Capture the Crown: A Novel
- Downloads：3409
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-31 11:21:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer Estep
- ISBN：1665098708
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Amber
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4。5 starsSuch a fun action-packed book with complex characters。 I am in love！
Biggs_bookcase
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Gemma Ripley is a entertaining and courageous。 Loved her determination to solve the issues that plague her people and the lengths she will go to do it。 Her journey to find her inner strength is emotional and sometimes nerve racking。 A not so welcome blast from her past also throws himself into her life adding to the danger and crazy adventures。 A good mid evil paranormal （magic users） story that will keep you waiting for the other foot to fall！
Noone
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Shallow。
Beth
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DNF @ 25%After having this book on my conscience for three weeks， I'm finally giving up。Things that appealed:- An enjoyable point of view character。 She had a tough past and was still willing to put herself in danger for her country。 Although， is that something that a princess ought to be doing？- Writing that was engaging and easy to read。 It's the kind of prose that I typically associate with YA， and it worked well here。- The story was fun。 I was genuinely interested in seeing who was moving th DNF @ 25%After having this book on my conscience for three weeks， I'm finally giving up。Things that appealed:- An enjoyable point of view character。 She had a tough past and was still willing to put herself in danger for her country。 Although， is that something that a princess ought to be doing？- Writing that was engaging and easy to read。 It's the kind of prose that I typically associate with YA， and it worked well here。- The story was fun。 I was genuinely interested in seeing who was moving the plot behind the stolen gemstone， and why。Things that weren't so great:- Aggressive shallowness。 Nothing goes beyond a surface level， including descriptions of trauma。- It was kind of cool that emotion was consistently expressed in similes and metaphors， both within Gemma's mind and when she was reading others' emotions。 But after a while it was too intrusive and broke me out of the story。- Slipshod and lazy world building。 It's one of those books that's supposedly set in a fantasy world， but if you look at it closely， people are living much like they do in the 21st century。 You've got fantasy refrigerators， and fantasy light switches， and running water （with accompanying fantasy infrastructure， I guess？）， and public education， and 8-hour work days， and easy access to a wide variety of food for people of all classes （fantasy logistics？）。 And no cars or guns， of course。There might be times that I could enjoy a book like this， but this seems not to be one of them。 Thanks--and apologies--to Harper Voyager for sending me a proof copy in a Goodreads giveaway。 。。。more
Crystal ➳ Reading Between the Wines Book Club
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2。5 StarsThis was surprisingly my first read from author Jennifer Estep。 The book's premise grabbed my attention; magic， gargoyles， royalty， and spies？ I'm there for it！ Unfortunately Capture the Crown turned out to be underwhelming。 First thoughts;The repetition was aggravating， and the book probably could have been cut in half with out it。 It got to the point where every time I heard the phrase， "Seven Spire Massacre" I would sigh in frustration。 The plot was drawn out， slow moving， and ofttim 2。5 StarsThis was surprisingly my first read from author Jennifer Estep。 The book's premise grabbed my attention; magic， gargoyles， royalty， and spies？ I'm there for it！ Unfortunately Capture the Crown turned out to be underwhelming。 First thoughts;The repetition was aggravating， and the book probably could have been cut in half with out it。 It got to the point where every time I heard the phrase， "Seven Spire Massacre" I would sigh in frustration。 The plot was drawn out， slow moving， and ofttimes boring with every minuscular step given great detail。 I thought the magical elements of the story were interesting but the author never went into detail WHY some people had magic， some didn't， or why their abilities would vary。 It also seemed like a convenient save all in some situations。 I didn't quiet understand the chemistry that the author was trying to portray between Gemma and Leo either。 Besides saving each other in a couple dramatic events， and trying to kill each other as children （which readers are told repeatedly）， at no time did I see or feel a deep connection between the two characters。 I never got a sense of the world around them either， there was little world building but， like the magic aspect， that may be because the author is expecting readers from the Crown of Shards trilogy。。。the entire story line could have used some fleshing out instead of the constant reiteration of Gemma's internal dialogue。 While A Gargoyle Queen is a spin-off series of the Crown of Shards trilogy， I didn't find it too difficult to jump in with that unread。 There was an obvious backstory there and the reemergence of past characters， but I thought that this story held up well on its own。 At this point though， despite reading the book through， I don't see myself continuing with the series。 I'll come back to tidy up this review。 。。。more
Janetta Bitting
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Thrilling from start to finish The work has some espionage that goes astray。 This leaves our princess in the midst of enemy territory。 A acquaintance from the past promises to protect her against his family。 This does not go as planned。 Does the princess live to return home？
