Five Dark Fates – Kendare Blake

Five ​Dark Fates by Kendare Blake

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Five Dark Fates is the fourth and final book in the Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake. I started the series not quite knowing how I felt about Three Dark Crowns, but seeing potential. It was a challenge to juggle all of the characters, especially because many were given equal weight to the narrative, but not enough character development to make them memorable – but I felt that after the second book things were more settled and you could focus on the plot/main characters. (And I would hope that would be the case, otherwise, we’re in trouble four books in.) I’m just talking about how I feel overall, so there aren’t any spoilers for any of the books other than which queens might still be alive.

Katharine, Arsinoe and Mirabella are still struggling to determine who will rule the island of Fennbirn even if most of them have no desire to be Queen. By the fourth book, I felt that each Queen had her own distinct personality, flaws, passions, and you could see each of their points of view – even if you didn’t necessarily agree with them. I felt that it was a strength of this book because it made the characters relatable and the story more impactful. In fact, I actually liked Katharine in this book and I had never particularly liked her in the previous books.

Although I was not expecting the plot of this book or how the characters would end the story, I did feel that it was satisfying. I was not left feeling let down or that I had tons of questions that went unanswered. It was dramatic and emotional, violent and bloody, full of sacrifice and betrayal, and ultimately change. There was so much packed into this book and I was content when I finished reading it.

This series has been very hit and miss with me, at times I loved the scenes and characters and in other moments I found myself having to make myself sit down and continue. That being said, I actually enjoyed this book the most out of all of the books in the series. I felt that there was more emotional weight to it, there was a cost to all of their actions and very serious repercussions. I flew through this book and I am sad to have left this world when I was just starting to truly enjoy it.

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