Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber

Title: Twin Crowns

Author: Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber

Genre: YA Fantasy

Series: Twin Crowns # 1

Publication: May 17, 2022 480 pages

Source: Libby, Audiobook

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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?

MY THOUGHTS

Twin Crowns has been on my TBR for years. After a string of mediocre reads, I felt a book slump coming on and needed something quick and easy to pull me out of it. Twin Crowns absolutely delivered.

I went into it with little knowledge of the story and no real expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

As the title and cover suggest, Twin Crowns centers on twin sisters separated at birth: one raised as royalty, the other in a small village community. Without giving away too much, the book alternates between the perspectives of the two sisters, Wren and Rose. I immediately connected with Wren, while it took me at least half the book to warm up to Rose. Naturally, I found myself more engaged in Wren’s chapters, especially her budding relationship with Rose’s betrothed’s bodyguard. I do love a good bodyguard trope.

The girls’ voices were distinct, making it easy to differentiate between them and imagine their separate journeys. While I preferred Wren and Tor’s dynamic over Rose and Shen’s, I still enjoyed watching both relationships develop.

The overall plot isn’t groundbreaking, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. Twin Crowns has the charm and heart of a YA fantasy from 10–15 years ago. It’s hard to describe exactly, but it has that nostalgic feel, simple, light, and immersive. So many YA books today feel like they’re written for an older audience, desperately trying to cram in every trending trope. It can feel overwhelming and forced.

But Twin Crowns was refreshing. It was exactly what I needed: fun, engaging, and unexpectedly delightful. I found myself hanging on to every page and smiling until the very end. I can’t wait to continue the series. If you haven’t read Twin Crowns yet, I highly recommend giving it a try.

Royally Roma by Teri Wilson

Title: Royally Roma
Author: Teri Wilson
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Series:The Royals Vol. 1

Ebook, 251 pages
Publication: March 27, 2017 by Pocket Star

Source: I received a review  copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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In this charming, modern retelling of the classic Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday, a royal prince tries to escape his hectic and rigid life and ends up leading a young graduate student on a chase through the Eternal City.

Julia Costa is too busy trying to complete her PhD while also holding down a full-time job as a private tour guide in Rome to keep up with celebrity gossip. So when she crosses paths with a real, actual prince, she mistakes him for a client and takes him on a daylong tour of the

Intrigued by the idea of spending time with someone who obviously has no idea who he is, and delighted at the prospect of a day free of royal obligations, Niccolo La Torre, Crown Prince of Lazaretto, acts on impulse and assumes the role of Julia’s client. He swears to himself that he’ll return to his royal duties after only half a day…but he’s having the time of his life.

Until Julia presents him with the bill. Since he snuck out of the hotel without so much as a dime, he tries to escape, only to discover that she won’t let him out of her sight until he can pay her back. She’s determined to get her money…and perhaps more from the handsome stranger she’s fallen for.

I’m a sucker for anything related to royalty, whether it be Princes, Princesses or sprawling castles. Which was exactly why I wanted to read Royally Roma, where girl meets boy, a boy who happens to be hiding the fact that he’s the Crown Prince of Lazaretto. All Nico wants in life is to be normal and be rid of his responsibilities, or at least the responsibilities of cleaning up other people’s messes. So when Julia, a tour guide mistaken him as her client, Nico doesn’t correct her on the assumption; and instead he goes on the tour and pretends to be ordinary for a day or two.

I thought the author did an amazing job at capturing the beauty of Rome, I definitely felt like I was there, and hopefully I’d get to see the Coliseum or the Trevi Fountain one day in real life. As for the main characters, they gave me mix feelings. There were times that I found Julia and Nico endearing and other times they drove me nuts. I also didn’t like the whole insta-love lust thing that was going on. It didn’t feel real or genuine. Can anyone truly say that they love someone after 48 hours? I don’t think so. Forgoing the reality of it all, I was able to find the majority of the book enjoyable.

The concept of Royally Roma has been done before, many times over. Which is totally fine as long as you’re not expecting anything new or different. Which I wasn’t. Have you ever seen the movie The Prince and me, Ella Enchanted or The Princess Diaries? If you enjoy those movies, then you’ll certainly like Royally Roma. I happened to adore those movies.(I just realized they're all children movies lol). I found Royally Roma to be in the same vein as those films, except this would be Rated R. Royally Roma was cute, fun, romantic and a quick escape...the perfect brain candy! 