Madison Warner Fairbanks
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Capture the Crown by Jennifer EstepGargoyle Queen， book 1。 Crown of Shards world。 15 years after the first trilogy which does not need to be read before this。 There are many events and people referred to so I believe the experience would be better if they have been read。 At least the first， Kill the Queen。 Fantasy。 Gemma Ridley。 One of the few survivors of the massacre when she was a child。 Now a spy even though still a princess。 Leonidas of Motra。 The enemy。 Maybe？ But why is he helping Gemma？ Capture the Crown by Jennifer EstepGargoyle Queen， book 1。 Crown of Shards world。 15 years after the first trilogy which does not need to be read before this。 There are many events and people referred to so I believe the experience would be better if they have been read。 At least the first， Kill the Queen。 Fantasy。 Gemma Ridley。 One of the few survivors of the massacre when she was a child。 Now a spy even though still a princess。 Leonidas of Motra。 The enemy。 Maybe？ But why is he helping Gemma？ Doesn’t he recognize her from when they met years ago？Danger follows Gemma as she works as a miner uncovering secrets and death。 Death counts are high。 Tragedy and torture in memories and real time。 Triumph for some。 Questions for the future are heavy and plentiful。 Fantasy elements and magic master the game of power and survival。 At this point looking forward to the next in the trilogy but not as strong as the first set。 🎧 I mostly listened to the audio version narrated by Lauren Fortgang。 I also have a paperback and alternated at times。 I found the audiobook a bit more engaging which was opposite my experience for the first trilogy。 Same narrator。 She has a pleasant voice to listen to with great depth for the various characters such as a gargoyle and magic bird。 Emotion are well portrayed。 。。。more
Gillian Paulus
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Great paranormal adventure I really liked the characters in this book， including the main character， Gemma。 The book has a lot of suspense and was not predictable。 I liked how magic is the norm in this world， people just have different kinds of it and different amounts of magic。 I found the ending to be unexpected but good。
Joyousmoi
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Too similar to the other series for me。。。。
Laura
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Is Gemma Ripley a princess or spy or both？ This story follows Gemma as she tries to figure out who is stealing her country's tearstone and why。 During her investigations， Gemma encounters her mortal enemy - Prince Leonidas。 Prince Leonidas gets himself into a bit of trouble due to his complicated family life and Gemma finds herself saving his life。 Then Gemma gets into some trouble of her own and Leonidas comes to the rescue。 They end up working together to solve the mystery of the missing tears Is Gemma Ripley a princess or spy or both？ This story follows Gemma as she tries to figure out who is stealing her country's tearstone and why。 During her investigations， Gemma encounters her mortal enemy - Prince Leonidas。 Prince Leonidas gets himself into a bit of trouble due to his complicated family life and Gemma finds herself saving his life。 Then Gemma gets into some trouble of her own and Leonidas comes to the rescue。 They end up working together to solve the mystery of the missing tearstone， but can Gemma really trust Leonidas？ This book is full of intrigue， magic， friendship， and betrayal。I really enjoyed reading this book。 I haven't read any of the author's other books but I know it's in the same world， so I'm definitely going to be checking them out。 I'm a sucker for a good fantasy world so this was right up my alley。 Highly recommend！Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Sarah Heacock
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Adventure， action， magic， great characters and a sprinkle of romance。 Jennifer Estep is a great story teller and I can’t wait to read the next one！！！ May 2022 can’t come soon enough。 Thank you for the terrific tale！
Jessica
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I liked this one better than the last book in the last series， I liked Evie until I got to her last book。 I just wish Gemma was smarter about Leo， she treats him so harshly even after all that he does for her。 I'm curious to see how everything ends I liked this one better than the last book in the last series， I liked Evie until I got to her last book。 I just wish Gemma was smarter about Leo， she treats him so harshly even after all that he does for her。 I'm curious to see how everything ends 。。。more
Bianca
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I really like that the kids from the last series is getting a book。 I also love a strong female lead that can take care of business and doesn’t necessarily need to be saved by a man。 I also see we’re delving further into the character building of Maeven， she’s not all bad and is a person shaped by her circumstance。 I can’t wait to see how this trilogy builds up and what’s this whole gargoyle queen title。
is-a-bele
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omg this sounds so interesting
Jeanny
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1。5 stars。 Audible version。 Narration was well done。 The story failed to hold my interest mostly bc I wasn’t a fan of any of the characters。 I thought Gemma the FMC incredibly useless & to be honest TSTL。 I suspect if the characters were more engaging the plot would’ve worked well enough。 I will not continue the series。
Jane
