I remember when this book was all over Booktube and was hyped up. I want to thank Netgalley for re-releasing it and allowing me to read it in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows three queens, sisters, separated at birth and forced to enhance their powers to one day kill their siblings and be the one true ruler. I didn’t really like any of them- Katherine was whiny, Arsinoe was stubborn and Mirabella is a home wrecker (a minor spoiler but that really annoyed me. I hate cheating even in books!)

It was a slow start but it did get a bit better as the story moved towards the festival where the sisters displayed their powers to the rest of the kingdom, that was the most exciting bit. Otherwise I found it dragged.

I was really disappointed that not one of them died or were killed considering the rest of the titles in this series. Every time it went that way, something happened.

I don’t know if I’ll be continuing the series and it’s mainly because the personalities of the three queens just didn’t gel with me.

I LOVED some of the background characters. Jules and her cougar, Camden, were my personal favourites. That’s why the betrayal of her lover with Mirabella was horrifying as his personality did not point to that and when it happened I was angry.

Overall, as a fantasy story it’s pretty good with the magic elements but I did feel like there could have been more. I would be interested to see where Arsinoe’s poisoner powers take her but that’s not enough to get me to read the rest of the series.

3/5 stars.
Slow start but enjoyable nearer the end.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

This book is about three sisters, three queens, who when they turn 16 have to kill each others so the only one remaining can become the Queen of the land. Each queen has a speciality, one is a poisoner, another a naturalist, and the last one is an elemental. They are raised to kill their sisters, raised so their clan can reign over the land.

What really makes this book is those sisters! The plot is weak at times but the amazing characters really made this a run read.

This book is most hyped up and everyone seems to love it, but I could not get into it! I love Blake's writing generally, but I simply could not get into this one. There was something about it which did not work for me so I ended up DNF-ing it :(

DNF. I couldn't connect with this book at all and found it really hard to get into. I had high hopes for this, which is a shame.

Three Dark Crowns - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Soooo a book that started off as something I found a tad boring and slow, turned into an incredible, on-the-edge, and gripping story and I need the next one like...NOW.

Also I am 300% team Mirabella because y'know 💁 but honestly love Arsinoe and Katherine too. Natalia was totally one of my faves as was Elizabeth and gosh can Kendare Blake just write any more beloved characters!?

So excited to continue this series and its lush world and lore. I feel like this book has just scraped the surface of what there is to offer!

I loved this book, I see there is a very mixed bag of reviews on here which made me hesitant which is why it’s been sitting on my bookcase for over year. Now I know have I been sitting on this gem.

Kathrine, Arsinoe and Mirabella triplets born in to a tradition that spans back years. Three sister born to fight for one throne, to kill each other in order to become queen. One will rule and two will die. This book is fast paces and fun, the world and magic system could do with a bit more work but it has good bones and I believe it will just get better and better as the world and characters develop.

If you like magic, sibling relationship and fights to the death this will be your things. It also has good friendship, some romance and a mountain cat just in case the first bit didn’t convince you.




SPOILERS AHEAD







The poisoner queen - Kathrine
Katherine’s chapters where a joy to read really, yes I felt bad for the tiny little girl who eats poison tainted food, but as the book grows you see Kathrine is resilient. She continues to make poisons, eat poison and even takes lessons from Pietyr to become more charming. I think in the next book Kathrine is going to pack a punch! I was shocked at what Pietyr done to her like I actually thought he loved her but if he did why would he do such a thing? It’s like she’s being abused or neglected to be fair. When we get the reveal at The last chapter that she ate poison it means her and Kathrine have been wrongly decided in gift. Did no one notice this poor girl cannot be the heir of the poisoners she was going to die slowly if Pietyr didn’t step in.

The naturalist queen - Arsinoe
My favourite chapters to read really, Arsinoe is a strong character and I definitely felt it when people said she was all stomach. I enjoyed watching her try to push her gift to the surface even if it meant using low magic. I feel as though she had the most interesting chapters because of her friends. Jules is one of my favourite characters and I do wish she could just be queen (but then there wouldn’t be a story right?) the way Arsinoe and Jules interact is really more of a sister bond than the real sisters in this story. I love Camden just gonna add that here, I want one. Also the romance between Jules and Jospeh and the drama had me enthralled.

The Elemental - Mirabella
So Mirabella had the easiest job of the sisters, she has a pretty good handle on her power and can use it as she sees fit although not fully yet. I do believe Mirabella will be a force to be reckoned with if things keep happening for her to think her sister really are out to get her instead of consequences making it look like the girls are all out for blood. If she looses her sentiment she will be wicked. Now I don’t know how I feel about this whole Jules, Joseph and Maribella debacle I’m mixed about this being added in, yes I think it added something to the story line but I also think we could have got there without breaking Jules heart. I kind of want him to end with Mirabella because I don’t thinks he’s good enough for Jules anymore. Think it’s heading that way anyways because of him saving her.

