BookClub Discussion: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

WELCOME TO OUR OCTOBER 2016 BOOKCLUB DISCUSSION OF THREE DARK CROWNS BY KENDARE BLAKE. BELOW THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION INCLUDES:

-Maggie @ Massachusetts Novel

-Emily @ EmiesNook

-Jess @ StarsWhoListen

 

October 2016: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Lets get this over with

So enthusiastic (but like i feel the same it’s fine)

This is a long time coming so it feel like more of a burden at this point

Whose fault is that #FinishedTheBookNovember5th

At least I finished it @emily

Why are we doing this if it hasn’t finished the book?

Because at this point she’s never going to finish it. And it’s November 26 so she’s run out of time.

She’s still doing her lab report and doesn’t look to be coming into this doc any time soon. JK she’s coming but she’s not happy

I will finish eventually I’ve just been super busy lately between working for my Etsy shop, school, and Skyrim Remastered.

*rolls eyes*

Discussion Questions:

1. What was your favorite thing about the book?

Ok lets start shall we.

Okay so tbh my favorite thing is how this fantasy world has reversed gender roles and the women rule everything but like of course that’s my favorite thing.

How did I know you were going to say that *rolling eyes*

Okay whatever you have to admit it’s nice to have an alternate perspective to point out a real world problem in the reverse, AND another feminist themed fantasy novel a la ACOMAF

Well, my favorite thing was probably that it was nothing like I was expecting. Reading the description I figured poisoners was the lamest gift and upon opening you find out they’re the ones who have controlled the government for a while.

I like that people have really cool powers on different parts of the island, with some being able to control animals, others having poison immunity, and elemental control. It was really interesting to see how their powers contributed to a kind of “speciest” perspective.

2. What was your least favorite thing about this book?

My least favorite thing about this book was the priestesses. I hate them. Cutting peoples hands of #notcool

I consistently say I don’t read books for the romance plots but like I’m lying it’s fine, so my least favorite thing was there was nothing slow burn to destroy my heart.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No slow burn LOL of course. I was unimpressed with the romance we got. Kat and Pietyr (spelling?) was nothing special to me.

God that fucking coupling reminded me of Sansa Stark and Littlefinger. NO THANKS.

Yea that whole relationship was creepily twisted.

Also wtf is with him throwing her into a ditch at the end…???

Moon Door AF.

I know this is kind of bad, because it’s kind of against the plotline but I didn’t like the whole insertion of the “dark magic” that Arsinoe gets into.

Oh same. As soon as thing “low magic thing” started I was unhappy about it.

Yeah idk what that was all about but maybe she’ll shy away from that once she learns to use her actual power… Emily I can’t help but spoil you since you haven’t finished but since Arsinoe is a poisoner that’ll probably be more important to future plot. ALSO I GUESSED THAT FROM PAGE LIKE 2.

Oh I know I read the ending. Plus her name is Arsinoe (like Arsenic).

Because she sucks and reads like a shit.

3. Favorite character

Mirabella is mine. I’m calling her. She loves her sisters so much and I can’t get over it. It breaks my heart.

Nope sorry. Mirabella is mine. Fire powers….? That belongs to me.

No. Stop. Let me make an argument right now. You are Arsinoe because of this line:

“Arsinoe struggles out of Mirabella’s arms. That too is like the sister she remembers. Always a wild thing, not made for cuddling.”

Done.

Nope sorry. Called her.

Stop I literally have 400 other reasons you are Arsinoe. She’s the sarcastic one. I bookmarked like 12 pages where she says sarcastic shit because I knew we were going to have this argument. Also, she was raised as a naturalist and is the ~animal~ one. Mirabella is like the protective mom one and that’s me AF.

But she’s not the animal one. She’s a poisoners *plot twist*

But she’s still outdoorsy and loves animals because she was raised by them.

I don’t know who my favorite is. Arsinoe made me angry cause of that whole dark magic thing. I guess I really felt bad for Kathryn.

See but Kathryn is the only one on board with murdering her sisters.

Ya’ll it’s KATHARINE

But can you blame her? She has been constantly poisoned her entire life for the sole purpose. She doesn’t know anything else and she has so much room for growth.

I like Katharine. She reminds me of Sansa as I said before. She has to learn the game and her mind is poisoned (hehe) by the politics of Fennbirn, and I think she will overcome that and become a major player but at the same time not cruel like the poisoners who raised her.

