Most Popular Books by Kendare Blake

New York Times Bestseller * New York Public Library Best Book of 2016 * Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016 * Kirkus Best Book of the Year Fans of acclaimed author Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood will devour Three Dark Crowns, the first book in a dark and inventive fantasy series about three sisters who must fight to the death to become queen. 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. Don''t miss Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series!

The heart pounding conclusion to bestselling author Kendare Blake''s epic fantasy duology about love, honour and sacrifice. Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Stephanie Garber. REED IS NOW OFFICIALLY A MEMBER OF THE IMMORTAL ORDER OF THE ARISTENE. And she’s not just any Aristene, but a Glorious Death. Reed guides only those heroes whose price for victory on the battlefield is their lives. It is a heavy burden, but she throws herself into the role in the hope of forgetting the prince she loved and betrayed. When fellow Aristene Lyonene is summoned to guide a princess to a glorious marriage, Reed sees an opportunity for a simpler mission and they secretly arrange for Reed to go in her place. But she arrives to find that Prince Hestion is one of the suitors. Now, Reed faces the ultimate battle: can she carry out her duties or will she yield to the desires of her heart? Praise for Champion of Fate: ‘One of the best fantasy authors writing today’ Erin A. Craig, author of The Thirteenth Child ‘A breathtaking new fantasy that’s going to sweep you away and leave you wanting more’ Katharine Corr, co-author of Daughter of Darkness ‘A gripping tale full of heart-racing battles, sisterly love and found family’ Ann Sei Lin, author of the Rebel Skies trilogy

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake comes a new epic duology following a young woman’s training to shepherd a princely hero to victory. Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Stephanie Garber. TO BE AN ARISTENE IS TO GIVE UP YOUR MORTAL LIFE AND TO BE GRANTED A NEW ONE. ''I would follow Kendare Blake into any world she creates.'' Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods The Aristene is a mythical order of female warriors. While heroes are the ones immortalized in legends, it’s the Aristene who guide their paths to victory. They are the Heromakers. Reed – an orphan raised by the order – has always dreamed of taking her place beside her sisters-in-arms. To do that, she must help her first hero achieve glory on the battlefield. Nothing is going to stop Reed. Until, that is, she is assigned the fiery and infuriating Prince Hestion. As their alliance turns into something more, she starts to question the true cost of becoming an Aristene. With battle looming, Reed must make an impossible choice – her hero or her order. Readers are loving Champion of Fate: ‘PHENOMENAL ��THE CHARACTERS the story plot THE PACE’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The fantasy novel for all the horse girls. And I mean that in the most positive of ways’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘BEAUTIFUL!! I absolutely loved this even though it hurt my heart so much’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The characters are spot on, the story is creative, and the world-building is beautiful’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘if you’re just looking for an epic fantasy read with found family, slow burn forbidden romance, battles, and amazing characters - check this one out!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I devoured this book and was loathe to put it down’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘One of the best YA books I have read in a long, LONG, time!!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This has gorgeous found families and diverse female powerful characters!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this must-read prequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, the queens’ origin story is revealed. It’s a pre-crown lowdown of Fennbirn’s ruling class. Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katharine weren''t always scheming to murder each other. They weren''t always surrounded by rival foster families, each swearing to have their best interests at heart. And they weren''t always afraid of being unexpectedly attacked—by one of their own sisters, no less—in a way that could cost them their last breath. They used to be together. Just three sisters. Alone in a glen. This is the story of the three queens—after they were born, before they were separated, during the time when they all lived together, loved each other, and protected each other. Even as children, their personalities were starting to emerge—Mirabella was the responsible eldest; Arsinoe, the wild spitfire; and Katharine, the obedient youngest. It’s also the story of the day they were torn apart, and the several years that follow. From birth to eleven years old, this is a rare glimpse of the queens'' lives…before they were at stake. Don''t miss any of the Three Dark Crowns books, including Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series! Want to read more about Fennbirn’s history? Check out The Oracle Queen, the tragic story of the legendary last Queen with the gift of sight!

From Kendare Blake, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns, a beautiful and haunting ghost story Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father''s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn''t expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he''s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas''s life. Kendare Blake''s Anna Dressed in Blood is a 2011 Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year title. One of NPR''s Top 5 Young Adult Novels of 2011. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

With the queens'' sixteenth birthday celebration on the horizon and the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them, the sisters must reassess their strategic paths to the throne in light of what has happened.

Ghost-hunter Cas Lowood returns to find out what happened to Anna Dressed in Blood.

