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maple_dove's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Give him to me," Mathilde says, and holds out her arms. The baby reaches for her and gurgles. "I was near when your light came into the world, and I will always sense when it is near."
Little Katharine. Gone as Little Mirabella is gone, and how she mourns them. How all women must mourn the loss of those little girls, relegated to shadow as they grow.
(One of) My Favorite Scene(s):
!!!HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The mist is rising, racing up alongside the dead queens. It swoops up above them and dives back down, swallowing them whole and tearing them apart, spitting wisps of blackness into the sky. Arsinoe and Pietyr freeze as they stare at the battle, the dead queens shrieking, becoming a maelstrom of writhing arms and bared teeth, as the mist wraps around and around them.
The dead queens do not stand a chance. The mist devours. The mist protects. Arsinoe sees the queens of old, hidden inside its depths. She sees Illiann and even Daphne. She feels Mirabella's might as the mist crashes against the Volroy like a thunderstorm. She recognizes Katharine in the sharp, twisting quickness as it slices strands of darkness and casts them off in ribbons. She sees them fight, for her and the island, until all that remains of the dead queens are tatters and ashes floating in the air.
[...]
"It was them," she says, panting. "Mirabella and Katharine."
"It was them," Pietyr agrees, and knocks his head against the stone. "And now it is finished."
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Self harm, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
grayscale08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Torture, Violence, War, and Body horror
Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Child death, Infertility, Suicide, Gore, Confinement, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Classism, Forced institutionalization, and Self harm
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Animal death, Medical content, and Sexual content
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake is the fourth and final book in the Three Dark Crowns series. This is such a good and underrated YA fantasy series! So many strong female characters, a cool magic system, a matriarchal society, and lovable and dynamic characters. Warning for spoilers of previous books.
This book did a great job bringing the series to an exciting climax and satisfying conclusion. I loved seeing how each of the sisters grew and changed throughout the four books. I love that it was a story about sisters, and about how none of them were what they were supposed to be. Mirabella, the oldest and a strong elemental unwilling to harm or fight others; Katherine, the youngest raised as a poisoner, but giftless and possessed by the dead; and Arsinoe, raised as a naturalist while actually being a poisoner, who ultimately, was only really good at low magic. The island needed them all, while breaking the line of queens.
I love that Jules got more of a role in this book as the Legion Queen. She's our powerful bisexual babe. I also liked the unexpected growth of Pietyr Renard. He's not someone I really liked in the other books, but he kind of grew on me. This edition also had a bonus epilogue, so we got a really cute reunion scene. I really want to be friends with Camden (cougar) and Braddock (brown bear).
This is a great series if you like dark fantasy, different types of magic, sister dynamics, animal companions, and political intrigue.
Graphic: War, Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, and Torture
cardlikecredit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Gore, War, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death
Minor: Kidnapping and Infertility
pagesbycaroline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and War
Moderate: Torture and War
mia_luvsreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, and Gore
Minor: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
skidderxx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Gore and War
pageafter_paige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Infertility, Torture, Body horror, Grief, Murder, War, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, and Confinement
eddiroll's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Murder
esme_may's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Death, Gore, Blood, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Murder, Self harm, Xenophobia, Confinement, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty and Sexual content