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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Definitely one of my favorite of the series, especially since it had all of the elements that I really enjoy. I'm not a huge fan of the ending, since I wish the epilogue had included how the next queen(s) after Jules will be selected since there won't be triplets anymore. I did like how Jules' legion curse was resolved though; it felt very fitting. I'm looking forward to reading the prequel novellas.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The last in the series (although I have discovered I've missed a novella, so I will be coming back for that). I've really been emersed in this world of the dark queens. To me, it worked so well as an audio book, and I just loved the relationships between the sisters and their friends. I was happy with that ending, which doesn't always happen for a series, so I'm glad about that. Arsinoe will forever be my favourite and even Katharine won me over by the end.
***
Three dark sisters rise to fight. Allegiances shift. Bonds break. Secrets surface.
Mirabella has returned to the capital, seemingly under a banner of truce.
Katharine maintains her rule over Fennbirn - for now - but at huge personal cost.
Arsinoe is lost, the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist heavy on her shoulders.
As oldest and youngest circle each other, and Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share, the dead queens hiss caution. They whisper that Mirabella is not to be trusted. But even they are drawn to her power . . .
The fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens.
***
Three dark sisters rise to fight. Allegiances shift. Bonds break. Secrets surface.
Mirabella has returned to the capital, seemingly under a banner of truce.
Katharine maintains her rule over Fennbirn - for now - but at huge personal cost.
Arsinoe is lost, the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist heavy on her shoulders.
As oldest and youngest circle each other, and Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share, the dead queens hiss caution. They whisper that Mirabella is not to be trusted. But even they are drawn to her power . . .
The fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens.
Maybe 4.5 stars? Idk
My least favorite in the series and feels more like a dull roar than the epic conclusion I was expecting.
But I am glad that Arsinoe lived, my fave since book one.
I think my problem with it is that there’s so many loose ends in a very unsatisfying way.
It’s kinda disappointing that the Daphne storyline kinda fizzled out pointlessly, the few seconds of discovering the first temple and how that seemed like a massive deal but wasn’t, why jules’ legion curse was a big deal and then suddenly wasn’t for no reason, Genevieve and Pietyr doing total 180 with their character arcs out of nowhere, etc. Just tons of weird abrupt changes and cuts in characters and to plot lines. The story could have done with a book in between this one and the 3rd that took its time fleshing things out. This just had a bizarre off-kilter pace and weird priorities. Like it had too much left to do with too little time to do it all.
Emilia still sucks but at least she had less screen time.
No justice for Elsabet :(
but out of all the loose ends... why couldn’t we find out what happened to all the crowned queens after they birthed the triplets? Did they make it to the mainland? Did they drown in the mist? I wanted to know :(
I knew Mirabella was likely going to die but I definitely wasn’t expecting her to have such an abrupt, meek, pointless end.
I think it would have made more sense for all three sisters to live, tbh. Given how more than half the series was spent discussing how unfair the practice of the death battle is. But at least my fave survived.
Also like..... I don’t even know who the fifth dark fate was lmao......
Kathrine, Mirabella, Arsinoe, Jules, and who? Emilia? She was irrelevant? Pietyr? Weird choice. Daphne? She was an abandoned plot line. Billy? Weird choice. Camden? Braddock? Madrigal? Luca? Whomst Be The Fifth!
My least favorite in the series and feels more like a dull roar than the epic conclusion I was expecting.
But I am glad that Arsinoe lived, my fave since book one.
I think my problem with it is that there’s so many loose ends in a very unsatisfying way.
It’s kinda disappointing that the Daphne storyline kinda fizzled out pointlessly, the few seconds of discovering the first temple and how that seemed like a massive deal but wasn’t, why jules’ legion curse was a big deal and then suddenly wasn’t for no reason, Genevieve and Pietyr doing total 180 with their character arcs out of nowhere, etc. Just tons of weird abrupt changes and cuts in characters and to plot lines. The story could have done with a book in between this one and the 3rd that took its time fleshing things out. This just had a bizarre off-kilter pace and weird priorities. Like it had too much left to do with too little time to do it all.