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4 starsYou can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books。I loved this first book in a new YA Fantasy trilogy set in the same world as the author's Crown of Shards books。 Here， we meet Princess Gemma Ripley， whose frivolous reputation hides her secret identity as a spy， and her skills as a powerful mind magier。 Gemma goes undercover with her loyal gargoyle Grimley to see who is stealing tearstone from her family's mines。 While sneaking around she crosses paths with Prince Leonidas Morricone 4 starsYou can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books。I loved this first book in a new YA Fantasy trilogy set in the same world as the author's Crown of Shards books。 Here， we meet Princess Gemma Ripley， whose frivolous reputation hides her secret identity as a spy， and her skills as a powerful mind magier。 Gemma goes undercover with her loyal gargoyle Grimley to see who is stealing tearstone from her family's mines。 While sneaking around she crosses paths with Prince Leonidas Morricone （Leo） of Morta， one of her family's mortal enemies。 When Gemma gets into trouble she finds herself pairing up with Leo to uncover the mystery of the missing tearstone。 Gemma never dreamed she would be working with Leo， and is surprised and disturbed when she finds herself attracted to him。 Both royals will need all the skill， and luck， they can muster to get out of the increasing trouble they find themselves in。This book caught my attention from the start。 I really enjoyed the previous series， which is set in the same world about 15 or so years before the events in this trilogy。 Gemma is a strong character， but as is typical in these books， there is something holding her back from achieving her full potential。 She is challenged multiple times throughout the book until she's able to push through and take control of her powers。 I think perseverance and belief in oneself are an important messages that can never be stressed enough。 Even in a YA Fantasy。 :-） Leo is the typical YA brooding love interest with his own secrets and issues。 We don't learn much about him as this book is focused on setting up Gemma and the long-term difficulties she will face throughout the trilogy， but I expect we will learn more about him in the next books。 Some of the book is formulaic and there is a bit of repetition regarding the Seven Spires massacre （from the previous series） and the couple's childhood interactions that could have been omitted， but this book is such a fun read that those issues are minor irritants。This is a good first book in a new fun and exciting trilogy and I am really looking forward to the next book in the series。 You may miss some nuances in the story if you haven't read the Crown of Shards series， but there is enough background in this book that you could read it without having read the previous series and still be able to enjoy it。 However， I highly recommend you read the Crown of Shards series because it is SO GOOD！I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Harper Voyager。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
D Clark
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Jennifer Estep did it again。 Once I started reading， I could not put the book down。 I can’t wait for the next book。
Ashley Cavazos
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Got off to a slow start， but picked up about halfway through the story。 This is the first book I've read by her， so I was somewhat lost in the world building。 Only because this is an off shot of her other series。 But you catch up and don't have to read the other books to understand the story。 Which was a huge bouns。 I liked the attraction in the story line， and can't wait for the other books to come out to see how that particular story line goes。 Got off to a slow start， but picked up about halfway through the story。 This is the first book I've read by her， so I was somewhat lost in the world building。 Only because this is an off shot of her other series。 But you catch up and don't have to read the other books to understand the story。 Which was a huge bouns。 I liked the attraction in the story line， and can't wait for the other books to come out to see how that particular story line goes。 。。。more
Rachel （Royal_Reading_Company）
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Alright， so I LOVED the Crown of Shards series， & when I heard we were getting a spin-off with Gemma Ripley， I was SUPER EXCITED！！！ Well， it did not disappoint。 Maybe because I was back in the world， with characters I grew to love （& hate） so much， or maybe it was the hard-core shipping feels i had。 Doesn't matter， I was here for all of it！ Was it as good as the original story？ Nah， probably not。。。 but I just didn't care。 If you loved the first series， then you should enjoy this one！ Alright， so I LOVED the Crown of Shards series， & when I heard we were getting a spin-off with Gemma Ripley， I was SUPER EXCITED！！！ Well， it did not disappoint。 Maybe because I was back in the world， with characters I grew to love （& hate） so much， or maybe it was the hard-core shipping feels i had。 Doesn't matter， I was here for all of it！ Was it as good as the original story？ Nah， probably not。。。 but I just didn't care。 If you loved the first series， then you should enjoy this one！ 。。。more
Kayla Flanagan
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Didn't quite compare to the Crown of Shards first book， BUT these are different characters， and goddess do I love the world that Estep has built。 I'm so engulfed and I see this world and feel all these characters so much - flaws， faults and all。 It's fun to see the developments and changes in them between the end of Crush the King and this one。 Didn't quite compare to the Crown of Shards first book， BUT these are different characters， and goddess do I love the world that Estep has built。 I'm so engulfed and I see this world and feel all these characters so much - flaws， faults and all。 It's fun to see the developments and changes in them between the end of Crush the King and this one。 。。。more
