Twin Crowns is a new novel by the author duo Katherine Webber and Catherine Doyle. I always approach novels with two authors with a slight bit of trepidation. Will their writing styles mesh? Will the novel feel like there are two different writers? And the resounding answer with this novel is NO!
Twin sisters Wren and Rose are separated at birth. Their parents were murdered and they spent the whole of their lives being unaware that the other existed. But now their shared birthday is fast approaching and a kingdom, divided by those with magic and those without, hangs in a precarious balance. Someone must do something, and one sister feels she is just the ticket…with a little encouragement.
This novel has a two-perspective approach. Every other chapter flips to the alternate perspective which can sometimes feel a little choppy, but in this novel, it is extremely smooth. The language is simple enough for younger readers (although content analysis below should be reviewed), but not overly simple such that older readers will feel bored and as though the story is beneath them. And I loved the ingenuity of the expletives too!
It isn’t clear if this book is meant to be a stand-alone or the start of a new series. I think the book itself is set up well for either. While it didn’t end in a complete cliffhanger, the ending did leave itself open to further plotlines and extensions of the current book. It will be interesting to see if these authors team up again to continue the story of if this duo is a one-hit wonder.
Electronic Advanced Reading Copy provided for review by Harper Collins Publishing.
Content Analysis
Profanity/Language: 17 mild obscenities, 1 scatological word; 1 offensive hand gesture.
Violence and Gore: Numerous verbal threats; blood from thorn pricks; magical abilities knock person unconscious, throw person off cliff, suffocate person (not to death); character is kidnapped; elbow to ribs; fight with animal resulting in bloody leg wound and dead animal; reference to murders; report of hand being chopped off in punishment; war with death reported; depiction of hung man without graphic detail; multiple threats with knives; multiple instances of being painfully grabbed by wrist or face; visions of people being graphically killed in battle; robbery with stabbing; backhand to face; shoe is thrown at person; throat is slashed (graphic depiction of blood); man is killed by thrown dagger to chest; multi-page battle with death and graphic bloody injuries.
Sex and Nudity: 3 instances of hand-holding; 2 instances of kissing; 3 instances of arms or hands around waist; intimate embrace; kiss to cheek; kiss to neck; 2 instances of kissing; 2 instances of sexual innuendo; 1 instance of kissing with removal of clothing to at least waist level; same sex couples.
Mature Themes:
Death, kidnapping, war, racial (ability) differences.
Alcohol and Drug Use:
All ages drink wine and spirits.
