Three Dark Crowns: Volume 1

Kendare Blake

Sep 2016 · Three Dark Crowns Book 1 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

New York Times Bestseller * New York Public Library Best Book of 2016 * Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016 * Kirkus Best Book of the Year

Fans of acclaimed author Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood will devour Three Dark Crowns, the first book in a dark and inventive fantasy series about three sisters who must fight to the death to become queen.

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.

Don't miss Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series!

 

Ratings and reviews

Three Dark Crowns tells the story of Katharine, Mirabella, and Arsinoe, triplet queens who each hold different powers. In the tradition of their land, when they turn sixteen, the queens must try to kill their sisters in order to become the one true queen. (Sounds like a lovely family, doesn't it?) The queens were raised separately, so that they could learn to strengthen their power and eventually overcome their sisters. I personally liked Mirabella and Arsinoe more than Katharine, but all of the queens were pretty darn badass. One of my favorite things about this book was that, while there were romances, the queens made it perfectly clear that they did not need a man to get things done. The romances did not overpower the story, because the queens were strong and powerful on their own. While I really enjoyed the story of Three Dark Crowns, I did have a few things that prevented me from loving it as much as I could have. I don't normally have problems with multiple points of view, but I struggled a little bit with Three Dark Crowns. I felt like I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked because I kept jumping from person to person within the story. For me, this made the middle part of the book drag a bit, because I didn't feel very connected to anyone. However, as the story continued, I did find that I cared for the queens - it just took me a while to get there. There was also a very strange love triangle that popped up in the middle of the story that didn't seem to make much sense to me. Hopefully this is more fleshed out as the series continues, so its existence makes a bit more sense. I loved the plot twist in this story, but I wish it had happened sooner! It was a really cool twist, but it didn't get a chance to get developed. I know that this was probably intentional and it is what the sequel will be for, but I feel so unfulfilled because I don't know what happens next! I think having that bit of action sooner in the story would have helped me a lot with feeling connected to the characters. Either way, I loved the twist and I still want to know what happens next. I can't even imagine what will happen in the sequel.

I liked it, although it seems rushed and is very predictable. There is very little transitioning, but that may be because there is too much plot crammed into 180 pages. The characters are complex, however they feel poorly executed. Although the story itself was very interesting, I was not compelled to read each page or each scene and had to force myself to drone on as the writing became bland and boring despite the hints of richness scattered throughout. All in all I think it really fits the young adult genre well, as it portrayed a well rounded cast in a intricately built world, all the while requiring very little attention span from the reader.

The concept was highly readable but the characters that should have been most developed (the queens) we're neglected by way less important characters. Still enjoyable and dark.

About the author

Kendare Blake is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series. She holds an MA in creative writing from Middlesex University in northern London. She is also the author of Anna Dressed in Blood, a Cybils Awards finalist; Girl of Nightmares; Antigoddess; Mortal Gods; and Ungodly. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages, have been featured on multiple best-of-year lists, and have received many regional and librarian awards. Kendare lives and writes in Gig Harbor, Washington. Visit her online at www.kendareblake.com.