Book Title: Capture the Crown
Book Author: Jennifer Estep
Series Title: Gargoyle Queen
Stars: 5/5

Spoilers Ahead!

From the author of the Crown of Shards series, come a new trilogy set in the same world. Capture the Crown is the first book in Jennifer Esteps new series, Gargoyle Queen. Taking place more than a decade after the Crown of Shards, Capture the Crown follows Gemma Ripley of Andvari. 

Princess Gemma has become known for her fashion and frivolity. She is the epitome of a flighty and flirtatious princess. Secretly, she is a spy. Taking time to go on adventures, Gemma listens to the gossip and tracks a missing shipment of tearstone. She finds herself in the mountains, in the mining town of Blauberg – close to the Morta border. Unfortunately for Gemma, Leonidas Morricone – the bastard prince of Queen Maeven Morricone – is also there. Nightmares from their first meeting as children still haunt Gemma’s dreams. Yet she finds herself first helping than being helped by Leo. 

Removed from Blauberg and installed behind enemy lines, Gemma and Leo will work together to discover the secrets of the missing tearstone. At least they will try. But trust is not an easy thing to come by, especially in the Morta Court. 

Capture the Crown has all the spunk, fun, adventure and romance of the Crown of Shards series. I like the strong, clear writing. Gemma is an interesting character with different sides to her personal and public personas. She is scared from the traumatic eventus of her childhood – surviving the Morta massacre – and determined to be more than a court ornament. She is powerful, in a different way than Everleigh was in Crown of Shards. First, Gemma’s powers are mental, though she can still fight with her fists. 

I love the fact that Gemma’s attempts to be a spy were ultimately undone by the end. The failure to be a spy was balanced by her success in being a leader and protector of her people. Which I think worked for this princess. 

The world building was still great. I like the Roman/Greek/Gladiator inspired world. This is something fun about the way Estep pulls on older mythologies but in a fresh manner to create complex and believable settings. Filled with magic and monsters, there is just enough fantasy to keep the world exciting. And best, it isn’t a stereotypical medieval setting.

I really enjoyed this book and am eager to read the next in the trilogy – which sadly doesn’t release until 2022. Entertaining and engaging, both similar enough I can see the relation to the other series, but different enough it doesn’t feel derivative, I am giving this great read 5 stars out of 5.