Warning: Since this is a review for an entire series, there will be some spoilers for individual books therein. Probably obvious, but SPOILER WARNING!!
About the Book(s)
Titles: Three Dark Crowns, One Dark Throne, Two Dark Reigns, Five Dark Fates
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Three Dark Crowns series
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 403, 448, 464 and 452
Edition Read: 1st one Paperback, the rest library Hardcover
Dates Read: February 1 - 13, 2023
Blurbs:
Three Dark Crowns: 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.
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One Dark Throne: With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can't seem to prevent.
In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake's New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn's deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.
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Two Dark Reigns: Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There's also the alarming issue of whether or not her sisters are actually dead—or if they're waiting in the wings to usurp the throne.
Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn.
Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can't imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine's doorstep.
This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected.
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Five Dark Fates: After the grim confrontation with Queen Katharine, the rebellion lies in tatters. Jules's legion curse has been unbound, and it is up to Arsinoe to find a cure, even as the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist lies heavy on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone. Mirabella has disappeared.
Katharine's reign remains intact—for now. When Mirabella arrives, seemingly under a banner of truce, Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share. But as the two circle each other, the dead queens hiss caution—Mirabella is not to be trusted.
In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn's history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested. But the fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens. It always has.
Review
I don't usually do a full series in one review, but honestly, these books blended together so well that it just works. Plus I'm really behind on reviews and this helps me catch up.
I loved this series so much! The story world was so lush and beautiful. I really enjoyed hearing about the island and how they were protected by the mist and the lineage of the Queens. It was a very interesting set up. Triplets born to the reigning Queen, raised separate from each other, then tasked to fight to the death to see who gets the throne and then repeats the cycle with their own daughters. The Hunger Games, but for royals. I also really enjoyed the magic in this world. It wasn't just the Queens who had magic - it's pretty much everyone. You have Elementals, who can control fire, water and weather; Poisoners, who can eat any poison, no matter how deadly, and survive; and finally, Naturalists, who can speak and control animals and make plants grow. Each of these talents has strengths that the Queens can use in their fight, but also weaknesses that rivals can exploit.
And finally, the Queens themselves. This story would absolutely not work at all if it weren't for these wonderfully written characters. Mirabelle is the Elemental and the favorite to win the crown due to the sheer power of her abilities. She's the most talented Elemental in generations, but she's also the Queen who remembers the most about the brief time her and her sisters spent together as children, which makes her hesitant to go through with any of this at all. Katherine is the Poisoner and, while not considered particularly strong, has the responsibility of securing the throne again for the Poisoners - they have had the throne for a very long time and do not want to give that up. Finally, Arsinoe is the Naturalist who . . . doesn't seem to have any powers at all, much to the chagrin of the other Naturalists in Fennbirn.
This story had a lot of twists and turns, with political intrigue around every corner as the three factions vie for control. Alliances are made, Queens that you didn't expect take the crown (and then lose the Crown), all the while trying to fight against the very island itself that seems to have turned on its people. I couldn't put these books down, they were so good.
GoodReads rating: 5 stars for all four books
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