Three Dark Crowns | A YA Book Review

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

This book was kind of confusing. Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars which for me is an okay read. The premise is three triplets are born, magical gifts identified, and then they are separated and fostered in homes that will teach them how to use their gifts before they come of age and must kill the other two sisters in order to become queen.

Here’s my rundown.

Things that I enjoyed:

-Arisnoe is awesome. So is Billy. Really I’m a fan of the Naturalists in general.

-The twist at the end even though I spoiled myself (not on purpose for once).

-The writing style was easy to read.

-The last 110 pages were really good and read fast.

Things that I didn’t enjoy:

-A lot of the world building was confusing. Temples, the Goddess, the Black Council. Three islands and a mainland. Elemental, Naturalist, Poisoner, and low magic. Multiple festivals, celebrations, and activities. Also, the point of some of these activities.

-The pacing was kind of off due to the confusing world building.

-Some of the characters behave in annoying ways (Mirabella and Joseph, I’m looking at you.)

-I feel like Naturalist and Elemental are awfully similar, but then Poisoner is way off in another direction. Perhaps this could have been simpler and more intriguing if the two were combined and a third more different gift created.

-In general the story was pretty morbid which I’m not a fan of, but this book came recommended to me by several people.

In conclusion, it was an okay read for me. I have been told the second book is better, but I also saw the press release that there will be two more books added to the series. Said press release also spoiled the main plot line for me. I may stop after the second book unless it knocks my socks off.