The electrifying sequel to The New York Times-bestselling Three Dark Crowns "Gorgeous and bloody, tender and violent, precise, and passionate; above all, completely addicting." Kirkus Reviews on Three Dark Crowns The battle for the crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail? With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favour without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before - ones that put those around her in danger that she can''t seem to prevent. In One Dark Throne, the enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake''s The New York Times-bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn''s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other. MORE PRAISE FOR THREE DARK CROWNS "a brutal and inventive fantasy that is as addictive as it is horrifying ... I''m salivating like poisoners at a feast to find out what will happen next." Marissa Meyer, New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles "With exquisite world building and luminous detail, this is high fantasy at its best." Booklist (starred review) "The opener to a pitch-black epic fantasy series. Blake has constructed an insular, matriarchal society from convincing intimate details, vivid, complicated characters, [and] sumptuous, poetic prose. Gorgeous and bloody, tender and violent, precise, and passionate; above all, completely addicting." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake returns with the highly anticipated third book in the Three Dark Crowns series! And while Arsinoe, Mirabella, and Katharine all have their own scores to settle, there is another queen stirring things up on Fennbirn Island. Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There’s also the alarming issue of whether her sisters are actually dead—or if they’re waiting in the wings to usurp the throne. Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn. Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can’t imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine’s doorstep. This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected. Don''t miss Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series!

In the final book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns series, an all-out war is brewing—one that will pit sister against sister and dead against undead. After the grim confrontation with Queen Katharine, the rebellion lies in tatters. Jules’s legion curse has been unbound, and it is up to Arsinoe to find a cure, even as the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist lies heavy on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone. Mirabella has disappeared. Katharine’s reign remains intact—for now. When Mirabella arrives, seemingly under a banner of truce, Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share. But as the two circle each other, the dead queens hiss caution—Mirabella is not to be trusted. In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested. But the fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens. It always has.

* Indie Next List Pick * Indie Bestseller * Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation. In this edge-of-your-seat mystery from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake, the truth is as hard to believe as it is to find. Summer 1958. A gruesome killer plagues the Midwest, leaving behind a trail of bodies completely drained of blood. Michael Jensen, an aspiring journalist whose father happens to be the town sheriff, never imagined that the Bloodless Murders would come to his backyard. Not until the night the Carlson family was found murdered in their home. Marie Catherine Hale, a diminutive fifteen-year-old, was discovered at the scene—covered in blood. She is the sole suspect in custody. Michael didn''t think that he would be part of the investigation, but he is pulled in when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to. As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?

A #1 New York Times bestseller "expertly brings . . . ancient characters into the modern world . . . a fun story for readers who enjoy the supernatural" ( School Library Journal). As ancient immortals are left reeling, a modern Athena and Hermes search the world for answers in Mortal Gods, the second Goddess War novel by Kendare Blake, acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood. Ares, god of war, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She''s ready to wage a war of her own, and she''s never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she''ll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace. Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can''t have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite. The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra''s hate will get them all killed. The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can''t, fates far worse than death await. "Characteristically witty." — Kirkus Reviews "Blood and gore abound in this mythological twist on magical realism." — Booklist

Athena and Hermes'' search for the cause of their unexpected, life-threatening illnesses leads them to Cassandra, a former prophetess, who may be key to a war started by Hera and other Olympians who have become corrupt anti-gods determined to destroy their rivals.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series introduces readers to the Oracle Queen in this riveting prequel novella. Fans of the series will be enthralled with Queen Elsabet’s genesis, riveted by her madness, and compelled by her tragic—and bloody—reign. Triplet queens born on the island of Fennbirn can be many things: Elementals. Poisoners. Naturalists. If an oracle queen is born, however, one with the gift of sight, she’s immediately drowned, extinguishing her chance at ever taking the throne. But that’s not how it always was. This cautionary practice started long ago, with Queen Elsabet—the legendary, and last, oracle queen—whose reign was tinged with blood and horror. Paranoid, ruthless, and utterly mad, Elsabet’s mistrust led to the senseless slaying of three entire houses of innocent people. At least, that’s the unchallenged tale carried down from generation to generation. But what really happened? Discover the true story behind the queen who, though born with the gift of sight, could not foresee her swift and sudden fall from power . . . until it was too late. Don''t miss Five Dark Fates, the thrilling conclusion to the series!

As ancient immortals are left reeling, a modern Athena and Hermes search the world for answers inUngodly, the final Goddess War novel.

