Two Dark Reigns (Three Dark Crowns, 3)

Two Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake picks up where One Dark Throne left off, with Catherine as queen and Mirabella and Arsinoe on the run. I really like this series, so it's not surprising that I also loved Two Dark Crowns. The whole book was an entertaining, nail-biting experience. It was well-written and fast-paced, never a lull in action or forward plot progression. The story itself is an interesting one. The concept of three triplet queens is fascinating, as is the idea that only one can survive to rule. With Catherine on the thrown, Mirabella and Arsinoe are supposed to be dead. But they're not. Arsinoe is given information that takes her and Mirabella out of hiding. All the while, things get heated up with a rogue renegade. There was so much action in Two Dark Crowns--I absolutely loved it. Jules' character gets a lot of play in Two Dark Crowns, and I couldn't be happier. I always found her character enthralling. She's a powerful force to be reckoned with, and she starts to show her power in this book. I appreciated her imperfections--her power comes with flaws of its own, which manifest in different ways. The queens--all three of them--are amazingly written. They're all very unique and captured in vivid detail. With the last two books, I found myself strongly drawn to Arsinoe, but I really liked Catherine's character in Two Dark Crowns. Her malicious streak and the battles she's waging within make for a captivating read. The ending of book had me on the end of my seat. Of course now I'm anxious for the next book to come out. What happens next? I want to know! If you haven't read this series already, I highly recommend it! I discovered it thanks to the bookish community, and I'm so happy I picked it up!

Oh my word, this book is every bit as good as the first two and that's saying a lot. There were a few places where the story seemed to drag a bit but overall it was a great read and that ending... momma Mia that ending. After several days of sitting.. and stewing..and contimplating..I am still on the fence about my true feelings with respect to that ending. What I will say is that it was an extremely emotive and visceral thing to behold!! Kendra Blake has an uncanny ability to suck you into all manner of goings on with simple yet compelling imagery. The world building is beautifully done and the chatacters... these characters are rich, robust and relatable. Mrs. Blake crafts her characters with such expertise you can easily find yourself sympathizing with the most dastardly, reprehensible, morally bankrupt people. She knows how to write all kinds of touching, complex, compelling relationships. She can make jealousy bloom in your heart while reading about a rather sweet love story between two sociopaths or have you crying over the loss of an estranged relationship, be it between 2 humans or between a human and a furry friend and THAT is just the beginning of why I say she is bloody brilliant. I happen to be really fond of this series...this world...this author... and if you liked the first 2 books at all then I'm positive you'll relish this one as well, slow bits and all! ~Enjoy

TWO DARK REIGNS (Book 3 in the THREE DARK CROWNS series), by Kendare Blake, takes place after the events in ONE DARK THRONE. Queen Katharine is crowned, but . . . different . . . and another fraction of their world is calling for a change. "You don't threaten the life of a queen and live to tell the tale . . . Taking the life of a queen . . . now that is another matter." Jules, Queen Arsinoe's best friend, is taken into the War-gifted's land and being prepped to challenge the rule of Queen Katharine. Much of the land has tired of the Poisoners' long rule and yearn for a drastic change. ". . . Heaping fear upon dislike breeds hatred. And hatred makes the people likely to bite." This book really intensifies the personalities of the individual characters. I felt as if I finally knew all the minute differences between the sisters, as well as some of the similarities they shared. We are also focused more so on the rest of the Island, and the various "gifts" that the different people possess. "I love it when you both talk about me as if I weren't here . . . " We see a lot of the duties that Queen Katharine is now expected to do as the "officially crowned" Queen. Additionally, we finally see the lives of the subjects and how they vary from gift to gift. Of particular interest to me was a look at the past of the Fennbirn Queens, and how certain customs began or changed over time. Some people leave too much space behind when they are gone." The world-building in this novel was simply phenomenal. I loved getting a more detailed look at the lives those other than the Queens lived. The action was just as intense as in Book 2, but with even more of a mental component added to it to increase the emotional impact. I'm both excited--and yet reluctant--to read the final book in this series. It is certainly one that has left a lasting impression. Highly recommended.

