Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns, 1)
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!
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Community Reviews
That said, there were a LOT of characters from the get-go. I'm not great with names to begin with, even worse when listening via audiobook, but at some point, I just stopped trying to keep all of them straight until I knew they were going to play a future role because it was impossible to keep them all straight.
Why the bloody hell does Jules get more 'screentime' than Arsinoe? I had to start the audiobook over because I mixed up the characters initially and was incredibly confused. Giving non-Queen characters POVs/screentime is not a choice I particularly enjoyed nor cared for. It lessened the importance of the three Queens and made it more difficult to get to know them.
I think the book focused a little too heavily on setting the stage and not enough on moving the plot. I was expecting the Queens to off each other by the end of the book, especially given the title of the second one in the series, but they don't even get to try until the next book. Thus my comment of being disappointed. I had hoped for more action in this first book.
I'm so mad at myself because despite this low rating, the book actually made me want to read the sequel, which makes no sense, and yet, here we are. But I was promised killing, and there was no killing! The premise of the book sounded awesome - three sisters with different powers having to kill each other for the throne - but what we got was just three sisters with their respective romantic woes. None of the side characters were particularly interesting and they all blended together except for Jules and Joseph. Nothing happened for like 75% of the book and I almost DNF it, and I also kept wondering what the history was behind this island and the mainland and why they had this tradition, etc. But because they set it up to the Hunger Games-esq feel and didn't deliver, I feel compelled to read the next book when it comes out just to see how it all finishes up at the end.
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