Anna Dressed in Blood author Kendare Blake is here to talk about why wicked queens, like those in Three Dark Crowns, might not be so bad.

About ‘Three Dark Crowns’

Fans of acclaimed author Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood will devour her latest novel, a dark and inventive fantasy 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 16, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

3 reasons why wicked queens aren’t so wicked after all by Kendare Blake

Is there any creature so maligned in the world of fantasy as the wicked queen? From Snow White’s evil stepmother to the white witch of Narnia, Maleficent to Ursula, these wondrous ladies have been set up to be knocked down, and if you ask me, it’s total B.S. Why? Glad you asked. Here are three reasons why the wicked queens that you know and hate may not be so wicked after all:

1. There’s always some hippy-hoppy, bird-loving, flower-picking princess-in-law ready to ruin everything

Look: Snow White is a drip. And she had it coming. I’m not even talking about the way she Forrest Gumps her way through life, falling into lucky scenario after lucky scenario (helpful dwarves, you say? Seven of them? In a mine full of DIAMONDS?), I’m talking about being a flat-out jerk. Take for example the 1997 film, Snow White: a Tale of Terror.

Terror? Hell yes there was terror, in the form of a horrible princess who would not give her stepmother a single, freaking break. If you have not seen it then let me ruin it for you by telling you exactly what happens, a recap not at all influenced by my overwhelming love of Sigourney Weaver. So Queen Sigourney comes to a foreign land to marry a dude she is way too hot for and immediately gives Snow White a dog. In return for her thoughtful awesomeness, Snow throws oil into her eyes and makes her miscarry her baby.

2. The retaliation is totally justified

Let us pause here to consider whether any of these queens were wicked to begin with or if they just had it up to here with your B.S. and whining.

On this list of so-called wicked queens, let’s see what they were striking back at: Maleficent was snubbed for the party of the year, despite being able to turn into a freaking dragon. (Coolest party trick ever, btw.) The White Witch got in trouble for giving a hungry boy some Turkish Delight, which is admittedly a little creepy, but Turkish Delight isn’t even good, so I doubt the truthfulness of this whole story. And as for Ursula, Triton rudely kicked her to the curb!

3. They were made evil because people were afraid of their sheer awesomeness

If one removed their respective psychotic leanings, are these not women who could be admired? They are decisive, opinionated, and autonomous. Confident and unapologetic about it. I would hang out with Charlize Theron’s Queen Ravenna any day of the week. Lady gets things done, and if you took away that intense narcissistic streak, I bet she’d be a really good friend, like, the kind that would truly care about injustices done to your Pomeranian at the grooming salon. And then she would glaze his tiny toenails in gold.

That these fine traits come wrapped in a muddled “wicked” and “evil” package just seems unfair. These queens are archetypes, and for better or worse they have informed our views of women in power: what is expected, and what is allowed. What we are comfortable with and what is “likable.” These portrayals of the wicked queen, the evil stepmother, the witch, they’re a total smear campaign. I bet half of these queens were great rulers. I bet they never starved out their serfs at all. It was probably just spin from a foreign kingdom trying to leverage a trade deal.

So the next time you see a “wicked” queen, think twice. Or don’t blame me when your kingdom is being ruled by some puppet princess whose defining characteristics involve singing, wanting to marry a prince, more singing, maybe sleeping a lot, and shell-boobs.

About the author

Kendare Blake is the author of several novels and short stories, including the critically-acclaimed Anna Dressed in Blood series and the Goddess War trilogy. Kendare was adopted from South Korea at seven years old. She is a graduate of Ithaca College and received her masters from Middlesex University in London. She currently lives in Washington with her husband and their many pets. Her latest YA fantasy, Three Dark Crowns, is out now.