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rrekhaa's review against another edition
4.0
Ever since I heard of this book, I wanted to read it. I love books about competitions, and competition between sister queens? A fight to the throne? With catty, sassy females? Yes please! I am so pleased to report that I really loved this!
In this world, there are always three triplet queens born. But only one of them gets to live and rule when the time comes. One is a poisoner, one is a naturalist and one is an elementalist, each with a different level of talents. They are all supported and trained by a different group of people.... trained to kill their other sisters.
I liked that this book actually stuck to the plot. I was sort of expecting all the sisters to meet and then realize they all love each other, decide to F the system and do their own thing. Fortunately, this book was bloody, fierce and unforgiving when it came to the competition. Each Queen and her team was focused on staying alive, no matter what it took. It was great to read about the conspiracies each team came up with, the conniving plans to overthrow their competition. Perhaps it wasn't the sisters fighting to the death themselves, but it was brutal in its own way.
Katharine, the poisoner, was backed up by the vicious Arron family and taught how to poison people (duh.) She was puny and skinny but she could kill you with a sly slip of poison in your wine. Her gift wasn't very strong, and her personality wasn't either, but I mostly enjoyed reading from her POV because her "family," Natalia, her wicked sister Genevieve, and the caring Giselle were very interesting to read about.
Arsinoe (which I read as Arisnoe for the longest time ever) was a naturalist, and seemingly the weakest of the three when it came to powers. However, she was strong in many other ways. Her pain tolerance was unbelievable, even unrealistic at times. I was baffled at how much happened to her physically and how she pulled through it. I would have just curled up in a corner and given up. I enjoyed her POV despite her best friend Jules, a powerful naturalist, who supported her very much and had quite a huge chunk of the plot dedicated to her which I felt was unnecessary. She had a love interest and had more of a part than Arsinoe herself, which was sad because it became mostly romance heavy.
Mirabella, the elementalist, was known as the most powerful, the one who would probably win. However, she's the only one who had a vague memory of her sisters. Her elemental powers were extremely strong and she was backed by the most influential group in this world, so she was basically guaranteed a win. However, she was very unpredictable, and defied orders a lot, so her rebelliousness could cost her the throne, and her life. Her POV was the least interesting to me, for some reason. I didn't dislike her character, but the people around her were constantly referring to goddesses and spiritual stuff which I don't enjoy.
I enjoyed the writing style, and despite what people said about this being hard to get through, I managed to fly through it in two sittings. I didn't find it very slow at all. I love multiple POV's so that added to my enjoyment. I understand that this might be too much for some people though.
What I didn't like, or didn't really get used to was the abundance of characters. It's hard enough to keep track of your characters in a fantasy book set in one place. This book is set in three different places with three full fledged set of characters, which led to too many names and terms to remember. It takes a bit to get used to, since this is the first book. I understand why many people found it hard to get behind that. I also hated Joseph, once character in particular who was a filthy, jerk who had too much screen time and deserved to be poisoned by Katharine and eaten by a bear.
Overall, I loved this plot and characters of this book. It is quite info-dumpy, being the first book, but the fun is just beginning here and the next book is where all the dirty games will take place. I cannot wait to continue with this series. Yes, I said series! NOT a trilogy! Finally!
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?
-Rekha
___________________________________________________________
WOAH WHAAAAAT
JOSEPH FUCK YOU
In this world, there are always three triplet queens born. But only one of them gets to live and rule when the time comes. One is a poisoner, one is a naturalist and one is an elementalist, each with a different level of talents. They are all supported and trained by a different group of people.... trained to kill their other sisters.
I liked that this book actually stuck to the plot. I was sort of expecting all the sisters to meet and then realize they all love each other, decide to F the system and do their own thing. Fortunately, this book was bloody, fierce and unforgiving when it came to the competition. Each Queen and her team was focused on staying alive, no matter what it took. It was great to read about the conspiracies each team came up with, the conniving plans to overthrow their competition. Perhaps it wasn't the sisters fighting to the death themselves, but it was brutal in its own way.
