Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Author: Kendare Blake

Pages: 398 pages

Rating: 3.25/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

When kingdom come, there will be one.

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

Non-spoilery Review:

The story follows 3 sisters who are all competing for a throne in a fight to death. Going in, I had high expectations for the book because I constantly heard Regan @ Peruse Project on youtube rave about it. It’s safe to say that I was a little disappointed, the story didn’t pick up pace until I was halfway through. I kind of had to force myself to read in the beginning. But that’s understandable because this IS the first, sort of, introductory book in a fantasy series. I think Kendare Blake did a good job at getting me, as a reader, introduced to the world setting and characters. The politics is rather complex but it was portrayed seamlessly and I didn’t struggle with getting a hang of it, at all. This is not a page-turner, but in my opinion, its worth the read. It’s also very dark and dreary, love that!

I do have high hopes for the second installment because of how it ended. It will definitely be more fast-paced and action packed. Also, I was really glad to find out that this was not a cliche ridden, love-conquers-all kind of a book. Although there is romance on the sidelines. Our main characters are morally grey and flawed, which makes them more likable. Its only realistic for them to be so, because of how they were raised. I find it very annoying when book characters behave uncharacteristic to the nature of the world that they have been shown in. And A++ for strong female characters, absolutely love that! This is my first time reading about a matriarchy in a fictional book, but lemme just tell you, I AM HERE FOR ITTT. This is a hard read to get in to, not gonna lie, and I will say that this is not for everyone. Maybe for someone who likes reading YA-contemporary & is hesitant to read YA Fantasy, this might be good place to start, the multiple POVs can be confusing, tho. If you enjoy a good slow-burner, this is for you.

Spoilery Review:

Okay, where do I even start?! The ending literally had my jaw dropping! I never, ever saw the coming! I live for a good plot-twist and Pietyr throwing Katherine down the pit was just what I wanted! ALSO WHEN THE BEAR ALMOST KILLS ARISNOE AND I WAS SO PREPARED FOR IT TO BE HER FAMILIAR BUT IT WASNT BUT THEN SHES A POISONER! I’m so sorry for the caps lock but I want to convey my emotions as vividly as I can. And in the beginning, I was NOT a fan of Katherine, she’s definitely not my favorite sister (#TeamArisnoe) but as the end neared, I was not as annoyed at her. And fuckboy Joseph?? (excuse my French) What is actually wrong with him? Asshat two-timing with Jules and Mirabella, I hope both of the girls become bffs and kill his dumb ass. I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK BECAUSE OF THE ENDING!

You can buy this book here.

Happy reading!