The Power of Fantasy: A Deep Dive into Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake

Fantasy books have become increasingly popular in recent years, and one of the key elements that sets them apart from other genres is their ability to transport readers to new and imaginative worlds. However, a common criticism of fantasy series is that they often lack a sense of realism, with characters frequently meeting heroic ends and good ultimately triumphing over evil. This criticism is particularly true for young adult (YA) fantasy series, which often feature protagonists who are destined to save the world from an ancient evil.

The Five Dark Fates series by Kendare Blake is a prime example of this trend. The series follows the story of three sisters - Catherine, Mirabella, and Lucille - as they navigate a complex web of magic, politics, and family drama. While the series does have its moments of tension and suspense, it ultimately resolves itself in a manner that feels overly simplistic and optimistic. This lack of realism is perhaps the most striking aspect of the series, and one that may leave some readers feeling frustrated or unsatisfied.

One of the primary criticisms of fantasy series is that they often feature characters who meet heroic ends, with little to no consequence for their actions. In Five Dark Fates, this criticism is particularly true of Catherine, one of the main protagonists. Throughout the series, Catherine proves herself to be a strong and determined individual, willing to risk everything to protect her sister and her kingdom. However, when she ultimately meets her demise in the final book, it comes as little surprise to anyone who has followed the series. Her death is portrayed as a heroic sacrifice, with the reader being told that she died protecting her sister and the kingdom from their enemies.

This lack of consequences for Catherine's actions may be frustrating for some readers, particularly those who have invested heavily in the character throughout the series. While it is understandable that the author may have wanted to create a sense of closure and resolution, this approach feels overly simplistic and unrealistic. It also raises questions about the nature of heroism and the cost of greatness, leaving the reader to ponder whether Catherine's actions were truly heroic or simply a means to an end.

Mirabella's fate is no less tragic, and her death serves as a poignant reminder that even the strongest individuals can fall victim to circumstance and fate. However, unlike Catherine, Mirabella's demise comes as little surprise to readers who have followed the series. Her character has been built up throughout the series, and her ultimate downfall feels both inevitable and heartbreaking.

One of the most striking aspects of Five Dark Fates is its willingness to tackle complex and mature themes, such as grief, trauma, and the consequences of war. The series does an admirable job of exploring these themes, particularly through the character of Arabella, who becomes increasingly unhinged throughout the series as she struggles to cope with the loss of her sister.

The world-building in Five Dark Fates is also noteworthy, with a richly detailed and immersive setting that draws heavily from historical and mythological sources. The series' use of magical systems, politics, and mythology creates a complex web of intrigue that keeps readers engaged and invested in the story.

In conclusion, while Five Dark Fates is not without its flaws, it remains a compelling and engaging read for fans of fantasy and young adult literature. Its willingness to tackle mature themes and explore complex issues raises important questions about heroism, sacrifice, and the cost of greatness. While some readers may find the series' resolution overly simplistic or unrealistic, others will appreciate the author's bold approach to storytelling.

Overall, I would give Five Dark Fates a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, with the only deduction being for its lack of realism and consequence in the final book. The series is a must-read for fans of fantasy and young adult literature, particularly those who enjoy complex world-building, mature themes, and compelling characters.

Recommendation:

If you're looking for a new fantasy series to read, Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake is an excellent choice. While it may not be without its flaws, the series offers a richly detailed world, engaging characters, and complex themes that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. Be prepared for a story that explores mature topics such as grief, trauma, and war, but also for a heroic narrative that raises important questions about heroism, sacrifice, and the cost of greatness.

Final Thoughts:

