Three Dark Crowns: A New York Times Bestselling Dark Fantasy of Three Sisters and a Fight to the Death

If it doesn't bother you that this book stops in the middle of the story, then you might like it. I really, really hate not being told before I start that I'd have to buy another book (at least) if I want to finish the story. It doesn't even end on a cliff hanger. It just stops.Look at it this way. If you're driving from San Francisco to New York, the traveling will be broken up into several smaller trips that together comprise a whole journey. The author could have created a whole book that was part of an overarching story and I would have been fine with it. But she didn't. She created several characters and situations and was just starting to stir things up when the book... stops. Argh.I found the whole premise ridiculous (Every queen has triplets who have to fight to the death to prove they have the right to be the ruler? That's the island's idea of running a government?) but I find most YA fantasy premises to be unrealistic. Even so, a skillful author can pull off a good story from a flimsy premise. The trouble was, I didn't like the characters all that much. The idea of their being family who are fated to kill each other was different enough to make me curious, but the characters didn't live up to the concept. One was too weak, one was too nice (yes, that's possible) and one was just... blah. Each one has their set of friends who frankly were more interesting than the "queens" themselves.I wanted to like this. I was prepared to read to the end to see if it got better. But I'm not going to buy the second book. I don't trust the author to tell a complete story within the one book. She might just end in the middle of nowhere again and string me along to buy a third book. Enough already.

First of all, the book is written in an odd pov, which makes it difficult to read. At least for me. Second, there are too many characters. I can't remember one from the other. Third, it's just going on and on while nothing really happens. I don't really get the point of the story. I'm only 1/3 in and just can't go on. It's dragging, confusing, and I have to force myself to keep reading. It feels like it's being dark and depressing just to hit some cliche YA check list. I'm tired of the torture and dreariness of YA lately, and this one doesn't even have a good story. When reading a book is a chore, you know it's not for you.

I was a little nervous about reading this book since there were a lot of reviews saying they could not get through it since it was so boring. I am glad I did not listen. It did take about 6 chapters for me to get the characters and the settings straight but I was so interested in the premise of the book-- triplet queen sisters who had to kill each other since only one could have the crown/rule. In this fanasty world, it seems like it is a medieval, Arthurian world with some magic in it set on an island away from the rest of the world. There has been a tradition of the queen having triplet queens with different skills (poisoner, elemental, and naturalist) that grow up together until they are five or six years old. Then they are raised separately by a family with their particular skill in 3 separate parts of the island until they turn sixteen and they go through a ceremony to demonstrate the strength of their skill to everyone. After the ceremony, the Ascension Year beings where the sisters try to kill each other. Each chapter alternates between each sisters point of view so you get attached to each of them. There is a plot twist at the end that I saw coming at the beginning of the book but it just makes me want the second book to come out sooner. I would highly recommend to Game of Throne fans and King Arthur legend fans.I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

I bought this book because of how much I enjoyed Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares. I was curious what sort of high fantasy story she might tell. I'm conflicted about writing this review because on the one hand I did not like this book. But on the other hand, I think there are a lot of people who will love it. So maybe my opinion on this one doesn't really matter.The book is the story of 3 sisters, triplets who were separated as children and raised by different magical/political factions. Eventually the sisters will continue the land's mythic tradition of attempting to kill each other using their mystic powers (one can resist poison, one can control the elements, and one can bond with and control animals) and the survivor will be crowned queen. The story moves from sister to sister with each chapter, describing the months leading up to the ceremony which marks the beginning of open war between them.I think the world Blake is striving to create is a dark fairy tale place, a world with strange rules aren't rational but are consistent within the confines of the story. I think many readers will enjoy that element, swept up in the wild fantasy of it, but I was bothered by the fact that her world seems poorly thought out. Though it gives the impression of a fairy tale place, it lacks the clarity and simplicity of fairy tales. Blake tries to create a more complex and nuanced world, but she never steps back to give the reader a clear view of it, so we're left with something that feels cluttered and poorly thought out. Concepts and rules pop up randomly when Blake needs a new plot device to knock the characters around with.Choosing to follow all three sisters is ambitious, but it gets confusing as each sister is surrounded by her own cast of supporting characters, most of whom remain flat and indistinct. About a third of the way through the book I stopped trying to remember who the supporting characters were because other than a few of them (Jules, Joseph, Billy, and Pietyr), they didn't seem to matter. They were just props to torment, comfort, or provide counsel to the sisters. It seems like there's a disconnect between Blake's ambitions for the story and the format she chose to write it in. She should have cut down the number of named and recurring characters significantly, or written a much longer and more detailed book.Lastly, this book is dark. That may seem obvious based on the premise, but there's more to it than that. There's a lot of violence and sacrifice and tragedy that seems to serve no real purpose except to put the characters through crap. The book describes the months leading up to the "action" and yet characters are disfigured, mutilated, and crippled well before there's any reason for the violence to have begun. Death and injury can be very powerful events in a story, but here it felt meaningless... and cheap. Like Blake was saying, "Hey, I've told you twenty times how nice this character is. Now I'm going to hack off her hand. But it's not going to be important or meaningful except that it'll make you feel lousy."Or maybe the real problem is that I'm just not quite the right audience for this book because I never quite fell into the world enough to be captivated by it.

