Reviews tagging 'Death'

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

32 reviews

cattheteawitchfairy's review against another edition

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This just wasn’t the book for me. I bought it years ago as a teenager and haven’t read it. The blurb is misleading in my opinion of what the text is, and there is very brutal treatment of characters done ‘out of love’ which just does not agree with me. 

This fantasy is an interesting premise but the cruelty it shows in comparison to the YA style of writing, just didn’t agree with me.
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scourtheatlas's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

3.75

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the_teen_bookworm's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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em_davies7019's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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anastasiamakes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I was expecting this book to be very Hunger Games / Battle Royale-y but it actually focused a lot more on the characters, their relationships, and the politics of their world. A dark romp with strong female characters throughout and some good twists. Enjoyed it more than I expected! 
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rinku's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 Three Dark Crowns had so many things I love to see in YA fantasy: a predominantly female cast, main characters that have different world views, and a story with a political dimension. If it wasn’t for the flat romances, this would’ve been the perfect book for me. 

I loved the general premise of this novel so much: the three sisters Katharine, Arsinoe and Mirabella have grown up in different families and cultures on the island Fernbirn and now have to kill each other to determine who the new queen of the island will be. Those three families include the poisoners, the elementals and the naturalists, each with their own abilities. 

The whole story and the politics of the world are so intriguing. Yes, the story is slow, but I didn’t mind it. By this, we could get to know the characters and the different political groups better. I just love to see how different the lives of the three sisters are and how they and their family dealt with the situation. Furthermore, thanks to the third person view, we get more insight in what is happening around the sisters and other characters which I enjoyed so much. The settings of the story were great as well. 

Just during this first book, the sisters develop so much in different ways, and I can’t wait where the series will take their characters:
Mirabella trying to escape (and failing) was so dramatic. It was even more dramatic when Arsinoe tried the same and failed as well (which was a bit tiring tbh) and Mirabella saved her from being executed – this was Mira’s defining moment in this book. At the end, Katharine gets thrown in a gorge, but she survives it. Her returning was such a creepy and well-written moment
. 

I also really liked all the characters. From the sisters, I was rooting the most for Arsinoe, then Mirabella and Katharine but I would like to see them all winning. It was so interesting to see how different the sisters see specific people and how some people seemingly randomly meet each other. The thing I liked the least about this book though was the romance. Literally every girl had an insta love which was so annoying. Additionally, the guys are also all so jealous and one of them is a cheater; the only one I liked was maybe Billy. 

Nevertheless, Three Dark Crowns was a great novel and I’m excited to see how the series will continue. 
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words_and_dreams's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Dark fantasy YA

Premise in a nut shell is that each generation a set of triplets are born and one must kill her sisters to rule and become the Queen. Each is supposed to develop a different power and live in that area. There are elementalists, poisoners, naturalists, warriors etc. 

There were definitely elements that I liked including the magic systems and the world building. It had a darker atmospheric feel to it, I mean sisters are trying to kill each other. Lol.

I was annoyed that the girls didn't club together to otherthrow the archaic systems holding them back. Although this is only the first book of a series so maybe that does happen down the line. 

Also Josh was the literal worst.  Delirious, worst excuse ever. Eurgh.
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hannahwhiteyy's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was a good first book to the series, but didn’t stand well on its own. The pacing and flow was spotty at times, yet faster in others. Yet overall, the plot was intriguing and I empathised with a lot of the characters.
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supernova7's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I was wandering the library and stumbled on this book series. The premise was compelling: triplet queens with supernatural powers who need to fight each other to win the crown. I am so glad I did. This was fast paced and easy to read, which gave my overworked brain a needed break. I am impressed with the world building of this author; I believe that there are different cultures on this island and the characters react to and live within these cultures. I am engrossed in the folklore and history of the island and I want to learn more. The worse part of this book is the inclusion of a love triangle. That part felt forced, predictable, and frustrating, to be honest. It made me care a lot less about two of the characters. I’ll say this book ended well too, and I am excited to go back to the library to get the rest of the series. 
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rosenau's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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