My favorite book of the year last year was, without a doubt, Capture the Crown ! I’m not a big fantasy reader—high/epic fantasy, I should specify. But this series, I LOVE IT! But if you know me, it should come as no surprise because you know that Jennifer Estep is one of my favorite authors 😆 Tear Down the Throne was one of my most anticipated books of 2022, and it definitely lived up to my expectations! I absolutely loved it!

One of my favorite things about this series is the characters. Leo is the absolute sweetest and I adore him! Throughout the book, he tries to gain Gemma’s trust and the way he did it just melted my heart 🖤

“I am going to earn your trust, Gemma Ripley,” he said in a serious, earnest voice. “And your heart too, if I am lucky enough to manage it.”

Gemma is reluctant to trust him, which is understandable since he’s a Morricone and her mortal enemy. His family is awful, yes, but he is so kind!

Gemma, too, is great! She’s also very caring, smart, and an absolute badass! I love having her as the main character!

“Choosing mercy is not a weakness, Gemma. Sometimes it is much, much harder to be kind than it is to be cruel.”

And then the slow-burn romance between these two? Yes, please! This was another of my favorite things about this book! I almost cried at how happy it made me 😆 They are just so freaking cute! And I never get sick of the enemies-to-lovers trope 😆

Another thing I love, about Jennifer’s books in general, is all the cool supernatural abilities and the interesting ways the characters use them! Both Gemma and Leo are mind magiers. Essentially, they have telekinesis and telepathy, but that’s putting it simply. Gemma also has a little time magier in her from her mom, which makes things even more interesting. But like I said, the way they use these abilities is what is so cool! It makes for some great action sequences, which Jennifer Estep is amazing at writing! You can always count on her to give some incredibly action-packed books! I love it! And honestly, she’s just a great storyteller, in general. At the beginning of the book Maeven invokes this challenge that Gemma and Leo MUST participate in, and the thing that Maeven wants... It's insane! Why? Because if the challenges are completed, I wouldn’t exactly HATE the results. But because this is coming from Maeven, you’re just like, “Nooo, she’s up to something horrible! What does she get out of this?!”

I loved the story, though! It was insane and engaging and I loved every second of it! It took some unexpected turns and some of the characters really surprised me. I am really looking forward to seeing how this series wraps up in Conquer the Kingdom!

Jennifer Estep will forever be one of my favorite authors! A fantastic continuation of Gemma’s story. While starting a little slower than I would have liked, by the end I was left begging for more.

My only wish is that Gemma and Leo has a little more spice…. But I like a book heavy on the romance. So this is on me and does not in any way detract from the amazingness of this book!!

This is the second installment in the gargoyle quern series and it was absolutely fantastic! The depths to the interwoven plots and characters is truly fascinating and I am just blown away by this series and world! Highly recommend it!

It took me awhile to get into this one. It’s got magic, mayhem, and murder ! Honestly, the premise is what drew me in, but it wasn’t my kind of book.

As soon as I finished reading Capture the Crown I knew that I immediately needed to start the next book! Just like the first book I could not put this book down once I started reading.

I loved that we get to see Gemma and Leonidas grow and see how their relationship changes. This book is filled with spies, politics, and tension with a dash of spice *chef's kiss * I can't wait for the next book, this series is turning into a top favorite!

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC

Another great installment though I dis think it fell for the middle book syndrome just a but. There was a lot of filler of Gemma thinking/complaining about how much she doesn't want to trust Leo. This one also still had the YA elements I mentioned in the first book. I had to remind myself that these were adults, it was a bit easier in this book though.
That being said, I loved getting to see more leaders and politics unfold in this one. We got to get to know a lot more characters and I really enjoyed the complexity that was brought out in two characters in particular that I wasn't expecting. The trials were also fun but I wish we had seen a bit more of them, in that I wish more detail had been given or we had gotten to see a bit of Leo's perspective. The magic was once again amazing and we got to see even more powers which I appreciated.
I really want to see more of Delmira in the next book, I really love her character.

A fun and enjoyable read with some amazing battle scenes and a bit more spice.

