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Review of the Queens

Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns series was unreal. I finally purchased the first novel at Target after consistently picking it up whenever I visited the book section for months on end. I was enticed with the cover and knew there was something about this book that I'd enjoy. YA fantasy is one of my favorite genres and I had been skeptical about where to start my next investment in a series. I'm glad I went with this one. I bought the rest of the series shortly after purchasing the first novel and couldn't keep my hands off the rest of the series.

 Blake's series introduces three young triplet queens who have to ultimately eliminate one another in order for one to become the Queen Crowned. Mirabella, the eldest, is an elemental--an individual who can control one of the four elements of the Earth, however, Mirabella has a strong ability in all four elements, making her the ultimate candidate to overcome the other two queens. Arsinoe, the middle child, is a naturalist--an individual who can communicate with both animals and nature, manipulating them in order to respond or bloom. The youngest sister, Katherine, as a poisoner, an individual who can ingest poison with no repercussions past a possible stomachache, but also someone who can concoct the deadliest of combinations and administer them stealthily. All three queens have their strengths and weaknesses with these different abilities, all bestowed upon them by the Goddess who allowed them to be the three chosen queens triplets. The entire series is based around these three chosen queens making it through the different tasks/events in order for one of them to become crowned.

 Despite the straightforward antics of this generational matter, nothing goes as planned between these three chosen queens and their followers. I appreciated Blake's ability to delve into not just the queens' positions throughout the series, but every other character's as well, especially those vital to the outcomes in the last novel of the series. Blake has no problem killing off vital characters (I won't spoil who), but just know--you're in for some heartbreak when reading this series, I promise. Blake transports the reader in the book when describing the settings, even with every chapter. Her attention to detail and landscape is vital to understanding the different areas introduced in the series. I'd highly recommend this series to anyone interested in YA fiction and YA fantasy. The reviews aren't exaggerating when they warn readers: Blake's series is frighteningly addictive, making you question every plot twist Blake creates.

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