Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake Review

Title: Five Dark Fates

Author: Kendare Blake

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy/Horror

Series: Three Dark Crowns, book four

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

                I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

                Kendare Blake is one of my favorite authors; I’m a diehard fan, honestly, and have been so ever since Anna, Dressed in Blood. When I saw Two Dark Reigns sitting on a shelf at my local library, I snatched it up, and on that same shelf I also found the last book in the quartet, and I checked that as well. I finished Two Dark Reigns in less than three days, and then I just finished Five Dark Fates yesterday. Normally, I’d allow a bit of time to pass until I actually reviewed it, but I’ve been really behind and have been trying to catch up for the last week and a half. But honestly, this book: It was satisfying, frightening, and heartbreakingly sad; I’m still in shock that it’s all over, and that I had to say goodbye to Mirabella, Arsinoe and Katharine. The series closer to one of my favorite series of the year did not disappoint; the only thing I’m really upset about is that it’s all over!

                Katharine is the Queen Crowned now, but the spirits that have slipped inside of her body are longing for another vessel, one more powerful than she. Meanwhile, Arsinoe and Mirabella, still in hiding on the mainland, are desperate to find a way to defeat their sister and free Fennbirn from the darkness that refuses to let it go. Arsinoe is haunted by visions of a queen from the past, and knows that they hold answers to the questions that haunt her. Mirabella finds herself torn between her two sisters, while Jules, Arsinoe’s best friend, finds herself reluctantly at the head of a rebellion to take the crown from Katharine. But the queens who inspired the dark traditions aren’t about to let the girls go unscathed, and not everyone will make it out alive…

                This book was, in a word, heartbreaking. The pacing was breakneck, and I started Five Dark Fates as soon as I was finished with Two Dark Reigns. I was immediately spellbound, and despite this being the longest book in the series, I devoured it in less than two days. Even when I wasn’t reading it, it was lurking in my mind; I even dreamed of it several times before I finished the book. I tried to take it slow; I didn’t want to save goodbye to the girls, even while I knew this was the end. Every loss, great and small, felt like nothing less than a punch to the gut. And even though I knew everyone would collide, all three sisters and Jules as well, I was not ready for the confrontation at the ending. Every moment of this novel was painful and bittersweet, but not unsatisfying. That ending, man—it’s been stuck in my craw for the last few days, replaying on a loop since I finished it. I cried, laughed, and cheered, and I know now that I will miss all of the characters, even ones I disliked. This may be the end of Fennbirn, but you can be sure that I will visit again! The bottom line: Powerful, rich, and bittersweet, I loved Five Dark Fates, the final book in the Three Dark Crowns quartet, and I will never forget the island of Fennbirn or its powerful queens! Next on deck: The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg!