Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Two Dark Reigns

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake returns with the highly anticipated third book in the Three Dark Crowns series! And while Arsinoe, Mirabella, and Katharine all have their own scores to settle, there is another queen stirring things up on Fennbirn Island.

Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There's also the alarming issue of whether her sisters are actually dead—or if they're waiting in the wings to usurp the throne.

Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn.

Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can't imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine's doorstep.

This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected.

Don't miss Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series!

  • Creators

  • Series

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Levels

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from August 15, 2018
      In the third entry in a pitch-black fantasy quartet, everyone acts with the best of intentions--and everything goes terribly, terribly wrong.Katharine, newly Queen Crowned of Fennbirn, just wants a peaceful, prosperous reign, but the people fear her, the vengeful spirits strengthening her urge ever more dreadful deeds, and even the eldritch mist protecting the island has seemingly turned against its inhabitants. Jules Milone wishes only to learn more about her cursed legion gift, but the warriors and oracles insist she lead their rebellion, defying the prophecy that she may be the island's doom. Mirabella and Arsinoe try desperately to conform to the patriarchal culture of their mainland refuge, but visions of a centuries-gone Blue Queen demand their return. The barrage of intrigue, betrayals, spells, portents, and grisly violence unleashed in this volume almost overwhelms, as multiple viewpoints follow several intertwining plotlines, both epic and intimate, across present and past. Blake's (One Dark Throne, 2017, etc.) elegant, understated prose unfolds new facets of the island's culture, revealing sinister truths behind pious legends. The richly-drawn characters default to white and mostly heterosexual (although at least one culture celebrates bisexuality). Some take comfort in male lovers living or dead, but the narrative is mostly driven by the complicated relationships between strong, vibrant women: mothers and daughters, friends and rivals, Goddess and priestess, and--above all--sisters. Tragic, devastating, horrifying, enthralling. (cast of characters, map) (Fantasy. 14 -adult)

      COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      September 1, 2018
      Grades 9-12 Against all odds, Arsinoe and Mirabella have escaped the island of Fennbirn and now struggle to do what no queen before ever has: live a normal life on the mainland. That, however, is proving to be easier said than done. Though their powers wane as they're separated from the island, Arsinoe is having visions of the legendary Blue Queen?a rare fourth-born queen considered so blessed that her sisters were murdered at birth?and she is telling them, unmistakably, to go home. Meanwhile, on the island, Katharine is queen at last, but her reign is uneasy. And Jules Milone, who, as all of �Fennbirn now knows is cursed with two powerful, magical gifts, is surprised to discover how many people support her. Revolution is coming, and it could shatter the island's foundation. This third series installment expands the world introduced in Three Dark Crowns? (2016) and One Dark Throne (2017), and the stakes, if possible, are higher than ever. There's one more book to go, and the cliff-hanger ending makes it clear: this battle's only just begun. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: One Dark Throne hit number one on the NYT best-seller list, and demand was high enough to make this original duology a quartet. Fans will be ready to kill for this volume.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2019
      Katharine finally holds the crown of Fennbirn, but a growing rebellion troubles her reign. On the mainland, Arsinoe's and Mirabella's new lives are interrupted by haunting dreams that call them to return home. But it seems the rules the triplet queens were raised with have changed... With her large cast of characters fully established, Blake's expertly labyrinthine plotting comes to the fore in this third installment in the series.

      (Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.6
  • Lexile® Measure:660
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:3

Loading