Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns, #1) by Kendare Blake Published by HarperTeen on September 20, 2016
Pages: 398
Goodreads
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.
4 Nuts
Three badass ladies being sneaky and playing at both politics and murder? Don’t mind if I do.
Why in the world did I wait so long to read this lovely book? It’s dark, it’s brutal, it’s everything everyone told me it would be. This book has been sitting on my shelf for ages, but I suppose I just haven’t had time to read it with work and life getting in the way. Never fear, Overdrive is here.
The moment I saw the audio for THREE DARK CROWNS was available on Overdrive I knew exactly what I needed to do. I placed both it and its sequel on hold, knowing from the meager spoilers I’d seen that I wasn’t going to want to wait for book 2. I didn’t even realize how right that was and thanked my forthought before I’d even gotten halfway through.
This is everything I love in a good ole epic fantasy. It’ dark with tons of strong female characters, a nicely built world that doesn’t feel too overused, and plenty of magic and mystery to be found. I’m sorry, but was this series written just for me?
I devoured the audio for this book in 2 days. The narration was superb and I found it so difficult to pause and put away when I had to be social or actually do work things at work that required my ears. I’d have been perfectly happy listening to this book all day long. Blake’s world is so intricate and I love all the different types of magic and special skills that are available to the people of Fennbirn.
Of course by the time I made it to the end I was on the edge of my seat. Even though I knew what was going to happen to Katharine I didn’t not expect who and how. Even spoiled, Kendare still got me. I’d tip my hat to her if I had one.
This book is perfect for the hardcore YA fantasy fan. It’s complex, it’s badass, and you can’t help but instinctively pick your queen. I’m partial to Arsinoe, but I also like Mirabella. I think my temper lends towards the elemental side of things. But there’s a bit of me in each of them, which I think is sort of the point.
Which kind of queen are you? Elemental, poisoner, or naturalist? Share in the comments.
From my shelf to yours,
Erin
Leave a Reply