Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Three Black Witches are born in a glen,
sweet little triplets
will never be friends.

Three Black Witches, all fair to be seen
two to devour
and one to be queen

So begins the wonderful YA book “Three Dark Crowns” by Kendare Blake.  And with an intro like that, who wouldn’t want to keep on reading?  The whole story is just so delightfully creepy, intense, and yet somehow super emotional. The story starts with during the Ascension Year, when the three sisters will display their powers and then have exactly one year to kill the others for the crown.

Our three dark queens are:

Katharine the poisoner, but her gift is seemingly weak. She doesn't have the ability to survive any poison like she should, so she's been steadily poisoned throughout her life in order to build an immunity.  The last three queens of her land have all been poisoners so she feels a steady pressure to uphold that legacy at all costs.

Mirabella is an elemental, meaning she can control the elements.  She is by far the strongest of the three sisters and many have been touting her as the next queen.  However, she is by far the most soft hearted of the sisters.  She mourns the loss of her sisters at a young age, but does she have what it takes to ascend to the crown?

Arsinoe is a naturalist whose gift is pretty much nonexistent.  She is supposed to be able to control what happens in nature (harvests, animals, plants etc.) but struggles to find her way and is constantly frustrated by her lack of a gift.  Is she a lamb to the slaughter, or is there more to her than meets the eye?

It’s impossible not to get engrossed in this lush, vivid story.  You think you know which queen you will side with, however, you have no idea.  Happy reading!

Recommended by Monica Shine
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