Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Three Dark Crowns
Author: Kendare Blake
Recent Release Date: September 20, 2016

Synopsis: Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.

If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest.

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Review: I am loving these YA Fantasies with ensemble casts! Just like Truthwitch, I absolutely loved this book. The world is big. The characters are well developed. The magic is so interesting. 

The different types of magic are so interesting. I wanted to jump into this world and explore it. This is just the first book and I am excited to more to come!

I give this book a 5/5 and highly recommend it. I know this review was pretty void of details, but I don't want to spoil anything. If you like Fantasy YA, this is a must read!


--PAUL

Antigoddess (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake - Ashley's Review

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Title: Antigoddess (Goddess War #1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Year Published: 2013

My Pre-Reading

Synopsis: The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. 

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning. 

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out. 

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

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Review: I loved Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares, so I've been really excited to read Antigoddess. Kendare Blake tackles Greek mythology? Heck yes! And I was definitely not disappointed, this book was most excellent! 

This book felt like it was a lot of setup, and I didn't think the plot moved along very quickly. It took me a few chapters to get into, but once I finally did I really didn't want to put it down. There's a lot of character introduction, and background information on each of the characters. I did like how famous humans from mythology were incorporated, since I think they're overlooked much too often. I don't know much about Cassandra, Hector, or Andromache (past reading The Illiad and The Odyssey a really long time ago), so it was nice to have some of their background included as a refresher. I also really enjoyed how the relationship between Cassandra of Troy and Apollo plays out in this book. 

I didn't really connect with Athena for most of this book - sure she's dying, but so is every other god and goddess. Why should she be the heroine of the story? I eventually began to understand why Athena and Hermes were the better team to root for (Poseidon is ridiculously creepy, Aphrodite has lost her mind, and Hera doesn't care at all about the human population), and it was interesting to learn more about Aphrodite and Hermes and their opinions of each other. I think there's a lot more to learn about them, and I'm looking forward to meeting more of the gods and goddesses as the series progresses.

Although the plot doesn't race along at a breakneck speed, I really enjoyed how the pacing matched up with the two interwoven story lines (one follows Athena and the other follow Cassandra). They run pretty parallel for a while, and then eventually converge into one crazy story. I think it will be really interesting to see how far Cassandra is willing to go after the end of the book, and what Athena might have to do to rein her in. 

Overall, I think this was a really great start to what will be an excellent series! If you like books that have Greek mythology, you should definitely check out Antigoddess. While it's definitely different from Anna Dressed in Blood, this book is still filled to the brim with Kendare's beautiful writing and incredible characters. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book! 4/5. 

--Ashley

Antigoddess (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake - Ashley's Pre-Reading

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Title: Antigoddess (Goddess War #1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. 

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning. 

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out. 

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

Why?: I loved Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares, so I was super excited when I found out about Kendare Blake's newest series. I really enjoy Greek mythology and stories based around it, so I knew I just had to read Antigoddess! 

Expectations: I have really high expectations for this book, since I loved the Anna Dressed in Blood books so much. I expect this to be a pretty dark book, since it involves the gods dying. I'm just so excited to read this book that I hope it's everything I think it will be!

Judging a book by its cover: I really love this cover. I love that it doesn't give anything away, but the feathers are still related to the book. I also love how stark the white is against the black background and how this cover is totally unlike most other YA book covers out there. I'd totally pick it up if I saw it on a shelf in a bookstore or library somewhere.


--Ashley

Paul's Girl of Nightmares Review

I finally finished reading the last few chapters! I read most of this book so fast, but got stuck on the end. So, I have another work project starting tomorrow! I'll be on a dredge in Texas. I don't know yet whether this will mean more or less reading. I have brought plenty of books to occupy me for the whole 25 to 30 days this project is slated for. 

My Pre Reading
Ashley's Review

Kendare Blake does an excellent job of painting the outline of a picture that my imagination fills in with gruesome imagery. There were many parts in this book in which I had very detailed pictures in my head. Many of them were Anna's appearances to Cas. The Suicide Forest was also very creepy. 

I like the way Blake dealt with "Hell" and the afterlife. It was all very vague, letting the reader interpret it however he or she liked. Some characters referred to it in their own way, but not even The Order knew specifics about the afterlife. 

I almost always enjoy sequels more than their predecessors. I already have a grasp on the world and the characters. This was, again, the case for this book. The world was enriched and the characters developed more. I liked the new character of Jestine. She is a kickbutt chick playing for only her own team.

Most books make up their own brand names or simply do not mention chain restaurants. Blake used many brand names and wonderful pop culture references. I really enjoyed them. 

One thing I did not understand was how these high school students just leave school all the time. I understand having a lunch break, but it seemed like almost everyday they just walked off campus halfway through the day.  

I believe this is the last book in this series. I guess that makes sense, considering the series on goodreads is simply called "Anna". I would love to read more novels following Cas and his friends' adventures, but this was a solid end to the duology. 

This book was a creepy, gory, fun sequel to an equally scary book. I give this book a 4/5. If you haven't read Anna Dressed in Blood and enjoy horror/thriller and YA, you must! And then once you finish and love that book, you must read this as well!

-PAUL

Paul's Girl of Nightmares Pre Reading

Title: Girl of Nightmares
Author: Kendare Blake
Year Published: 2012

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My Review of Anna Dressed in Blood

Synopsis:It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. 

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Why?: This book was Ashley's August pick. We both really enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood. Kendare Blake does Young Adult scary well so I am excited for the thrill of reading this.

