Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on March 7, 2023 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.
Conquer the Kingdom is the final book in Jennifer Estep's "Gargoyle Queen" trilogy, which is itself the second trilogy in the world that Estep started with her Crown of Stars trilogy (so this is really the sixth book in this universe, and events and characters from the first trilogy are important here, even if readers didn't necessarily need to read those books to enjoy this trilogy). This trilogy has followed princess Gemma - known for being a ditzy princess but really an intelligent adventurous spy who relies upon her mind magier magic (telepathy and telekinesis) to try and protect her country from the forces of the sinister Morta. There's just one problem: while Morta's evil Queen Maeven is a clear threat and her son Milo is a monster whose plans to grab power involve destroying her country, Maeven's son Leonidas is another mind magier with whom Gemma has shared a connection since childhood...and a passionate attraction.
This has resulted in a trilogy that deals with the same type of simple fantasy adventure as the first trilogy - there's nothing particularly complex or deep in themes here and will never be - but that has added just a little (but not much) more depth to the romance, including a few actual decent if unexceptional sex scenes. The trilogy has been enjoyable, if often predictable and never really that super exciting and Conquer the Kingdom is the same: a fan fantasy adventure conclusion to this trilogy as Gemma and her friends try to lay a trap to stop the evil Milo and save her kingdom. At the same time, six books in - and three books into this trilogy - it does kind of feel like this style of book and plot is getting old, and I kind of had trouble maintaining my interest enough to finish it.
Note: I read part of this in audio format, which helped me finish it. The audio reader is very solid, if unexceptional, so this is not a bad choice in that format.
Plot Summary:
That emotional conflict could've been the big addition to this book, but Conquer the Kingdom doesn't really let it hang around too long before events conspire to resolve that conflict: namely, by putting Gemma in extreme danger. If you've read the prior books, and perhaps the former trilogy, none of how this book proceeds should surprise you (and even if you somehow haven't, none of how this book proceeds is all that surprising). Gemma will plot a way to find and stop Milo, kind of fail, wind up in danger as trouble finds her, find her way out of it, and with some help from her allies find a way to save the day - rinse and repeat. Oh and she'll come into her own in a fashion so as to fit a prophecy that has been repeatedly mentioned by the series' evil queen Maeven for the last three books. None of this is too surprising or unexpected, but the book at least executes it decently well...although some of the predictability is so so obvious that it almost gets frustrating at a certain point.
Again, none of this is bad and it's done decently well enough. The main character in Gemma is enjoyable and easy to root for, the side characters in Leonidas, Reiko, and others, both human and Gargoyle/Strix, are all fun solid additions who have just enough depth to stand on their own, and the story ends in a satisfying fashion. But it's just feeling done to me after six books - and the fact that the series still doesn't have a single queer character whatsoever doesn't really help this book feel like something of an older style of fantasy novel that's been written many a time before.
In short, Conquer the Kingdom is fine fun fantasy, but just not exciting, and I suppose after six books of that world I'm finally ready to move on. If you liked the other books in this trilogy, this will be a solid conclusion, but this book won't make me super excited to recommend the trilogy over other books to those looking for a new series to start alas.
Plot Summary:
Princess Gemma Ripley has these past few weeks been desperate to find her enemy, exiled Mortan prince Milo, who previously tortured her and has developed strange near tearstone weapons that can harm and even kill Andvari's beloved gargoyles. But the search has been fruitless, leading Gemma to hatch a desperate plan: to invite the Mortan royal family, including the hated Mortan Queen Maevan Morricone, to Andvari's capital for the traditional Sword and Shield gladiator tournament. Gemma intends for Maevan to serve as bait to draw out Milo....even if it also means inviting one of her other deadly enemies into her own home.Conquer the Kingdom continues the story of Gemma, who readers should have gotten pretty used to by now. Gemma, three books in, retains a bit of a hero complex: she feels that she has to be the one to stop Milo (oddly, the book doesn't try to disagree much and doesn't really show anyone else organizing their own plots to stop him) and is absolutely devoted to finding a way to track him down and to take him down for good. She's good-hearted but also a little cunning...while at the same time isn't quite as cunning as she might think she is, which allows for her enemies to occasionally get the jump on her. And, as she has been since the start of the series, she's incredibly impulsive and prone to decisions that, when she has time to reflect upon them, can result in some really bad predicaments. Gemma is who she is, and this time it results in her not only facing personal danger, but also getting into a situation where the biggest surprising joy in her life - her love with Leonidas - is put in jeopardy as the two of them come into conflict over Gemma's need to defeat his family and how bloodthirsty Gemma and her Andvari family might really be in doing it.
But Gemma soon realizes that inviting so many enemies into her home has left her unable to know where to look for enemies and who exactly she can trust....and that paranoia threatens to devastate the thing that bring her the most joy in life: her romantic relationship with Prince Leonidas Morricone, brother to Milo and son of Maevan. And when Milo appears at last, Gemma finds out quickly that his new plot is even more dangerous than ever...and that Gemma's inviting him into the capital may have doomed both the country and everyone else she loves and cares about....
That emotional conflict could've been the big addition to this book, but Conquer the Kingdom doesn't really let it hang around too long before events conspire to resolve that conflict: namely, by putting Gemma in extreme danger. If you've read the prior books, and perhaps the former trilogy, none of how this book proceeds should surprise you (and even if you somehow haven't, none of how this book proceeds is all that surprising). Gemma will plot a way to find and stop Milo, kind of fail, wind up in danger as trouble finds her, find her way out of it, and with some help from her allies find a way to save the day - rinse and repeat. Oh and she'll come into her own in a fashion so as to fit a prophecy that has been repeatedly mentioned by the series' evil queen Maeven for the last three books. None of this is too surprising or unexpected, but the book at least executes it decently well...although some of the predictability is so so obvious that it almost gets frustrating at a certain point.
Again, none of this is bad and it's done decently well enough. The main character in Gemma is enjoyable and easy to root for, the side characters in Leonidas, Reiko, and others, both human and Gargoyle/Strix, are all fun solid additions who have just enough depth to stand on their own, and the story ends in a satisfying fashion. But it's just feeling done to me after six books - and the fact that the series still doesn't have a single queer character whatsoever doesn't really help this book feel like something of an older style of fantasy novel that's been written many a time before.
In short, Conquer the Kingdom is fine fun fantasy, but just not exciting, and I suppose after six books of that world I'm finally ready to move on. If you liked the other books in this trilogy, this will be a solid conclusion, but this book won't make me super excited to recommend the trilogy over other books to those looking for a new series to start alas.
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