Teaser Tuesday: One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake.

One Dark Throne – HarperTeen

“What stories?”
“Nonsense, mostly.” Genevieve waves her hand. But Natalia frowns. Nonsense becomes truth if enough mouths repeat it.
— Chapter 1

“But remember that you thought the same of Billy when he first arrived.”
“Aye, but what are the chances of me being wrong twice?”
— Chapter 13

Siblings can be a real pest sometimes and they enter into the most dangerous arguments, one might even call them battles. Or so I’m told (precious, difficult, only-child, while we’re at the throwing cliches around stage). But I really think that the people who can love you best are also the ones who can hurt you the worst. Blood relation or not.
This is the second book and I originally had this also down as the final book, but surprise, there will be two more. This second book picks up the pace even more as the ascension of the queens gets up to speed and rivalries run high. Such a violent tradition cannot survive without bloodshed. And not without those upholding this tradition more than likely no matter the cost. I was surprised at myself for how easily I shifted sympathies at first and then really filled my pity cup. None of the three girls deserves what happens to them and how they deal with the situation is as much nurture as it is nature. And possibly a little extra magic. I especially loved those mysterious aspects and kept wondering which powers might be at work there. Whether they are sinister or just fateful.
The supporting characters do a really good job at supporting not only their chosen queen but also the plot in general. Some more than others. I felt that there was a slight imbalance toward two care-giving parties, but that at the same time reinforces that the third didn’t get much say in the keeping of their charge. Great plotting and construction overall. Not to mention the writing. So if a twisty, slightly dark (the title doesn’t lie), and gripping fantasy-mystery-thrilling read is something you enjoy and you haven’t started this series yet, I highly recommend picking up the first book and reading straight on through the novella (not before the first book!) and then this one. The third book is scheduled for September (wait, have I written that before – September is already beginning to look crowded).

What are your sibling rivalry experiences, own or observed? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!