I'm sad to say goodbye to Five Dark Fates, which has been a beloved series in my heart. While I appreciate the author's bold approach to storytelling, I do wish she had explored some of the themes more deeply. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this series to fans of fantasy and young adult literature, particularly those who enjoy complex world-building, mature themes, and compelling characters.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello everyone today I am here to review and talk all about five dark dates bike adorably this is the fourth and final book in the three dark crown series I have reviewed every single one of these books so in case you want to hear about the series is about when the first book started you can click right here to hear my review of that or if you want to hear all my previous reviews on these books all the links will be down below as well as the cards probably either right this is the fourth and final book of the three are crowns I have been with the series since the start and I've really enjoyed it it's a dark why a fantasy series and I will tell you quickly what it's about to see if you want to read the series before I go into spoilers so follow three sisters and their triplets and they were born from the Queen and they were separated at a very young age and going and they are all on the island a fen burn and they all go to different parts of the island to represent their powers because they each have powers we have Arsenal who is a naturalist and she can control like flowers and animals she's very familiar with that then we have Caterine or Catherine and she is a poisoner so she can ingest poison and she can have no effects from it and she can dole out poisons and she's just very familiar with poisons then we have Mirabella who was an elementalists who can control the weather and lightning and things like that so all three of these sisters are these powers so at a young age they go off to each parts of the island drawn up and like their powers place and things like that and then at the age of 16 they are brought together for the Ascension and it's pretty much a fight to the death whoever is left standing will be the queen and that is what this whole series is about so if you're interested in it like I said watch my first review to here if you want to read the book or not I will be talking about spoilers with this whole series I want you know in so just so you're aware before I get into that I will tell you what I thought about this books well if I can give this book a rating I would give it a 4 which I think I've given every single one of the books honestly it's a solid why fantasy series it is one of my favorites but I don't think it's perfect there's no I don't think there's any book that's really perfect much like anything in life but I enjoy it I always have a good time say especially if you're trying to get into the Y fantasy genre and you just don't know where to start because some Y fantasy can be quite daunting I think this is a great series to start with because it reads a lot like contemporary there's not much there is a lot of backstory there's a lot of power stuff going on but it's a very easy read by that I mean I don't think it gets too overly complicated like much fantasy series do it's just a very easy read so I think this is a great way I think this is a great beginner why a fantasy series also it's a great seasonal read it's dark and twisty kind of like a perfect full read in my opinion so overall like I said I give it a four out of five I don't still don't know which book in this series is my favorite honestly I think I have to go back and watch my reviews to figure out but this was a solid um conclusion I will tell you the first hundred pages were very slow I was very much struggling to get through the first hundred pages and I was like oh goodness but the last half made up for and I really really enjoyed it so that's all I'm gonna tell you about the series before I go into spoilers so now if you have not read this book or have not read any books in this series please do not watching you further to spoil yourself go check out my first view or go pick up the books in the library or buy it whatever you want to do just no spoilers will be ahead I do want to preface this by saying it's been like two weeks since I finished this book I haven't had time to film the review because I'm sick it's just been busy so it's gonna be a scattered review and I think I've forgotten a lot of it because I apologize my memory is horrible oh this book pretty much takes place right after the conclusion of two dark fades I think that is the third book yes books three the titles are so confusing and we have Arsenal and Jules who has kind of unleashed her war gift and she is kind of insane and they're off an island they went to the mainland to be away mirabela has escaped and she's went back to Queen Caterine Queen Katherine to try to kind of save her and then we have Queen Katherine trying to control all of these dead Queens inside of her all so Peter is almost dead because in the blast book he tried to do a spell to try to get the Queens out of him and Katherine puts him in him and it really put him in like a tacit onic state what else happened in the last book I believe that did did Joseph dot what Jules boyfriend died I forget his name Joseph Matthew there's so many characters in this series I will say that it just gets overwhelming to remember them all magical also died in the last book because Queen Katherine under the influence of the Queen's killed her so yeah there's a lot happening in the very beginning of this book because we have our Queens in different places and things like that what Mayor Samir Bela goes to Catherine and she tries to help her and Catherine tries to get her on her side because Catherine could not bear children because of everything that's happened with the poison because she's not