This I’m saddened to say wasn’t for me. I might pick it back up at a later date and try again to read the whole way through, but for now I have to dnf. It was putting me in a slumpy mood, but I am hoping I enjoy more at a better time in the future because the premise really does intrigue me.

There is a lot to enjoy here, but I felt that the prose was pretty poor in places. It tells the story of the three princesses of Fennbirn; a poisoner, a naturalist and an elemental; and the lead up to what will be the fight for the throne. Firstly, I really liked the world Blake has created here and I thought that the plot was compelling and original. I enjoyed the friendship of Arsinoe and Jules particularly and I do think there is great potential for this to be a truly unique trilogy. My huge difficulty was with the prose, which was just downright bad in some areas. The dialogue was often stilted and the sentence construction was far too simple at times, which meant that I couldn't fully immerse myself in the world without running up against a line that would throw me out of the narrative. With that being said, I do think that the story is good and I will definitely continue in the series in the hope that the prose gets a bit better.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a fabulous series! I loved the first book! Full of magic and mystery, family and friends. A great start to the series. Looking forward to reading more about the three sisters soon.

Three sisters. Three powers. But only one can rule.

Three Dark Crowns has such an interesting and exciting premise. Three sisters, all fighting for the throne, all wielding different powers in poison, nature and elementals. It had the promise to be quite unique for YA while still retaining that level of fantasy and mystery I’ve come to expect. But unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this, and found it really slow. There’s not much plot development for most of the book, and a lot of it is spent with the women training and not really going anywhere except moping after lovers. Rinse and repeat times three. I struggled at times because of this, and was calling out for anything to happen and further the plot along.

I’m also not really a fan of multiple POV, and I sometimes did mix the sisters up in terms of who’s story I was reading because of the overall similarities. The many, many secondary characters also didn’t help, as I don’t think any of them were overly developed and they all blended into one. It was hard to keep track, and I was just left feeling confused a lot of the time.

Because of the slow pace, I also found I wasn’t that invested in the sisters and their various romantic sidelines. They’re all quite one dimensional, emotionless, and a lot of the time I ended up eye rolling at the various romance aspects. I wanted action, dark magic and excitement and all I ended up really getting was girls fawning about. There’s no depth here, and at times it felt like every other recent YA novel I’ve read. On top of that, the world and magical backstory that I originally thought would be so unique are pushed aside and poorly described in favour of this romantic element. The potential is completely wasted. I also found the ending quite contrived and obvious. The ‘twist’ wasn’t really a ‘twist’ at all.

I’m so disappointed, because I loved the author’s previous novel (Anna Dressed In Blood), but this just didn’t work for me. I expected way, way more than I got.

Three Dark Crowns has been all over Bookstagram since it came out and as Book 2 (One Dark Throne) and 3 (Two Dark Reigns) were being released there was a resurgence in it being posted everywhere. AS part of the run up to Book 3 being released the author posted on Twitter that Three Dark Crowns would be available on NetGalley so I jumped at it. This had been on my To Be Read list for several months. Its a YA fantasy with 3 sisters who are brought up to rule the land. Well, at least one of them will rule. As they come of age they have to show their powers and see who wins the game to rule the kingdom.

I enjoyed this book - I gave it a 4* on GoodReads. This was a fairly standard YA fantasy with the normal good vs evil, young women finding their strength, underdogs and expected coming out on top, with love interests along the way. The difference I found with this book was that it didn't rush into the action, there was a lot fo scene setting and following each of the 3 girls (Arsinoe, Mirabella and Katharine) in their training and life int eh run up to turning 16. It was a quiet and thoughtful book that had a wopper of an ending (one that I was not expecting). I don't think this one is for a lot of YA readers - I think that the slowness will put people off. I saw this as a scene setting/introduction book rather than story 1 of 3.

As I said 4/5 stars for me and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on book 2!

As this book has already been published - quite a while ago, in fact - I am currently prioritising pre-publication ARCS, and I will return to review this one when I'm finished with those!

This is a book of three sisters. Triplets born of a queen. All magically gifted - one an elemental, one a poisoner, and one a naturalist. As children they are sent away to live with those who share the same gifts as them, to develop their talents. On turning sixteen they will be given one year in which to become queen... by killing their sisters.

Okay, so, now the eerily mysterious description is out of the way - I LOVED THIS BOOK. It seriously has everything you need in a good book - magic, romance, friendship, love, action, familiars, good vs. evil, faraway places and imagined lands, fantastic powers, beautiful and strong young women. Seriously, what more do you need? A great, edge-of-your-seat storyline? Vibrant, believable characters with deep histories and strong relationships? It has those too.

And the writing is fantastic, I never once noticed anything out of place. Each different group of people and each sister has a certain feel and a certain character. They never falter, merge into one another or drop character for a second. And although this is a fantasy story, it is like the best fantasy stories in that you are completely submerged by it and it never once seems far-fetched or ridiculous in any way.