Katharine, the poisoner, was backed up by the vicious Arron family and taught how to poison people (duh.) She was puny and skinny but she could kill you with a sly slip of poison in your wine. Her gift wasn't very strong, and her personality wasn't either, but I mostly enjoyed reading from her POV because her "family," Natalia, her wicked sister Genevieve, and the caring Giselle were very interesting to read about.
Arsinoe (which I read as Arisnoe for the longest time ever) was a naturalist, and seemingly the weakest of the three when it came to powers. However, she was strong in many other ways. Her pain tolerance was unbelievable, even unrealistic at times. I was baffled at how much happened to her physically and how she pulled through it. I would have just curled up in a corner and given up. I enjoyed her POV despite her best friend Jules, a powerful naturalist, who supported her very much and had quite a huge chunk of the plot dedicated to her which I felt was unnecessary. She had a love interest and had more of a part than Arsinoe herself, which was sad because it became mostly romance heavy.
Mirabella, the elementalist, was known as the most powerful, the one who would probably win. However, she's the only one who had a vague memory of her sisters. Her elemental powers were extremely strong and she was backed by the most influential group in this world, so she was basically guaranteed a win. However, she was very unpredictable, and defied orders a lot, so her rebelliousness could cost her the throne, and her life. Her POV was the least interesting to me, for some reason. I didn't dislike her character, but the people around her were constantly referring to goddesses and spiritual stuff which I don't enjoy.
I enjoyed the writing style, and despite what people said about this being hard to get through, I managed to fly through it in two sittings. I didn't find it very slow at all. I love multiple POV's so that added to my enjoyment. I understand that this might be too much for some people though.
What I didn't like, or didn't really get used to was the abundance of characters. It's hard enough to keep track of your characters in a fantasy book set in one place. This book is set in three different places with three full fledged set of characters, which led to too many names and terms to remember. It takes a bit to get used to, since this is the first book. I understand why many people found it hard to get behind that. I also hated Joseph, once character in particular who was a filthy, jerk who had too much screen time and deserved to be poisoned by Katharine and eaten by a bear.
Overall, I loved this plot and characters of this book. It is quite info-dumpy, being the first book, but the fun is just beginning here and the next book is where all the dirty games will take place. I cannot wait to continue with this series. Yes, I said series! NOT a trilogy! Finally!
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?
-Rekha
___________________________________________________________
WOAH WHAAAAAT
JOSEPH FUCK YOU
booksandhorses's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
mil97's review against another edition
5.0
This was such an amazing read. I loved the entire plot, the idea of three queens, triplets raised apart and set to kill each other is a very unique idea. It was executed soo well.
I liked the three queens, Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine. They are all wonderful and strong people in their own unique ways. I could not guess who would be the winner and will become the queen and I did not particularly have any preferences (I thought Arsinoe might be an interesting choice, especially since she was not backed by anyone with real influence at the same time I do not want the others to die or anything). It was fantastically brought up, the issues the three girls faced being raised apart. The political plotting are super interesting, with every faction playing to make their Queen the Queen. They are all willing to risk everything. For the three girls, it was a battle for survival. As the strongest, Mirabella knows she could kill her sisters but she doesn’t want to. But for Arsinoe and Katharine whose gifts are as weak as Mirabella’s are strong, it would be a battle for their survival. I think their struggles, unique and different, were brought really well.
I could not have guessed that ending…
Overall this was just great!!!
I liked the three queens, Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine. They are all wonderful and strong people in their own unique ways. I could not guess who would be the winner and will become the queen and I did not particularly have any preferences (I thought Arsinoe might be an interesting choice, especially since she was not backed by anyone with real influence at the same time I do not want the others to die or anything). It was fantastically brought up, the issues the three girls faced being raised apart. The political plotting are super interesting, with every faction playing to make their Queen the Queen. They are all willing to risk everything. For the three girls, it was a battle for survival. As the strongest, Mirabella knows she could kill her sisters but she doesn’t want to. But for Arsinoe and Katharine whose gifts are as weak as Mirabella’s are strong, it would be a battle for their survival. I think their struggles, unique and different, were brought really well.