Emilia still sucks but at least she had less screen time.
No justice for Elsabet :(
but out of all the loose ends... why couldn’t we find out what happened to all the crowned queens after they birthed the triplets? Did they make it to the mainland? Did they drown in the mist? I wanted to know :(
I knew Mirabella was likely going to die but I definitely wasn’t expecting her to have such an abrupt, meek, pointless end.
I think it would have made more sense for all three sisters to live, tbh. Given how more than half the series was spent discussing how unfair the practice of the death battle is. But at least my fave survived.
Also like..... I don’t even know who the fifth dark fate was lmao......
Kathrine, Mirabella, Arsinoe, Jules, and who? Emilia? She was irrelevant? Pietyr? Weird choice. Daphne? She was an abandoned plot line. Billy? Weird choice. Camden? Braddock? Madrigal? Luca? Whomst Be The Fifth!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was okay. The best one of the series was the first one, after that they got a bit too crazy for my taste, even if they are fantasy.
I can see why the things shook out the way they did. Am I happy about it? Hmmmm. So what if I'm a little annoyed that all the people I didn't care about are the ones that survived? But stories be like that sometimes. What left me a little meh in the end (and spoiler alert) was the continuation of the monarchy /council tradition. Jules herself says that wasn't going to marry a mainlander so it's heavily implied that the queen triplet tradition is 'broken' but there is no real explanation what will happen instead. "We don't want anymore corruption" they said and then kept the system that allowed people to be corrupt but changed the people in it. I get it, everyone hates the poisoners for some reason (I guess they act cruel and do torture their criminals but like,,, are they tyrants in general or do we just hate them on principle because they have been in power the longest?) but would it have killed them to start a democracy or something? Defy the will of the goddess, the last battle is not against each other but against the goddess who pits all of them against each other? No, the goddess is still great and it's all in her will somehow. No offense but I never bought Jules as any kind of leader of anything. Even in the rebellion she didn't do much of the actual leading that was all Emilia. As a side note also, why is the thought of: the strongest person makes the best leader still emphasised. Being a leader is about management and if you're actually in war about tactics because the queen is too valuable too fight in every battle on the front. Not too mention that Fennbirn wasn't in any kind of war forever because of the mist. Why do you need military power when you're completely isolated??
Jules doesn't want to be a leader of anything and just kinda goes in everything head first.
Arsinoe holds grudges forever and hasn't shown any thought on how to improve the island because she is only invested in the well being of her friends and family.
Mirabella is very nice but also kind of a pushover and prime material for a puppet queen.
Not really leadership potential there.
Katherine was fucked because of the dead queens but at least everything she did was to protect the island and what she seriously believed to be the best solution. She forgave those who treated her like absolute garbage (read: everyone) to be able to work together. It really hurts that she is made to be viewed as the villain from other points of views and that she probably will be remembered as the monster queen.
A big rant about the book that I actually enjoyed, haha.
Jules doesn't want to be a leader of anything and just kinda goes in everything head first.
Arsinoe holds grudges forever and hasn't shown any thought on how to improve the island because she is only invested in the well being of her friends and family.
Mirabella is very nice but also kind of a pushover and prime material for a puppet queen.
Not really leadership potential there.
Katherine was fucked because of the dead queens but at least everything she did was to protect the island and what she seriously believed to be the best solution. She forgave those who treated her like absolute garbage (read: everyone) to be able to work together. It really hurts that she is made to be viewed as the villain from other points of views and that she probably will be remembered as the monster queen.
A big rant about the book that I actually enjoyed, haha.
I love this series. This final volume was exciting and suspenseful, and the events were all as meaningful and necessary as in the first. It was a much more satisfying ending than if the series ended after the 2nd, as was originally planned, which I appreciate.
Spoiler
I do think it lacked big surprises. One last big twist or clever foreshadowing would have made the wait and anticipation worth it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content
What a beautiful ending. Not quite a happy ending, but not a sad one either. I’ll miss this series so much, and it will forever be a favorite.