Review of Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake

Kendare Blake is the type of author that I love because of the dark places her mind goes to, but I have no idea if I would have the courage to actually interact with her. The reason being that her books are creepy and scary good, but they are placed in a world I would not like to live in. I have been a fan of the Three Dark Crowns series for years now and each book for me is as good as the last one. This one was no different.

In the last book, we were left uncertain about where our characters would go from now on and what would happen with them. I was skeptical about whether or not I wanted to know what was going to happen to them in this one because in a way I felt that the story was ending, but I am very happy with what this third book brought us.

The storyline is new, the past two books have been about who would get the throne, now it’s about who is going to keep the throne. I like how the rebellion is portrayed, this is, after all, a medieval kind of world and most of the people rebelling would-be farmers and merchants. The fanaticism on both sides is intriguing. Some are convinced the Legion Queen is the Goddesses’ will while others stand with the old tradition, the older than the house, and the more they have benefited from the reigns.

I appreciated that we got to see the outside world and how Mirabella and Arsinoe fit in it (or don’t), how they try to survive in it, feeling like outsiders because in a way they are.

The idea that they are sisters is still very present in this book. Mirabella is still the one fighting for her family, she loves them at the end of the day and knows her places is to protect her little sisters. Arsinoe on the other hand is still very much lost on who she is and what she should do. Meanwhile, Katherine is trying to be a good queen but is finding out that it’s not just the goddess that gets a say in her reign. I like the sisters parallel the books makes between different characters and how they behave when it comes to each other.

As for the other characters, Jules tries to find her way without being Arsinoe’s friend but lets herself be influenced by others around her. Billy is still boyfriend goal with how supportive he is but I feel like Arsinoe and him will come to an impasse about where their relationship is going. They both have very different ideas of where their lives are going.

Although the storyline is very new since it is a break from the past two books and trying to become the queen, it is refreshing in a way to see what happens once someone wins the throne, it’s not just happily ever after.

I would recommend this book and I am very excited to get to the sequel.