In short, I don't have anything bad to say about this book. It was riveting, exciting and I was completely dragged into the middle of it. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, and I'm sure my review of that will be equally ranting and full of praise and giddy excitement.

Three teenage sisters, triplet daughters of a now dead Queen, are raised apart and trained in separate skills; a poisoner, a naturalist and an elemental. The sisters must fight each other to become the only queen. The other two will die.

This story is as deliciously dark as the title suggests. I really enjoyed reading about the three sisters and their adoptive families. Their different skills are interesting takes on magic and powers, especially the poison skill.

The story has a strong sense of place, taking place on an island which is culturally very different to the ‘main land’ which is unburdened by the ritual of battling teenage queens.

In addition to the looming threat of victory or defeat, the sisters endure physical hardships, romance problems and family dramas. The three narrative strands are handled well, with the sisters having distinct personalities.

The story is part of a series and I am looking forward to read the next instalment.

Seeing as this novel has been out for a while now, and the series is complete as far as I'm aware, I'm only going to share a few thoughts on it.

I'd heard mixed things going into this. A lot of people have said that this book is overly long and very slow, with too many characters to remember. And it's true that this book is long and slow and has a lot of characters, people are right about that. But I loved it. The pov shifts around enough, in a fluid way that makes this feel almost like a fairytale in parts, that every character of significance recieves at least enough development to make them distinct, and the slow pace really lends itself to this style of story. It's much more character focused than plot focused, which I adore.

In a way, this leads me to the reason why this didn't get five stars from me. This is because, even though there are so many characters, none of them are even implied to be lgbt+, let alone anyone being textually so. The bar is literally on the floor, this isn't difficult.

Obviously, I have no knowledge whatsoever of what comes later in the series. I will definitely be reading it soon.

2,75/5 stars.

Three Dark Crowns is one of those books that got super-hyped since its release by everyone online and so, when the time came for me to finally read it, I had very high expectations. And unfortunately, it didn’t meet any of them.

I can admit that this book has a very interesting premise with its dark tale of three sisters having to kill each other to get to the throne. But honestly? (Almost) Nothing happens in this first instalment. It is so slow. It took me a lot longer than expected to get through it simply because nothing was happening and I was getting bored and just wanted to put it down and never pick it up again. But I hate not going through a book as I know that some start to pick up toward the end. And Three Dark Crowns did pick up with its ending but it was too late for me to even enjoy those small action-packed scenes.

Moreover, everyone has kept saying how dark this is for a YA and I do not understand why people have been saying that. The premise promises a dark and twisted story but honestly, Three Dark Crowns was all love and butterflies half the time.

What I did enjoy though was the writing and some characters. Indeed, I really enjoyed reading about Arsinoe, one of our three queens, as well as her best friend, Jules. They were both very strong and fierce - can we please throw Joseph out of their lives and into a trash though, please? Honestly, I found the rest of the characters to be a fit too flat and more than one got on my nerves and the urge to throw my book into their faces was big.

To conclude, I can say that the hype for Three Dark Crowns ruined the book for me. I was expecting so much out of it and got so little when reading it. I truly believe I would have liked it better if I had read it earlier on, without having seen any reviews. I still applaud the author for coming up with such an interesting twisted world. However, I will not continue with the series as I did not truly enjoy this first instalment.

I had a love-hate relationship with this book. I really loved the concept, it’s so imaginative and new. I love magic, and I love fantasy, so the idea of three queens fighting for one throne, each with a different power sounded so compelling to me. But the book and the writing wasn’t really something I enjoyed. In honesty, it was a struggle to get through at times, and the speech felt a little clunky. But at other points, I ate it up. It was a weird mix of long-winded and a bit boring, and fast-paced and full of action. I can’t really make this book out. It had a good opening, but the middle was really stagnant, then the last 10% was great with a huge twist that makes me want to read the next one! What I disliked the most though was the fact that this book had no highs whats-so-ever. Even the handmaid’s tale has points where the protagonist overcomes hardship and you feel like something is going right for her. But nothing went right for any of the characters in this book, and it was almost depressing to read. I am giving this book three stars because I am still unsure whether I liked it not. It wasn’t so bad that I wanted to DNF it, but it wasn’t so great either. I’d heard great things about this book, but in the end, I was just left disappointed.

I have loved Kendare Blake's other books especially the Anna Dressed in Blood series and this book did not disappoint I was hooked and it is exactly what I wanted. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and would highly recommend giving her books a go.

Difficult one to rate. It was so slow for the first 60% - not boring, just rambling - and then got pretty exciting towards the end. Can't help feeling that it could've been a tighter book, and honestly, I wanted more focus on the sisters and their relationship with each other, and much, much less focus on their friends and the love interests of everyone and their mums (literally). I'm sad that there wasn't much about previous queens, and really sad that the sisters barely interacted. It wasn't badly written at all, but it was so obviously a set-up for the rest of the trilogy and I'm really bored of that in YA.