LivingOnTheWriteSide （Jocelyn）
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Honestly， I really enjoyed the beginning of the book， but the ending disappointed me a bit。 Of course， it's a series， so there will be other books after it to finish it off， but I was left really unsatisfied。Now one of the main reasons I'm giving this 3 stars is simply because of the amount of bad language in it—which if you don't mind swearing as most people don't， you won't have a problem—and some other things that were added in that， again， I didn't like simply because of my own personal beli Honestly， I really enjoyed the beginning of the book， but the ending disappointed me a bit。 Of course， it's a series， so there will be other books after it to finish it off， but I was left really unsatisfied。Now one of the main reasons I'm giving this 3 stars is simply because of the amount of bad language in it—which if you don't mind swearing as most people don't， you won't have a problem—and some other things that were added in that， again， I didn't like simply because of my own personal beliefs。I think what I really liked about this story was the characters—mainly Gemma and Leo。 I absolutely loved Leo and Gemma was a good， strong lead。 I also loved their romance， even though it was a bit of instalove—which I hate—that was only because they had a history， and there was still buildup because they barely acted on that love—or that attraction。 Honestly， I found that the romance soon became my favorite part of the book。 So for that alone， I'd say it's a good book。 I also think the plot was relatively good， but it still left me unsatisfied。I will say I also enjoyed the plot line and it definitely intrigued me enough to finish the book within around 12 hours。This is my honest review and my own opinion， so I'd say read the book before you judge it because you might love it， you might not。Overall， it was a relatively good book， but not my favorite。 。。。more
TJ
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Those who know me know I am a huge fan of Ms。 Estep’s writing。 I love her worlds and her ability to keep me absolutely riveted to the pages of her fantasy stories。 This book is no exception and， while I don’t think it is as tightly written as the series it has taken off from， it holds the promise to be just as addicting， exciting and sigh-worthy as any so far！ I closed the book aching for the next one to publish soon！ *Although this book can be read without reading the Crown of Shards series fir Those who know me know I am a huge fan of Ms。 Estep’s writing。 I love her worlds and her ability to keep me absolutely riveted to the pages of her fantasy stories。 This book is no exception and， while I don’t think it is as tightly written as the series it has taken off from， it holds the promise to be just as addicting， exciting and sigh-worthy as any so far！ I closed the book aching for the next one to publish soon！ *Although this book can be read without reading the Crown of Shards series first， much of the background and depth of understanding will be a thousand times better if one does…。 Besides that series is well worth the read as a precursor！* 。。。more
Carole （Carole's Random Life）
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This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife。com/I really enjoyed reading this book！ I loved the Crown of Shards trilogy so I was thrilled to get the chance to read more books set in that world。 I have to admit that I have a hard time remembering much about secondary characters once I have finished a book so I really knew nothing about Gemma， Leo， or any of the characters but some of the events mentioned in the story were very familiar to me。 This would be a perfect place to start This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife。com/I really enjoyed reading this book！ I loved the Crown of Shards trilogy so I was thrilled to get the chance to read more books set in that world。 I have to admit that I have a hard time remembering much about secondary characters once I have finished a book so I really knew nothing about Gemma， Leo， or any of the characters but some of the events mentioned in the story were very familiar to me。 This would be a perfect place to start if you were thinking about reading any of the books set in this world。Gemma is known as a pampered princess but the reality is that she works to protect her kingdom by working as a spy。 She has been working in a mine when she stumbles upon more than she bargained for when she crosses paths with Prince Leo of Morta。 She doesn’t hesitate to take full advantage of the opportunity to go undercover in Morta even though it is a risky move。 Before it is all over， she will find herself in more danger than she could have ever imagined。This was an exciting story！ I was really worried about Gemma， Leo， and the rest of the characters for much of the book。 There were a few scenes that were really intense。 I was never quite sure who Gemma should trust。 I liked Leo and they had a lot of chemistry together but he is loyal to his mother， Queen Maeven。 I enjoyed the magic in this story。 I love Gemma’s abilities and I have a feeling that she will master even more skills as the series progresses。 I really loved the gargoyle， Grimley， and the strix， Lyra， and look forward to seeing more of them in future books。I would recommend this book to others。 I thought that this was an excellent start to a promising series set in a world that I already love。 The characters were very well done and there was plenty of intense action to keep the pages turning。 I cannot wait to read more of this series！I received a digital review copy of this book from Harper Voyager via NetGalley。 。。。more