 

The Third Book of Ore: Blaze of Embers by Cam Baity & Benny Zelkowicz

Title: Blaze of Embers
Author: Cam Baity & Benny Zelkowicz
Genre: Scifi Fantasy
Series: The Books of Ore #3

E-book, 313 Pages
Publication: April 11, 2017 by Disney Hyperion

Source: I received a review copy from Saichek Publicity/Publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Phoebe Plumm and Micah Tanner are no longer the spoiled heiress and naïve servant boy who first stumbled upon the fiercely beautiful world of living metal known as Mehk. They have rallied to aid the mehkans and risked their lives fighting the relentless greed of the Foundry, a corporation that harvests the metal creatures to sell as products back home in Meridian. But the kids' mission to retrieve a mysterious relic ended in devastating tragedy and with Micah as a prisoner of the enemy. Shattered, he can only watch as an unthinkable new power rises in Mehk and international war erupts in Meridian. Trapped between the Foundry and this staggering mehkan threat, Micah has no choice but to work with dangerous humans and mehkans alike, each with their own agenda. As the path of destruction spreads and hope fades, Micah leads his unlikely allies in a desperate race back to Meridian, where the two worlds are about to clash. A terrible reckoning is underway, and this time, everything is at stake.

It’s as if I’ve never left the city of Mehk and Albright, jumping into a Blaze of Embers felt like coming home after a long vacation and everything just felt right and familiar. In the third and final installment of The Books of Ore series, we find Micah as a prisoner of the Foundry being interrogated by Goodwin and his goons until chaos erupts in Albright City during The President’s speech. A missile struck the heart of the city and everything went up in a plume of smoke and flames; igniting a war that’s been brewing since the discovery of Mehk between the humans and machines.

Before I get to the gist of the story, it’s important to remember a crucial character died at the end of book two and this is where I warn those who haven’t read it to stop reading the review! If anyone is reading beyond the explanation point, it’s all on you. So, for those that follow the series knows that Phoebe died by Goodwin’s hand after being betrayed by Mr. Pynch. However, hearing tales of The Shroud, Makina’s home, and where the Mehkans go after death Micah escapes during the explosion and makes the strenuous journey in search of the fabled place. To his amazement, not only was the place real, the inhabitants, Uaxtu were able to bring Phoebe back to life with their magical seed/essence of The Shroud. Together again, Micah and Phoebe set out to save their city and Mehk, the city they’ve come to love.

This is definitely my favorite installment of the series, there was an abundance of action and surprise at every corner. Good guys turned out to be the bad guys. And the people we thought were villains didn’t seem as malevolent when the truth came out. Although this is a Middle Grade novel, I felt that an aspect of the novel was eerily relevant to the world right now. Whether the authors intended it or not, I saw it that way. The action of the few, the Foundry leaders and Ona, as the Makina’s voice and prophet dictated the consequences of the many. The humans in Albright and Meridan, especially who were clueless to the Mehkan’s existent did not want war. The Mehkans didn’t want war, just that their world be left alone. However, The Foundry wanted only what benefited them. Which was War. War, because it was profitable. It didn’t matter who died or got caught in the crossfire. As for the Ona, she was full of hate and wanted revenge on all humans and used Makina as a Slave, a puppet, to rile up the Mehkans to do her bidding under false pretense. Thus the attack on Albright City and it’s citizens. Doesn’t this sound like something happening now? I certainly think so. Many Children novels deal with real, serious issues but I think this is the only second time I’ve read something along these lines (1% vs. 99%, War happens only for profit) in Tween/Teen novels. Which is pretty cool. Fortunately, in books there are happy ending and by finding a commonality between the humans and the Mehkans; they were able to work together to fight the real baddies and bring peace to both of their people.

I loved seeing how everyone’ bond grew over the course of the books. Between Micah and Phoebe, who used to be default employer and employee by their parents. Between the children and the Mehkan. And even between Mehkans who normally wouldn’t associate with one another. Everyone has came a long, long way. My favorite part in the book was the reunion! I’m not ashamed to say that I got teary when Dollop, Mr. Pynch, The Associates and the children reunited. It was such a sweet moment. Their new Mehkan friend and ally Fritz also turned out to be a great addition to the gang!

This final installment was bitter-sweet, while it ended on a happy note…there were a couple of casualties that shocked me. The Books of Ore series was one heck of a Journey from a small house in Meridian to the wilds of the city of Mehk. I thought Blaze of Embers was the perfect and most fitting conclusion to an amazing series. I highly recommend this Middle Grade series, pick it up you won’t be sorry that you did. If you enjoy fantasy, alternative worlds, steampunk, and strong friendship bonds then you’ll enjoy Blaze of Embers!