Fantasy Wednesday: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Title: Three Dark Crowns
Author: Kendare Blake
Page Count: 398
Rating: B
Format Read: Audiobook
Genre: YA Fantasy
Keywords: Sisters, Power, Trials
Kid Appropriate: Teen and older

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

My Review:

I just did not like this book. For the first two thirds I was bored and nearly DNF'd it a couple of times, never quite able to make myself really care about what happened to Mirabella, Katharine, or Arsinoe. They actually annoyed me most of the time. If I can't click with a character at all I have trouble keeping up with the story.

There was also the issue that I kept finding myself wanting more from this story than it was willing to give. Perhaps this is because I was listening to the audiobook, but I never felt like I got a clear image of anything and wanted to be more immersed in the world than I was.

So why did I not rate Three Dark Crowns lower? The writing was not bad by any means and the last third of the book did manage to capture some of my attention. I have seen on many other reviews that the first book is the least popular in the series and book two is much better. I probably will not be continuing on with this series though.