Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns book 4)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the Three Dark Crowns series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first three books.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher of the first three books.

Check out Epic Reads if you need a recap of the first three books. 

“After the battle with Katharine, the rebellion lies in tatters. Jules’s legion curse has been unbound, leaving her out of her mind and unfit to rule. Arsinoe must find a cure, even as the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist rests heavy on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone. Mirabella has disappeared. 

Queen Katharine’s rule over Fennbirn remains intact—for now. But her attack on the rebellion exacted a high price: her beloved Pietyr. Without him, who can she rely upon when Mirabella arrives, seemingly under a banner of truce? As oldest and youngest circle each other, and Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share, the dead queens hiss caution—Mirabella is not to be trusted. 

In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three dark sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested, and some broken forever.

The fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I couldn’t wait for the end of this story and I almost didn’t want to finish it and discover the ending. If I am truthful, this book ended exactly the way I thought it would. Does that make me happy? I’m not sure. Not a completely satisfying ending (I needed more background information on some of the history) and a bit open-ended, I was left a little underwhelmed. I literally devoured the ending so that I could see who survived. Hopefully, the survivors go on to find their happily ever afters.

Visit Kendare Blake’s website.

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Three Dark Crowns, and One Dark Throne, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first two books.

“While Arsinoe, Mirabella, and Katharine all have their own scores to settle, they aren’t the only queens stirring things up on Fennbirn Island.

Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There’s also the alarming issue of whether or not her sisters are actually dead—or if they’re waiting in the wings to usurp the throne.

Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn. 

Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can’t imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine’s doorstep.

This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Without giving too much away of the plot lines in this third book, I'll keep it simple. Arsinoe and Mirabella have left the island of Fennbirn while Jules stayed behind. When paranormal forces bring the two sisters back to the island, they discover that Queen Katharine has a tenuous hold on her throne. With rebel forces trying to overthrow the triplet queens, the unthinkable happens. 

The book ends in what is once again a cliffhanger.

Book four, yet untitled, is due out on September 3, 2019. 

Visit Kendare Blake’s website.

One Dark Thorne by Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Three Dark Crowns, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher on the first book.

“The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Picking up the story where it left off in Three Dark Crowns, Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katharine are in their Ascension year. But what soon happens, most not dared to think. With two queens reluctant to kill her sisters and one who will stop at nothing to wear the crown, no one on the island is truly safe. When a rare power rises up in someone who isn't a Queen, the playing field changes. Full of heartbreak and uncovered Secrets, book two exceeds and expands the wonderful story started in book one. Fans will be eagerly awaiting the next book to see who will survive.

Until then, a collection of short stories, Queens of Fennbirn, is out on April 4, 2018.

Visit Kendare Blake’s website.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns book 1)

“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.” - taken from Goodreads.com

OMG! There was not one thing but I didn't love about this book. Triplet sisters, each with their own special power/gift, are raised separately to fight the other two to the death for the throne. Each is leery of killing her sisters but as the time draws near, secrets have been exposed that change everything. The only good thing about waiting so long to read this book is that I can immediately pick up the second.

Book two, One Dark Throne, is out now.

Visit Kendare Blake’s website.