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A review by emtees
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book because the premise makes it sound like part of that trend of YA fantasy with really gimmicky world-building. An island nation where the queen always gives birth to triplet girls with different powers, where the girls are raised to fight to the death for the right to be the next queen, only to give it all up after their own daughters are born? But Kendare Blake is really good at taking what should be contrived storyline and fleshing it out until it feels real and believable. Instead of questioning the way the world works (I still have a lot of questions, but I’m willing to be patient), you find yourself invested in the twisty politics, the rival factions and the misunderstandings and conflicts that lead to the climax of the story.
The book follows three royal sisters - Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine - who were split up as children and have been raised by rival foster families, each of which shares the girl’s magical gift. Mirabella is an elementalist, with control over natural forces, and the only one of the sisters who seems to be truly powerful. The favorite of the Temple, devotees of the Goddess whose influence has been fading in recent years, Mirabella is expected to be the winner in the upcoming battle to the death. But she is also the only one of the three girls who remembers their time together as children and the love they once shared, and she doesn’t want to kill anyone. Then there is Arsinoe, a fun-loving tomboy raised by the free-spirited and modest naturalists, who have power over the earth and animals. Arsinoe’s gift has never manifested, and despite her lighthearted attitude, she has lived her whole life in the shadow of her powerful foster-sister Jules (the fourth protagonist of the story and a great character in her own right) and knowing she was going to die. Finally there is Katharine, the sweetest of the sisters but also the only one who has been raised as an experienced killer. Katharine is a poisoner, but like Arsinoe, she hasn’t manifested a gift, and so her life has been a horror of trying to train her body to withstand the poisons that the people around her can touch and even eat without a problem. But despite the darkness of her environment, Katharine has a close relationship with her foster-mother Natalia, who has been ruling the country in all but name for a generation, and is the only one of the sisters who seems to truly want to win the throne.
The story begins with the girls’ sixteenth birthdays and covers a few months leading up to the moment when they are formally recognized as Queens and the Ascension Year - the time they have to kill each other - begins. It jumps back and forth between the three sisters in a way that keeps the plot moving quickly. I found the book hard to put down. While Arsinoe’s story was the most compelling, I didn’t really have a favorite sister; they were all interesting and sympathetic characters and I was always glad to catch up with one after a few chapters away from her. Their stories start out very separate, but as the book goes on the plot threads begin to weave together across the different storylines, giving the reader a better understanding of the situation than the characters themselves have. The two sections, covering the Beltane festival where the girls are finally brought together, are extremely tense and full of surprises, setting up the story well for the sequel.
The book follows three royal sisters - Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine - who were split up as children and have been raised by rival foster families, each of which shares the girl’s magical gift. Mirabella is an elementalist, with control over natural forces, and the only one of the sisters who seems to be truly powerful. The favorite of the Temple, devotees of the Goddess whose influence has been fading in recent years, Mirabella is expected to be the winner in the upcoming battle to the death. But she is also the only one of the three girls who remembers their time together as children and the love they once shared, and she doesn’t want to kill anyone. Then there is Arsinoe, a fun-loving tomboy raised by the free-spirited and modest naturalists, who have power over the earth and animals. Arsinoe’s gift has never manifested, and despite her lighthearted attitude, she has lived her whole life in the shadow of her powerful foster-sister Jules (the fourth protagonist of the story and a great character in her own right) and knowing she was going to die. Finally there is Katharine, the sweetest of the sisters but also the only one who has been raised as an experienced killer. Katharine is a poisoner, but like Arsinoe, she hasn’t manifested a gift, and so her life has been a horror of trying to train her body to withstand the poisons that the people around her can touch and even eat without a problem. But despite the darkness of her environment, Katharine has a close relationship with her foster-mother Natalia, who has been ruling the country in all but name for a generation, and is the only one of the sisters who seems to truly want to win the throne.
The story begins with the girls’ sixteenth birthdays and covers a few months leading up to the moment when they are formally recognized as Queens and the Ascension Year - the time they have to kill each other - begins. It jumps back and forth between the three sisters in a way that keeps the plot moving quickly. I found the book hard to put down. While Arsinoe’s story was the most compelling, I didn’t really have a favorite sister; they were all interesting and sympathetic characters and I was always glad to catch up with one after a few chapters away from her. Their stories start out very separate, but as the book goes on the plot threads begin to weave together across the different storylines, giving the reader a better understanding of the situation than the characters themselves have. The two sections, covering the Beltane festival where the girls are finally brought together, are extremely tense and full of surprises, setting up the story well for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail