𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙲𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜 𝚋𝚢 𝙺𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚔𝚎
Publication date: September 20th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Three Dark Crowns, #1
Summary: When kingdom come, there will be one.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.
The last queen standing gets the crown.
𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
𝙼𝚢 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ☆☆☆☆
Three dark queens
are born in a glen,
sweet little triplets
will never be friends
~
Three dark sisters
all fair to be seen,
two to devour
and one to be Queen
I devoured this book. All of the twists and turns and world-building set the stage for an intense tale that follows the three sister queens of Fennbirn as each prepares to murder the other two and ascend to the throne. It was dark and breathtaking and full of gorgeously unexpected twists. I loved it.
While the book was a little slow in the beginning (thought I will say that the character development made up for the initial slowness of the plot), about 30% through, things started picking up. Oh boy, did they pick up! Every new chapter brought something exciting to the story, whether in the form of supporting characters or the queens themselves. The scheming priestesses supporting Mirabella. The standoffish romance between Jules and Joseph. Natalia planning ways around Katherine’s weak poisoner gift. Every chapter played an intricate part in leading up to one delicious cliffhanger.
The writing style was very easy to get into. For some reason, I just love first person perspectives, and I’m starting to read more and more present tense books. This book has both! 😀
I would have liked to learn more about the origins of this Triplet Queens Hunger Games, especially since Three Dark Crowns is the first in the series and world-building is key. We get a lot of talk about the goddess who supposedly bestows “gifts” to every queen, and that each Queen Crowned gives birth to triplets, but not much else is revealed about the magic system’s origins. Also, there seemed to be a recurring theme of weak women…and men too! I couldn’t really wrap my head around Joseph. I liked him but then I just didn’t. The guy who risks everything to protect his queen and get her off the island, fails, and spends years in exile before returning to his love? Sooo intriguing! But then, something went wrong and he turned into a childish, disloyal fellow that Jules kept running back to. He’s a bit unforgivable for me at this point.
Those last few chapters were where things got real! The cliffhanger was downright awesome and dramatic. I’m looking forward to picking up the next book in the series, One Dark Throne, and all the ones after! (I’m hoping to read every book of the series in time for Five Dark Fates, which comes out in September!)
Language used infrequently.
Violence, including character death, frequent bloodletting for use in magic, and poisoning.
Kissing between characters, sometimes going further. Everything is described in small detail.
Recommended for age 16+.
Have you read Three Dark Crowns? What were your thoughts?
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