I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After enjoying the first book in the Gargoyle Queen series, I was very excited to jump into the sequel. The only thing I didn't realize was how long of a wait I was going to go through before finally diving into it. It's safe to say that I quite enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what happens next in this series.

Gemma is such an easy character to enjoy. She fights for what she believes in and will defend the people she loves with her whole heart. Of course, that doesn't stop betrayal and other things lurking behind every corner. Besides her, we are finally starting to trust Leonidas. Well, maybe, and by we—I mean me—and also, yes, I may still be suspicious.

Whether it's royal duties, competition, or forming true bonds of friendship (and other things), I'm beyond excited to get my hands on the next book. I really need to know what's going to happen next for everyone involved.

For some reason this series hasn't grabbed me the way the Kill the Queen trilogy did. I think Gemma's voice read as maybe too juvenile and overconfident? I never really took the Glitzma persona very seriously, and it's so obvious that she misunderstand's Leo's actions but won't give him the benefit of the doubt or talk to him to clear up what happened. It's just so frustrating, because I think a lot of the elements are there for this to be a great trilogy, and I really love Leo as the love interest!

Really enjoyed Estep’s new book. Nice difference compared the Spider series. It has a medieval prince in a fantasy world feel. Except the princess is a tough warrior who doesn’t need a man to rescue her. Two thumbs up!

Such a beautifully crafted story, which is what I’ve come to expect from this author. I wish Gemma had been a bit less conflicted-I got irritated with her at times-but with all she’s been through, her trauma and PTSD would make anyone a little nuts. I think they need some mind healers as well as bone healers in this kingdom-otherwise these two will have a tough marriage ahead of them. Also-Wexel has more lives than a cat! It’s time for him to go please? Must read next book now!

Tear Down the Throne

I always have so much fun with the books in this world. Jennifer Estep keeps offering fun, action packed installments and I can’t help but indulge.

Tear Down the Throne is the second book in the Gargoyle Queen series, which is a companion series that takes place in the same world as the Broken Shards trilogy.

As this is a sequel, some of the background information will need to come from book 1. I do think that Estep does a great job with the initial recap, which she weaves seamlessly into the story. She also provides bits of context from book 1 as needed, which helps the reader to stay engaged instead of mentally wandering off to figure out what is happening and why.

The plot of Tear Down the Throne goes in a few different directions and although it doesn’t muddy the story, it does pull the reader’s attention in several different directions. There is the underlying contention between the Marcon and abalone families, the mystery of what weapons are being created with the missing tear stone, an impending war and of course… the brewing romance. It all works together somehow and Estep is able to keep the story moving smoothly.

The characters are really the stars of this book. We are reintroduced to the gargoyles and strixes from book 1, and a few more along the way. Every character had an opportunity to shine and the reader was given the space to question their loyalties, their intentions, and their overall make up. This installment does a better job of properly introducing and fleshing out the peripheral characters.

The romance, on the other hand, I could have done without. It was enemies to lovers and that was done fairly well, but it didn’t feel like the story needed it. We get the happily ever after… sort of, while still leaving space for another installment.

I really do enjoy this world and am always interested to see what will happen next.

Tear Down The Throne is the second book in which we follow the life of Gemma Ripley as she struggles with being the future queen of the Gargoyles and her love for the son of her great enemy. Jennifer Estep has crafted a fantastic world between the original three books that followed Everleigh Blair to this spin-off, where we focus on the land of gargoyles vs strixes. The strong bond that formed between Gemma and Leo is so sweet, tender, and at times utterly heartbreaking. Each book builds on their relationship and the struggle to decide whether or not to end Maeven’s life as the evil queen of Morta. Gemma struggles with her feelings, and in this second book, we see their relationship develop over this trail that Leo’s mother has thrown him into, and he will be forced to marry Gemma eventually. As I read, I was on the edge of my seat, eager for the third and final book.