I could not have guessed that ending…
Overall this was just great!!!
lauren176's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
ihoopey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
meglybcoul's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise, uninteresting execution. Entire book had that "first chapter" feeling where you think to yourself, "oh, this is just that boring backstory/detail I might need later on to understand something more exciting and engaging." Unfortunately that exciting part didn't come until the last paragraph OF THE ENTIRE BOOK. Not sure if I am willing to read the sequel.
amberacks12's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Quite dark, but a very unique concept for a story. I really enjoyed Kendra’s Blake’s writing, and her characters were distinct and interesting.
It felt a bit like a CW ish type of story, with lots of relationship drama and emotional twists. But I would say that added to the enjoyment for sure. Not a super complex read, but I enjoyed it and will be continuing the series to see what happens next.
Enjoyability: 5
Emotional impact: 3
Educational impact: n/a
=4
It felt a bit like a CW ish type of story, with lots of relationship drama and emotional twists. But I would say that added to the enjoyment for sure. Not a super complex read, but I enjoyed it and will be continuing the series to see what happens next.
Enjoyability: 5
Emotional impact: 3
Educational impact: n/a
=4
lockmm's review against another edition
1.0
It took me seven months to read this boring, terrible and painful book. Seven. Months. I finally finished because I refused to enter 2019 with this still on my Goodreads Currently Reading tracker and it takes a lot for me to DNF a book, especially one that I bought. Which is the painful part - thankfully I’ve learned from that and picked up my next YA Fantasy from the library.
The sad thing is, I was excited for this. The premise and the summary are interesting and I love political royal family fantasy books. Just give me a book of rich people dealing with petty problems with some whimsy, and I’m there for it. In Three Dark Crowns, a set of triplets are born every generation. Always women, always equal heirs to the throne, and always a possessor of some form of magic - elemental, naturalist, and poisoner. And yea, I have no idea why “being really good at poisoning people and being immune to poison” is considered to be a talent on par with being able to control the elements and nature, but somehow the last bunch of queens have all been poisoners and able to poison their sisters. One would think having a taste tester, object handler and mail checker on hand would kind of take care of that problem. Meanwhile, there’s only ever been one naturalist queen even though she can control animals and plants and people are hoping they finally have a woman who can control fire, water and air well enough to beat someone who is really good at poisoning people. What I’m saying is, there’s a power imbalance and it’s stupid that the weakest power keeps winning.
Anyway, the only way one can become queen is by killing her sisters. And I’m here for this plot - which I originally thought would be something like the king is on his deathbed and his daughters are going to have to fight each other sooner rather than later. And the sisters are experiencing internal conflict about it because they grew up together so they don’t want to kill each other. Basically, I thought I was getting a YA Fantasy inspired by King Lear.
Instead, what we get is three sisters who weren’t raised together, two who don’t have any memories of their sisters and are quite alright with killing each other. One of them is actively planning on how to do it, while the other is just willing to kill to survive. There’s no point to them being sisters because there’s no sisterly relationship. They might as well be third cousins for all the connection they feel with each other. If they don’t care that they have to kill each other, why should I care?
But I can forgive that as long as there was some action. But nope! 75% of this book is just them puttering around practicing their powers and mooning over boys. One of their storylines doesn’t even star them until about 50% through - it’s all about her best friend who is a random nobody (which probably means she’ll end up as the queen), and the boy she’s been pining over for years. And he’s been pining over her too for years - but then he sleeps with one of the queens once and we’re supposed to believe he’s also madly in love with her. And I think Blake’s intention isn’t to have the reader wish this guy would fall off a cliff and never return, but I do wish that.
