Review: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake | Blog Tour + Giveaway

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Series: Untitled #1
Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication: September 20th 2016 by HarperTeen

Length: 416 pages

Format: eARC

Goodreads

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.

If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest.

THREE DARK CROWNS was one of my most anticipated releases of this year, and I’m so thrilled to be on this blog tour! This novel focuses on a set of triplets, all of which are vying to be queen. Through these several perspectives, it becomes clear that there’s a lot more to the whole competition.

THREE DARK CROWNS has a very wide selection of characters, each interconnecting through relationships and betrayals. However, I will say that if you enjoy several different perspectives to read about, then this will be for you. If you’re not a huge fan of multiple perspectives, it might take a bit longer to read and enjoy. Though I’m in the latter, I did definitely enjoy reading about all the different relationships that were presented throughout the novel. I especially love the character of Mirabella because lots of her actions had verged on the the issue of morality.

To be frank, I didn’t really get into the story until maybe 40% in because I couldn’t really keep track of the characters. However, I will say that by the end of the novel, the plot was definitely picking up and becoming more intriguing. From this, I definitely see THREE DARK CROWNS as more of an introductory novel, and there’ll most likely be lots of more intrigue and suspense in the later novels. I really don’t want to give a lot away from the plot, but nothing is ever what it seems. All the sisters have trouble figuring out their magic, and you’ll see that it means a lot more than that.

All in all, this was a pretty solid series starter. With its gorgeous cover and its original story idea, THREE DARK CROWNS is not to be missed! If you enjoy fantasy stories with a very interesting concept, then make sure to keep an eye out for this new series!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review & to Hannah for organizing this tour!

Amazon | B&N

Kendare Blake is the author of several novels and short stories, most of which you can find information about via the links above. Her work is sort of dark, always violent, and features passages describing food from when she writes while hungry. She was born in July (for those of you doing book reports) in Seoul, South Korea, but doesn’t speak a lick of Korean, as she was packed off at a very early age to her adoptive parents in the United States. That might be just an excuse, though, as she is pretty bad at learning foreign languages. She enjoys the work of Milan Kundera, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bret Easton Ellis, Richard Linklater, and the late, great Michael Jackson, I mean, come on, he gave us Thriller.

She lives and writes in Kent, Washington, with her husband, their two cat sons (Tybalt and Tyrion Cattister) and their red Doberman dog son, Obi Dog Kenobi.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

3 Finished Copies of THREE DARK CROWNS (US Only)

Tour Schedule:

Week 1:

9/12: The Irish Banana Review – Review

9/13: Reflections by Lili – Review

9/14: The Bookkeeper’s Secret – Q&A

9/15: Pandora’s Books – Review

9/16: Princessica of Books – Q&A

Week 2:

9/19: No BS Book Reviews – Review

9/20: In Love with Handmade – Bookish Inspired Cupcakes

9/21: My Friends Are Fiction – Guest Post

9/22: Swoony Boys Podcast – Character Interview

9/23: Arctic Books – Review

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Are you planning to read this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!