At this point in the Three Dark Crowns series, I feel like a committed fantasy soap opera watcher.
If Three Dark Crowns was the setup and One Dark Throne was the escalation, Two Dark Reigns is where the past claws its way into the present. This third installment opens up the world—literally—with a wider map, a deeper mythos, and a haunting echo of queens long gone. We might still be emotionally distant from our main characters, but the story’s stakes are starting to feel very real.
Hype Report
Goodreads readers rated this book 3.96 stars. Appropriately-hyped.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Aesthetic
The Cover
Another beautiful illustration by John Dismukes haunts the cover of Two Dark Reigns. Two very different staff crossed, one alludes to a queen from a previous book in this series, but the other hints at a new persona. Some clues make perfect sense once you’ve read the book, but in no way give away the plot. The typography is, again, consistent between books. I have the same criticism of this font that I had before, while it looks great against the matte black, it becomes harder to read in areas where it passes over illustrations. I failed to note in the previous reviews that the Title text is embossed and, as such, stands up off the page and has a slight glossiness and texture. This does help some with readability and adds a bit of luxuriousness to the text. The spine is consistent with the previous books in the series (hooray!), so far they all look great on a shelf together. Again, the praise at the top of the back is a little close to the top margin, but overall laid out nicely. I appreciate the full series book covers at the bottom of the back. The top line of the front cover mentions that it is “Book 3.” – That is a great detail that is just too often overlooked. It makes book buying much more pleasurable when you don’t have to guess what is next, especially if you are not the intended reader.
Interior
Interior elements are consistent with previous books in the series. This time, the map has changed to show a zoomed-out version including “mainland” countries in addition to Fennbirn Island. Loving the addition of the ships and the sea monster on the map. Overall, a lovely layout with the same endearing details from the other books.
Did the design affect whether I bought the book?
I received this series as a re-gifted gift. So the cover did not influence my choice to read the book. However, I do like the covers and find the illustrations attractive. I would likely have at least picked them up if I were perusing the Young Adult Fantasy section.
Summary
In Short
The story of the three queens continues, while a former queens reign is revealed through dreams and stories.
From the Publisher
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake returns with the highly anticipated third book in the Three Dark Crowns series! And while Arsinoe, Mirabella, and Katharine all have their own scores to settle, there is another queen stirring things up on Fennbirn Island.
Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There’s also the alarming issue of whether her sisters are actually dead—or if they’re waiting in the wings to usurp the throne.
Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn.
Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can’t imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine’s doorstep.
This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected.
Character Analysis
Sadly, I still do not feel connected to any of the characters in the story. However, the plot is good enough, so I set that aside and just kept reading. Perhaps keeping the characters at arm’s length is purposeful, considering that the audience is young adults and the characters do endure quite a bit of trauma and hardship. It is becoming evident that the passage of time and events affect the main characters, and I do see some character development.
Writing Style
The writing is appropriate for the age group that it targets and is easy to understand. The pacing is quick, but not hurried. The plot and premise are written in a way that compells the reader to continue.
“Our queen or our doom,” she says. “Or both at once. And if that is to be then none will stop her.”
Themes
Themes of loyalty, duty, and love (familial, romantic, and self) continue throughout this book. There are also some understated themes of addiction, which are handled with a really light touch. Most time is spent with the many young characters trying to figure out what their purpose is and trying to make sense of all of the various people telling them who they are supposed to be.
Critical Evaluation
The continuation of this story was relevant even when offering up differing points of view and a couple of plot twists. Consistency of characters, places, plot pacing, and writing style is on point. Character development was incremental and natural. Themes were woven in expertly.
Personal Opinion
The dual timeline was a surprise, I thought this might continue as before. Getting a glimpse into the “past” of the island and learning more about how things came to be the way that they are helped to keep the storyline fresh and move the plot forward. The book does end on a “to be continued,” which I am not a fan of, but the storyline of the past queen’s reign was concluded, so the “story” that was intended to be told in this volume was finished.
SPOILERS
I have so many questions. Feel free to comment your thoughts on any of this and whatever else is on your mind about this story.
What do we think happened at the end there? Did the dead queens pass into Pietyr or did they just kill him?
Love that the spiritual possession could also be “legion cursed” and that we don’t know who the prophecy is about. Does the possession read like drug addiction to anyone else? She doesn’t want them but feels that she needs them, says she’ll try to get rid of them “later” when she doesn’t need them so much. They are taking a toll on her physically and mentally. We only see glimpses of the real Katharine, and the rest is this mask that the other queens make of her. How is Pietyr, who was greedy and manipulative, the only one who cares about her and is trying to help? Luca knows, right?
Why is Mirabella going to Indrid Down? Is she going to back Katharine? I finally think that Mirabella has grown out of her bratty phase and wants to be a good sister, but I have to think that she might be walking into an even worse situation. Is it going to hinge on Mirabella dying to make the mist abate? Or are we being led into a different type of plot twist?
Arsinoe is by far the most relatable. Why is she so stable? Probably her very down-to-earth upbringing and the fact that she had real friends and no one expected anything out of her except to die. Hoe fucking sad is that. I also love that even before she had powers, she was a total badass. She was just super brave and loyal.
Will Jules get control of her powers? Who was her father that she is soooo powerful in the first place when Madrigal is just kinda meh and relies on low magic? Do fathers even bring anything to the table? I know they say that it’s all the Goddess, but I mean, genetics are a thing, right? Maybe not if they all look identical throughout the ages. If that is the case and they all look alike and have to all wear black, how are the pieces of art (tapestries and murals, and statues, oh my) differentiated? Is it all just by their power affiliation symbols? That seems kinda weird….like maybe they all just look like the “Goddess” so all of the artwork is about her?
I’d still like to know how the killing each other for rule started. Was it just that it happened, so someone decided that this was going to be how it was, so they added some ceremonial aspect to it to make it more palatable? Give me some backstory!
Having no insight into what is actually going on in characters’ minds outside of the things that they say is somewhat infuriating. I think that might be the source of my frustration with not being close enough to “feel” what the characters are feeling.
Recommendation
If you’ve read this far, you might as well continue. The story isn’t over – not even close. This is not a book to jump into without having read the previous books in the series.
Don’t hold back.
Tell me how you feel about dual timeline stories in the comments.
May your life be as full as your bookshelf and as long as your TBR list.
Happy Reading!
0 Comments