It's not often I have animosity towards inanimate objects but THREE DARK CROWNS definitely tested me. While I loved Kendare Blake's other books for the dark tones, characters with depth, and unpredictable plotlines, THREE DARK CROWNS felt like the opposite of all that. I was a very frustrated reader. 
 Starting off, this book had a strong start. We are introduced to one of the queens, Katharine, and she was tested on her ability to ingest deadly poisons without side effects. It made me think, "Oh boy, this book is kind of dark - I like it!" But that didn't last long. Soon it was "Oh boy, if they talk about one more meal or their day to day lives one more time I swear-" because I was the epitome of bored, especially because I was promised such a dark book. And this pacing and lack of action continued for a 75% of the book. 
 THREE DARK CROWNS mainly just revolved around how each queen is not at all what she seemed - forget killer queens and a battle of life and death. Instead we have random frustrating romances, heroines that do not think about how their decisions affect others, and somewhat whiny teenage girls that don't really have an evil bone in their body. "Not what I signed up for" is how I would describe this book.