Sharon
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Capture the Crown is a spin off for her Crown of Shards series。 Loved this version and can't wait until the next one in the series comes out。 Well developed characters and kept me on the edge of my seat until the end。 The various characters use their talents and magic to defeat their enemies and create a bond of love that transcends normal folks。 Capture the Crown is a spin off for her Crown of Shards series。 Loved this version and can't wait until the next one in the series comes out。 Well developed characters and kept me on the edge of my seat until the end。 The various characters use their talents and magic to defeat their enemies and create a bond of love that transcends normal folks。 。。。more
Shivani （shivsreads_ ）
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A powerful princess who moonlights as a spy？ Hell yes！！Gemma Ripley， princess of Andvari is a powerful mind magier who has the carefully cultivated persona of a glitzy， pampered princess but is really a spy for her kingdom。 When a mission goes horribly wrong and she finds herself in the enemy kingdom of Morta， she reluctantly joins forces with her childhood nemesis Leonidas to uncover a dangerous plot against her kingdom。Capture The Crown is a fascinating， fast moving story with vivid world buil A powerful princess who moonlights as a spy？ Hell yes！！Gemma Ripley， princess of Andvari is a powerful mind magier who has the carefully cultivated persona of a glitzy， pampered princess but is really a spy for her kingdom。 When a mission goes horribly wrong and she finds herself in the enemy kingdom of Morta， she reluctantly joins forces with her childhood nemesis Leonidas to uncover a dangerous plot against her kingdom。Capture The Crown is a fascinating， fast moving story with vivid world building， complicated relationships and almost Game of Thrones level plotting and scheming by a host of multilayered，enigmatic characters。 Gemma is a fierce and independent character whose love for her family and kingdom causes her to bravely risk her life multiple times。 Her guilt and shame over her inaction during a traumatic event in the past adds to her determination。 Leo is a tough nut to crack for most of the book。It is not very clear where his loyalties lie。 This story also has great secondary characters who bring more intrigue and drama to the plot。I did feel that the author could have gone a bit lighter on Gemma’s numerous inner monologues as they became quite repetitive after a point。 Although I know that past events have had a hand in shaping the characters’ persona， I would have preferred lesser references to said events too。Nonetheless， I would recommend Capture The Crown for readers who like fantasy books filled with intrigue， drama， politics， magic， a badass heroine， a morally grey hero and a touch of romance。Now， I have one question for Jennifer。 When is the next book coming out， because I’m already a mess trying to figure out what happens next？ Find me on : INSTAGRAM 。。。more
Tam Wallace
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I've never read a Jennifer Estep book before， this review is based upon an ARC I won in a giveaway。I have to admit that the first chapter or two were a little confusing， referencing a lot of activity that happened in another trilogy。 So I checked that trilogy out and read it。 Made things much easier to follow。 It was well written， and engaging。 But the male hero's seem to be a bit whiney。 Other than that， I did enjoy it and look forward to the second book in the series。 I've never read a Jennifer Estep book before， this review is based upon an ARC I won in a giveaway。I have to admit that the first chapter or two were a little confusing， referencing a lot of activity that happened in another trilogy。 So I checked that trilogy out and read it。 Made things much easier to follow。 It was well written， and engaging。 But the male hero's seem to be a bit whiney。 Other than that， I did enjoy it and look forward to the second book in the series。 。。。more
Manola Dobbs
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Capture the CrownThis book is very well written。 Still reeling from the shock of Gemma is a spy。 Totally unexpected。 Leo is unexpected too。 Both of them are suffering from PTSD。 And Leo is an abused child and man。 This is an excellent read。
Shyshy
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best book ive read during my quarantine days。 it is my first book ive read by jennifer estep and i must say i was very hooked from start to finish。 i love the pace of the story， the romance， and the mythical elements。 now im planning to check out other estep books。 😊
Darlene
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An entertaining and fast-paced entry into Estep's Shards series， featuring two now grown characters who we first met as young teens in the earlier books。 This is the first book of a new trilogy and adds characters who could very well be the protagonists of their own stories if the author continues to build in this universe。 An entertaining and fast-paced entry into Estep's Shards series， featuring two now grown characters who we first met as young teens in the earlier books。 This is the first book of a new trilogy and adds characters who could very well be the protagonists of their own stories if the author continues to build in this universe。 。。。more
Lara Alamad
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