really a poisoner and she can't she suggested all his poisons kind of really destroyed her internal body so she needs Mirabella to bear to bear her children so she tries to get me Arabella on her side and it's honestly I enjoyed their storyline because Catherine has been my favorite she's not been my favorite the past couple books but I've liked her because she's very resilient you know she went to this poisoner thing not being a poisoner she was really trying to fight for her and then I think what I'm trying to say is we don't see a ton of love from Catherine she's been through a lot in her life she's got these dead Queens that have a habit her body that's really kind of taking over that's made her very cruel and very unkind so the parts that she has with Mirabella that you can see a little bit of the old catherine seeping through I really enjoyed that also with Peter you can tell that Catherine really loves Peter and that things have happened it's just awkward but I really enjoyed the Mirabella Catherine scenes Mirabella is a phenomenal character she's so loving she's so kind she loves her sisters and she wants to unite them and she wants to help each of them even though she knows Catherine is doing something wrong and she knows that something is not quite up yeah also with the mist everything like that mirabela really truly cares I love that arsenal also what a character progression because the beginning of the series I wasn't a big fan of arcs no in fact I kind of found her quite boring in my opinion I just wasn't loving her but now by the end of the book I love Arsenal arson was very strong she knows what she wants she knows what's right she knows what to do she knows like she loves her friends she loves her family that she knows there's a line awesome relationship with Billie is just so adorable her friendship with Jules I love that speaking of Jules with her you know Alicia her war gift being the Legion Queen kind of you know went haywire and then Arno really embraced her low magic in this and she bound Jules and Bill yeah Emily a I forget she bounced them together to help control their magic and Jules has finally woken and is normal and I just loved their friendship so insanely match so that was the beginning of the book we have basically arsenal and kind of the Legion Queen Jules trying to fight a war against the kingdom and we have Catherine on the opposite fence you know trying to fight them we also have this mist that is overtaking the island who is the blue queen but essentially and we have to deal with that because Mirabella can't fight the mist and you know but the mist is killing people and it's just there's a lot going on in this book with political stuff as always with queens and everyone choosing sides but like different queens and things like that so the first time I pages were quite muddled in my opinion it just got was it was boring I was playing catch-up which is definitely a must in this series you have to play catch-up at least for people like me I have to go back and read recaps of the previous book or watch a review because I don't have time to reread it but I need to get refreshed on it so it's always good to play catch-up but I just found the first hunter pages slow and kind of hard to get through and then when we got to like the first half that's when things really picked up with Jools being awoken with Katherine with Mirabelle learning about Katherine that she has dead Queens inside of her awesome with Katherine been able to like what what the Queen's come from her mouth to go into like her war um to go into her like war coordinator out with a proper word is for that and they would take over her and she would go off and like kill a whole bunch of people that was very interesting like the whole dead Queens and Hound and Katherine I've always found that a very interesting plot um what else happened in this book we have I can't think the only thing I think is the ending like kinder Blake I don't with a lot of why fantasy I don't think there's gonna be a lot of consequences for actions because that's just how why fantasy usually is there hasn't been a ton of wife fantasies I've read where characters have been killed off and stayed killed off usually at some of these killed off and you're like oh my gosh and somehow they find their way back and everything's like hunky-dory again everything wraps up in a nice bow which is nice but with ye fantasy is not true you know with what's wars and things like that there are gonna be some deaths there's gonna be some you know people that fall off and that's just how it is and lately with why fantasy books that hasn't been the case he's dead leaves are vacant of other series I don't want to spoil it for you so I won't say but why I fantasy books I've read that everything just ends up really happy everybody makes it out unscathed everyone's okay and there has there's no real like you know like consequences for a war and things like that Kedar Blake went there like she went there we two of our main characters got killed off of our three I thought one of the sisters was gonna die I did not think two of them would die and if you would have asked me which sisters and would have been wouldn't have said cath let her mirabela I thought our snow might have died because she was making such a big stride and she was like fighting for things and I thought she was gonna go down like a sacrifice for her people and her friends and her family and she was the last one left standing so I applaud kinder Blake for going there because most why fantasy series do not do that and I'd thought too would Mirabella died I was like she's gonna find some way to bring her back because Mirabella and she didn't and I was like I was bone I respect it I'm not happy about it but I respect it catherine dies protecting our suno the Queen's are trying to come for Arsenal and Catherine put yourself in front of her and she pushes our snow