A review by laurenbookishtwins
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

4.0

Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.

With the ascension year underway, the three sisters must face off against the deadliest threats yet: each other. But each of the sisters is different: Katharine, once weak and feeble, is stronger than ever. Arsinoe, after discovering her deadly power, must figure out how to use it to her advantage whilst also keeping it a secret. And Mirabella, once thought the strongest of them all, the one destined to be Queen, is facing attacks like never before. But everything is not as it seems.

I read and really enjoyed Three Dark Crowns last year. I loved the complex sister dynamics, the dark atmospheric setting, the political intrigue, and whilst the pace lagged, the storytelling and characterization was phenomenal. One Dark Throne was just as good. The pacing problem was not present in this follow-up. There was definitely a lot more action and suspense, and what I especially loved was the development of each queen and I adore all three, Arsinoe, especially.

There is still quite a bit of romance in this series, which I'm not the biggest fan of. There are definitely more important and more intriguing aspects of the series, most notably the sisters conflicting feelings and difficulty about killing each other. Their dynamics are so complex and if you're a sucker for sister stories, and fancy a bit of a dark, atmospheric setting and story, then I would definitely recommend that you pick up this series.

I have only one complaint, and that is that I was looking forward to this being a duology. Having found out that there are 2 more books in the series, I'm having conflicting feelings, but that is purely because I have difficulty committing to trilogies/ or more. Nevertheless, this series is great.