At first I was thinking that up until I read Capture the Crown, the only series that I had read by Jennifer Estep was her Elemental Assassin series (which I’m currently totally caught up on, BTW.) But then I realized that wasn’t entirely true. I’ve also read Cold Burn of Magic and Dark Heart of Magic, the first two books in her Black Blade series. I guess my point to this rambling is that even though I’m a huge fan of this author, this is the first time in a while that I’ve strayed from my first love of Gin and her motley crew (who I adore.) Although I didn’t start with the first series in this world, it’s made me realize that I need to back track and explore the books in her Crown of Shards series (especially when I already own the first book. 😉 )

So how did Tear Down the Throne compare to Capture the Crown? I can honestly say that it was the perfect sequel. It was full of even more twists, turns, action, suspense and surprising revelations than the first installment. Along with the growing romantic tension between Gemma and Leo. Gemma spent most of the story trying to avoid her feelings for the prince, while Leo spent just as much time trying to prove to Gemma that his intentions were pure.

Alliances were tested and unexpected ones were formed. There were also moments where Gemma questioned the loyalty of people she thought she could trust without question. Gemma proved her strength though and even surprised herself more than once during the course of the Summit.

I loved the way things played out in Tear Down the Throne, but things are far from settled. Even though this story didn’t end in a cliff hanger, I still can’t wait for Conquer the Kingdom. Maybe now would be a good time to start Crown of Shards with Kill the Queen while I wait 😉

Gemma the princess/spy is at it again. New exciting twists and turns against the same enemies. This one hooked me in from the very beginning and once the action started going it never stopped. Can't wait for the next one!

Oh it was SO nice to hang with Princess Gemma again! Jennifer Estep delivers another fun, funny escapade, picking up right where we left off with undercover spy, princess extraordinaire, Gemma Ripley. Delving deeper into the intrigue and machinations of the kingdoms, teasing us with Leonidas and then some.

Gemma is just as strong a female lead as Everleigh Blair from the Crown of Shards series and, if I dare say it - stronger. She's a character of action, spending little time navel gazing, and happy to seize her own destiny by the reins. it's a refreshing step away from the ingenue YA and NA Epic leads who often spiral into self doubt. While these topics are explored, Estep keeps the pace lively, constantly moving the reader forward with a breakneck plot that delivers on every promise it makes.

While full of action and touting its fair share of violence, The Gargoyle Queen series is also a focused exploration of family and the ties that bind us, often in complicated, intricate knots.

Oh the satisfaction of finally getting this book into my hands. I absolutely loved Capture the Queen and was eagerly awaiting book 2 of this fantastic series. I didn't do a re-read before jumping into this one, but was able to remember enough to keep going without getting lost.

Much like the Capture the Queen, the pacing was just perfect, I couldn't put this one down and be completely taken away into this story. And the romance was so, so good! After craving more of it in book 1, I was quite satisfied on that front. Although, Gemma did frustrate me as she kept fighting the pull towards Leonidas.

I'm quickly becoming an instant fan of Estep, from the perfect amount of world-building, a romance that'll have you asking for more, and some pretty well-rounded secondary characters.

I did split this read with the audio and definitely would have stuck with the audio, but by nighttime, I just couldn't stop. And off to the ebook I went to keep on devouring. Lauren was such a great choice to narrate, you won't even notice the length of this audio because she does a phenomenal job keeping you fully immersed.

This was such a great addition to the Gargoyle Queen series, we have one more to go and I can't wait to get to it!

4.5/5

This book is the second in Jennifer Estep's Gargoyle Queen series. While you can read it as a standalone, really - don't. You can follow the story and be entertained by it, but without reading the first book or even all of the books set in this universe, you just won't understand the full story.

And you do want to read it all! Tear Down the Throne is such a good book, you just won't be able to put it down. We get to read the further adventures of Gemma as she solves mysteries, riddles, and just what is going on with her heart during a Summit with the leaders of all of the various kingdoms.

There are twists and turns, betrayals and hidden agendas in this delightful book. The writing is glorious and the worldbuilding continues to impress. This book will go on my re-reads shelf!

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

So I legitimately could not put this book down. I read it in one day. I loved the characters in the first book, and in this book I loved how they grew. The evolution of relationships is addicting. The storyline was fun, the gauntlet although not a new idea, worked really well for the storyline. I love the humor that the characters have.. And there were more twists and turns leading to the overall story arc. I look forward to the third book .

