[Review] Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Series: Three Dark Crowns #1 

Rating: 3 stars

Published: September 20th 2016

Goodreads Synopsis: 

When kingdom come, there will be one.
In 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.

On the isle of Fennbirn, each generation is gifted with three heirs to the crown, queens who are gifted with remarkable powers. Mirabella is an elemental, who can control fire and thunder with a flick of her hand. Arsinoe is a naturalist, who can call upon the wild to aid her. Katharine is a poisoner, following a long line of poisoner queens, who can ingest the most deadly of poisons. The three of them must fight after their 18th birthday to the death, until only one queen remains to rule them all.

So the only strong one of the three is Mirabella. However, she's got a sense of compassion and dislike for harming others, especially her sisters. Katharine gets sick with most poisons, and Arsinoe's powers haven't exactly come yet. For now, it's all a power game the three are playing, to seem the most powerful and deadly.

[Review] A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess

Series: Kingdom on Fire #1

Rating: 2 stars

Published: September 20th 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:

I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one. Or am I?
Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city--and the one she loves?

A Shadow Bright and Burning takes place in the heart of Victorian England, where magic is free and demons know no bounds. We follow the supposed chosen one, Henrietta Howel, who has been recruited with other sorcerers to test her mettle against those who threaten the British Isles. But, everything and everyone is not as they seem, as Henrietta soon finds out.

"Seven are the Ancients, seven are the days,
Monday for R'hlem, the Skinless Man,
On-Tez on Tuesday, the old Vulture Lady,
Callax is Wednesday, the Child Eater
Zen the Great Serpent crisps Thursday with his breath,
On Friday fear Kozoroth, the Shadow and the Fog,
Never sail on Saturday says Nemneris the Water Spider,
And rain on Sunday brings Molochoron the Pale Destroyer."

This book has a world building style similar to Truthwitch, meaning the scope of the topics and lore of the story is far reaching, but the roots simply do not dig deeply enough. I was bombarded with waves of information without the explanation. There are sorcerers, magicians, and witches. There are faeries and Unclean. There are the Ancients, who are the bad guys of the series, but are so faintly touched upon that I only remember what one of them is/looks like. Or two. It's certainly hard to remember.

[Review] Traveler by LE Delano

Traveler by L.E. Delano

Series: Traveler #1

Rating: 3.5 stars

Published: February 7th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jessa has spent her life dreaming of other worlds and writing down stories more interesting than her own, until the day her favorite character, Finn, suddenly shows up and invites her out for coffee. After the requisite nervous breakdown, Jessa learns that she and Finn are Travelers, born with the ability to slide through reflections and dreams into alternate realities. But it’s not all steampunk pirates and fantasy lifestyles—Jessa is dying over and over again, in every reality, and Finn is determined that this time, he’s going to stop it…This Jessa is going to live.

I'm wondering why this is under 'time travel' on Goodreads because there isn't really time travel here, more like alternate dimension traveling.

Anyhow! Jessa has been having dreams of a mysterious boy and strange otherworldly adventures that she transcribes into stories. Strangely enough, this mysterious boy is actually a real person by the name of Finn. He reveals to her that they're both Travelers - they can travel to different dimensions with the help of other Finns and other Jessas. But Finn has another motive for seeking out Jessa... in other dimensions, she keeps on dying, and Finn has to prevent her death in this world, before it's too late. 

There's a lot more backstory to this - involving Dreamers, who direct the Travelers on which dimension they should go to, and how Travelers fix certain points in time in order to have some proper order in the universe. If that was possible.