Three Dark Crowns
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4.4 • 342 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
New York Times Bestseller * New York Public Library Best Book of 2016 * Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016 * Kirkus Best Book of the Year
Fans of acclaimed author Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood will devour Three Dark Crowns, the first book in a dark and inventive fantasy series about three sisters who must fight to the death to become queen.
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.
Don't miss Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series!
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
If you’re looking for beautifully detailed world-building in an intense tale of politics, sex, and magical warfare, this is it. Kendare Blake’s story of three sisters with magical powers squaring off in a fight to the death for the throne gets awesomely dark, scary, and, at times, downright bloody. Each character is so carefully drawn that their emotional turmoil is just as compelling as the explosive action and cataclysmic drama. Three Dark Crowns stands on its own, but don’t be surprised if the last page finds you reaching for the next book in the series, One Dark Throne.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Triplet sisters raised to compete for the crown of Fennbirn have their own talents: Mirabella is a formidable elemental who can conjure and control storms, Katharine is being trained to withstand poison, and dark horse Arsinoe is a naturalist working to summon her animal familiar. In this series opener from Blake (the Goddess War trilogy), the sisters are in the final days of preparing for a bitter year that will end with two of them dead while the other reigns. In this bloody world, those who buck tradition are punished fiercely a friend's loyalty is rewarded when the priestesses sever her hand, another is banished for aiding in an escape attempt and human sacrifice is a proven way to sate the higher power and instill fear. This dark fairytale makes a slow processional toward the Beltane Festival, then rushes through the celebration to set up the next book. But along the way Blake establishes myriad side plots and relationships, builds complex characters, and leaves plenty of compelling avenues to explore in future books. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
Great Start
The book does a good job at leaving you in place of questions and excitement. Would have been a 5* if it didn’t drag at different points in the book. But I can already tell the second book is gonna be full of crazy events.
Best Series Ive read
My sister introduced me to this series and i thank her for it. This is honestly the best world building book i’ve ever read. Im glad i got the chance to read such an amazing piece of work. I’m just getting started on the Oracle Queen and I’m so excited to read it.
Moderately strange
I think this is a great plot but it’s written badly. In places where the author can use “it’s” or “wasn’t” she uses “it is” or “was not” and I realize that is a recurring theme throughout the novel. Kinda curious to see what happens but not enough to pick up the next book and suffer through it. This might not be a helpful review for I am a perfectionist and it bothers me when things aren’t written nicely or to the best they can be so you can read 400 pages and force yourself through the romances that happen awfully quick and the weird language, but I’m just going to look up what happens.