I was given an ARC by NetGalley to read and review this first book in a new series that follows The Crown of Shards series.

It took me a moment to remember the world of Andvari and the characters of that world. I had to remember that Gemma Ripley was a young girl on the day of the Silent Spire massacre and then to figure out who was who to put all of the pieces back together for me. I do think that this could also be read as a stand alone because there is enough information given to make things make sense, but I do not think that the reader could know the EXTENT of the viciousness that Morta is capable without reading the prior series.

So, years have passed and Gemma is now a young woman in her 20's. She has cultivated a reputation as being a pampered Princess, but is fine with the reputation because she is able to roam around her country and gather information with no one being the wiser. That is where we begin this story. Gemma is investigating information that she has come across and in the course of this, she runs into Prince Leonidas from Morta. THE same Prince that betrayed her when she was younger. She saves him and he saves her and we are off to the races.

Without going into spoilers, one of the underlying themes of this book is trust. Whether to trust or not to trust? Should you trust your gut, your intuition? The reader (that would be me) gets to follow along with Gemma as she is thrust right into the heart of Morta. There could not be a more dangerous place in the world for the Crown Princess of Andvari to be and yet she is forced to make decisions - decisions about her actions and decisions on whom to trust.

And boy oh boy are things crazy in Morta. Everyone is deceiving everyone else in one way or another and there are schemes galore. The palace is full of people who each have self serving goals and are willing to do whatever it takes to reach them.

We also get to see a little bit more of Prince Leo. Is he as bad as the rest of his family? Can he be redeemed? You just WANT him to be a nice guy, to be the one who is not like the other.....but, unfortunately....we don't always get what we want.

This is a great start to a new trilogy. The world is set - Morta has plans, big plans - that will eventually affect Andvari if left unchecked. There are things at play that we are given hints to, but not all of the details.

The hook is set, and I am officially caught. The setting is exciting and the characters run the gamut between outright evil and downright likeable. And....I still have hope that redemption is possible, but we will have to see.

This book is a spin off from this author’s Kill the Queen series. I had planned to read Kill the Queen because this author was going to be at Avon’s Kisscon, but due to Covid this was cancelled and Kill the Queen remains on my TBR shelf staring at me. It has awesome reviews and I fully intend to delve further into this world. Even though I hadn’t read the first part of this series, I could easily follow Capture the Crown. Anything the reader needs to know from Kill the Queen is easily and quickly explained.

Gemma Ripley is the crown princess of Andvari. She is also a spy. Gemma works hard to cultivate an image as a pampered princess, and very few know she also spends her time trying to help her country. This mission finds her in a border town of Andvari called Blauberg as a miner trying to determine what is happening to the missing tearstone. Gemma gets into trouble and ends up across the border in Morta surrounded by enemies. The most significant being Queen Maeven who orchestrated the massacre of Gemma’s family when she was twelve, and her son, Leonidas. Leo betrayed Gemma as children, and she won’t soon forget this.

I loved the first and last third of this book. In fact, I stayed up past midnight reading the last third, despite knowing my children would wake me up early in the morning. The first third of the book takes place in Blauberg and is packed with action. The last third was also fast paced and nail biting. I knew bad things were coming and it seems Gemma did as well but couldn’t get out before everything blew up! What I loved most about Gemma is that she was levelheaded. She made decisions I would have made. And despite her attraction to Leo, she doesn’t let this distract her from her mission.

Leo and Maeven are both complicated characters. Maeven killed many at the Seven Spires Massacre. And as we get to know her throughout this book, she comes across as cunning and ruthless. But we do get glimpses of something more in her. She does appear to care for Leo and her daughter, but it is not a typical mother’s love. It will be very interesting to get to know her further and I can’t tell yet how I will end up feeling about her. Leo is a good soul forced to live in a deadly court with both family and enemies trying to kill him. He plays a lethal game of survival every day and must cover his soft heart.

This is an ARC copy given for an honest review.

This was an action packed booked filled with magic, murder, espionage, and a hint of romance. This novel was set in the same world as The Crown of Shard series. However you don't need to have read those books to be able to enjoy this book. This novel follows Gemma who was in the Crown of Shard series but in this novel it is 16 years later so she is an adult. Gemma is the princess in her kingdom and has a reputation as being spoiled and only caring about jewels. This is a reputation she has cultivated so that she could be a spy to see what is going on in her kingdom. Tearstone is a major industry and large amounts of it is being stolen. She disguises herself as a miner to try and figure out what is happening. One day while mining she runs into an old foe who she hates yet can'ts stop thinking about. What follows is a story filled with some unexpected twists and definitely lots of action. I absolutely loved this book and all of the characters. They felt very real and I found myself invested in what happened to them. I can't wait to read more.!!!!