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

"Someone always wants to kill the queen." Seems like Everleigh Blair's statements apply to all royals!
I absolutely loved the Crown of Shards series, so I was thrilled when I saw that there was a spin-off series set over a decade later. The author does a really good job reminding the readers what happened in the previous-actually, a little too well. I reread the series just a few weeks back, so having the first 50 pages covering a lot of what happened in Capture the Crown drove me a little nuts.

I love (or love to hate) most of the characters in the book; especially little Violet. I actually squeaked, and now I desperately need a strix. Also, does anyone else want to try a grilled gouda and apricot jam sandwich? I never would have thought of those two as a mix, but Gemma has eaten enough of them, I'm curious.

I totally understand that Jennifer is trying to write Gemma's story, without undue influence from Everleigh; however, I'm not a huge fan of how she goes out of her way to make sure she's only mentioned in passing. For example, Everleigh used to come to all the Summit's, but now she's starting up her own because it's more convenient for some of the further kingdoms.

Other than that, I love this series. I'm super annoyed that I now have to wait until Spring of 2023 for the finale! I highly recommend this series to fantasy/magic lovers.

Tear Down the Throne is a brilliant addition to the Gargoyle Queen series. I love the character of Gemma. She is smart, clever, and refuses to let others decide her destiny. I love how fast-paced the book is. This is one you will not want to put down. The adventure is engaging, the characters, delightful. A must read for fantasy fans.

Explosive sequel! I absolutely adore Gemma. She’s so strong! With everything she goes through she only comes out stronger! I can’t wait to discover more!

This book has an interesting story, but some of the writing elements do not work for me. I think this book would have benefited from "killing your darlings" revision. I am willing to read more in the series, indicating that the story is interesting enough to pull me through the writing style. The only other complaint I have is the male protagonist is...boring. He is sulky and that puts me off, but I really enjoy the female protagonist.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝. 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦—𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤.
𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. “𝐘𝐨𝐮—𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬—𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.”…𝐋𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐬’𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲.
“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬,” 𝐈 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.
“𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝. “𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.”

___________________________

Do you ever read a book that you intentionally read slower and slower just because you don’t want it to end? THAT is THIS book!!! This full review will be spoiler free for both this book and the first book in the series, Capture the Crown.

We pick up the story a few weeks after the ending of book one and Gemma is very much in the same place she was in the previous book, only now even more determined to get to the bottom of the Morricone family’s scheming. Now teamed up with Reiko who is SO much fun and a great addition to the story, we see Gemma preparing to attend the Summit; a gathering of the kingdoms and their rulers to discuss business and make trade arrangements between the kingdoms. This would be a wonderful opportunity for her to continue spying, were it not for the fact that she will be coming face to face with the very family that inflicted so much pain on her in the recent past…and the man who betrayed her once again but who she can’t seem to get off her mind.

It doesn’t take long into the Summit for Gemma and Leo’s paths to cross and despite Gemma’s determination to keep him at arms length and align herself with her kingdom and her duty, forcing Leo to do the same, they just simply cannot deny each other. But when Maeven intervenes with a plan all her own for Leo and Gemma, the Summit quickly becomes a three trial quest to the death where best case scenario means either Gemma or Leo lose their life…and worst case scenario means they marry and unite the kingdoms of Morta and Andvari forever, for better or worse.

Everything was amplified in this book in the most spectacular way. There were some slower moments and some places where the story stumbled a bit, but it was FAR from having the middle book syndrome you typically see mid-trilogy like this. It held itself as a strong story all on its own as well as being the perfect continuation of the first book. The court politics were more shrewd, especially now with additional kingdoms and their own goals added into the mix. The stakes were even higher across the board and it became a race against time to determine the larger of the looming threats and who or what was behind it. The attacks became more ruthless. We got MORE gargoyle and strix interactions (I ADORE Grimley, and newcomers Otto and VIOLET!!!!!!!). And *praise hands* the intensity of the slow burn between Gemma and Leo became even MORE steamy and after roasting us alive for nearly a book and a half their slow burn finally reached the most satisfying conclusion!! If you adored watching Anthony and Kate’s romance in season 2 of Bridgerton then this book was MADE for you!!

