In the final book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns series, an all-out war is brewing—one that will pit sister against sister and dead against undead.After the grim confrontation with Queen Katharine, the rebellion lies in tatters. Jules’s legion curse has been unbound, and it is up to Arsinoe to find a cure, even as the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist lies heavy … stopping the ravaging mist lies heavy on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone. Mirabella has disappeared.
Katharine’s reign remains intact—for now. When Mirabella arrives, seemingly under a banner of truce, Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share. But as the two circle each other, the dead queens hiss caution—Mirabella is not to be trusted.
In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested. But the fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens. It always has.
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It has been awhile since I read the previous book, and this one was hard for me to get into – I had forgotten so much of what happened in the previous book. Seemed rather slow moving, with motives in question nothing really happened. It seemed a fitting end to the series, although as others have said, some of the things were not explained (like the mist) and the epilogue could have been longer. I suppose that leaves it open to sell another book, to have an “after the mist” sequel. Overall this book was OK, but not as engaging as the others in the series.
Perfect ending to a great series!
I loved this series from book one and continued to love it. It seemed like there were always stuff happening to the sisters that made you say “OMG!”, but in a good way!
This book was just as adventurous and intense as the other books. Though some things happened in this book that I just did not want to happen at all, but upon reading to the end I knew it just made the story what it was and the ending to this series was hard but perfect.
Mirabella is choosing her sisters over choosing sides, Kathrine is battling the Dead Queens inside her even more now, and Arsinoe is trying to find a cure for Jules, while also discovering she needs to find a cure for another. More are lost but truths from the past are found, and I devoured this book. I did not want it to end.
This was my first time, with this series, reading Kendare Blake and I absolutely love her and her writing.
I’m gonna real and just say that I was truly disappointed with this book and how it ended. While I didn’t 100% love this series, it was addictive and fun to read. The buildup to the end was not exciting. All the things that were revealed and brought to light in the last book was great and all that felt pointless in this book. I was hoping for so much more and it just wasn’t there. I still liked these sisters despite their flaws. A lot of pointless things happen in the end and it overall it was satisfying for how much this story was built up through each book of the series.
What an incredible conclusion. There were so many ways this series could have played out, and that is part of what made this story so invigorating. The series has been both unique and unpredictable, keeping the reader glued to the pages and at the edge of their seats. This novel is the embodiment of all of Blake’s strengths as a writer in the way she can keep up that momentum and keep the story moving forward. It builds up steadily, laying down tension and action to drive the story forward. There is also the added element of mystery that lends itself to the story building. By unveiling the dark secrets of the island’s history, Blake creates some compelling mystery for the narrative, adding more tension to the story, and giving the characters more to contend with than just the overarching plot.
Then there are, of course, the characters. The best thing about these characters is the fact that they are so complex. No character is just black or white, and that is what makes them so great and what makes then the driving force of the story. Katherine is neither the villain nor the hero in the pages yet somehow manages to be both. She is a tragic character given her past, giving her a sympathetic narrative. No one wants to hate Katherine, nor can they blame her considering the evil forces that reside within her. Given the events of the previous novel, it is easy for the reader to feel for her. The same goes for Arsinoe. She is a strong character, harsher than sweet Katherine, who only wants to please everyone and have friends. Arsinoe does not care what people think; she only wants to keep the people she loves safe, in any way possible. She has all the attitude and the strength to back it up, making her the perfect foil for Katherine.
The characters jump off the pages and give the story the life it needs. They balance each other out perfectly and work together to deal with the mystery of the past that haunts them all. That is what makes this such an intense finale, the fact that the story wraps up nicely, giving the readers non-stop action accompanied by countless unexpected twists and turns.
*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*
Solid 3.5 stars for the conclusion to one of my favorite series in recent years. Loved the redemption of Katharine and gasped audibly at Mirabella’s death. I wish there was more explanation about the mist, and a longer epilogue to show more about the Island’s transition. I also wanted MORE at the first temple!
Also: I know the other three books were also written in third person present tense POV, but for some reason, in this book it was really distracting to me and it felt more like reading a book pitch or outline in places than actually reading the story. Not sure why this one was different.
Bittersweet. A fitting end to the series.
What a great finale to an amazing serie. I’m really gonna miss those characters. My heart was a bit broken as for the fate of some characters.
3.5
I don’t know what I expected but that end was unsatisfactory for me. I suppose the author will write short stories about the survivors.
Too much happened so fast and it was really frustrating the way some characters found their end.
I still don’t understand how the mist works. Anyway this was an entertaining read.