Review: Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake

Publication date: May 3rd 2018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 232 pages

Uncover the sisters’ origins, dive deep into the catastrophic reign of the Oracle Queen, and reveal layers of Fennbirn’s past, hidden until now.
The Young Queens
Get a glimpse of triplet queens Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katharine during a short period of time when they protected and loved one another. From birth until their claiming ceremonies, this is the story of the three sisters’ lives…before they were at stake.
The Oracle Queen
Everyone knows the legend of Elsabet, the Oracle Queen. The one who went mad. The one who orchestrated a senseless, horrific slaying of three entire houses. But what really happened? Discover the true story behind the queen who could foresee the future…just not her own downfall.

This series is one of my favourites, and one of those rare yet wonderful experiences of wandering into a bookstore and picking up a book knowing nothing about it, but ultimately loving it. 

This companion with two novellas that are both prequels to the series is a curious book. On the one hand I loved having the chance to experience more of this strange and wonderful world Blake has created. I loved seeing more of the three Queens and finding out a little bit more of the history of the world. 
On the other hand, it just didn't capture me in the same way as the full novels have.

It was a great idea, and a way for Blake to offer a few additional snippets about the world and the characters that don't really fit into the overall narrative of the books, but I'm frequently left feeling a little unsatisfied with novellas. Ultimately, I just want more.

This is definitely worth a read. If you're a fan of the books this will give you the kind of little titbits and backstory that you need to keep you hungry for the next book. However I wouldn't recommend starting with this, even though *technically* they are prequel novellas. Start with the first book in the series, and become thoroughly enmeshed and enthralled, then come back to this one when you need an additional fix waiting for the latest.