Three Dark Crowns
(Three Dark Crowns Book #1, By: Kendare Blake)
SUMMARY:
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.
Published September 20th 2016 by HarperTeen
REVIEW:
I gave this book 4 stars. I loved the world and the concept behind this book. The conflict was unavoidably strong from the beginning with all three main characters living with their lives on the line . While the language was a bit too formal for me at times, both the characters and plot were deep and twisted, making it a pleasure to read.
All of the characters and relationships in this book felt well developed and original. I loved that there was a wide range of relationships highlighted; Everything from the obvious sister relationship, to friendships, mentors and lovers. The relationships were all complex and realistic which made this far off world more relatable to the reader.
The author also did a wonderful job at making all three of the main characters unique and lovable. I found myself rooting for each of the queens equally throughout the book which helped keep my emotions high and the conflict feel messy (since I never knew who I wanted to come out on top).
However, since you are following around three different main characters, there were parts where I would find myself mixing up the lives and characters, especially at the beginning. As I got more familiar with the characters, I then wished that we weren't jumping around so much and that I could stick with one of the characters for longer periods of time to get to know them better. It was simply the nature of the premise that caused this issue, and I'm not sure how it could have been solved without making the book far too long, but I still wished parts of the book had more "screen time" to develop further.
Additionally, I wasn't the biggest fan of the older language that the author was using. I understand that it was a story set in the past, but some of the language just made the queens seem stiff and too formal. This was simply a personal preference, and regardless I got used to the language over the course of the book.
My favorite part of this book was the growing anticipation and speed of the plot. As I got further and further into the story, the plot pace picked up perfectly, and I was desperate to know what was going to happen. I loved the twists and mystery that unfolded up until the very last page and left me eager to dive into the sequel.
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