Ex Libris Audio: Two Dark Reigns

Ex Libris Audio: Two Dark ReignsTwo Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
Series: Three Dark Crowns #3
Published by Harper Collins on September 4, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Katharine sits on the throne, Mirabella and Arsinoe are in hiding, and an unexpected renegade is about to wage a war of her own. The crown has been won, but these queens are far from done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have not read books one and two, this review contains spoilers.

I didn’t realize how much I missed Fennbirn Island until I was able to jump back in.  At the end of book two, everyone fled and seemed to go different directions. Jules hid on Fennbirn, Katharine took the throne, and Arsinoe, Mirabella, and Billy went to the mainland.  As the perspectives shifted in the story, I noticed that each voice had a much different feel to it.  Katharine is still at war with the queens inside of her and is trying hard not to face the reality that keeps pushing toward her.  There were times when I felt pretty sorry for Katharine. She was really a pawn in many ways and I suspect a part of her stands in horror of what she has become. Some of the more comical moments came with Arsinoe and Mirabella’s story.  Life on the Mainland is not as free as Arsinoe would hope.  (Not to mention the fact that she hates to wear dresses). Being thrown into a world where women are most certainly not in charge and are expected to do little more than look pretty was quite a shock for Arsinoe and Mirabella acts as a replacement for Jules, always getting Arsinoe out of trouble.  These moments of brief comedy were scattered throughout one of the most interesting parts of the story that follows Mirabella and Arsinoe.  The queens of the past are trying to send a message and what that message is becomes the foundation upon which Two Dark Reigns builds itself. It goes back to the very mist that hides the island and why is was created.  I am still not very attached to Mirabella, but I like her character development in this book and where she seems to be going as the story continues took a very interesting turn by the end.  Then there’s Jules.  I don’t want to spoil anything, but needless to say you will be surprised and anxious for her and I am desperate for answers, as well.

Two Dark Reigns had everything that book one and two did and more.  With each book, I have become more and more drawn to the story of obligation, magical duty, and the dark side of sisterhood.  The sisters are so different, yet they are pulled by the same desire to be on Fennbirn and to protect that which is sacred to them.  Since this is a Kendare Blake book, you can expect a fair amount of killing and blood, but I really don’t have to tell you that if you’ve gotten this far in the series.  I am just so happy that there will be a book four because the ending almost killed me and I just really need to know what happens!  The narrator is the same person (Amy Landon) who read the first two books and I like that continuity.  The characters become very real to me when the same person reads each book in the series, much like a screen actor can become a character on a long-running show.  Basically, I can’t wait for book four!

four-half-stars

About Kendare Blake

So, I write books. Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares are horror, The Goddess War books are mythology, and Sleepwalk Society is contemporary. Different genres, because the world don’t move to the beat of just one drum. Love to read, too. Fiction, philosophy, good books, bad books, because you take the good you take the bad you take them both and there you have a stack of books and stuff. I mean, you’ve got to be adventurous. There’s more to life that what you’re living, so take a chance and face the wind.

Kate


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