Katherine Harbour's Blog - Posts Tagged "epic-fantasy"

Three Dark Crowns
Arsinoe, Katharine, and Mirabella are triplets who live on an island, raised separately and virtually imprisoned, until they come of age to ascend the throne. Only one of them can do so. Each sister is supposed to have a magical talent. Katharine is a poisoner. Arsinoe is a naturalist. Mirabella is an elemental. The victor must kill her two sisters.

The separate tribes are fascinating. The poisoners are cruel and dark-hearted. The naturalists have familiars/animals they bond with. Elementals control the weather. Mirabella lives with priestesses who are far crueler than the poisoners and who plan to cheat to get Mirabella the crown.

The three sisters were raised together as children, which makes the narrative all the more tense and poignant. The other characters--a brave naturalist girl who is like Arsinoe's sister, Mirabella's priestesses, Katharine's wicked clan, and three interesting young men, (one of whom has a dangerous agenda,)-- make this an extremely enjoyable, if dark, epic fantasy.

Nevernight
This is a story of revenge and I always like those. Mia loses her parents to murder and treachery in a city reminiscent of 18th century Venice. She travels with another boy seeking revenge, Tric, to the Red Church to became an assassin.
And so begins Mia's brutal, lyrical journey. Accompanied by a shadowy entity disguised as a cat called Mr. Kindly, Mia becomes one of many students in a murderous assassin version of a magical college. Mia leans that death can come from teachers or students, but there are still rules and camaraderie. The teachers are diverse individuals, sociopathic versions of college professors.Mia makes friends, begins an unwise relationship with Tric, and negotiates her way through lessons that are bloody, adventurous, and nightmarish. A great fantasy, especially for anyone who loves Aria Stark's arc in the Game of Thrones series.