Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

"Three dark queens
are born in a glen,
sweet little triplets
will never be friends

Three dark sisters
all fair to be seen,
two to devour
and one to be Queen"


"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.

If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest."

 

- description taken from goodreads

 

 

I have never read anything by Kendare Blake, even though the Anna Dressed in Blood duology has been on my tbr forever, but I absolutely loved this book.

I was drawn into the book from the amazing cover and the description of the book that's given above and knew I had to pick it up on its release day immediately. By the time I go to read it in the second part of October, I had read a lot of mixed reviews and was a little nervous. I think I can understand some of the frustration, it does give the impression that there will be rage and violence. Well, there is, and there is definitely way more to come from its sequel!!

 

Three Dark Crowns is VERY world and character building. This is probably one of the reasons I loved it so much. I really got a feel for all the characters personality that I could begin to predict how they would react in situations (I knew about but the characters hasn't experienced yet). And one of my favorite parts about reading is getting lost in another well developed world. I love when an author includes a map to follow along and the world of Fennbirn is definitely amazing with a crazy history! I had a lot of questions starting out that were eventually answered as I got background knowledge on Fennbirn, their traditions and culture.

 

The book ended at a really good spot. The three sisters have had some interesting things happen to them over the course of the novel and it all builds up and explodes at the end. There was definitely a very big twist in the last few pages that I personally figured out but I am also very good at doing that. I get so obsessed with the characters and world I picture how the story could go and usually feel what the author is setting up.

 

I love ALL three Queens, but I do have a favorite! I think I lean more towards Queen Arsinoe, not because she's the underdog, but because she doesn't give a crap what anyone else thinks of her and is generally a really nice and clever person. I wish I had more of her qualities. For the endgame I really don't know what could happen yet. I really think each Queen has a really solid chance at winning the crown.

 

Who will be the last Queen standing?

 

 

I would eventually love to see this turn into a TV series. Kendare Blake answered a tweet of mine that informed me that Three Dark Crowns is a duology, but there may be more books from her from the world of Fennbirn. Whatever she writes in this world, I'll be buying it!

 

Book 2: One Dark Throne

 

My Rating: 5/5 Stars