Unpopular opinion coming in. It’s not a bad book, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary or memorable, and nothing we haven’t seen before in YA. It’s just overall okay. I actually loved this so much more than I thought I would based off of people saying that it was all right. Yes I realize that this book comes with its flaws, but I honestly did not care one bit because I was having such a blast reading it. It was so freaking fun and I didn't want it to end

It's not secret I'm a big fan of both Katherine Webber (A.K.A. Katie Tsang) and Catherine Doyle's works. The DRAGON REALM series is such fun, THE STORM KEEPER'S trilogy beautiful and evocative. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every book by them, so when I heard they were co-writing a series my excitement was off the charts. The problem is, there is nothing actually good about these witches. They are persecuted, yes. But that isn’t the same thing. And what’s more, I can see why. Their powers are terrifying to a regular person, and they have absolutely no notion of ethics. Of the five types of witches, only one (healers) are pro-social, while another (seers) are whatever. Then there are the warrior witches, who are as they sound; the tempests, whose localized weather magic is exclusively shown being used to drag people about against their will, kill them by throwing them off of or into things, and destroy buildings; and the enchanters, whose wide range of powers includes the ability to falsify people’s identities and tamper with their minds. And anything the witches can do, they do in fact do without compunction. Just to add in some critiques because I'm supposed to be a "fair" and "honest" reviewer: some things were just very convenient. Like Rose and Wren became friendly way faster than I would've expected, since Wren literally tried to steal Rose's crown and then Rose just almost instantly forgave her, which was a little confusing. And as I said above, the romances were a tad rushed, like both couples grew to trust each other quite fast, but it's kind of different for both, like Wren told Tor a lot more than she should've after knowing him for not that long. Twin sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other’s lives a whole lot better…

Customer reviews

Overall, this was an entertaining young adult romance book. The dual POVs are beautifully narrated by Ann Marie Gideon and Ell Potter. The audiobook even included an interview with the authors, which was a nice touch. I am looking forward to listening to the sequel, Cursed Crowns, as well.

The characters are funny but I have to admit my patience ran thin with Wren. On one hand we are to believe that she is highly trained “from birth” and determined to fulfil her mission of revenge but it’s very hard to take this seriously when she doesn’t take the mission seriously herself, getting distracted, making silly choices and generally just messing around. It’s impossible to believe that she is fooling anyone. But I guess that’s the whole point of this book – it’s more fun than serious. It’s just that it doesn’t really align with some of the more serious points (danger, kidnapping, evil kings) so it makes these sections fall flat or become unbelievable. What was the point of a very dangerous trip across the desert fighting off creatures if Rose can make it through herself, this girl we are to believe is clumsy and skill? It all leads to the romance and most of the plot points are there for the romance. I have to say I prefer epic romances, full of heartstopping moments, but Twin Crowns eventually provides us a few steamy kisses and humourous meetings between our two sets of love interests. The first read, I’m always concentrating on the plot, the storyline—but while rereading I focus on the characters and details. Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility including marriage into a brutal kingdom. Life outside the palace walls is a place to be feared and she is soon to discover that it’s wilder than she ever imagined. The plot in this was actually so much fun. I will be using the word "fun" many times throughout this review. There was a lot going on, but it never really felt like there was high-stakes, despite the fact that Wren was in some very difficult situations. It just felt really lighthearted and cozy which is exactly what I wanted.You do have to overlook a lot, from the horses that gallop for hours to the world’s most easily infiltrated dungeon. The royalty thing and the quasi-medieval thing are both purely aesthetic. All the characters think and behave like modern Americans rather than products of this (very thinly-drawn) setting. And of course the politics make no sense. However, it’s fair to say that the setting of Frozen is also wallpaper and withstands no scrutiny, and while that perhaps works better in a children’s movie than in a fairly chunky novel aimed at an older audience, as long as I was enjoying the characters and their story I was willing to accept it for what it is. Honestly, I was initially drawn to this book solely based on its cover. However, I am pleasantly surprised to find that it has exceeded my expectations. The twin sisters, despite not knowing each other, were not cruel and prioritized their family. They showed care and love towards one another. As for the journeys that the two main characters were on, I actually preferred Rose's chapters to Wren's. I was surprised because everyone kept saying they liked Wren's better, but I loved reading through Rose's journey to discover who she is, what she is, her history, and let's not forget her banter with Shen, and honestly, their romance was the main reason I liked Rose's chapters better.

