue to grow closer even as politics, and their own past feelings, threaten to get in the way. OMG the pining, the growing romance, and the confessions of feelings has me giggling and cheering them on. Not going to lie this book had my feelings about Maeven shifting a lot too...it hurts me that I'm starting to understand her. 😭
Now in "Conquer the Kingdom" there's a big tournament coming to Andvari and Gemma is still hunting down the one person set on destroying them. Even though Gemma now has Leo at her side she still feels it's temporary and that a future will never be possible. I adored the flashbacks we get in this book so much...and trust me you will too! We get to see Gemma blossom even more as she grows in her power, self confidence, and her place in the world. I love this trilogy so much and plan to reread it over and over so I never have to leave this wonderfully crafted world. 🥰
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Torture, Death of parent, War