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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
A solidly average YA fantasy series. I liked this one slightly more than most just because of the darkness of the concept of triplet queens fighting to the death for the throne. That's a very cool concept and I think a lot more could have been done with it if only the Three Dark Crowns had not been so unapologetically YA and/or had chosen to broke some of those YA glass ceilings. As a disclaimer, I like YA, I read a lot of YA, and it's okay to criticize the things you like.
In this finale to the series it seemed like some of the characters acted completely out of character in order to advance the plot or to be able to tie up loose ends that otherwise had no way of being tied up. That was a bummer, to have spent 4 books with these characters and then they start acting like completely different people in order to wrap things up. Boo.
There were a lot of places this series could have gone and it consistently chose the least interesting path or the path of least resistance. That's pretty much the theme here: great potential not realized.
I didn't hate it, though. A perfectly average YA fantasy. Three stars.
In this finale to the series it seemed like some of the characters acted completely out of character in order to advance the plot or to be able to tie up loose ends that otherwise had no way of being tied up. That was a bummer, to have spent 4 books with these characters and then they start acting like completely different people in order to wrap things up. Boo.
There were a lot of places this series could have gone and it consistently chose the least interesting path or the path of least resistance. That's pretty much the theme here: great potential not realized.
I didn't hate it, though. A perfectly average YA fantasy. Three stars.
I really wanted to love this final book and finish the series on a strong note, but I didn't. I struggled to care throughout the entire thing. A big part of that was because of my distance from the series, I think. I much prefer reading series all at once, back to back. It feels a lot more cohesive than having to dip in and out of worlds and stories. But I took months to read this series and I think my negative thoughts about the finale were the end result. I never got into this book and I never cared and I had to force myself through from the first page to the last page.
As a result, this isn't going to be a long review. My thoughts probably would have been more positive if I'd picked this up immediately after books two and three. Can't blame the book for that.
But I did feel like this was unnecessarily choppy. The sections seemed shorter than in previous books and it felt like we flipped around so much that I forgot what was going on.
I also felt like it didn't build up some of the climactic moments enough. There were really big scenes and shocking twists in this, but none of them felt big until the end. I'm sure a big part of that was on me just for not caring, but even beyond that. It felt like some of those big moments were treated too casually.
I'm glad I finally read this and got through it, but it took me nearly a full month to read and I think I'm just disappointed with my overall experience. I do think it's a fitting end to the series and I liked a lot of the elements, I just ruined it for myself.
As a result, this isn't going to be a long review. My thoughts probably would have been more positive if I'd picked this up immediately after books two and three. Can't blame the book for that.
But I did feel like this was unnecessarily choppy. The sections seemed shorter than in previous books and it felt like we flipped around so much that I forgot what was going on.
I also felt like it didn't build up some of the climactic moments enough. There were really big scenes and shocking twists in this, but none of them felt big until the end. I'm sure a big part of that was on me just for not caring, but even beyond that. It felt like some of those big moments were treated too casually.
I'm glad I finally read this and got through it, but it took me nearly a full month to read and I think I'm just disappointed with my overall experience. I do think it's a fitting end to the series and I liked a lot of the elements, I just ruined it for myself.
dark
medium-paced
It should be illegal to extend a series. More thoughts to come.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the ending to this series. There were a lot of surprises that I didn't really see coming, so that's always good. And I just love Kendare's writing style.
When we last left our Queens at the end of the previous book, everything was a mess. Jules' curse had been unleased, Mira left Arsinoe and Katharine went bat shit crazy. I had no idea where the final book was going to take me. There were losses - some I knew had to happen, others that I was surprised at. But ultimately, this story couldn't have a super happy ending because that just wouldn't be fair to the story telling.
I think that after four books, Arisnoe may be my favorite queen. Maybe. It's so hard because I loved Katharine and the internal struggle that she went through. Her life was seriously messed up and she was just trying to do what was right and she also just wanted to belong. But there's something about Arisnoe - the girl who didn't want to be queen but felt drawn to the island. Her relationship with Billy was precious and I want a side story just of them now. And as for Mira, I was not a fan. I get why she did what she did but there were better ways. She let her pride lead her instead of her head.
But can I say who really shocked me was Peter. What a great character. I absolutely loved his story arc. And just watching him realize what he has to do was kind of heartbreaking.
Blake always draws me in with her characters and writing, and this was no different. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next!
When we last left our Queens at the end of the previous book, everything was a mess. Jules' curse had been unleased, Mira left Arsinoe and Katharine went bat shit crazy. I had no idea where the final book was going to take me. There were losses - some I knew had to happen, others that I was surprised at. But ultimately, this story couldn't have a super happy ending because that just wouldn't be fair to the story telling.
I think that after four books, Arisnoe may be my favorite queen. Maybe. It's so hard because I loved Katharine and the internal struggle that she went through. Her life was seriously messed up and she was just trying to do what was right and she also just wanted to belong. But there's something about Arisnoe - the girl who didn't want to be queen but felt drawn to the island. Her relationship with Billy was precious and I want a side story just of them now. And as for Mira, I was not a fan. I get why she did what she did but there were better ways. She let her pride lead her instead of her head.
But can I say who really shocked me was Peter. What a great character. I absolutely loved his story arc. And just watching him realize what he has to do was kind of heartbreaking.
Blake always draws me in with her characters and writing, and this was no different. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next!
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I can't believe it ended like that. Hngggg I am so disappointed. I mean that ending? Some badass queen returns to her homeboy. Yeah, nope. OR OK MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE We were definitely robbed off a Billy, Pietyr, and Arsinoe friendship !!! I am so so so so so sad. The whole series had such potential. I can’t believe it ended in a way such that the character I hate the most wins, without doing anything. Such a flat character. It’s like she was literally made just to be some conflict for the queens. SOMEONE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.
Disappointed that the whole Illian, Henry, and Daphne thing did not play a huge role in this book. It’s like after appearing to Arsinoe a few times, their story is not relevant anymore. Literally, everything that happened in Two Dark Reigns did not connect to this one. So many many inconsistencies in this book. So many questions are left unanswered. Half-ass worldbuilding, writing, character development. It’s like all the characters can do a 180 in a split second. I can’t, for the life of me, understand why most of what happened in this book happened.
Despite being the finale, NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED. And someone please tell me why it was called Five Dark Fates. Who was the fifth??????? Help ya confused gurl pls.
Spoiler
KATHERINE DIED WITH A WEAK REDEMPTION ARC, SHE DESERVED BETTER LIKE WTF WAS THAT SCENEDisappointed that the whole Illian, Henry, and Daphne thing did not play a huge role in this book. It’s like after appearing to Arsinoe a few times, their story is not relevant anymore. Literally, everything that happened in Two Dark Reigns did not connect to this one. So many many inconsistencies in this book. So many questions are left unanswered. Half-ass worldbuilding, writing, character development. It’s like all the characters can do a 180 in a split second. I can’t, for the life of me, understand why most of what happened in this book happened.
Despite being the finale, NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED. And someone please tell me why it was called Five Dark Fates. Who was the fifth??????? Help ya confused gurl pls.