This book is the first in a series that builds on the previous world created by Estep. Capture the Crown is a relatively fast-paced book with plenty of interesting characters and intrigue. There is a cute enemies to lovers type romance and the main character reminds me a bit of Fable. Readers who enjoy getting into the head of the main character will enjoy being inside of Gemma's head. And those who enjoy a prince who needs saving will definitely enjoy Prince Leo. I think all YA ages will enjoy this book and those that have read Estep's previous series will enjoy being in the world again.

This book was really interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plotline was super interesting and full of action. I really liked where the author took the story. I will be purchasing this book.

Oh my gosh! I need the next book NOW!!!

Seriously, yall. March has been a great month for me with books, and this one is no exception.

This being the first book by Jennifer Estep I have had the pleasure to read, and IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST, I have to say I am blown away with her writing. Her writing style is so enchanting it draws you in from the first sentence to the very last punctuation. The characters, as well as the world are wonderfully diverse and rich. Each character is truly their own person, making me appreciate even the most evil of her villains.

The slow burn attraction that runs through the story is both sweet and vicious. By the end you be cursing Jennifer’s name and begging for book two, because one is just not enough.

One of my favorite parts of this books, aside the amazing story, are the characters. (Yes, I said that already, but it is sooooo true!) They are so complex that I want to dive into each one and know more about their stories. I can truly see several series braking off from this one. Especially one based on Delmira! I LOVE HER!

Anyway, that is enough rambling from me. Read it. You will love it. The End.

I enjoy everything I've read by Jennifer Estep. Her stories are quick entertaining reads, and her characters are likeable and relatably human. I look forward to more stories in Gemma's universe.

Since I read the “Crown of Shards” trilogy last fall I have constantly checked Goodreads.com and Amazon waiting for any synopsis and title for this book. I loved devouring the world Jennifer crafted in the original trilogy and knew I needed more. The excitement I felt when I saw there was an ARC available through NetGalley was overwhelming, knowing there was a chance I could dive back in before the July release.

When we originally meet Gemma, in the Crown of Shards series, she’s twelve or thirteen and when we see her again, in this new book, she’s now thirty. She has perfectly crafted a persona of being a spoiled and materially obsessed princess, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. When her subjects think she’s off an other shopping spree, she’s actually disguised and investigating threats to her people and crown.

Although a grown woman, Gemma was so deeply affected by witnessing the Seven Spires massacre, she constantly fears her magical abilities and tries to keep them reigned in. She has many people, who love and adore her, surround her and encourage her but at times she still feels like that scared little girl…frozen as she hides under a table watching chaos unleashed around her.

This book reunites her with Leo, the son of the enemy, someone who she should hate but who constantly leaves her confused and flustered. She should hate him, she should want him dead, but why does it feel so good to be close to him…why does she long for him to close the distance between them?

Through Gemma’s eyes, we’re able to see Morta, the enemy land, in all it’s beauty and chaos. We meet Mortan’s who are kind and others who are just as bad, if not worse, than the King Mauven killed for her crown. We see enemies and friends we met in the “Crown of Shards” trilogy as well as meet new friends, enemies, and people who could be either.

Start to finish this book was an adventure and a great re-introduction to this world. I look forward to seeing the next book (set to release in 2022) as we continue to see Gemma evolve into a strong and confident woman and leader. Although Gemma faced a lot of trauma as a child, I look forward to seeing her fully triumph over it, and become the strong and fierce woman she’s always been meant to be.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I've never read a book from this author so I wasn't sure what I was in for. It hit me like a train and I am obsessed. I never like putting spoilers in my reviews because I feel one should experience the book without any knowledge because it makes the experience better. I didn't want to put this book down, that's how good it was. I highly recommend this book that loves fantasy with royals in them. I loved the female lead so much throughout this book, can't wait for more from her. Just from this book I will definitely be reading more by this author.

This is a must read for anyone who loves enemies to lovers trope! The heroine is amazing. She’s stands up for herself even going against her family. I have not read the original series, this book is the first in a spin off series. This makes want to read the original series now.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Disclaimer: I got this ARC from @NetGalley.