The shining point of this book, however, I’d have to say were the character arcs. For a bit of the early portions of this book I found myself thinking Leo was a bit of a sap and had lost his edge being so wrapped up in his feelings for Gemma and proving himself to her, but when the payoff came of him having to choose her and his love for her over his loyalty to his family and his own kingdom it brought his entire storyline together in the perfect way. Same with Gemma, there were times her stubbornness and her denial and repetitive “I’m a Ripley, you’re a Morricone” made me want to throw things at her!! But when you got to the heart of the issue and her deep, lingering belief that she’s truly nothing more than a coward and worth nothing more than a life of duty to atone for it even if it means her own unhappiness, it dove straight to the heart of the series and ultimately the heart of a powerful, future queen.

Shockingly enough I found myself even growing a heart for Maeven. What a complex, intense, terrifying, yet beautiful villain arc!! I still don’t trust her for anything but the layers we’ve seen and the secrets we learn in this book make me want to jump in and devour the last book ASAP.

All in all the end of this book left you with just enough satisfying, well tied up endings that it didn’t feel like a cliffhanger, but enough questions and lingering danger that I’m anxious to get into book 3 as soon as possible. I can feel the book hangover coming on and I already miss these characters SO MUCH!! I cannot recommend this series enough and if you catch me rereading it once a month every month until next Spring then mind your own business ;-)

Thank you so much to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and the author, for sending me a copy of this incredible story in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Tear Down the Throne! When I requested my eARC of this one, I hadn't read Capture the Crown yet- I just thought that the idea of this book sounded super cool, so I took a chance in requesting it, and I'm so glad I did, so if you haven't read Capture the Crown, this is your sign to go pick it and Tear Down the Throne up!
Tear Down the Throne 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: Bestselling author Jennifer Estep continues her Gargoyle Queen epic fantasy series where magic reigns, alliances are tested, and a dangerous attraction could tear down a throne. . .
Crown princess. Clever spy. Powerful mind magier. Gemma Ripley of Andvari is all those things--and determined to stop an enemy from using 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 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.
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.
I really enjoyed this book! Tear Down the Throne picks up relative soon after Capture the Crown and it tales place during the a trade Summit between multiple countries. Gemma knows that Milo's still up to no good (because when is he ever), so it's time for her to do more spying. Of course, Maeven always has something up her sleeve and she's always 3 steps ahead, so everything that happens with the gauntlet and Gemma and Leo having to get engaged if he passes the three tasks of the gauntlet is more than Gemma is planning for and of course it gets in the way of her spying. Overall, I loved all of the politics, scheming, spying, and betrayals that happened in Tear Down the Throne! It was such a fun book and I almost think I liked it more than Capture the Crown. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book- will Milo be brought down once and for all? Can Leo and Gemma have a happily ever after even with all of the historic strife that their countries have been through? All in all, I highly recommend reading Tear Down the Throne (and Capture the Crown if you haven't read that one yet).

link to blog post to be added once blog goes live

After rereading Capture the Crown, I jumped straight into Tear Down the Throne and was glued from start to finish. A great read!

This series is one of my go-to fantasy reads and Jennifer gave us a perfect addition to Gemma’s story. Think one of my favourite scenes had to be the gift exchange 🥹

So excited for the next book and for who I’m guessing will be the next main character once Gemma’s story is finished.

Highly recommend to fantasy romance readers!

I really enjoyed book 1 - Capture the Crown, and was looking forward to this one.


Even though it’s not required, I read the Crown of Shards series since it takes place in the same world and it’s sort of a prequel to this series and having read it, completely boosted my appreciation for the Gargoyle Queen series.

I liked seeing the growth Gemma and Leonidas go through from book 1 to the end of book 2. I do have to say that Gemma still annoys me at times but as the story progressed, the annoyance lessened.

There’s a lot going on in book 2. Tons of political manipulation going on from every side, even from allies. Revelations about Gemma’s mom and her powers. The latest generation standing up to the old.

I would highly suggest reading the Crown of Shards series before the Gargoyle Queen, it’s not necessary but it adds so much to the story.