away and then Catherine's killed so I do love the death of Catherine because she sacrificed herself her sisters this whole series she's been fighting against her sisters and wanting to be the Queen and then when she was the queen she really wasn't because the dead Queens were inhabiting her and then she saved her sister at the end I love that because I like Catherine from beginning because she's strong-willed she just will fight and she fought for her sister and I thought that was so noble of how she died when Arabella I had to go back and love Mirabella dies because the Catherine once again the dead Queens and have it in her body and she killed mirabela which is just horrible I think Catherine didn't want to kill Mirabel I thought they were having a great relationship and then the dead Queen so eventually at the end what happens is when Catherine or Mirabella are killed they take hold in the mystic and they kind of control the dead Queens I finally killed it it cleans once and for all and then like the mist is you know the best so yeah sorry about that that I forgot everything I had to go back and read but either way I love the ending of this because it was left very much open-ended which usually had not a fan of but this one I was because it was just about arceneaux going off to find Billie and you know she has to do with grief of her two sisters being gone and just like I said I applaud Kendra Blake for going there like I say most my fantasy series do not do that they don't kill off their main characters but the fact that she killed off two of her three main characters is a bold move that I respect I don't love because I want them all to be safe and okay and I just wanted the dead Queens gone and then everyone just live happily ever after I do want that okay but I realistic and know that's not gonna happen so yeah that's why I really enjoyed this book I just love the fact that Kundera Blake went there I enjoyed this series I am you know sad that it's over because it was such a fun series I looked forward every year to read the next book in the series because it's just a fun dark delicious read about these sisters and fighting and their poisons and weather and all that kind of stuff it's a fun series to read what I recommend it absolutely again it's a fun Y fantasy series to read that it's not too hard to read it's very easy to read it's very easy to get through very easy to fall in love the characters and the world offend burn and things like that so overall gave this book a 4 out of 5 if I can give this series of reading overall I will break my rules and go half I would give the series of four and a half out of five I enjoyed it I really am sad that it's over but I'm happy to have read it because it was a good series overall so I would love to hear your thoughts about five dark fates and the series overall in the comments I would love to hear what you thought about the final book did you like how kender Blake ended did you think that it was like did you respect your decision to kill off to the sisters are you just really upset I would love to hear your thoughts let's talk all about them thank you so much for watching and I will see you in my next video byehello everyone today I am here to review and talk all about five dark dates bike adorably this is the fourth and final book in the three dark crown series I have reviewed every single one of these books so in case you want to hear about the series is about when the first book started you can click right here to hear my review of that or if you want to hear all my previous reviews on these books all the links will be down below as well as the cards probably either right this is the fourth and final book of the three are crowns I have been with the series since the start and I've really enjoyed it it's a dark why a fantasy series and I will tell you quickly what it's about to see if you want to read the series before I go into spoilers so follow three sisters and their triplets and they were born from the Queen and they were separated at a very young age and going and they are all on the island a fen burn and they all go to different parts of the island to represent their powers because they each have powers we have Arsenal who is a naturalist and she can control like flowers and animals she's very familiar with that then we have Caterine or Catherine and she is a poisoner so she can ingest poison and she can have no effects from it and she can dole out poisons and she's just very familiar with poisons then we have Mirabella who was an elementalists who can control the weather and lightning and things like that so all three of these sisters are these powers so at a young age they go off to each parts of the island drawn up and like their powers place and things like that and then at the age of 16 they are brought together for the Ascension and it's pretty much a fight to the death whoever is left standing will be the queen and that is what this whole series is about so if you're interested in it like I said watch my first review to here if you want to read the book or not I will be talking about spoilers with this whole series I want you know in so just so you're aware before I get into that I will tell you what I thought about this books well if I can give this book a rating I would give it a 4 which I think I've given every single one of the books honestly it's a solid why fantasy series it is one of my favorites but I don't think it's perfect there's no I don't think there's any book that's really perfect much like anything in life but I enjoy it I always have a good time say especially if you're trying to get into the Y fantasy genre and you just don't know where to start because some Y fantasy can be quite daunting I think this is a great series to start with because it reads a lot like contemporary there's not much there is a lot of backstory there's a lot of power stuff going on but it's a very easy