This week, I decided to venture outside of the genre of books that I usually write about and enter a realm of fantasy. It’s funny because I used to love reading young adult, fantasy teen books, but after a while I found that all of them were usually based on the same plot. Some girl accidentally enters a world of werewolves and vampires and catches the eyes of a hot hunk who loves her but can’t be with her while there’s some sort of war going on. If you haven’t caught on, I’m throwing some serious shade towards “Twilight.”

However, “One Dark Throne” by Kendare Blake is an exception to this conforming rule. While I was reading this book, I not only found myself caught up in the action, but also genuinely caring for the characters.

Blake was born in South Korea, but at a young age was sent off to live with her adoptive parents in the U.S. Now living in Kent, Washington, Blake is continuing her writing. Her fantasy series “Three Dark Thrones” is a New York Times best seller and is continuing to grow in popularity.

The first book of the series, “Three Dark Crowns,” was one of the best fantasy books I have read in a long time. The book focuses on three sisters, Katharine, Arsinoe, and Mirabella, each taking turns bringing their perspective to the table during the most important time of their life; The Ascension Year.

The Ascension Year is a time in which the sisters fight for the crown… except the only way to get to the crown is to kill each other. They’re not completely helpless because each sister was born with certain powers. Mirabella has the ability to control all things elemental, Arsinoe has the ability to control anything related to nature, and Katharine has her gift to take in poison and live.

With “Three Dark Crowns” ending on a major cliffhanger, I was very excited to get my hands on the sequel. “One Dark Throne” began exactly where its predecessor left off, with tension already built up and stakes already raised.

Throughout the book, I not only was cheering on my favorite character, Katharine, but also was sitting back and marveling on how beautifully Blake built up the major scenes in the story. With a plot so intense, it’s hard to find writing that perfectly captures all of the elements that go into it, but Blake had no problem with that.

Another thing that I really appreciated about the book is that the love interests were not the center focus of this book.

In other books (*cough* *cough* Twilight), the relationship dictates all the decisions the characters make. Whether that be not having a friendship with another guy, not going anywhere near the danger, or not being able to be free in general, these things really just put a damper on the overall plot.

However, in “Three Dark Crowns,” the friendships seem to weigh more value than the actual romantic relationships themselves. This is most likely because their lives can be taken at any moment and so when fighting for their lives, they want to experience their presence as much as possible. Overall, I think that this theme brings a principle that we can all learn from.

When looking for a book that stands out from the crowd in its genre, look no further than “One Dark Throne.” This book is sure to satisfy your quench for a thriller and leave you asking questions.

Let me know what you guys want me to review next!