#Review - Tear Down the Throne by Jennifer Estep #Fantasy

Series: The Gargoyle Queen # 2
Format: Paperback, 464 pages
Release Date: May 3, 2022
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy / Epic

Crown princess. Clever spy. Powerful mind magier. Gemma Ripley of Andvari is all those things, but these days, she’s also extremely worried. Her problem? Figuring out how to stop an enemy’s plot to somehow use magical tearstone weapons to conquer her kingdom.

Gemma’s quest for answers leads her to a trade Summit between the various kingdoms. Among the other royals in attendance is Queen Maeven Morricone of Morta and her son, Prince Leonidas—Gemma’s charming and dangerous nemesis.

Gemma knows that Maeven always has a long game in motion, and sure enough, the cunning queen invokes an arcane tradition that threatens the fragile truce between Andvari and Morta. Despite her best intentions to keep her distance from the Morricones, Gemma once again finds herself thrown together with Leo and battling her growing feelings for the enemy prince.

When a series of deadly attacks shatters the Summit’s peaceful negotiations, Gemma realizes that someone wants to tear the royals down from their thrones—and that this enemy just might succeed…

Tear Down the Throne, by author Jennifer Estep, is the second installment in the authors The Gargoyle Queen trilogy. This is a spin-off of the authors bestselling Crown of Shards trilogy, set 15 years later. It features a lot of the same characters, not Everleigh, but focuses on a Crown Princess Gemma Ripley of Andvari, who moonlights as a spy, as well as a powerful mind magier who can hear each and every secret. As you know, the author loves to fill her stories with murder, magic, and mayhem. 

And who better to create chaos then Queen Maeven, and Crown Prince Milo who has engineered the murders of dozens of Gemma's people as well as stealing thousands of pounds of tearstone along the border? To make matters worse, the yearly summit where royals, nobles, merchants, and guilds from all over arrive in a so called neutral place to hammer out negotiations. Among the other royals in attendance is Queen Maeven Morricone of Morta and her son, Prince Leonidas--Gemma's charming and dangerous nemesis. 

Gemma is tightly ensnared in a royal trap without any way to escape. Gemma knows that Maeven always has a long game in motion, and sure enough, the cunning queen invokes an arcane tradition that threatens the fragile truce between Andvari and the other kingdoms. Despite her best intentions, Gemma once again finds herself thrown together with Leo and battling her growing feelings for the enemy prince. Gemma is still dealing with the aftermath of the events in book 1, NO SPOILERS, and while she’s gotten stronger at wielding her magic, she continues to struggle with controlling it rather than letting it control her. 

Gemma and Lady Reiko, a spy from Ryusama, have had their moments. They both think they are the best spy. Reiko saved her life from the Morricones, but now we get a in-depth look at the relationship she has with her own family, as well as Queen Ruri Yamato. There's also Grimley, Gemma's gargoyle, who meets his match when Leo gives her a baby strix. Gemma is like a hummingbird at times. She zigzags from one disasters to the next. This isn't a hyperbole. Throughout the story Gemma is trying to determine who she can trust and how to survive. Literally everyone, except her father, grandfather, and stepmother could be the villain of the story.

One of the things that the author has done in this series, as well in another of her series, is flashbacks to times in a characters life that meant something to them. A time of either good, or plain bad. It seems that even though Gemma can't full trust Leo, her dreams always seem to include situations where he was always around for her. Leo has gotten under Gemma's skin and there's really nothing she can do to shut him off or down, especially when he puts his own life on the line to prove to Gemma that he actually cares about her. 

Lastly, I think we can almost get an understanding of Maeven in this story. She loves Leo, as well as Delmira, but I don't think she would lose sleep if Gemma found a way to bring down Milo, and Captain Wexel, and anyone else who has threatened her reign. Funny when you think about what happened between Maeven and Everleigh and the Seven Spire massacre where Gemma nearly lost her life. I am honestly looking forward to seeing what happens in the finale of this series. Maeven has been playing a very long game which connects with Gemma's own mother. Plus, there are certain squirmy worms that need to be squashed like cockroaches.

**On a side note: I want to thank the author, Harper Voyager, as well as April Kirkland for winning my birthday giveaway of an ARC for this book. Thank you folks! By the way, I turned 60, and I am hoping for a few more good years as a blogger/reviewer. 

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