Name: Sheila Goicea's review of One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
Item: One Dark Throne
Rating: 4
Author: Sheila Goicea

Kendare Blake

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. 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.

Three Dark Crowns #2

One Dark Throne

Alice Perelta

How can you say that to her and smile?" Arsinoe asks. "How can you talk at all?* Billy asks, panting. 

There’s no way right ?  It happened with one queen there’s no way it’ll happen with 2 right ? Right ?

"It is all right, Kat. Though you must control your temper. What has come over you? You are behaving like an elemental:"

are here only for a festival. Perhaps nothing will happen at all" "Mirabella," Billy says softly. "Don't lie to yourself"

Sheila Goicea

Kate Gonzales

The twist! How come she is, omg! I didn't see that coming, like WHAT?!
Anyways, still rooting for Queen Arsinoe!

A batalha pela coroa já começou, mas qual das três irmãs triunfará? Após os inesquecíveis acontecimentos da Cerimônia da Aceleração e com o Ano da Ascenção em andamento, as apostas mudaram: Katharine, outrora a irmã mais fraca, agora está mais forte do que nunca. Arsinoe, após descobrir a verdade sobre seus poderes, deve aprender a usar seu talento secreto a seu favor, sem que ninguém descubra. E Mirabella, antes a favorita para o trono, enfrenta uma série de ataques enquanto vê a fragilidade de sua posição. Em meio ao perigo constante, alianças serão formadas e desfeitas na fantástica continuação de "Três coroas negras". As rainhas de Fennbirn terão que combater a única coisa no caminho entre elas e a coroa: umas às outras.

Um trono negro

Ana Luiza

** spoiler alert **
           Demorei dias e dias para ler as primeiras 100 e páginas e 5 horas para ler as outras 230. Mais ou menos a mesma coisa que aconteceu no primeiro livro, eu sempre demoro a me prender nesse universo. Esse volume é com certeza muito melhor que o anterior, muito mais fluido. Fico muito feliz por Arsinoe e Mirabella estejam finalmente juntas e muito triste por tudo que está acontecendo com Katharine. Não tenho ideia de como ela vai se livrar dessa maldição. A última página que me deixou chocada e confusa, como assim Joseph morreu???? Isso tá errado! E aí a Jules simplesmente decide voltar, como se não tivesse acabado de jurar que ser guardiã de Arsinoe era o destino dela. Vai entender... Enfim, estou ansiosa pelo próximo.

Ok first of all, that ending ?  Actually not even ending, I need the third book. I NEED to know the whole story. I’m in love with this plot. In love. 

I was never bored and it was a beautiful continuation of the first book. 10/10 would recommend to literally anyone except maybe sci-fi readers. I liked this book more than the first but I think that’s only because I don’t like intros. Like the whole intro to the characters and story/world building at the start of any fantasy book is necessary but very slow to get through. After knowing all of that going into this book made it a much faster read and now I am thoroughly sold. 

Anyway long story short: I need the third book immediately because this series has me in a literal chokehold. 

Ok first of all, that ending ?  Actually not even ending, I need the third book. I NEED to know the whole story. I’m in love with this plot. In love. 

I was never bored and it was a beautiful continuation of the first book. 10/10 would recommend to literally anyone except maybe sci-fi readers. I liked this book more than the first but I think that’s only because I don’t like intros. Like the whole intro to the characters and story/world building at the start of any fantasy book is necessary but very slow to get through. After knowing all of that going into this book made it a much faster read and now I am thoroughly sold. 

Anyway long story short: I need the third book immediately because this series has me in a literal chokehold. 

Now this is what I wanted. More action, more drama, actual stakes, I'm invested. I was a bit sad about Braddock, but he doesn't die!!! I feel like  Joseph's death could be seen from miles away--mans really said "It's just a flesh wound" while actively bleeding out.

Holly

Preparing for the queens' sixteenth birthday celebration and navigating the fallout of the Quickening, the sisters reassess their strategic paths to the throne using new understandings of their powers and destinies

Lacy W

What. A. Trip! This book started fast paced and did not stop until the very last page. I am physically exhausted after reading this and if I wasn't at work, I would take a nap. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been so exhausted after one book. 

