Book Reviews

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Pages: 405
Publish date: September 22nd
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1509804552
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks 

Three Dark Crowns:

I received an arc of Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I loved Three Dark Crowns. I was swept away in the world of magic, betrayal and living up to what you were born to do. It’s wicked, sinister and dark, this fantasy book had me locked in from the get-go.

Three Dark Crowns follows a set of triplets: Mirabella, Katharine and Arsinoe as they ready themselves to fight to the death. Because on the island of Fennbirn only one can be queen. Each can control a different sort of magic that is just as important as the other, the night that they turn sixteen it all begins and in the end, only one will survive.

While the three sisters were together for a little while, they were torn apart and raised on different parts of the island, by different people. It shows that sometimes the way that you are brought up, can define who you are, not by the blood that runs through you.

Mirabella has the power of the elements, able to create storms with the snap of her fingers, however, she was my less favourite sister. There was a lot of decisions that she made throughout the book that just ticked me the wrong way. I found her at times to be selfish, there was little hints that she cared for her sister but, something happened in the middle of the book and I couldn’t deal with it. 

Katharine is a poisoner, it is said that can consume any poison and not die. I think Katharine was my favourite sister, I was always wanted to be in her perspective. Her view on the world, the way that she was brought up was interesting. She was quite naive at times, but you were able to see her grow

Arsinoe is a naturalist, and it’s said that she can control the bloom of flowers and the fiercest of beasts. She was my second favourite, she was a timid little thing at times and I felt that she need someone to hug. Arsinoe also had a strong bond with a certain character, that stood out. 

Each sister had their own personalities and have wonderful character arcs. Each sister grew in some way or another throughout Three Dark Crowns and it was fantastic to see. The reader is able to see each sister find out something about themselves. Each sister also has different motives and wants, again it all comes down to how each were brought up.

The romance was probably my least favourite element of Three Dark Crowns. Instalove, cheating, more instalove. I dislike nearly every single romantic element of the book. I basically shipped no one.

One of my favourite things about Three Dark Crowns was the world. Blake created a world that fascinated me. The reader is able to immerse right into it, and it was so beautifully done. I did want to know more about the history of the magic in the world, but overall the world building was lovely.

There was a lot going on plot-wise because we are in three different perspectives and each sister has different things going on in their lives. There were times that were quite slow, especially around the middle. However, it did pick up.

Overall, Three Dark Crowns is dark and sinister. You don’t know who to trust or what is going to happen next.There were a couple of problems here and there, but overall, I really enjoyed it. The reader is left on their feet through the book, and even when it ends, you are left standing on the edge of a cliff.

Have you read Three Dark Crowns? What did you think? Are you going to read them? Have you read anything else from Kendare Blake? Let’s Chat!