Ya too bad she got thrown down a cliff at the end. So does that mean she’s a naturalist? Is that why her snake never bit her. Why she didn’t have to drug it.

She is 100% naturalist. Her snake. Doesn’t bite her and she trained it and now that she has a new one I think it’s gonna cause problems. Sweetheart was her familiar.

That is what I’m thinking. Maybe she will have a large animal come to her from across the ocean like they were talking about earlier for Arsinoe because her other sisters are so powerful.

She also loved her horse.

4. What do you rate it?

Ok moving on. Rating. I gave it 4 stars.

I haven’t rated it because I still haven’t finished, and I strongly disagree with people who rate books without finishing (or even reading) it.

I think I gave it 4.25? I am holding tight to my appreciation for its feminist themes and I really liked the queens as characters. They were complex and I’m excited to see what decisions they make and if they ally together or kill each other or whatever.

Yes you did. I thought it was a really fresh and interesting concept. And there were parts where it got slow for me but for the majority of it I was pretty intrigued by the story. I hope they don’t kill each other. I want them all to be queens in the end. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t want any of them to die because at some level I do feel attached to all of them.

Same! Co-queens are always a plus. I also HIGHLY NEED THEM ALL TO BE ALLIES AND FUCK UP THAT SYSTEM OF KILLING EACH OTHER. Like they are the three sisters who could overcome that system.

Plus wouldn’t that just make the island stronger? To have 3 queens with 3 different powers.Well I mean Mirabella seems least likely to kill her sisters, although now who knows.

5. What did you think of the plot?

I generally like the plot. Again, didn’t really care for the whole “dark magic” spin-off which kind of made me dread switching back to Arsinoe point of view, because she is slowly messing up her own life.

Ya honestly I thought Arsinoe’s chapters were the most interesting when we followed Jules.

The plot was a divergence from anything that I expected. I really thought it would heavily rely on Mirabella vs. Katharine but Arsinoe’s storyline was so much more that I expected. I also really liked that they focused mostly on their separate lives and character development in this first book because it got me more attached to the queens. The whole competition thing was like the last few chapters and that’s it.

I figured from the description they would all be living in a castle and when it started they would spend the entire book trying to kill each other, which was not the case. I liked how character driven the story was. I also really thought “poisoners” would be the obvious “weak gift” but they have all the power.

6. Final thoughts?

I will eventually finish the book, because I really enjoy it, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series to see where it takes us.

I’ll read the next one. I also thought this book was going to be a stand alone but I’m excited that there’s more.

I really want a plotline to involve Mirabella and Arsinoe teaming up to like save Katharine from herself and like SISTER POWER. Idk why I just need it.

I’m also excited for Katherine to realize she’s a naturalist. Or how Arsione will reveal she’s a poisoner.

Couldn’t she also have that “war power” that they were talking about? I would rather he be a naturalist though.

Oh yeah that’s also possible. But I really think Sweetheart is her familiar.

Sweetheart is dead.

That would also be a lame familiar and I feel like she would match the power of her sisters.

I know Sweetheart is dead and I don’t think a poisonous viper is a lame familiar. But there will be ramifications of them replacing her snake with a fake.

Ya but she had the snake on at the quickening ceremony and was fine.

I mean naturalists can control all animals to an extent right? Especially if they’re super powerful? Like Jules can control that bear.

Kinda…

OH ALSO: WTF JOSEPH????

Don’t get me started on the fuckboy.

Like they waited for each other and he sleeps with mirabella ONE TIME and all of a sudden Jules is not good enough???

Like I get it was supposed to be part of the ~dark magic~ that Arsinoe did but still, another reason not to like that plotline.

Probably. But still. The fact that he’s still “torn” between the two of them and then has the audacity to even speak to her at the end.

He can go home. The patriarchy on the mainland did something to him clearly. Bye, Jules deserves better and so does Mirabella.

Are we done

Ya I’d say so.

Ok now you have 5 days to finish And I Darken.

As if

FEEL FREE TO JOIN THE DISCUSSION! ANSWER ANY OF THE QUESTIONS FROM ABOVE OR JUST TELL US ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK! AND DON’T FORGET TO JOIN US FOR OUR AND I DARKEN REVIEW AT THE END OF THIS MONTH!