I actually grew to like the other queens more, which was something I didn't think would happen. I really didn't care for Arsinoe and Mirabella in the first book. Arsinoe actually wasn't that bad in this one. I started to really respect the hell out of her. All she wanted to do was live on the island with Jules and Billy and just be happy. She really didn't have an interest in being Queen. Mirabella also grew on me. I loved how much she loved her sisters, even though she knew that they both had to die. Katharine continued to be my favorite Queen. Her dramatic change really made me love her more. Plus we got to see more of the poisoner world, which I think is just so cool. 

The side characters were also a lot more developed. Jules had her own little side story which I really liked. I liked Jules in the first book and wanted more. Her friendship with Arsinoe is adorable and serious friendship goals. I also loved seeing the relationship between Arsinoe and Billy and Katharine and Pietyr. I must also note that even though there were a lot of side characters, they were all easy to keep track and distinguish whose world they belonged too. 

This is one of those books, though, that you have to read the first one in order to understand what is going on. Also makes my job as a reviewer harder because I can't say anything without it being a spoiler. Which really sucks because I want to rave about how amazing this book is and screech like an angry pterodactyl about certain things that happened during the book. 

I guess I will just end this review by saying you all need to go purchase books one and two and read them now. Do not wait because you will just be kicking yourself for doing that. This book has something for everyone. Politics, romance, gore, really anything you could ever ask for in a book.

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 favour 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 that she can't seem to prevent.In One Dark Throne, the enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake's The 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.

Oh my God this was so good!! I didn't expect to love this series so much right now but this was so much better than book 1! 

I'm still rooting for Arsinoe but I have a soft spot for Mirabella and I really can't wait for the next book to release! Ahhhh I hope the UK cover is as pretty as this one! 

This one was just so much more action packed than the last one and so much was going on and I loved every minute! I listened to the audiobook for this and the narrator did a wonderful job too which I think really added to the experience. 

Easily one of the best series I've read this year to be honest totally recommend! 

Now I gotta figure out what to read next to follow that :')

Shawna Delellis

I liked the pacing and the fact that the story is always moving forward. The characters are so interesting. I expected a surprising Clift hanger like the first to make you want to read more, but it lacked that.

the premise is good but really,,,, i need the author to be more specific about some things like there's nothing wrong with explaining stuff

Emily B

4.5 STARS:

This was SO much better than the first book! I'm really glad I decided to continue this series! There were two problems with the first book: 1. the pacing and 2. it didn't do what it advertised. I feel like the author heard the complaints and fixed them beautifully.

The pacing was breakneck but consistent. There was always something happening. The plot also had a lot more focus to it. The characters felt more three-dimensional, and I even felt the ones I didn't like as much were well developed. The relationships were also much easier to get behind this time, whether they were romantic or platonic. AND THE TWISTS! So much happened that I didn't expect! 

So, yeah, I loved this one. If you, like me, had a hard time with the first book, I urge you to try this one before you put down the series completely. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Elyse Peter

Honestly, I struggled to keep invested in this one. The premise is really interesting and the island of Fennbirn is theoretically a neat setting, but by about the 1/3 mark of this sequel I realized I just wasn't that interested in these characters. On paper, they're intriguing with neat talents and motivations. But in practice, something about them just feels poorly fleshed out and unearned. Flat cardboard characters instead of nice rounded ones maybe? Because of the flat characters the moments that felt like they should have hit hard in this book just...didn't. I picked up the sequel because of the intrigue of the idea and some more positive reviews than the first book, but the slight improvement from the first novel wasn't really enough to justify continuing the series, in my opinion. 

The last 50 pages or so were by far the most engaging, (much like the first novel in the series) and unfortunately it took a loooong time to get there. Eventually the author delivered some surprising twists and made some gutsier choices but 80% of the novel just read like lacklustre YA with darker themes thrown in for shock value. If you come into this one expecting a delicious mix of the Hunger Games and Game of Thrones like I did, you will unfortunately be disappointed.

Gisela Ayala 

Lots of action but my rating might be a bit biased because I don't like how they were treating Queen Katherine through out the whole book. 

I wanted Arsione and Jules to go away. And I really needed Mirabella's character to develop a bit more. 

Also, I'm happy with the way the book ended for Joseph. Finally I got something that I wanted.

Catarina Freitas

Elisa Bieg

Holy crap. 
I just finished, and I kind of want to start again from the beginning. 

This book drove me a bit nuts — in a good way. My favoritism towards one queen or the other was turned on its head, and then turned again, until I couldn’t tell anymore which characters I loved or hated, and who just plain scared me. 
In the end, it seems as if I love them all, which sounds so fangirl-y it makes me want to puke, except I do and to explain it I’d have to go into a spoiler-rich disquisition of character arc and stuff. Yawn. (Unless you find that prospect appealing, in which case PM me and we can get our geek on.)

My interest and like/dislike for supporting characters was completely shaken as well, and though I won’t go as far as saying that Joseph redeemed himself, I do hate him less. And Billy is my absolute favorite. How the heck did that happen? And don’t get me started on the Poisoner Queen’s — sorry, on Katherine’s suitors. What??? Talk about love-and-hate. 

Characters are shaped so skillfully, so subtly, I would suddenly find myself with such strong feelings about each one, it would take me by surprise. It VERY rarely happens to me that I have such visceral feelings about characters, much less ALL the featured characters. It’s maddening, and awesome, and a little frustrating, all wrapped up in a tidy, dark package. 

Gosh, I loved this book so much. 

Now, I have heard people say that these books are dull. I respect everyone’s opinion (particularly as mine so often differs from the majority, as of late 😬) but here I just want to say PATIENCE, MY CHILD. 
This book can feel slow at times, and then take off at breakneck speed and ALL THE THINGS ARE HAPPENING. It’s NOT dull but it does take patience sometimes because we are going into the minds and lives of 3 people. And what a trip that is! 

Just say YES.

Pamela Fitzhugh 

** spoiler alert **
           After having read Three Dark Crowns and finally understanding who was who this book was ultimately one of my favorite sequels to read. Never have I ever hated a character as much as I do Katherine. I understand why she is the way she is after being throw down into the heart of the island AND even after the dead queens take over. I still have no sympathy nor anything but hate for her. I’m not a fan of her character. Her character development is amazing as she goes from a weak princess to a ruthless queen, but I cannot stand her. Out of the three princesses I feel like she is the least deserving to be the queen and think she should have been cut apart by the priestesses. This book has so many twists and turns that I could not guess at until the moment some of the started happening. The ending where Arsione and Mirabella escape but Jules stays is heartbreaking. The development of all these characters from weak/forgiving to strong/ruthless is one im living for. This sequel is one of the best and I am so thrilled that it didn’t end there.

mevi

3.75 stars

Very quick and easy read. Definitely predictable for what's going to happen next, but definitely interested in the third book.

Bianca

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. 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.

cheyenne 

I read the first one and was kind of disappointed but decided to give the second one a chance. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't invest myself in the story at all or the characters.

sophie <3

This took me a while to finish, which I think was in part because of my reading slump BUT I did thoroughly enjoy it. It is a bit slow in the beginning but it picks up with vigour. I think the fact that I hadn't read the first book in a while also contributed to my reading pace... Oh well.
I love Katharine. :)

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 favour 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 that she can’t seem to prevent. In One Dark Throne, the enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s The 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.

Alisha Dockrat

CRYING. That’s how I ended the book. Crying. I’m keeping this review strictly non-spoiler (a first of its kind), so I’m not going to reveal the reasons behind it but WOW. The ending ruined me, and I’m still pretty emotional about it. 

But now onto the actual review. Firstly, let us talk about how much of an improvement this was from book one? Despite the hype surrounding it, it took me a very long time to get into it and I very nearly did not finish it. I couldn’t form a connection to any of the characters, and the large cast of them and constant changes in POVs did nothing to help that. This one, though? Undeniably amazing. 

The pacing was perfect, and coupled with the twists, it was practically impossible to get bored. I was constantly engrossed, and did not want to put the book down. It didn’t help that as I was nearing the end I just wanted the book to continue forever. And now I am going to have to wait until next year for the third book? 

Katherine. That was unexpected. I was already aware that the Katherine in here was not going to be the same Katherine from ‘Three Dark Crowns’, but she still caught me by surprise. She was just so much cooler (even if not precisely more likeable). And I still probably like Pietyr more than I should. 

I warmed up a bit more to Mirabella here. She seemed a lot less one-dimensional, and it was easier to connect with her. 

Arsinoe. Oh, Arsinoe (Whose name I am still unable to pronounce). She was my favourite queen, and this book did her justice. She had to make some incredibly brave choices, ones that I don’t think I could ever do. And Arsinoe and Billy? My new OTP. I never cared much for Billy or their relationship before, but this one was just a feels overload. 

I didn’t find any of the characters completely intolerable this time. And, god, did I feel the character development. 

There were a few things here and there that I didn’t really like, but nothing major enough to mention. Except maybe that I enjoyed this despite not being that big a fan of Blake’s writing style.

I definitely recommend this book, and it’s worth going through the very slow first half of ‘Three Dark Crowns’ to get to. And I feel like I should mention that even though I really, really did not like Joseph in the first book, there was an improvement to his character and he’s actually grown on me. 

Overall Rating: 8.5

A huge thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC of this book to review.

Samantha Hamburger

Book Two was has a better pace compared to book one.
It was easier to read through + it kept my attention well.
The writing is what throws me off. I'm not sure what it is but I don't like it very much.

I do, however, need to know how the series ends so I plan to continue reading the series.

The concept is great: three queens born, only one can rule, they must kill each other. I just feel as if the author could have compressed things + made this series into at least duology, if not a standalone. Four books is a stretch, especially since almost nothing happens in the first book. Book two gave us more dramatics and a lot more stuff happened.

Megan Williams

Ah this book got crazy... full review coming soon!

Sheila

I feel like this book picked up the pace compared to the first book, and I appreciated that a lot. On the other hand, for an island where triplet queens have to battle each other & kill their sisters in order to reign supreme, there doesn't seem to be much at stake here? (view spoiler)[Despite multiple clear chances, none of the queens has died yet. Only THREE supporting characters bit the dust and they all occurred at the very end of the book (albeit only one really influences the story on a larger scale...) (hide spoiler)] 

While I appreciate the twist in Katherine's character, I need a heck of a lot more danger in book 3 for me to consider this story a success. I just don't seem to get along very well with Kendare Blake's books. :<

Ashley Holstine

** spoiler alert **
           Felt a little disappointed with the ending. I thought this was the last book so i assumed at least 2 sisters were going to die. And why would the author kill off Joseph?? Ugh 😑

*Review for book 1 in series: Three Dark Crowns

I received this copy from the publisher via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not one-hundred percent certain that my rating of this book reflects my feelings wholly. I've been wrestling with how I want to rate it, but it's a difficult one for me to pin down.

While I really enjoyed how it maintained the entertainment value, fast pace, and plot twists through from  Three Dark Crowns, fundamentally, there were some issues. Comparing to my feelings for  Three Dark Crowns, which I gave a whopping 4.5 stars, I don't feeling that the stakes are as evenly weighed between the three queens, taking the thrill of the competition out of it. I daresay this was one of my least favorite parts of this book.


  Characters:


Queen Katherine:

  "Once, I was a mouse," she says, and strips off her glove. She reaches into the cage to stroke the rodent's tiny bald haunches. "But I am not anymore."

If you've read  Three Dark Crowns, you know Katherine's position as that portion of the story concluded. If you want to see a character who changes a lot throughout a series, keep your eyes on this gal. I have a feeling that things are only going to get more crazy with her. 

Despite my overall feelings of dislike towards her now (I believe I was  backing her in the first book), I felt that she was finally on a fair level to compete with her sisters and not be annihilated. Those "undead" qualities are powerful ones, indeed.

Speaking of my dislike for her--I don't know if I love, or heavily dislike the strategy that Blake is playing with. (view spoiler)[Making Katherine the main antagonist puts her in an interesting position with the rest of the plot, not to mention her sisters as well. I'm not forgetting, Ms. Blake, that there's a lot more going on under the radar, so I'm not going to give up on her, yet! (hide spoiler)]

Queen Arsinoe:

  Arsinoe grew up believing that she would die. She just didn't count on having so much to live for. Jules and Joseph and the Milones." He smiles slightly. "Me. But what good is knowing any of this? This is the way of the island, isn't it? The natural order. So what does it change?"

Oh, Arsinoe. Throughout  Three Dark Crowns, I felt that the main spotlight had mainly been on her. The underdog in almost every area when compared to her sisters, she's naturally the character to take pity on. Her character follows suite in  One Dark Throne. Even though her "secret" was discovered, she still doesn't really do much with it. 

Queen Mirabella:

  Mirabella's throat tightens. Her eyes sting. But she is a queen. A broken heart must not show.

In all honesty, Mirabella disappointed me. While I appreciate her sentimentality towards her sisters, her lack of gusto just makes her character depressingly underwhelming. She has the strongest abilities out of all three of her sisters, yet...we rarely witness her using those powers. Perhaps she's a character with gobs of depth and purpose that haven't been uncovered yet, but I'm hoping she'll have more to bring to the table as this series goes on. However, I believe that she also receives less page-time than Katharine and Arsinoe, so perhaps she's been underwhelming because her overall presence is lacking.

Because her presence has become almost equal to the three queens' characters, I need to mention Jules. In my opinion, she almost takes center stage in this book. While she's always been a "sidekick" character to Arsinoe, we all know that she is the one who pulls the weight on the naturalists side. The character twists with her were so interesting, and I'm curious to see what will happen with her. 

Just a quick little tidbit on this guy: Joseph is the flattest, dumbest character I have come across yet. I'd still like to kick him in the shin. I am so glad that...well, I will just leave it at that....

This book has left me with a lot of unanswered questions. I know I cannot be overly critical here, as there are still two more books set to be released in this series. I'm hoping that I will get some sort of closure with some of those questions in the end. However, I feel that some of them, I will not due to the sequence in which they took place. 

For example:

#1 How did Arsinoe suddenly have the ability to control the bear, when the previous time, it was Jules controlling him? Not to mention, the last time Jules couldn't even control him and he went haywire. It didn't make any sense how this manifested.

#2 I don't believe that Pietyr's reasoning for what he did to Katharine is believable. Maybe he's sincere. But I think using love as an excuse is, well, CRAZY.

#3 I feel like there is a lot of unnecessary killing to tie up loose ends, rather than finding creative ways of having those characters exit stage left. An example was with Arsinoe's poisoned dagger that just so happened to be on the ground, that someone picked up and cut the food with, leading to two suitors' deaths. First of all, HYGIENE, peeps! If you are picking up knifes off the ground and immediately cutting your food with it...we need to have a chat. Second, I've never used a dagger to cut my PB&J sandwiches (they definitely weren't eating that). To each his own, right? 

I was very glad to see that the writing style was constant, and the story still switched between the three queens' perspectives. It makes for an interesting take on the plot, and allows it to be more circumstantially-driven, as well as character-driven.

I am really looking forward to how this series will continue on. Sometimes when you read a series, not all of the books maintain their "awesome," because they are bridging over to the next main event. While I still liked  One Dark Throne, I'm looking forward for more in the books to come.

Vulgarity: None that I recall.
Sexual content: Kissing. There is one scene that happens between two characters 
Violence: Quite a bit. Again, these queen sisters are trying to kill each other for the throne, so...

3.5 stars.

A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!

Sheila Goicea &
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

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