read by that I mean I don't think it gets too overly complicated like much fantasy series do it's just a very easy read so I think this is a great way I think this is a great beginner why a fantasy series also it's a great seasonal read it's dark and twisty kind of like a perfect full read in my opinion so overall like I said I give it a four out of five I don't still don't know which book in this series is my favorite honestly I think I have to go back and watch my reviews to figure out but this was a solid um conclusion I will tell you the first hundred pages were very slow I was very much struggling to get through the first hundred pages and I was like oh goodness but the last half made up for and I really really enjoyed it so that's all I'm gonna tell you about the series before I go into spoilers so now if you have not read this book or have not read any books in this series please do not watching you further to spoil yourself go check out my first view or go pick up the books in the library or buy it whatever you want to do just no spoilers will be ahead I do want to preface this by saying it's been like two weeks since I finished this book I haven't had time to film the review because I'm sick it's just been busy so it's gonna be a scattered review and I think I've forgotten a lot of it because I apologize my memory is horrible oh this book pretty much takes place right after the conclusion of two dark fades I think that is the third book yes books three the titles are so confusing and we have Arsenal and Jules who has kind of unleashed her war gift and she is kind of insane and they're off an island they went to the mainland to be away mirabela has escaped and she's went back to Queen Caterine Queen Katherine to try to kind of save her and then we have Queen Katherine trying to control all of these dead Queens inside of her all so Peter is almost dead because in the blast book he tried to do a spell to try to get the Queens out of him and Katherine puts him in him and it really put him in like a tacit onic state what else happened in the last book I believe that did did Joseph dot what Jules boyfriend died I forget his name Joseph Matthew there's so many characters in this series I will say that it just gets overwhelming to remember them all magical also died in the last book because Queen Katherine under the influence of the Queen's killed her so yeah there's a lot happening in the very beginning of this book because we have our Queens in different places and things like that what Mayor Samir Bela goes to Catherine and she tries to help her and Catherine tries to get her on her side because Catherine could not bear children because of everything that's happened with the poison because she's not really a poisoner and she can't she suggested all his poisons kind of really destroyed her internal body so she needs Mirabella to bear to bear her children so she tries to get me Arabella on her side and it's honestly I enjoyed their storyline because Catherine has been my favorite she's not been my favorite the past couple books but I've liked her because she's very resilient you know she went to this poisoner thing not being a poisoner she was really trying to fight for her and then I think what I'm trying to say is we don't see a ton of love from Catherine she's been through a lot in her life she's got these dead Queens that have a habit her body that's really kind of taking over that's made her very cruel and very unkind so the parts that she has with Mirabella that you can see a little bit of the old catherine seeping through I really enjoyed that also with Peter you can tell that Catherine really loves Peter and that things have happened it's just awkward but I really enjoyed the Mirabella Catherine scenes Mirabella is a phenomenal character she's so loving she's so kind she loves her sisters and she wants to unite them and she wants to help each of them even though she knows Catherine is doing something wrong and she knows that something is not quite up yeah also with the mist everything like that mirabela really truly cares I love that arsenal also what a character progression because the beginning of the series I wasn't a big fan of arcs no in fact I kind of found her quite boring in my opinion I just wasn't loving her but now by the end of the book I love Arsenal arson was very strong she knows what she wants she knows what's right she knows what to do she knows like she loves her friends she loves her family that she knows there's a line awesome relationship with Billie is just so adorable her friendship with Jules I love that speaking of Jules with her you know Alicia her war gift being the Legion Queen kind of you know went haywire and then Arno really embraced her low magic in this and she bound Jules and Bill yeah Emily a I forget she bounced them together to help control their magic and Jules has finally woken and is normal and I just loved their friendship so insanely match so that was the beginning of the book we have basically arsenal and kind of the Legion Queen Jules trying to fight a war against the kingdom and we have Catherine on the opposite fence you know trying to fight them we also have this mist that is overtaking the island who is the blue queen but essentially and we have to deal with that because Mirabella can't fight the mist and you know but the mist is killing people and it's just there's a lot going on in this book with political stuff as always with queens and everyone choosing sides but like different queens and things like that so the first time I pages were quite muddled in my opinion it just got was it was boring I was playing catch-up which is definitely a must in this series you have to play catch-up at least for people like me I have to go back and read recaps of the previous book or watch a review because I don't have time to reread it but I need to get refreshed on it so it's always good to play catch-up but I just