Tear Down The Throne is the second book in which we follow the life of Gemma Ripley as she struggles with being the future queen of the Gargoyles and her love for the son of her great enemy. Jennifer Estep has crafted a fantastic world between the original three books that followed Everleigh Blair to this spin-off, where we focus on the land of gargoyles vs strixes. The strong bond that formed between Gemma and Leo is so sweet, tender, and at times utterly heartbreaking. Each book builds on their relationship and the struggle to decide whether or not to end Maeven's life as the evil queen of Morta. Gemma struggles with her feelings, and in this second book, we see their relationship develop over this trail that Leo's mother has thrown him into, and he will be forced to marry Gemma eventually. As I read, I was on the edge of my seat, eager for the third and final book.

Jennifer Estep does it again!! This book was fantastic and it definitely kept me reading . Loved every minute of this book and I can’t wait to read more.

I do recommend it.

Great follow up to the Gargoyle Queen. My high school fantasy readers are sure to enjoy this one! The Gargoyle Queen was popular in my library, so I will definitely be adding this one to the shelf!

Curses! Why? Why? Why have I not read book one in this series? How did I miss that Jennifer Estes had an entire book released, and I never even knew about it? I feel like such a loser!

Sadly, I feel like I lost out on some of the pleasure in this book because I had to play “catch up” from not having read the first book. I was sooo tempted to just set this aside for another time so I could get the other one, but then…curiosity. This one is good. And I wanted to know what was going to happen. I kept reading.

Ultimately, I decided that Gemma is a great character. I like the last series better, but that could be because I am missing the entire set-up of this one. Despite that missing link, Gemma and Leonidas and all of the action make this a keeper. I’m rating this 4 stars only because the last series is a definite 5 star series in comparison.

I absolutely loved this book! The story picked right up from Gemma's last adventure.. It's full of romance, intrigue, royal betrayals... I just love it! I can't wait for the next installment!

good book and really enjoyed the characters and their journey. I liked the romance.. I enjoyed how the characters grew in the book and what happened.

The first book in this series had me hooked from the first page, this second installment did not.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

I cannot believe I put this off for so long. I wanted to read the previous series but never got around to it, so I just read book one and this. I loved it!!! Will be going back to the crown of shards series!!

*I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*
The second book in the Gemma Ripley series was just as fantastic as the first! I enjoyed the crown of shard series and I always love me some Jennifer Estep for sure so this was a true success

I adore the world Jennifer Estep built for her Crown of Shards and Gargoyle Queen series. I always look forward to reading her novels, knowing that the world-building is stellar and her characters even better. As the middle story of her Gargoyle Queen series, Tear Down the Throne did not disappoint.

I am particularly impressed that while it might seem like a formulaic romantic fantasy novel, Ms. Estep keeps me guessing. I rarely know where the story is going; in this case, I have no idea how the story will end. Maeven and Leonidas remain as much of a mystery to me now as they were when we first met them in the Crown of Shards series. Plus, I adore the side characters. Grimley is charming in his rough manner, and Reiko has her charms. I find everything about the story delightful and cannot wait to get my hands on the third book!

I so loved this book!! The world building in this book was amazing!! I found the characters interesting and a lot of fun!! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!

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.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager/Harper Voyager for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the 2nd in a series. I found this book to be convoluted and a bit confusing. There were a lot of names thrown at you pretty quickly. I did like the characters, and did end up enjoying the book. There were portions that dragged for me, but maybe I needed to read the 1st book in the series. A lot happened in a short span of time. 3.5 stars

First note I like this cover so much better than the first book. It matches with the Crown of Shards trilogy.

With an important trade summit between 3 countries coming up, Princess Gemma knows that the disappearing tearstone needs to be found and Morta's plans uncovered. When the summit arrives Gemma and Leonidas get pulled into a plot that could upset more than just their countries if they can't stop it.

I liked this book a bit better than it's predecessor. Gemma is a bit more mature and isn't fighting it quite as much with Leonidas. She is still playing at being a spy but spends more time seeming to work at not getting caught. Yay improvement. I found the plot more interesting this time around too.