Book Review: Twin Crowns (#1) by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber
Published: May 17th 2022 by Balzer + Bray / Electric Monkey
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5)
Genre: Young Adult // Fantasy, Romance, Magic
Quick Thoughts: A sparkling tale of found family, luminous magic and absorbing adventures with a delicately interwoven romance.
About The Book:
Wren Greenrock has always known that one day she would steal her sister’s place in the palace. Trained from birth to return to the place of her parents’ murder and usurp the only survivor, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves. Or she would, if only a certain palace guard wasn’t quite so distractingly attractive, and if her reckless magic didn’t have a habit of causing trouble…
Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility. Marriage into a brutal kingdom awaits, and she will not let a small matter like waking up in the middle of the desert in the company of an extremely impertinent (and handsome) kidnapper get in the way of her royal duty. But life outside the palace walls is wilder and more beautiful than she ever imagined, and the witches she has long feared might turn out to be the family she never knew she was missing.
Two sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other’s lives a whole lot better. But as coronation day looms closer and they each strive to claim their birthright, the sinister Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, becomes increasingly determined that neither will succeed. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown?
First Thoughts
When I was offered the chance to read Cursed Crowns, the sequel to Twin Crowns, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t picked up the first book yet. As a firm TikTok favourite, I knew it was beloved by many. So when the publisher offered to send me the first instalment to get ready for the sequel, I was over the moon! I haven’t read YA Fantasy very much lately, but I grew up reading it religiously.
My Review
Despite being twins, Rose and Wren are nothing alike. In fact, Rose—a perfect, royally crowned Princess—knows nothing of Wren, who just so happens to have been raised with witches. And in the kingdom Rose belongs to, witches like the ones Wren loves are hunted and killed. That’s why Wren knows she has to make a change. She has to steal her sisters place in the palace and avenge the wrongful deaths, making sure that witches never come to harm again.
But things don’t work out to plan. Wren finds her mission difficult when a handsome palace guard keeps distracting her attempts to overthrow power. Rose, kidnapped and swept away from everything she’s ever known, begins to question why she feels so at home with the family she didn’t know she was needing—plus getting a dose of a little romance herself. Only, the estranged twins are united in something: someone with a good heart has to take the crown. And with the feared Willem weaving a path to be their downfall, it’s anyone’s guess who will take the crown—and who will save the other.
Overall, Twin Crowns was one of those books that totally immerses you from start to finish. I even played some ambient high fantasy music while reading because it made me feel like I was in the book. I definitely favoured Wren’s POV, but Rose grew on me by the end. Even though I’m sure teenage me would’ve loved this ten times as much, I still found so much to be enjoyed about it. In a nutshell it was a sparkling tale of found family, luminous magic and absorbing adventures with delicately interwoven romance. A brilliant four and a half star read!
About The Authors
Catherine Doyle grew up in the West of Ireland. She holds a first-class BA in Psychology and a first-class MA in Publishing. She is the author of the Young Adult Blood for Blood trilogy (Vendetta, Inferno and Mafiosa), which is often described as Romeo and Juliet meets the Godfather. Aside from more conventional interests in movies, running and travelling, Catherine also enjoys writing about herself in the third-person. Katherine Webber was born in Southern California in 1987. She has lived in Hong Kong, Hawaii, and Atlanta. She currently lives in London with her husband, Kevin, and their young daughter. In addition to her YA, Katherine also co-writes young fiction, as Katie Tsang, with Kevin.
Have you read Twin Crowns?
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happy reading!