found the first hunter pages slow and kind of hard to get through and then when we got to like the first half that's when things really picked up with Jools being awoken with Katherine with Mirabelle learning about Katherine that she has dead Queens inside of her awesome with Katherine been able to like what what the Queen's come from her mouth to go into like her war um to go into her like war coordinator out with a proper word is for that and they would take over her and she would go off and like kill a whole bunch of people that was very interesting like the whole dead Queens and Hound and Katherine I've always found that a very interesting plot um what else happened in this book we have I can't think the only thing I think is the ending like kinder Blake I don't with a lot of why fantasy I don't think there's gonna be a lot of consequences for actions because that's just how why fantasy usually is there hasn't been a ton of wife fantasies I've read where characters have been killed off and stayed killed off usually at some of these killed off and you're like oh my gosh and somehow they find their way back and everything's like hunky-dory again everything wraps up in a nice bow which is nice but with ye fantasy is not true you know with what's wars and things like that there are gonna be some deaths there's gonna be some you know people that fall off and that's just how it is and lately with why fantasy books that hasn't been the case he's dead leaves are vacant of other series I don't want to spoil it for you so I won't say but why I fantasy books I've read that everything just ends up really happy everybody makes it out unscathed everyone's okay and there has there's no real like you know like consequences for a war and things like that Kedar Blake went there like she went there we two of our main characters got killed off of our three I thought one of the sisters was gonna die I did not think two of them would die and if you would have asked me which sisters and would have been wouldn't have said cath let her mirabela I thought our snow might have died because she was making such a big stride and she was like fighting for things and I thought she was gonna go down like a sacrifice for her people and her friends and her family and she was the last one left standing so I applaud kinder Blake for going there because most why fantasy series do not do that and I'd thought too would Mirabella died I was like she's gonna find some way to bring her back because Mirabella and she didn't and I was like I was bone I respect it I'm not happy about it but I respect it catherine dies protecting our suno the Queen's are trying to come for Arsenal and Catherine put yourself in front of her and she pushes our snow away and then Catherine's killed so I do love the death of Catherine because she sacrificed herself her sisters this whole series she's been fighting against her sisters and wanting to be the Queen and then when she was the queen she really wasn't because the dead Queens were inhabiting her and then she saved her sister at the end I love that because I like Catherine from beginning because she's strong-willed she just will fight and she fought for her sister and I thought that was so noble of how she died when Arabella I had to go back and love Mirabella dies because the Catherine once again the dead Queens and have it in her body and she killed mirabela which is just horrible I think Catherine didn't want to kill Mirabel I thought they were having a great relationship and then the dead Queen so eventually at the end what happens is when Catherine or Mirabella are killed they take hold in the mystic and they kind of control the dead Queens I finally killed it it cleans once and for all and then like the mist is you know the best so yeah sorry about that that I forgot everything I had to go back and read but either way I love the ending of this because it was left very much open-ended which usually had not a fan of but this one I was because it was just about arceneaux going off to find Billie and you know she has to do with grief of her two sisters being gone and just like I said I applaud Kendra Blake for going there like I say most my fantasy series do not do that they don't kill off their main characters but the fact that she killed off two of her three main characters is a bold move that I respect I don't love because I want them all to be safe and okay and I just wanted the dead Queens gone and then everyone just live happily ever after I do want that okay but I realistic and know that's not gonna happen so yeah that's why I really enjoyed this book I just love the fact that Kundera Blake went there I enjoyed this series I am you know sad that it's over because it was such a fun series I looked forward every year to read the next book in the series because it's just a fun dark delicious read about these sisters and fighting and their poisons and weather and all that kind of stuff it's a fun series to read what I recommend it absolutely again it's a fun Y fantasy series to read that it's not too hard to read it's very easy to read it's very easy to get through very easy to fall in love the characters and the world offend burn and things like that so overall gave this book a 4 out of 5 if I can give this series of reading overall I will break my rules and go half I would give the series of four and a half out of five I enjoyed it I really am sad that it's over but I'm happy to have read it because it was a good series overall so I would love to hear your thoughts about five dark fates and the series overall in the comments I would love to hear what you thought about the final book did you like how kender Blake ended did you think that it was like did you respect your decision to kill off to the sisters are you just really upset I would love to hear your thoughts let's talk all about them thank you so much for watching and I will see you in my next video bye\n"