If you haven’t read the first two books in this series you won’t want to read this review. It’s incredibly difficult to type this without any spoilers slipping in. I highly recommend that you read the first two then continue on with the series. It definitely became a favorite of mine almost instantly! In this book, Queen Katharine has been waiting her entire life to be the one with the crown on her head. Now that she has it though the dissent in the city grows day by day. There’s the issue first off of whether or not her sisters happen to be dead or if they are just waiting in the wings to swoop in and claim the throne. Mirabella and Arsinoe are quite alive as it happens and are hiding out on the midlands dealing with their own major issues. Specifically, being visited repeatedly by a ghostly person that they think just may be the fabled Blue Queen. She says nothing but her rotting boney finger just points out to the sea giving them a very clear message: return to Fennbirn. Jules is also in a strange place, disguised. Her only confidants are a war gifted woman named Emilia and her friend Mathilda, the oracle. They are urging her to take on the role she really can’t imagine filling; a legion cursed queen who will be the leader of the rebel army. This is an incredibly good book. I know some would have been happy if this had just stayed a duology but I’m very happy it didn’t. I’ve finished all of the books and the last one, well, it just wraps things up so nicely and this one just continues to build up to that. I loved it!

I’ve been captivated by the Three Dark Crowns series from the start, and book three is no exception. The dark fantasy elements are as gripping as ever, drawing you deeper into the world with each twist and turn. The tension and intrigue build masterfully, keeping you hooked until the very last page. I can’t wait to dive into the next installment!

Having read all the books in this series, I am a bit disappointed in some of the turns this book has taken and how the character have made some pretty dumb decisions. First, well Katherine is still possessed by dead princesses so that story line will continue. She continues to be violent and cray cray. I am not sure how this will fare for her in the final book. Next you have Arsinoe who is haunted by a ghost and nightmares, which lead her to find the origin of some of the island's mysteries? Great, right? No. What she might have to do to stop the mysteries is terrible! But, side track. What bothered me the most about Arsinoe is that she blatantly put others lives at stake and all we got is a "wince" when she committed people she loved to doing something dangerous (no spoilers) and deserts them last minute, leaving those people in an awkward position. Even one of the characters points out how many people go out of their way to protect her. You'd think she'd reflect on that, but nope. She just endangers them. Then we have Jules's legion curse. Hoo boy, I did not like the people she teamed up with. Emilia is war gifted and Mathilde is an oracle. Together they convince her that, given her powers and Katherine's shoddy rule, she can be a new queen. Throughout the story, Jules constantly says that she does not want to do this and Emilia and Mathilde just go "lol, Jules, you're doing this." Everything that happens to Jules (which suuuucks) and other characters in this storyline are a direct result of two insane girls that push an unwilling girl with uncontrolled gifts to do things she doesn't want. And when it blows up in their face and hurts Jules, these two girls are like "lol minor slip ups, minor losses." Oh, and wait. Arsinoe has a vision about how things might end for Jules and does she tell her supposed best friend in order to warn her? Nope! Arsinoe is kinda the worst in this book. Mirabella stays Mirabella, oldest sister that just wants everyone to kinda get along. Billy..hmm..when he's on the mainland he alarms me. I don't know how this will end. The story inevitably ends in a cliffhanger again so we'll see what happens in the last book! Lastly- Is anyone else annoyed in the present tense that the writer uses throughout this book? Her format really irks me and takes something from the storyline, at last to me.

This third book has to spend a lot of time transitioning and building the final part of the series. For that reason, I enjoyed it a little less than the first two. However, I was really happy to see the development of a few characters that I did not expect to see. I also really enjoy that the story is written in a way that you are not sure whose side you are really on. Excited to get to the last one.

Two Dark Reigns is the third book in the Tree Dark Crown series. The “last remaining” queen has claimed her throne, with some trepidation as to how she was placed there. Katherine has had some “help” on her quest for the throne, and no one really seems to understand how she has become stronger despite her weakness to her poison training. The incident with Katherine building up to this point I found interesting and by the end of the book you get the full understanding as to why and how she got to where she is. Arsinoe and Mirabella are on the mainland for the first half of the book, and they both seem miserable but grateful that they are off the island. Then the visions and dreams start for Arsinoe, she’s not sure what to make of them only she knows after a short time that it’s the Blue Queen reaching out to her. I found the visions interesting and how it leads up to why the Blue Queen is calling them back to the island. Finding out about how the mist came to be and why the bodies were washing ashore was interesting and disturbing at the same time. Jules, what can I say… she just wants to learn how to hone her War-Gift, instead she is dragged into a rebellion against the Queen. As we followed her you see her reluctance start to waiver as she comes across more people who are against the Poisoners rule, that never seems to end. Once again Kendare leaves this book on quite the cliffhanger, and with there not even being a title to the fourth book, which I’m hoping will give a clue as to how this will end. I am eagerly sitting here waiting for any info.