Three Reasons to Read Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

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.

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My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My first thought after finishing this book was: I wish the second book came out tomorrow!

So to start out, that first half of the book was long….and I wasn’t sure if I would finish this book by the end of the month. I really was trying hard to figure out where this book was trying to lead me with all the information. But as soon as I hit that 50% mark…I was fully into finishing that book! I almost stayed up half the night to finish it but I had to work the next day so I reluctantly put it down. There are so many good things but I want to list 3 reasons why you should read this book before the second book in the series comes out in September!

1. MAGIC. I mean who doesn’t love a little magic. What’s really cool about this book is there are three different types of “families” you could call them on the island that have different sorts of powers/skills. You first have the Elementals, who can control the wind, water, earth and flame. Most of them have control of only one element. Next are the Naturalists, they can control animals. Most of them have a familiar, which is an animal that is like an extension of themselves. It goes with their emotions and they can control them very well. The can also influence animals around them. Lastly you have the Poisoners, who can ingest most poisons and not feel a thing. They love to eat everything with poison in it and are the ones to dispatch people with their poisons.
2. FRIENDSHIPS. There are some great friendships that are talked about in this book and that’s one of the reasons I loved it. The three different queens all have someone they can lean a shoulder on when times get tough. I almost wish that they went into more depth with some of the friendships and I hope in the next book that they play just as big of a role as they did in this one.
3. WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? There are a lot of deals and business going on in the background that, at times, you don’t know who wants which queen to win the battle of her life. Oh man, some of the twists and turns this book threw out at you towards the end, you don’t know who is helping who. Very suspenseful and makes you want that second book badly!

I truly enjoyed this book towards the end and I am definitely invested in the future of this battle for the crown. With so many twists and turns at the end, anything can happen in the next book! So I highly suggest to read this book because the second one comes out September 17th!!!!

QUESTION: Has anyone else read this book? What did you think?