Capture the Dawn follows Gemma as she embarks on a secret spy mission despite her grandfather and father's disapproval. While there, she runs into her long-time enemy Prince Leo and she has to save him. Alright, so I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope in this one!! This is perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince. I loved that in this book, the woman saves the man. It's different from a lot of the other fantasy books that I've read.

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that Jennifer Estep was adding another book into this word I was ecstatic. The first series got me through a really tough time and this book did as well. I really liked being able to revisit some characters from the past. Our main character has so much spunk and life to her that I just fell for her quickly. This was a quick read but felt like it had more depth to it than the other series. Possibly, because this series deals with some heavier topics. I also enjoy that the love interest got a lot of time in this book, My hope is that he still does in the next few books unlike our oh so sad boy who barely got to be featured in the last book. I will be recommending this book to anyone who enjoys a new fantasy world with characters they can come to love.

Sixteen years after the Seven Spires massacre, Gemma has grown up to be a glamorous princess by day and a secret spy working to defend her kingdom by night. But investigating a tearstone theft from one her mines gets her in over her head, and Gemma gets swept away to Majesta, the capital city of her mortal enemies. With only two allies, Reiko, a fellow spy, and Leonidas, a prince who betrayed her in the past, Gemma has to get to the bottom of the thefts and make it out of Morta before her identity as the Andvari princess is revealed.

Capture the Crown has pretty standard characters and plot—the princess goes on an adventure with the prince who is either her ally or her enemy. It’s a classic plotline and one Jennifer Estep does well. It moves at a good pace, and from the outside, the characters are both fun and relatable. The issue lies in the fact that Estep tries to place readers inside Gemma’s head. Gemma’s thoughts might be helpful if readers put down the book a lot and pick it back up, but otherwise, Gemma’s thoughts are redundant, state the obvious a little late, and dwell much too much on her frozen reaction to the massacre she witnessed as a child.

Gemma thinks that she heard suspicious thoughts from Maeven, the orchestrator of the massacre, that day with her newly awakening powers, and it haunts her. This might have been a good driving event for Gemma as a character, but she’s twenty-nine now and she thinks of herself as a coward a dozen times throughout the book. It distracts from the current story and brings readers back to the massacre which took place neither in this book nor this series. Simply put, the massacre wasn’t in this book and shouldn’t be a feature of it. The mention of Queen Everleigh and other characters from the Crown of Shards series also distract a bit since Gemma thinks of them but doesn’t meet them in this tale.

Overall, Capture the Crown could have been better but was still a good read, and I will continue to read Estep’s next books in this series.

<i>*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review*</i>

Having never read anything from this author, I was unsure what to expect. It was fast-paced with interesting enough characters, though I think if I had read the previous series, I might have connected to this book a bit more. Ended with a cliffhanger, so I'll pick up the next book for sure.

Jennifer Estep returns to the world of Crown of Shards. As always, her world building is on point and her descriptions are vivid.

The main character is interesting but reads more like an adolescent than a woman of 29. This is probably a deliberate choice of the author as much of the book is dedicated to having the main character grow past her childhood trauma.

I look forward to the next book in this series.

I received an ARC and I am leaving my honest review.

A enjoyable fantasy novel from Jennifer Estep. The epic and adventurous novel that has magical creatures, great characters, and a well flushed out plot. Thank you NetGalley!
#CapturetheCrown
#MustReadFantasy

As a HUGE fan of Jennifer Estep, and an even bigger fan of books with royals, I was practicing giddy to have been approved for this book! The characters were well fleshed out and the plot kept me engaged till the end!

I loved this book. The character energy was easy to get into and I really enjoyed the way the main characters role in the story changes. This book would be great for anyone who loves royalty, mystery and will keep you reading from the very beginning

I have been provided with a copy of Capture the Crown by the publisher through NetGalley for an impartial review. This is the first book in the brand-new Gemma Ripley series and this was just a great way to start off a new series. This new series takes place in the same world as the Crown of Shards series so you get to see some familiar characters. I just absolutely loved this world so I am so glad that the author decided to revisit it with a brand-new trilogy. Oh my gosh this story was just epic. I just couldn’t put this story down and I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. The author truly outdid herself with this story. This story just had my emotions all over the place and I am so sad to see this book end. I just can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

I really enjoyed Jennifer Estep's author novels, so when I saw that she had written a new book set in the same wonderful world as her previous works, I knew I had to read it! And I was not disappointed, in fact, I think I liked this one even better, and really enjoyed the new characters while returning to the same fantasy world as before.
Read this and you won't be sorry!