Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Thrilling but very dark tale of murderous triplet queens.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Based on 15 kid reviews
Kids say the book is an engaging dark fantasy that starts off a bit slow but becomes increasingly captivating as the story unfolds. While it contains mature themes and violence, many readers feel that it is suitable for older tweens and teens, particularly those accustomed to darker narratives.
- engaging fantasy
- mature themes
- slow start
- suitable for teens
- captivating story
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In THREE DARK CROWNS, three queens -- triplets Katharine, Arsinoe, and Mirabella -- are busy preparing for their 16th birthday. There'll be the usual three parties, because they were separated when they were six years old. Katharine, who lives with those gifted in their immunity to poisons, will feast on a poison banquet to show her strength -- a strength she has yet to acquire. Arsinoe, who lives in a community of naturalists, will show off her familiar, an animal she desperately hopes arrives to claim her in time to show her strength. And Mirabella will dazzle her town of elementals by summoning the weather to do her bidding. Mirabella is the strongest and most likely to impress a crowd. The priestesses in the temple want to declare her the next true queen. But to claim the throne, tradition dictates Mirabella must kill both her sisters within the year -- before they kill her.
Is It Any Good?
With triplet queens out to kill each other, this may not be a book to share with sisters, but if you're into dark, complex, nail-biting fantasy, you'll definitely share it with your friends. Three Dark Crowns will take an effort for some readers to piece together, as each queen's story is told separately. We meet Katharine first in a house full of Poisoners who regularly indulge in tainted banquets. Sickly from the lack of the immunity her gift should provide but still desperate to please, she gives off the creepiest vibe. Arsinoe takes longer to reach the same dark place; the desperate queen is slowly coerced into some shady magic practices to compensate for her weak gift. As for Mirabella, it's the bloodthirsty, cunning priestesses who add a delicious level of dark.
Each of the rites and rituals the queens endure -- the birthday parties, the festival of Beltane, the selection of the suitors, the Quickening -- are expertly woven into the story. Readers get the slow reveal of just what these doomed queens are up against. Will you root for the survival of one queen the way the towns do? For the small chance in this macabre world that mercy will rule out in the end? Even a reader's allegiance may shift with the cliffhanger at the end.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the jarring premise of Three Dark Crowns. Is it hard to watch sisters potentially turn on each other that severely? Do you expect them to ever trust each other when tradition dictates hate and mistrust?
Each queen finds a way to cope in a situation full of expectations none of them fully wants to fulfill. What are their ways to cope? Whom do you think handles the pressure best?
For those not used to reading darker fantasies, will you keep reading this series? Why, or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HarperTeen
- Publication date : September 20, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 416
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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