#1 New York Times bestseller!
In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake's New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn's deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.
The battle for the crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail? With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off.
Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can't seem to prevent.
Don't miss Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series!
#1 New York Times bestseller!
In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake's New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn's deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.
The battle for the crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail? With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off.
Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can't seem to prevent.
Don't miss Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series!
Reviews-
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August 1, 2017
Gr 8 Up-Following up on the events of Three Dark Crowns, Blake brings the queen triplets to their fates as they fight for their lives. While the teen queens deal with suitors and advisors, they must also grapple with the reality of their tasks in killing one another for the ultimate throne. When Katharine seems to gather strength, Mirabella and Arisonoe must determine whether they can work together or if they even should. The author takes the cursed sisters to new exciting heights with a driving plot. A continued detailed development of characters carves out unexpected alliances with Blake's careful manipulation. Readers will appreciate the epic payoff of the first novel in this second installment. The present-tense style throughout underlines the drama of the plot. The large cast of characters may seem overwhelming at times, but each is characterized skillfully. Though Blake describes some violence, the gore is minimal, making this appropriate for a broad range of ages. VERDICT Dark indeed, and exploring themes of loyalty, this is a thrilling sequel with everything from action to romance to entice readers. A strong purchase for YA fantasy shelves.-Abby Hargreaves, D.C. Public Library
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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July 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 This Ascension Year has surprised the whole of the island of Fennbirn. Now 16, the three queens are locked in a battle to death for their crown. Mirabella, the most powerful elemental in generations, should have decimated her weaker sisters by now, but she hesitates to attack. Meanwhile, Arsinoe, raised by naturalists who commune with plants and animals, has discovered she's not as powerless as she once appeared. But it's Katharine, the meek and almost ungifted poisoner, who has become ruthless after a brush with the dark, violent magic of the island, and the crown may be within her reach. But the families who raised the queens have their own agendas and are more than willing to tip the scales. This sequel to Three Dark Crowns (2016) loses none of that book's momentum, powering toward a conclusion that, though it works as a finale, also leaves several open doors. With wonderfully drawn characters and a lethal, unpredictable plot, this follow-up will leave readers breathless as the queens' fates unfold.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.) -
January 1, 2018
The triplet queens from �cf2]Three Dark Crowns�cf1] continue their fight for the throne of Fennbirn Island as their respective magical talents grow. Equally important, however, are the complicated networks of family, friends, and political allies each sister sustains. In Blake's second bloody high fantasy, a twisty series of betrayals and back-from-the-brink survivals climaxes as an unexpected sister ascends at the expense of the others.(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
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Starred review from July 15, 2017
Three sisters intensify their deadly struggle for the crown in the second of a horror-tinged fantasy series. After the spectacular catastrophe of the Quickening (Three Dark Crowns, 2016), the balance of power among the queens has shifted. With the rampage by Arsinoe's bear, the naturalist candidate has demonstrated unexpected strength, and now elemental Mirabella is no longer treated as the foreordained victor. Meanwhile, poisoner Katharine has returned from her rumored death with a vengeance...and a mission. Alliances shift as the various factions play Temple against Council, and potential suitors become both rivals and pawns--but not even the Goddess can prevent the queens from deciding to take their fates into their own hands. Blake's already pitch-black tale shades even darker, as the queens' cruel contest piles up an escalating (and grisly) body count. Yet more excruciating is the curse upon their experience of love, whether with siblings, parents, or friends; in romance, passion, even religious devotion--all relationships are twisted, broken, abandoned, and betrayed. With numerous alternating viewpoints, the exquisitely restrained prose limns a nuanced, subtly realized matriarchal society: all-white, normatively heterosexual (but with exceptions), in which even the most complex male characters function only in relationship to women. The deliberate pacing at the outset serves to re-establish the labyrinthine web of characterization and plot, paying off in a tumultuous climax that piles one shocking twist upon another. Achingly gorgeous and gruesomely fascinating. (Fantasy. 14-adult)COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
★ "Blake's already pitch-dark tale shades even darker. Exquisitely restrained prose, deliberate pacing, paying off in a tumultuous climax that piles one shocking twist upon another. Achingly gorgeous and gruesomely fascinating." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"This sequel to Three Dark Crowns loses none of that book's momentum, powering toward a conclusion that leaves several doors open. With wonderfully drawn characters and a lethal, unpredictable plot, this follow-up will leave readers breathless as the queens' fates unfold." — ALA Booklist
"Blake skillfully guides readers through the complex chain of events while keeping her large cast of characters ignorant of each other's tactics and motivations. Fans of Game of Thrones and dark fantasies will revel in this story of betrayal and survival." — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
"New exciting heights with a driving plot. Dark indeed, and exploring themes of loyalty, this is a thrilling sequel with everything from action to romance to entice readers. A strong purchase for YA fantasy shelves." — School Library Journal
"Riveting. This book hits the ground running and keeps you guessing with each unpredictable twist." — Brightly
PRAISE FOR THREE DARK CROWNS: "Three Dark Crowns is a brutal and inventive fantasy that is as addictive as it is horrifying. I can't begin to guess the fates of these three remarkable sister-queens, but I'm salivating like poisoners at a feast to find out what will happen next." — Marissa Meyer, New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles
"Full of mystery, intrigue, and deadly girls I wouldn't dare cross, Fennbirn is a darkly magical world I'm both drawn to and frightened by. In short, this is a book I could linger in for months, with three girls I am rooting for with all my heart." — Megan Shepherd, New York Times bestselling author of The Cage series (on THREE DARK CROWNS)
"With exquisite world building and luminous detail, this is high fantasy at its best. The magic is fierce and the plot intensely twisted, but at this novel's dark heart beats a story about sisterhood, the unbreakable bonds of family, and ties that bind enough to kill." — Booklist (starred review)
"The opener to a pitch-black epic fantasy series. Blake has constructed an insular, matriarchal society from convincing intimate details, vivid, complicated characters, [and] sumptuous, poetic prose. Gorgeous and bloody, tender and violent, precise, and passionate; above all, completely addicting. " — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) (on THREE DARK CROWNS)
"I loved this book. Blake's THREE DARK CROWNS is hypnotic, twisting, and beautiful...as satisfying as a drop of poison in an enemy's cup." — April Genevieve Tucholke, author of Wink, Poppy, Midnight
"Readers will be riveted by Blake's ingenious world-building, stunning developments of main and supporting characters, and spiraling tensions. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy action thrillers with strong female leads, such as Victoria Aveyard's 'Red Queen' and Sarah J. Maas's 'Throne of Glass' series." — School Library Journal
"Blake is a sure hand with complicated and intricate plots, and if that's not enough to make readers stick around for the next installment, the cliffhanger ending certainly will." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Blake establishes myriad side plots and relationships, builds complex...