Stuff finally started to happen in the last 25% but it was way too late for me. I was only ever invested in one of the queen’s storylines and that was the one that had to share “screen time” with their random friend. The other two were dull dull dull. There’s a twist at the end and it’s not even a good twist. It’s certainly not the one I would have gone with but whatever. The ultimate depressing these is you feel like Blake wants you to think these are strong female characters who would make great leaders but they’re really not. None of them are ever really in charge or have any autonomy. One is a powerful elemental but she never uses that power to put people in their place except one time towards the end. It’s like “Gurl, you can and have buried innocent people alive - why not use that power on people that treat you and other people like shit?”
Despite all this, I could be convinced to read the second book. The last 25% gave me some hope, though I then think of the first 75% and remind myself that it took me seven months to read it and I only finished because I’m masochist and I spent $15 on this book. 1 out of 5 stars.
The sad thing is, I was excited for this. The premise and the summary are interesting and I love political royal family fantasy books. Just give me a book of rich people dealing with petty problems with some whimsy, and I’m there for it. In Three Dark Crowns, a set of triplets are born every generation. Always women, always equal heirs to the throne, and always a possessor of some form of magic - elemental, naturalist, and poisoner. And yea, I have no idea why “being really good at poisoning people and being immune to poison” is considered to be a talent on par with being able to control the elements and nature, but somehow the last bunch of queens have all been poisoners and able to poison their sisters. One would think having a taste tester, object handler and mail checker on hand would kind of take care of that problem. Meanwhile, there’s only ever been one naturalist queen even though she can control animals and plants and people are hoping they finally have a woman who can control fire, water and air well enough to beat someone who is really good at poisoning people. What I’m saying is, there’s a power imbalance and it’s stupid that the weakest power keeps winning.
Anyway, the only way one can become queen is by killing her sisters. And I’m here for this plot - which I originally thought would be something like the king is on his deathbed and his daughters are going to have to fight each other sooner rather than later. And the sisters are experiencing internal conflict about it because they grew up together so they don’t want to kill each other. Basically, I thought I was getting a YA Fantasy inspired by King Lear.
Instead, what we get is three sisters who weren’t raised together, two who don’t have any memories of their sisters and are quite alright with killing each other. One of them is actively planning on how to do it, while the other is just willing to kill to survive. There’s no point to them being sisters because there’s no sisterly relationship. They might as well be third cousins for all the connection they feel with each other. If they don’t care that they have to kill each other, why should I care?
But I can forgive that as long as there was some action. But nope! 75% of this book is just them puttering around practicing their powers and mooning over boys. One of their storylines doesn’t even star them until about 50% through - it’s all about her best friend who is a random nobody (which probably means she’ll end up as the queen), and the boy she’s been pining over for years. And he’s been pining over her too for years - but then he sleeps with one of the queens once and we’re supposed to believe he’s also madly in love with her. And I think Blake’s intention isn’t to have the reader wish this guy would fall off a cliff and never return, but I do wish that.
Stuff finally started to happen in the last 25% but it was way too late for me. I was only ever invested in one of the queen’s storylines and that was the one that had to share “screen time” with their random friend. The other two were dull dull dull. There’s a twist at the end and it’s not even a good twist. It’s certainly not the one I would have gone with but whatever. The ultimate depressing these is you feel like Blake wants you to think these are strong female characters who would make great leaders but they’re really not. None of them are ever really in charge or have any autonomy. One is a powerful elemental but she never uses that power to put people in their place except one time towards the end. It’s like “Gurl, you can and have buried innocent people alive - why not use that power on people that treat you and other people like shit?”
Despite all this, I could be convinced to read the second book. The last 25% gave me some hope, though I then think of the first 75% and remind myself that it took me seven months to read it and I only finished because I’m masochist and I spent $15 on this book. 1 out of 5 stars.
silveea's review against another edition
4.0
Gostei imenso! Acabou com um grande plot twist! Mal posso esperar por ler o segundo livro! Also Pyiert I’m coming for you asshole!