A brand-new reimagining of the Buffy universe, this YA series by New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns) features the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil. Return to Sunnydale in a brand-new series by New York Times best-selling author Kendare Blake, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Frankie Rosenberg wasn''t yet alive when her mom, Willow, her aunt Buffy, and the original Scooby Gang destroyed the Hellmouth and saved the world from the First Evil. These days, life in New Sunnydale is blissfully quiet. Frankie is just trying to survive her sophomore year at the rebuilt high school and use her budding magical powers to make the world a better place. But that world is suddenly plunged into danger when the slayer community is the target of a deadly attack, leaving the future of the line uncertain. Then Frankie discovers she''s sort of freakishly strong. Oh, and there''s something Willow never told her about her true identity. Cue the opening credits. Quicker than she can carve a stake, Frankie discovers there''s more to saving the world than witty one-liners and stupid hot demons. now everyone looks to her for answers, but speaking up has never been her strong suit. And it''s hard to be taken seriously when your mom is such a powerful witch she almost ended the world once, while your greatest magic trick is recycling. Despite the many challenges standing in her way, Frankie must assemble her own bumbling Scooby Gang, get dressed up in Buffy''s (vintage ''90s) clothes, and become a new slayer for a new generation—before whatever came for the rest of the slayers comes for her next. “A worthy successor to the Slayer stories.” –Booklist Starred Review

The Queens of Fennbirn contains two gripping stories from the New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns universe, written by Kendare Blake.The Young Queens is the story of the three queens when they were born, before they were separated - it gives a short glimpse of the time when they all lived together, loved each other and protected one another. It''s also the story of the day they were torn apart and the immediate years that followed before the opening of Three Dark Crowns.The Oracle Queen - historically, baby queens born with the sight gift were drowned. This had been the practice for hundreds of years, so long that few were even born any more, as if the Goddess knew it would be a waste. It is a harsh sentence, but necessary, for it is well-known that in a queen the sight gift will run strong. Strong enough to drive her mad. This is the tale of the last sight-gift queen to be allowed to live. She was overcome by paranoia and false visions, driven past the brink by the phantom thoughts of others in her head, so she set upon the capital with bloody ruin, murdering whole houses, whole family lines, without trial. Or at least, that is how the tale is told. This is her story.

In a one-of-a-kind collaboration, seventeen of the most recognizable YA writers—including Shaun David Hutchinson, Neal and Brendan Shusterman, and Beth Revis—come together to share the viewpoints of a group of students affected by a school shooting. It took only twenty-two minutes for Kirby Matheson to exit his car, march onto the school grounds, enter the gymnasium, and open fire, killing six and injuring five others. But this isn’t a story about the shooting itself. This isn’t about recounting that one unforgettable day. This is about one boy—who had friends, enjoyed reading, playing saxophone in the band, and had never been in trouble before—became a monster capable of entering his school with a loaded gun and firing bullets at his classmates. Each chapter is told from a different victim’s viewpoint, giving insight into who Kirby was and who he’d become. Some are sweet, some are dark; some are seemingly unrelated, about fights or first kisses or late-night parties. This is a book told from multiple perspectives—with one character and one event drawing them all together—by some of YA’s most recognizable names.

AN INDIE NEXT PICK! 13 SCARY STORIES. 13 AUTHORS OF COLOR. 13 TIMES WE SURVIVED... THE FIRST KILL. The White Guy Dies First includes thirteen scary stories by all-star contributors and this time, the white guy dies first. Killer clowns, a hungry hedge maze, and rich kids who got bored. Friendly cannibals, impossible slashers, and the dead who don’t stay dead.... A museum curator who despises “diasporic inaccuracies.” A sweet girl and her diary of happy thoughts. An old house that just wants friends forever.... These stories are filled with ancient terrors and modern villains, but go ahead, go into the basement, step onto the old plantation, and open the magician’s mystery box because this time, the white guy dies first. Edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker, including stories from bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming contributors: Adiba Jaigirdar, Alexis Henderson, Chloe Gong, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, H. E. Edgmon, Kalynn Bayron, Karen Strong, Kendare Blake, Lamar Giles, Mark Oshiro, Naseem Jamnia, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Terry J. Benton-Walker. A collection you’ll be dying to talk about... if you survive it. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Frankie Rosenberg, the world''s first Slayer-Witch, finds herself fighting evil alone as the threat of Darkness grows, she must lead the charge to reunite the fragmented Scooby gang, save the slayers, and defeat the Darkness.