One dark throne by Kendare Blake

cover image

Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781509807734
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended for fantasy lovers. Three queens, one throne. In Fennbirn only one queen can come to power; the triplets are pitted against one another and only the strongest will rule. Poisoner, elemental, or naturalist. With the help of their adopted families, each queen must take full advantage of her gift to seize the throne. With Katherine the Undead, Arsinoe the bear ravaged, and Mirabella the chosen, all competing against one another, which will win out? Will Katherine's newfound bloodlust be a match for her sisters' compassion?
Picking up from where Three dark crowns left off, the three must deal with the aftermath of their disastrous showings at the Disembarking. Katherine must combat the rumours of her death after having been thrown into The Breccia Domain. Arsinoe must regain the people's trust after her bear-familiar (who was bound with low magic) ravaged several members of the crowd and attacked Mirabella. Mirabella, it seems, is the chosen queen, yet even she is not perfect. With the growing conflict between their adopted families, the need for a quick ascension has never been greater. The queens, however, will not be cheated of their lives easily and it seems that this ascension year will be one of the worst yet.
I would highly recommend this novel for fantasy lovers aged twelve and up. Kendare Blake presents characters struggling to be recognised and coming to terms with the brevity of their lives. The girls learn to recognise that what is important is not the custom of killing their sisters, but the relationships they have forged in their lives, and acting for the good of the people rather than the good of themselves.
Kayla Gaskell, 21

booktopia