This book had such a good premise and i was excited to read it and it ended up being such a dissapointment.The first three quarters of this book is very boring. Which I would have accepted it if we got any character development from the girls but no. One is overshadowed by her best friend and her love interest most of the book. All three suffer through unnecessary conflict etc which should push the plot forward and is an attempt to keep you entertained but it fails. Even worse it slows down the plot and makes the book drag so much more. It takes away from the development of both the girls and the world. The world had the potential to be interesting with the girls being part of the goddess and tied to the island but it was skimmed over far to much for me.The ending I had theorised on from some of the early chapters and so when it came there was no shock just oh well yeah that's a thing. Although its suposed to hook you into the next book it didn't hook me to continue on if anything it put me off this author work altogether.Only saving grace is a got this for just 99p on Kindle.

I really enjoyed this book, I found the idea of triplets born in a cruel world, where only one can be queen, so that once they grow up one girl must kill the other two to be able to rule. I love the dynamic between these girls and how each are different according to their gifts.– Mirabella, the elemental.– Katharine, the poisoner.– Arsinoe, the naturalist.At times this book was slow, I did get confused between the secondary characters and I would have liked a bit more world building but I liked that there were so many twists and I was really shocked at times, hoping these events will get explained in the next book. There was a romance in the book that I didn’t like at all and I didn’t understand why it was put in unless all was not as it seemed, which I would prefer.For the moment my favourite Queen is Arsinoe. I liked her personality, she is very laid back and not afraid to get her hands dirty and she seems to have had the best upbringing of all of the triplets. The training that Mirabella and Katharine especially was horrible and there are some cruel moments shown when the story moves onto them. I also like how political it is from throughout the book, there is a lot of plotting and sly tactics which made me gasp a few times. I cannot wait for the next one.Have you read this series? Which of the queens is your favourite?

3.5 Stars'Three Dark Crowns' is an inventive & intriguing novel with a fantastic dark premise that is centered around the lives of triplet queens. The queens are separated as children in order for them to compete for the throne when they reach the age of sixteen, with the world watching and waiting, knowing that after the ascension year only one sister will survive. Each sister is placed in the care of a different family who reflects the magical abilities that each queen possesses. The story opens as the triplets reach their sixteenth birthday.Katharine, the youngest and frailest sister is a poisoner. She is brought up by the Arron family in the dark and gothic setting of Greavesdrake Manor. As a poisoner Katharine is expected to be able to consume vast amounts of varying poisons without coming to harm as well as being able to mix her own poisonous concoctions to kill or punish her enemies. Poisoner queens have sat on the throne for multiple generations, allowing the Arron's vast political influence with many seats on the Black Council. Katharine is expected to continue their strong tradition but not all is going to plan.... It is very easy to sympathize with Katharine's plight and she has amazing character progression! I can't say any more because of spoilers but she is a very cool character.Arsinoe is a naturalist, who is brought up in the peaceful port town of Wolf Spring by the Malone family. She is a lovely, down-to-earth character and also has an amazing best friend in the daughter of the Malone's, Jules. Jules' naturalist gift is evident as she has a very formidable animal familiar, a mountain cat called Camden. Like her younger sister, Arsinoe is struggling with her gift and there is a lot of doubt as to whether she will survive the ascension year. For me, Arsinoe became my protagonist fairly early on as I enjoyed her tom-boyish charm, the way she interacts with her friends and perhaps because who doesn't love an underdog?Mirabella is a very powerful elementalist and her town of Rolanth, including the priestess', believe her to be blessed and destined to be the next heir to the throne. Mira as a character is a slow burner. It takes longer to get to know her as she is a very thoughtful character and, despite her vast power, she feels very human.As the reader moves from chapter to chapter the narrative cleverly switches between the three queens, which gives a deeper insight into their individual lives and helps to create empathy towards each of them. This writing style decision is so important to the novel as the whole premise is that only one queen will survive and as you go along you feel like you have to pick a side. I enjoyed the switching third person perspectives as I found it refreshing. It is an easy book to pick up and put down, which is great if you want to read in shorter bursts. There are times when you want to keep going because you are interested in a particular queen but on the other hand there is also the danger that when you complete a chapter you feel like you are 'finished', which can discourage you from continuing.The book, particularly the first half, is extremely slow. This is due to switching perspectives between chapters but also because you enter the story at a time when the queens are preparing rather than straight in to the action. The premise does create a dark undertone but it also lacks presence in the preparation stages. The last third of the book definitely picks up steam as you get in to the real action and I loved the way the book concludes. There are several twists in the book. The main twist I saw coming but I know a lot of people were left open-mouthed! The question that drives you is how many queens are left standing by the end of the book and that is a very exciting driver throughout.I really enjoyed the story and immediately picked up the sequel 'One Dark Throne'. There are a lot of well thought-out and interesting characters. The world building is complicated but really well done. I would recommend this book to any YA fans who want something a little different, particularly if they enjoy dystopia. If however you are the sort of person who likes to get straight into the action then this book is probably not for you!

I really enjoyed this book. It had quite a slow start but soon picked up the pace and became such an enjoyable read. I have already pre-ordered the next one as I cannot wait to find out how the story develops.The books revolves around three sisters who are fighting for the crown. One naturalist, one elemental and the other a poisoner. Mirabella (elemental) power is very strong and present whereas Arsinoe (naturalist) and Katherine (poisoner) powers are weak.The ending had such a brilliant cliffhanger and some betrayals I was just not expecting.This book was well written and I enjoyed the plot twists and turns. You cannot trust anyone.

StronglyI first read this book when it initially came out two years ago and was blown away by how much i enjoyed it.The story follows three sisters, each with their own type of magical ability, who must one day fight until one remains, to claim the throne and rule the kingdom.You follow each of the sisters in turn to see how they fare in their training and connect with them all to the point where you yourself do not know who you want to become queen.The writing is captivating and the story held my attention throughout and when the second installment came out i dropped everything to read it.This was an excellent read and i really can't wait to see how this story pans out in its final installment