Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Release Day: September 20th 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 416 pages
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Summary
From Goodreads:
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.
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.
Review
If you haven't heard of this book before then, where have you been? It's been all over Youtube for months now.
As a lot of us do, I take recommendations from Booktube and they usually don't disappoint but this time... well, before getting into this, let me give you MY small summary.
We meet these 3 potential queens who will have to fight each other till death for the throne. Wait, did I forget to mention they are SISTERS? Like, damn. We're introduced to their magical world, more like thrown into a pool, and get to meet their families and friends. Their whole lives, they've been preparing for their sixteenth birthday, the night of the sororicide (yes, I googled it), yet it seems that 2 out of the 3 are not prepared at all. What could go wrong, right?
When I first heard of it, it sounded incredible. A fight between siblings for the throne and there's magic mixed in? I'm SOLD.
Let's break it down, shall we?
Story: The premise is amazing, and there was soooo much potential for this book. What killed it for me was that it takes FOREVER to get to the interesting part. I started this book in November. IT TOOK ME ALMOST 4 MONTHS TO FINISH IT. I read the last 150 pages in like 2 hours, cause that's where the good stuff was.
Characters: You love some, you hate some, you admire some. None of them stuck to me though, and that's why I won't go into too much detail. Personally, my faves are Katherine and Junior. I'm definitely intrigued by Pietyr, what's with the down the rabbit hole scene??? I really hate Madrigal and Mirabella, but mostly Madrigal. There's just no explanation to how she acts, one moment she's trying to help her daughter or Arsinoe and the next she's being a worthless shitty person.
Writing: I had so much trouble with the amount of points of view. It's not like I'm stupid (careful there) but it's really confusing to jump into a book and have to read from not only 3 different people who live in different parts of the world, but also read from all the people who are around the main characters. It was just too much, and it didn't give you the time to actually connect with them. I also had an issue with the amount of action. There was way too much talking and not enough doing.
You're probably wondering, then why did you rate it 3.5 stars? Well.
The good stuff:
We can always find light even in the darkness of times, oh wait that's not how it goes... sorry Dumbledore.
First of all the cover LIKE OMG LOOK AT IT. I'm serious, look at it:
It
showcases
perfectly
what
the
book's
about.
What really did it for me though, were the last 100 pages. All the action and twists I was looking for, happened there. Some of them were predictable (the bear scene), some shocked me (rabbit hole scene) but I was definitely pleased.
THAT ENDING THO: I did NOT see that coming, like at all. I did begin to notice the subtle hints throughout the novel once I finished the book.*spoilers* The Arsinoe-Kat thing, well fuck. Also, when Kat reappeared I was like YAS QUEEN, SLAY. *end of spoilers*
Some stuff:
SPOILERS will be mentioned. You've been warned.
- I'm thinking that Kat's snake was her familiar, but since it died and was replaced... what will happen?
- Does Pietyr by any chance know about Arsinoe and Katherine? I suspect he does.
- Mirabella and Joseph. I hope they run away and never come back. I hope the bear eats them too.
Final Thoughts
Did I enjoy the book? I enjoyed some parts of it.
Do I recommend it? I do, specially to those who aren't bothered by slow moving plots.
Do I recommend it? I do, specially to those who aren't bothered by slow moving plots.
Will I read the second book? Probably, I'll wait till some reviews are out and see if it's worth reading. I hope it gets better. The ending intrigued me enough. Yeah, I'll check it out (don't you love how I'm trying to convince myself to read it?).
Rating
3.5 out of 5 stars
Did you love or hate this book? Cause there seems to be no in between. Tell me your thoughts in the comments!
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