Twin Crown
Title: Twin Crowns
Author: Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber
Published: 17th May 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction Pages: 480 Start Date: 9th September 2022
Finish Date:11th September 2022
Summary
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?
Review
We got 2 points of view here from the twin sisters: Rose and Wren. Separated since birth and they have grown up in very different places.. Rose is at the palace and raised to be a queen, Wren is raised by the ocean shore with the witches raised to take revenge and take her right birth to be a queen to replace Rose. Witches were being hunted in the kingdom even though they own the land first so they kidnapped Rose and replace her with Wren. The story is mostly about the adventure and how the sisters tried to adjust to the different situation and learn about the environment
It is written in a very readable style, I love how fast pace this book is and both of the sisters’ adventures are so much fun and engaging. I also love how the romance grows throughout the story I ship them ALL!
Wren was raised by the witches, spirited away on the night she was born and has always known that she would one day steal her twin sister’s throne. Trained from birth to avenge the murder of her parents by the Kingsbreath and usurp the princess, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves so much.
The world-building and lore were intriguing and incredibly vivid, it was one of the most visual reading experiences I’ve had in a while and I can see this making a great TV show or Movie. I enjoyed the dual POVs of Wren and Rose and loved how distinctive each of their voices and personalities was, this was a massive benefit to having two authors co-writing.
The journey that each sister takes was genuinely compelling; watching them encounter and navigate shocking revelations, annoyingly handsome love interests and even plot to dismantle the ‘patriarchy’ in the form of the villainous Kingsbreath. I have to admit I loved the chaotic energy and sarcasm of Wren who was probably my fave sister but Rose does experience the biggest upheaval and I enjoyed her emotional journey.
I also enjoyed the deliciously slow-burn romance that’s interwoven through both sisters' POVs. Though I have to admittedly I did prefer Rose’s arc just a tad more than Wren’s, though Wren does have the best one-liners.
Overall, this is an enchanting, fun and YA fantasy adventure with magic, witches and romance galore that YA fantasy lovers are almost certain to enjoy especially if you enjoy enemies to lovers or grumpy/sunshine bodyguard trope.
Rose’s point of view is a little bit more of a slow burn. She is obviously, through no fault of her own, naive and sheltered at the beginning and has been raised to accept whatever the Kingsbreath told her. So her journey of learning more about the world and herself is very fulfilling. I liked that she wasn’t annoying when faced with new information but that she used her brain cells to put two and two together.
At the core, what I enjoyed the most in Twin Crowns were the two romances. Surprise, surprise! Both of the romances hit all the buttons for me. I don’t know, there’s just something about romance in a fantasy setting that takes things to the next level! Anyways, Twins Crowns served some good ship material. They were so good that I could barely stop flipping the pages because I wanted them to hurry up and mush their faces.
Rose’s romance is with Shen, Wren’s friend who kidnaps her. It’s an “enemies”-to-lovers dynamic between a princess and a bandit, and I was all for it. The bickering between these two in the early chapters was god-tier and had me grinning ear to ear. Their chemistry was EXQUISITE and I loved their banter so much. Shen is also the gateway who helps open Rose’s eyes to the reality of the world she’s living in and I’m all for couples who help each other grow.
Wren’s romance is a teensy bit more complicated because technically she’s masquerading as Rose in Eana and Rose is betrothed. Her love interest happens to be Rose’s fiancé’s broody bodyguard, Tor. So their relationship gave forbidden romance vibes. I love when one character pushes the other very grumpy one’s buttons to the edge through lots of heavy flirting. And then the grumpy one is the one who makes the first physical move. HOT! Let me tell you, their first kiss will replay in my empty noggin on repeat and I have zero complaints!!!!
Besides the romance, I was also really keen on the sibling dynamic. I really couldn’t wait to see Rose and Wren come face-to-face mostly because I didn’t 100% know how it would go. I was very happy that the authors thankfully didn’t make us wait until the next book to be able to see that reunion play out on paper. Even though they’ve been separated for their entire lives, there’s an invisible bond that ties them together. I’m keen to see how the authors explore more of their relationship in the next book now that we know more about a certain twin curse.
I haven’t said much about the plot and the world-building/magic system. Is it the most intricate and fresh concept? No. Should you expect your life to change after reading this? Also, no. But will it entertain you? 100%. I appreciated that the story was well-paced and that the world was easy to digest. If you’re a reader who expects twists and turns, this isn’t the book for you. There’s no reason why fun, lighter fantasy books shouldn’t also exist!
I’m sad that I have to wait for the next book in this series, but it is on pre-order and I am so excited to read it!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️