Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
Rating – 4 out of 5
In Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake the Queens of Fennbirn have been separated from each other and the soul of the Island they were born to. With Arsinoe and Mirabella on the mainland and Katherine on the throne, the balance of the Island is hanging by a thread. As strange happenings start affecting the political balance and with the rise of resistance to the throne, the Queens must look to the past to understand the present and keep their world safe.
Favorite Quote
“You don’t threaten the life of a queen and live to tell the tale.” She flips the knife, catches it. “Taking the life of a queen… now that is another matter”
― Kendare Blake, Two Dark Reigns
Why I liked Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
Two Dark Reigns was a highly anticipated sequel for me, as I thoroughly enjoyed Three Dark Crowns and One Dark Throne. While it was very different than the last two, with less direct violence and fighting, I did enjoy seeing how the Queens react in different circumstances. The book stayed with its aesthetic of dark and stormy with brutality mixed in at every point. I cannot wait to see how this story ends and I feel about it the same way I feel about Game of Thrones – anything could happen. Blake has put her readers through a great deal in this series and I do not think she is going to let up any time soon.
As this is the third book in the series, I do have some thoughts that include spoilers, so read ahead at your own peril –
The flashbacks and how the island is fighting back against Katherine’s reign was a twist I did not see coming. I was surprised how well it worked to have a past queen be reaching out to Arsinoe and in effect, haunting her. At first, I was skeptical about how this would work as a plot device but as it went on, especially when we were thrust back in time to see what was happening a couple of hundred years ago, I was hooked. The island fighting back was another element that was unique and exciting. I feel similarly about the concept of the legion born. There are a lot of ways Blake could go with the plot now that she has introduced these elements and that is exciting to me! I am anxiously awaiting the final book – due out September 3rd this year!
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