Book Review: Three Dark Crowns

Author: Kendare Blake

Publication Date: September 20, 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: Three Dark Crowns # 1

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.

“Three dark queens
Are born in a 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 want revenge." She whispers, and her fingers trail bloody streaks down Natalia's arms.
"And then I want my crown.” 

“Only a king-consort is fool enough to love a queen, he says quietly.” 

“No one really wishes to be a queen.” 

I have read, watched, and listened to so many reviews where readers say they did not enjoy this book. However, I am so glad that I went ahead with my gut feeling and read this book because I absolutely loved it. I have not had much experience with high/dark fantasy, but I am thinking that 2017 might just be the year for it. I had read over and over that the book starts slow and doesn’t get better throughout, but I, on the other hand, felt that the “slowness” was necessary in order to build the world and lay the foundation for this series. This world is so intricate and complicated and completely mystical that in order to full appreciate this series, you really have to understand all the tiny details. There are also a ton of characters that are introduced in this first book, but I was not confused or put off by that in the least.

You go into this book knowing that the underlying fact is that not all three of these sisters will be queens. Two must die. I have so many mixed emotions about where I think this series is going to go from here. I have read several reviews where people say they could not connect or disliked all three of the sister queens. I am right the opposite. I think they all were extremely developed and they all have attributes and/or things in their lives that made me empathize with them and root for them. I have a prediction of what I think will happen based on the ending, but I have no way of knowing if that will even play out how I think it will. I am so excited for more to come from this world. My 2017 reading year has started off with a bang!