Expectations: I am hoping to learn more about the mythology of this world, or I guess the science of this world. I want to learn where it was that Anna ended up. Is it Hell? What is Hell? I hope we get to see more of Anna's history and her abilities.

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is creepy. I'm assuming that's Anna in Hell. The red beings reaching up at her are creepy. I'm excited to read this and hope the tone matches this cover.

-PAUL

Girl of Nightmares: Ashley's Review

My Pre-Reading

Anna Dressed in Blood was one of my favorite books that I've read in the past year (you can read my review here). I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I loved how scary it was. So, you can imagine that I was pretty excited when Girl of Nightmares came out. Especially since I only had to wait a couple of months!

Girl of Nightmares was not at all what I was expecting after finishing Anna Dressed in Blood. I figured Cas would be fighting his way through all these ghosts trying to find and save Anna, and that Carmel and Thomas would be right there with him. I figured he'd grown stronger, more cautious, and that he was more mature than he had been in Anna.

That's definitely not what I got, but I still loved it. Cas still hasn't accepted that Anna is gone, and although he's stilling killing bad ghosts, it doesn't seem like it's as much he was before Anna.  And then when he starts seeing Anna everywhere, he decides that he must save her in one way or another. I was kind of hoping his journey to saving her would be more epic, but I think it was epic in a different way. He grows more as a person, and he comes to realize that sometimes you don't always get what you want.

While I thought that Anna Dressed in Blood did a great job of creating a world that seemed very realistic, yet was somehow different, I think that Blake does an awesome job of expanding that world and adding elements to it that make it have so much more depth. The Suicide Forest, the idea of "Hell," and all of the other new places make Cas' world very rich... and also very scary. Especially the Suicide Forest. That place was almost as scary as Anna's Victorian.

Most of the book is a lead-up into Cas going to save Anna, but I think that it's all necessary. I never felt like the plot dragged, and I think that the build-up made the last few chapters that much better. It's really interesting to be in Cas' head and see how he feels about things and how he judges other people, and I thought that spending the majority of the book getting to know Cas' depression was really intriguing.

All in all, this was an excellent sequel/conclusion to the Anna series. It's actually refreshing to find a good duology that doesn't leave too many questions unanswered by the end. Plus, there's less time for the plot to drag as it sometimes does in a trilogy. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has read Anna Dressed in Blood. And, if you haven't but are a fan of horror books or books about ghosts, you should go read Anna Dressed in Blood and then go pick this book up! I would give this book a 5/5!


--Ashley

Ashley's August Book: Girl of Nightmares

Title: Girl of Nightmares
Author: Kendare Blake
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: In this follow-up to Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas begins seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he’s asleep, and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong. These aren’t just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn’t know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn’t deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it’s time for him to return the favor.

Why?: I absolutely loved Anna Dressed in Blood, and so naturally I've been dying to read this sequel. I can't wait to find out what happened to Anna, how Cas and friends are dealing with her loss, and if Cas is still killing ghosts.

Expectations: I expect this book to be just as scary as Anna Dressed in Blood, but in a different way. I also expect Cas to be very depressed because of losing Anna, but I also hope he's matured some since the last book. Not that I didn't love Cas before - I just think the experience of losing the girl he loves will have caused him to re-examine himself.

Judging a book by its cover: I think this cover is absolutely gorgeous. I love that it's similar to the cover of Anna Dressed in Blood. I would definitely pick this up off of a shelf if I saw it somewhere.


--Ashley

Review of Ashley's April Book: Anna Dressed in Blood

I was up late last night finishing this book. It definitely had the creep factor. I just got Incarnate by Jodi Meadows in the mail today so I will be writing a Pre Reading for that soon.

Ashley's Review

My Pre Reading

If you have NOT read it: Anna Dressed in Blood is a nicely done Young Adult horror story. There is just enough spook factor and gore. The characters come together as friends very smoothly. The magic and supernatural aspect is done very realistically. If you enjoy horror movies and high school outsiders, you will enjoy this book.

If you HAVE read it(aka SPOILERS): I liked the world that was created by Blake. All the commonplace supernatural beings and practices are mentioned. I liked how voodoo was incorporated. I am looking forward to where Blake will take us from here. By the end of the novel, I liked Anna. She had a very interesting backstory that was revealed in a very interesting way. I hope we get to find out more about her mother and her abilities. I also hope to see more of Anna. 

I like the characters and how they came together to form a group of Ghostbusters. One thing that I expected to happen that didn't was a reveal of a romantic past between Mike and Will, the now cliche jock hiding behind a front. Too bad they're both dead now. Speaking of deaths, I miss the cat.

I feel like this could have been the first few episodes of a really interesting tv show, like an American Horror Story for a younger audience. I am looking forward to seeing where Blake takes this new group of friends. Maybe to the gates of Hell? I can't wait for Girl of Nightmares to come out!

I give this novel a 4/5.

-PAUL

Ashley's April Book: Anna Dressed in Blood

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author:Kendare Blake
Year Published: 2011

Synopsis: Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

Why?: This is Ashley's April Book. She has a thing for creepy books with creepy book covers. I think Ashley texted me in the wee hours of the morning telling me she shouldn't have read this before bed...


Expectations: I am excietd and scared of this book. It reminds me of American Horror Story, which was one of my favorite new shows, but it is scary. I expect this book to be scary. I mean it's about a ghost that kills people! The font is the color of dried blood...


Judging a book by its cover: It's creepy. Anytime a picture is in black and white with red accents, it is scary...


-PAUL