The queens did grow and I can actually see some character changes from them going through these trials and having to deal with the magic of the island. There was a lot of ho-humming, running around and nonsense political meetings until FINALLY I got some sort of battle scene/skirmish ensued. While enjoyable to listen to, the middle book syndrome of nothing really happening was clearly present until the last 50 pages of the book. There’s something about the writing style that has been really good as an audio book. But since these characters haven’t really been discussed and the flashback method not really used until now it was bothersome. It did have a point at least and made sense to understand part of the island. I thought it was unnecessary in the way it was done (through dreams/visions) and took up a lot of page time. One of my main issues was the addition of more characters. Instead I’m left a little confused and a little like, should I even bother with the finale? I was hoping after really enjoying book two that this was going to keep going on an uphill trajectory.

That’s how I felt the entire time I was reading this book. This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed-or expected. 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. Jules, too, is in a strange place-in disguise. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn. 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. There’s also the alarming issue of whether or not her sisters are actually dead-or if they’re waiting in the wings to usurp the throne. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown.

Two dark reigns series