Rose can seem a bit fussy at first and narrow-minded, but I really liked her from the start. She has a kind heart and is willing to change eventually. She’s a sheltered princess who has been lied to for years, and I thought her growth was one of the strongest parts about this story. Rose was pretty funny, too, especially towards her abductor/love interest. Their banter was top tier, and I couldn’t wait for them to finally admit their feelings for each other. Romance flourished as blood bloomed. The couples I thought were obviously constructed ones, from the first moment they interacted, and whilst I did root for all I also found that my interests lay more in other areas. This did not impact my overall enjoyment and does have me yearning to return to all characters in the sequel, very soon. If you are looking for a light (but still really long), funny romantic fantasy novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Twin Crowns might be exactly the book you are looking for. Now for the characters, surprisingly again, I liked Rose better than Wren. Don't get me wrong, I love Wren, but I love Rose more. Yes, she's the stereotypical, bratty, "you must bow down to me" princess in the beginning, but she grows immensely from that. She made me cringe a few times, but only one of those times was because of something she did. I like that Rose and Wren both realized that there was more to the other than they previously thought. Rose realized that witches were not all evil and do not deserve to be hunted and killed, and Wren realized that her sister’s life is not all fancy parties and lavish life. There is politics involved, and Rose is more than just a spoiled princess. Besides that though, I can’t really say that I know the characters, or that I appreciate them. They were both childish at times, stupid at others, and both made me roll my eyes SO MANY TIMES.It was reminiscent of early YA, but not in any of the ways that would have made me feel affection or nostalgia. There were so many moments that I wanted to put the book down just because I was cringing so terribly at the dialogue or plot conveniences. This somehow read like a younger YA written for adults, and I don't know how to explain it. (The best examples are pieces of dialogue like, "I must have misinterpreted your moans." vs. very ridiculous, juvenile moments that feel jarring.)

Three Dark Crowns بود. اما خب، همچین چیزی اتفاق نیفتاد و به نحوی قصه به نقطه تعادلی مملو از آرامش رسید تا در جلد بعد ادامه پیدا کنه. شاید برای اولین بار بود که واقعا دلم یه کلیف هنگر می خواست تا برای جلد دوم تشنه ترم کنه... This book was disappointing. Both main characters felt very juvenile, and the plot was very simple, convenient, and predictable. Both romances were predictable, the politics and the villains’ scheming were predictable, and honestly, I felt that not much happened for the first 60% of the story, and then everything was rushed and the ending was just messy and over-the-top cheesy at the same time. The book mostly focuses on romance instead of the plot, and even if there are two romances developing, they both felt overly simple and predictable. The world-building was also simple and your usual YA fantasy book, nothing memorable or original.Since we're trying to avoid suspicion on our way in, I'd rather not leave eighteen bodies behind us.” A high-stakes fantasy rom-com about twin princesses separated at birth—one raised as the crown princess, and the other taken as an infant and raised to kidnap her sister, steal the crown, and avenge the parents' murders—the first novel in a new YA duology from bestselling UK authors Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber. Perfect for fans of The Selection, My Lady Jane, and Caraval. However, the saving grace of TWIN CROWNS is that it never takes itself too seriously, which is one of the best things about it. It blithely carries out its tropey, overdone plot and cliché romances with nary a hint of hesitation. And sure, at parts, there are things that conveniently happen to the characters, and plot armour protects them. Try to search for a deeper, more 'meaningful' story in TWIN CROWNS and you will suffer. But enjoy it for what it is, and you'll have a grand old time, which I absolutely did. I think the high from originally finishing this book has faded now, so I think instead of 5 stars I'd give it 4.5 (just because of those little issues) but it's not much of a difference.