Three Dark Crowns

Publisher's Summary

Fans of acclaimed author Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood will devour her latest novel, a dark and inventive fantasy about three sisters who must fight to the death to become queen.

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 16, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

©2016 Kendare Blake (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Good writing ruined by poor performance

Any additional comments?

I think I would have enjoyed this story much more if I'd read it on paper.

I liked the concept: a nice mix of the macabre and ethereal, like an eerie fairy tale.

The narrator's performance was so wooden, though, that it was almost robotic.

Her voice reminded me of Siri. It made it VERY difficult to keep track of the storyline, especially because it changes perspective between the 3 sisters and the narrator reads all of their characters with EXACTLY THE SAME TONE.

Decent story, though. I'd recommend buying a hard copy over the audiobook any day.

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47 of 48 people found this review helpful

Good, but hard to follow at first

In the beginning, I had a hard time following what was going on and keeping all the characters straight. I wish the reader gave the characters different voices. I didn't feel the reader was giving enough emotion to the story. I did find myself getting more into the story as it went along, rooting for each of the girls. Looking forward to the next book.

18 of 18 people found this review helpful

The narration made it difficult to get into

I wasn't loving the narration. It was somewhat dry and that made it difficult to get into. I listened to a couple hours before deciding to give up. Might pick up the book in print.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

awesome story!

the story was wonderful! I loved how the story progressed. was so disappointed to see it end. the performance was lacking, but good over all.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Didn't like it, I Loved It

Bummed that it's another series,would love to just read a si for story, but with the twist and turns forwards the end- I admit I didn't want it to end. At first I thought I could predict the next action , but after 4 wrong ideas I figured " Okay it has totally peaked my interest.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

I was hesitant about this book because so many reviews I saw said it was boring until the end, but I didn't think so at all! I liked the world the story is set in, and the build up to the end had enough scheming and backstabbing to keep me guessing about what was going to happen. The ending was so good. The only thing I didn't like was that the narrator sometimes sounded like a robot. Can't wait for the next one!

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

I wasn't sure at first

At first the reviews seemed a bit mixed so I was apprehensive. I do understand what people are saying about the book being slow but I realized that the author is really telling 3 stories in one book and the fact that she was able to make it as short as it was is surprising. She had to do 3 different introductions and give enough story about each girl that you felt invested before the action could begin. I actually wish the book had been longer because other characters would talk about the main characters and I wish I could have been shown what they think instead of just being told but I understand that would have lost her a lot of fans. There were moments when I wasn't sure about continuing after this book because the story seemed far fetched to me but it starts to come together towards the end. The ending makes the whole book worth it and I can't wait to read the second book. The narrator makes it hard to tell the difference between the girls at first because there is no difference in them but I quickly started to understand their characters and could figure out easily who people were talking about. This book series makes me think of a Game of Thrones for young adults.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Very Impressed!

I have a BAD habit of powering through series and never making a review for any of the books in the series because I couldn't stop reading. This is one of those series. I couldn't stop. I had this on my list for a while and it didn't call to me. BOY WAS I WRONG. I got sucked into this beautifully written story.

It was hard at first because Kendare Blake not only had to build one story but 3 different stories and manage to tie them together. So yes, the beginning is alot of story building but TRUST ME it is so worth it. Don't rush it and enjoy falling in love with the character and growth of each character. The twists and turns this story throws you through at high speed you will end up hitting that rewind button trying to figure our what just happened! I am in love with the story-line. There is love, but not in the sense you would expect. This was so intense I just don't know how to tell you the amazingness this story morphs into as the next books bring it out. Just give this a listen you will not regret it!!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Narrator is flat and exposes writers immaturity.

Ugh...cant finish this. On chapter 9. It's excruciating to listen to the flat monotonous voice of the reader. She makes it nearly impossible to tell the characters apart. The author gives no depth to her character. 100% dialogue with no exploration of time, setting our soul of her characters.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Must read the ending will knock your socks off

I absolutely love this book from beginning to end I didn't want to stop. The ending will have you dying for the next book. It's a must read if you are like me I don't really find a book or series that I wanna keep reading non stop but this is my top of the list.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful