Five Dark Fates Blurb
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 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.
First Impression
Five Dark Fates is the fourth and final installment of the Three Dark Crowns series. So, I knew what I was in for. Because I love this series. I inhaled the first three books and then waited for this one. When it was finally released, I wasn’t able to read it for various reasons, so this was a long wait for me. Anyways, I was full of anticipation to get started.
If you aren’t familiar with the series, I recommend you start from the beginning. It’s well written and well thought-out. I didn’t find the plot holes I’m used to seeing in YA fiction. There’s political commentary, action, angst, and really strong characters who grow and grow and grow. This series has consistently tickled my fancy. I have particular tastes and I’m not saying that the people who didn’t like this book or series are wrong, but it hits all the marks for me.
I was satisfied with the pacing, the characters, and the resolution. I liked that not all the questions are answered–this is a 3rd person limited perspective with head-hopping (GoT style) and our characters never get answers, so it doesn’t make sense that we would–and I also liked that the politics take a left turn in the resolution. I didn’t expect it, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Character
I think you have to pick a favorite queen in this series. It’s like The Hunger Games and you just have to root for someone, even if you like everyone, because you know any of them could die at any minute. Those have been the stakes from the beginning. I might be talking to a few specific reviewers here >.>
Anyways, I loved Arsinoe, thought Mirabella was boring, and Katharine was pathetic (until book two, when she becomes annoying). They all had strengths and shortcomings enough that readers could be legitimately divided over who they favored, which I think adds some fun to the fandom.
If I was going to critique any of the characters, it would be the adults. They were often more immature than the teenagers and it would occasionally snap me out of the story. They were just generating their own unnecessary drama in a way that felt childish–and not in the good “room for growth” way. But this has been a trope in YA since I was fourteen and YA was a single bookshelf at Barnes and Noble, so I guess it’s hard to be mad about it.
One of my favorite things about this series is the character growth. There is a large cast and everyone grows tremendously. Granted, it takes four books to follow all these arcs, but you see a lot of change . . . and a lot of stubborn resistance to change. Some characters make mistakes and redeem themselves and some try to redeem themselves and fail miserably. I liked that. It was realistic. Growth and change are things we, as humans, fail at spectacularly.
I’ve seen frustration about character death, and reviewers questioning “why is this character even here?” and this book resolves all of that. I felt that everything had a clear purpose and every death steered us closer to that purpose. Characters that seemed insignificant were proven important and certain deaths that I had been waiting for for three books ((cough)) FINALLY happened.
World
If you want a detailed, complex, and unique world with magical realism and rich lore, this is your series. I can’t speak enough about how rich and fascinating this world is. I would say about 60% of the storytelling of this series is world-building, which is crucial for the thematic messages that are the foundation of the plot. It can detract from the action and make this series feel slow if you like action, so buyer beware.
Personally, I’m not one to reread books–even ones I love. The main reason for that is that I have a good memory for story and I can retain details about plot and character for decades. A rich, captivating world is one of the few reasons I will reread a book–simply for the pleasure of that atmosphere. When I can get that with a series, all the better. ‘Nuff said.
Storytelling
I’ve seen reviews critiquing the pacing so I’ll address that first. This is not an action-packed thrill ride. You aren’t going to see battle after battle after battle. This entire series has always been about politics. All of the conflict and action stems from those politics, so it doesn’t make sense to expect it to be “fast-paced.” That being said, I thought it was fast-paced? Scratching my head at this and only addressing it since it seems to be a common point.
I read this entire series on audiobook. I listened to the first book while commuting to work and couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I listened on the weekend. I was so captivated I binged the second and third. I did not think ANY of these books were slow. Every scene had relevance to the plot with generous servings of rich world-building detail and incredible lore. Again, this was not an action thrill ride. It wasn’t trying to be. To make this series “faster” would do it and its readers a disservice and I’m thankful that Blake’s editors didn’t push her to make those kinds of cuts. Maybe this is trolling, but I can’t help thinking that if that’s what you want from a book–any book–shouldn’t you just wait for the movie?
OK, that was my soapbox. Overall, I was constantly impressed by Kendare Blake’s storytelling. The lore pulled into this series was on another level–I would go so far as to call it Tolkien-esque. While reading this series I felt like a child listening to my favorite bedtime story. The kind of feeling you have when, even if it’s the tenth time you’re hearing it and you know what’s going to happen next, you still love it for the feeling it gives you.
That said, there was one element that seemed almost forgotten as it was almost like there was no purpose for it. It certainly helped build tension and even gave us a few misdirects, but in the end didn’t seem relevant enough to warrant the screen-time it got. This wasn’t a “why is this this way?” question left unanswered, but more of a “wait, if that’s all it was all along, what was this character’s motive for making this happen?” hole in the overall logic of the story.
Final Thoughts
5/5. I loved this book, I loved the series, I was at no point disappointed. I realize this review was more defense against the negatives than a true critique, but that’s because I love it so much. Everything about it. Overall, the politics, lore, and characterization in this series kept me reading despite my short attention span and penchant for DNFing. I understand why some would disagree but I hope they can recognize that that has more to do with taste than quality.
Recommended Reading
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
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