Kill the Queen, by Jennifer Estep

Lady Everleigh is the poor relation of the Royal family of Bellona, treated badly because of her seemingly low level magic. Her hidden skills enable her to escape a palace coup and she hides her identity to join a band of gladiators. Epic fantasy needs a few ingredients to successfully carry the reader away from prosaic reality. Strong, relatable characters; a setting that fires the imagination; a plot with enough mystery and intrigue to keep you guessing, but not so obscure as to be impenetrable; and language that binds the whole together and soars to a satisfying conclusion. Estep is an experienced fantasy writer and provides most of the essential ingredients but what lets her down is the terribly pedestrian writing. Evie is an appealing heroine, with a strong back story and an interesting future. But the plot is telegraphed from the start, the villain is pantomime and the over exposition is painful. On the first page we are told the royal family will be massacred, ok spoilers, but it then takes 100 pages for this event to take place, as every element of the royal family and Evie’s place in it is told in tedious detail. The action picks up as she becomes an improbably successful gladiator, but the thwarted romance with a stereotypical bad boy ticks all the cliché boxes. Ultimately this is a yawn rather than a yarn and the inevitable sequels can stay on the shelf.