Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 416
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
THE BLURB
Fans of acclaimed author Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood will devour her latest novel, a dark and inventive fantasy 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.
MY THOUGHTS
It took me five days to finish this book. Not because it's boring but because I was trying to slow down my reading pace to make the story last. Because I just love this book, I love reading about each of its characters, and I love facing the perils in its dark, dark world.
Three dark queens
are born in glen,
sweet little triplets
will never be friends
Three dark sisters
all fair to be seen,
two to devour
and one to be Queen
I won't even lie: Three Dark Crowns was a bit disappointing. The blurb screams bloody battle but none of that really happened in this book. At first it felt like I've been deprived of what was promised but looking back I still enjoyed it. Oh, I loved it! It is easy to forgive Kendare Blake for the lack of action in there because I can see what she's trying to do. She's cooking some evil for us, you guys!
Majority of this book is about laying foundations. We get to see the whole of Fennbirn, its strange traditions, and its even stranger magic system. We get to know the triplets individually. In the end, I was actually more grateful than disappointed that Blake took time in letting us into the sister's lives, showing us their strengths and flaws, the people they love, and the things that matter to them.
Yeah, make us love them before you kill them, Blake!
It was a bit slow in the middle with all those foundation building. Which is why this book might not work for everybody. For patient readers like me though, that won't be much of an issue. I think it was important to have a build-up like this instead of just jumping into the brutal parts of the series. This way the readers got to familiarize the world, know some of the political intrigues, and understand the magic. And of course it allows readers to understand each of the sisters, which I think, is necessary if you are to take sides.
I'm afraid though, that Blake has done a really good job with the sisters. Because, have I chosen sides? Usually, I always know who's side I'm on. But all three sisters were incredibly admirable and each possess a kind of fierceness that is theirs alone. So for the first time, I don't know who to cheer for!
The story is set in a strange, magical island in the mist where a triplet is born in each generation. Each has a gift that they will someday use against each other. When they come of age, the sisters will compete for the crown in a battle to death.
Katharine is a poisoner. Her gift was supposed to make her able to take just any kind of poison without being affected by it. But her gift was weak. The island had poisoner queens for the past three generations so, weak gift or not, the expectations from every poisoner on the island weighs heavy on her shoulder.
Arsinoe is a naturalist. Supposedly she can tame animals and make anything bloom from flowers to crops. But she can't. She believe herself giftless. She has long ago accepted her fate of being killed by one of her sisters despite her people's hopes.
Mirabella is an elemental and perhaps the most powerful of the three. She can manipulate all elements, conjure a storm, and bathe in fire. Problem is, her heart might be too soft for a queen.
My favorite part of this book would be the genuine friendships, the support, and the loyalty that each queen gets from the people they grew up with. Their are people who support them for their own personal motives. But deep down, even they, truly cared.
The romance is strong in here. It's like having a lot of boyfriends in one book. And where there is romance there will be betrayals. And... It. Will. Hurt! There is one love triangle and I don't really get why it's even there. It wasn't a mood killer but it felt random and just unnecessary to me. Personally, I think that part of the book would have been better, glorious even, without that inessential romantic entanglement. But everything else is so good I decided to let this pass.
The last part of the book was jaw-dropping. If my expectations for the second installment weren't on maximum, it is now after that ending! After all these set-up, I think the conclusion for this duology will be ruthless, deadly, and savage. Hopefully.
MY RATING
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