?⚔️Conquer the Kingdom by Jennifer Estep – Dual Review & Giveaway?⚔️

 

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Description:
Time is running out for crown princess Gemma Ripley. Despite being a cunning spy and a powerful mind magier, Gemma hasn’t been able to track down the most dangerous enemy her kingdom of Andvari has ever seen. Adding to her worries is the Sword and Shield tournament. With gladiators flocking to the capital city of Glanzen, Gemma can’t tell who is friend–or foe.

Determined to protect Andvari at any cost, Gemma hatches a bold plan, but things aren’t what they seem. Soon, everything she holds dear is being threatened, including her burgeoning relationship with Prince Leonidas Morricone.

With the kingdom she holds dear slipping through her fingers, Gemma will have to conquer her fear and unlock the true secret of her magic–or watch her friends and family die and her beloved Andvari fall . . .

 

 

Barb’s Review:
Conquer the Kingdom by Jennifer Estep is the 3^rd and final book in her Gargoyle Queen trilogy. I am a big fan of Jennifer Estep, and I couldn’t wait for Conquer the Kingdom; I am happy to say I loved this series.  I hope there will be more to come from this world.

Gemma and her best friend continue to spy undercover, to search for Milo, her enemy, and find out what his evil plans are to destroy her Kingdom (Andvari).  Gemma makes plans for a Sword and Shield tournament, with gladiators from all over attending in Glanzen.  She even invited Maeven and those from Morta to participate in the tournament; in hopes of trapping Milo, who is determined destroy everyone and take over all kingdoms, including Morta .  Gemma continues to master her mind magier powers, and worrying about keeping everyone safe.

I loved seeing Leo and Gemma together, as they made such a great couple, even if the people in Andvari hated all the Mortans. I also really liked Delmira (Leo’s sister), as she was so great in helping Gemma.  It was also fun to see the Gargoyles and Strix, and I love Grimley, who has always been with Gemma since childhood. The baby Strix, Violet was cute, and I did like Lyra. We learn about why Maeven calls her the Gargoyle Queen. We also got to learn more about her mother, as she saw flasdhbacks of the past.

What follows is an exciting, tense, wild last half of the book that had me on the edge of my seat.  Gemma was an amazing heroine, and her powers became ultra-powerful, which saved her life a number of times.  The wild crazy climax was a thrill a minute, with all their lives in danger and me holding my breath to see if she would survive. At one point near the end, with her life on the line, Gemma rises up with help from her loyal Gargoyles/Strix and friends. 

Conquer the Kingdom was a fantastic finale, with so much magic, mystery, suspense, excitement, action, danger, with lives on the line, and a couple we rooted hard for. To say too much more would be spoilers, as you need to read it from start to finish. Conquer the Kingdom was so very well written by Jennifer Estep, which is no surprise, as I love all her books. I do hope Jennifer will come back to this world.  If you enjoy fantasy, you need to start reading the Gargoyle Queen series, which you should start with the first book, Capture the Crown.

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Sandy’s Review:

CONQUER THE KINGDOM is the third and (final ?) instalment in Jennifer Estep’s adult, GARGOYLE QUEEN dystopian, fantasy series, a spin off from the author’s CROWN OF SHARDS series. The Gargoyle Queen trilogy focuses on the secondary characters originally introduced in the Crown of Shards series. This is twenty-nine year old, Andvari Princess Gemma Ripley, and Mortan Prince Leonidis Morricone’s story line. CONQUER THE KINGDOM should not be read as a stand alone as some of the events in the current time line are as of a direct result of the events in book two TEAR DOWN THE THRONE but the author does recap some of the history and background using memories and reflections.

SOME BACKGROUND: Sixteen years earlier, Gemma Ripley lost everything including the ability to control her magic the day Queen Maeven declared war on her family, killing her mother, and destroying her heart in the process. As Gemma’s ‘mind magic’ becomes more powerful than she could have ever imagined, our heroine struggles to forgive and forget, knowing she will one day have to destroy the people who destroyed her life, including the man that she loves.

NOTE: If you have not read books one or two, there may be spoilers in my review.

Told from first person perspective (Gemma) CONQUER THE KINGDOM focuses on the preparations for, and the events of the upcoming Sword and Shield Gladiator tournament in Glitner, Gemma’s home town and the Andvari Kingdom but Gemma is wary having invited Queen Maeven, with the knowledge, her son Crown Prince Milo will make an appearance in the wake of his numerous attempts to kill our story line heroine. Prince Milo has set his sights on Gemma; he wants to take control of Andvari, destroying everything and everyone who stands in his way. Gemma is the ultimate prize, the most powerful wielder of magic, and in this, Milo is determined to take down the princess by first conquering the land but Gemma has an ally and lover in Milo’s brother Prince Leonidis aka Leo, an ally who battles between head and heart knowing Gemma will take no prisoners, meaning Leo’s brother and his mother are Gemma’s primary targets. As the Gladiator games commence, Milo is amassing an army, securing help and power from an unlikely source.

The relationship between Gemma and Leo continues to struggle in the face of Gemma’s need for vengeance, including stopping Leo’s mother, and destroying Crown Prince Milo. Leo battles between head and heart knowing the pain his mother and brother had previously inflicted upon himself and upon Princess Gemma but Maeven is still Leo’s mother, and in this, Leo must choose between the woman he loves, and the woman who gave him life. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate.

Once again, for fans and followers of Estep’s books and series, there are many similarities to the author’s ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN story lines including the tragic death of the mothers at the hands of the ultimate evil; the use of ‘elemental’ magic, specialty stones and gems, and the odd assortment of friends and creatures with different levels of power including gargoyles and colorful bird like creatures called strixes. And you can’t help but notice the comparisons between the requisite evil including the similarities in names and powers (Maeven Morricone/ Milos Morricone- Mab Monroe/M.M Madeline Monroe-Gemma/Gin).The fast paced, action packed scenes, and the violence perpetrated against our story line heroine are also reminiscent of the aforementioned series in that Gemma Ripley and Gin Blanco are two powerful females who are targeted for who they are, and what they do, and in this suffer as they struggle to protect the people they love.

And not to sound like a broken record, as per my previous reviews, there continues to be a redundancy and overwhelming use of the words purple (79 times) and violet (62 times) pertaining to the Mortan Kingdom’s Royal colors, eye color, the name of a baby strix, and their world as a whole.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, magical and powerful secondary and supporting characters. We are reintroduced to spy and dragon morph Reiko Yamato, Gladiator Kai; gem worker and jeweller Alvis; Gemma’s grandfather King Heinrich, her father Crown Prince Dominic, and his wife Rhea Hans; gargoyles Grimley (Gemma’s familiar), Fern and Otto, and strixes Lyra (Leo’s familiar) and baby Violet; Leo and Milo’s mother Queen Maeven, as well as their sister Delmira, and Milo’s right hand man Captain Wexel. The requisite evil has many faces.

CONQUER THE QUEEN is a story of madness and vengeance, greed, power and control, misunderstanding and mistrust, acceptance and love. CONQUER THE QUEEN reveals the prophecy of three queens, and so far, we have focused on two: Everleigh (Crown of Shards), and Gemma (Gargoyle Queen), and the third queen has been revealed for the author’s next series. The premise is captivating, engaging and energizing; the romance is subtle and seductive; the characters are energetic, dynamic and charismatic. Jennifer Estep is a master at story telling.

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9. Giveaway runs from March 7– 11,  2023