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Twin Daggers #1
Twin Daggers
Aissa's life is a web of carefully constructed lies. She and her twin sister, Zandria, are Magi spies, magic users most believe to be extinct. And they're on a mission for revenge.
By day, Aissa and Zandria play the role of normal young Technocrats eager to fulfill the duties of their new apprenticeships. By night, they plot their revenge to retake their city from the Technocrats. But then Aissa is given a new mission: find the heir to the Technocrat throne, who is rumored to be one of the Heartless, and kidnap her. Born without a working heart, the Heartless survive with a mechanical replacement.
Aissa is more likely to be caught than to be successful, but she's never been one to turn down an assignment, even if the hunt is complicated by a kind Technocrat researcher who is determined to find a cure for the Heartless. But when Zandria is captured by the Technocrats, Aissa will do anything to get her sister back. Even if it means abandoning all other loyalties--and missions--and deciding whether or not it's worth risking everything on getting help from her sworn enemies.
By day, Aissa and Zandria play the role of normal young Technocrats eager to fulfill the duties of their new apprenticeships. By night, they plot their revenge to retake their city from the Technocrats. But then Aissa is given a new mission: find the heir to the Technocrat throne, who is rumored to be one of the Heartless, and kidnap her. Born without a working heart, the Heartless survive with a mechanical replacement.
Aissa is more likely to be caught than to be successful, but she's never been one to turn down an assignment, even if the hunt is complicated by a kind Technocrat researcher who is determined to find a cure for the Heartless. But when Zandria is captured by the Technocrats, Aissa will do anything to get her sister back. Even if it means abandoning all other loyalties--and missions--and deciding whether or not it's worth risking everything on getting help from her sworn enemies.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2020
18 people are currently reading
2609 people want to read
About the author
MarcyKate Connolly
19 books447 followersMarcyKate Connolly is a New York Times bestselling children’s book author who lives in New England with her family and short-nosed dogs. She graduated from Hampshire College (a magical place where they don’t give you grades) where she wrote an opera sequel to Hamlet as the equivalent of a senior thesis. It was also there that she first fell in love with plotting and has been dreaming up new ways to make life difficult for her characters ever since. You can visit her online at www.marcykate.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
September 9, 2020
Hell yeah! We have a unique, detailedly crafted world building, fantasy genre dances with retelling of one of the epic Shakespeare play: Romeo and Juliet story which hooks you up from the beginning!
This is not future story of Capulets and Montagues. We are welcomed a new world word of Technocrats vs Magis. It seems like Technocrats are literally heartless bastards, barely surviving with mechanical replacements.
We’re also introduced twin sisters: Aissa and Zandria who are talented magis, and spies, living double life to avenge the Technocrats who are determined to harm their people. Day time they act like obedient Technocrats who try to fulfill their apprentice duties but at the night time they start to plot their revenge scheme.
Now their new mission is kidnapping the new heartless heir of the throne. Aissa knows her new mission may put her life in danger but she can not disobey the orders which results her path’s crossing with a researcher Aro who is adamant to cure those heartless Technocrats.
Aissa’s plan is simple. She will seduce Aro as a leverage but she lose her own game as she realizes she is the one who is falling in love with him. And her sister’s captivation makes things more complex. She has to find a way to save her in expanse to put herself in more dangerous position to finish her mission.
Overall: it was promising try to retell a classic in fantasy genre. I loved the characters and their slow burn romance story. Only thing bugged me was the extra detailed and described world building which slows down the pace with unnecessary additional pages. If they could be emitted to fasten the progression, it would be more dynamic story.
Honestly some exaggeratedly embellished parts of the book bored me. But instead of that, the ideas, the character development, the way of twins’ magic’s work were great elements of the story.
So I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4! This is still interesting,intriguing and well-written fantasy which has so many potential with likable characters.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Blink for sharing this Arc with me in exchange my honest opinions.
This is not future story of Capulets and Montagues. We are welcomed a new world word of Technocrats vs Magis. It seems like Technocrats are literally heartless bastards, barely surviving with mechanical replacements.
We’re also introduced twin sisters: Aissa and Zandria who are talented magis, and spies, living double life to avenge the Technocrats who are determined to harm their people. Day time they act like obedient Technocrats who try to fulfill their apprentice duties but at the night time they start to plot their revenge scheme.
Now their new mission is kidnapping the new heartless heir of the throne. Aissa knows her new mission may put her life in danger but she can not disobey the orders which results her path’s crossing with a researcher Aro who is adamant to cure those heartless Technocrats.
Aissa’s plan is simple. She will seduce Aro as a leverage but she lose her own game as she realizes she is the one who is falling in love with him. And her sister’s captivation makes things more complex. She has to find a way to save her in expanse to put herself in more dangerous position to finish her mission.
Overall: it was promising try to retell a classic in fantasy genre. I loved the characters and their slow burn romance story. Only thing bugged me was the extra detailed and described world building which slows down the pace with unnecessary additional pages. If they could be emitted to fasten the progression, it would be more dynamic story.
Honestly some exaggeratedly embellished parts of the book bored me. But instead of that, the ideas, the character development, the way of twins’ magic’s work were great elements of the story.
So I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4! This is still interesting,intriguing and well-written fantasy which has so many potential with likable characters.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Blink for sharing this Arc with me in exchange my honest opinions.
August 17, 2020
Marketed as a fantasy spy thriller spin on Romeo and Juliet, I was very hopeful Twin Daggers would break the cycle of lackluster YA Fantasy ARCs I’ve read over the last several months.
Yet like many other reviewers, I unfortunately had a hard time getting through this story. Our MC, Aissa, has been placed as a Magi spy in the Technocrat capital with her parents and twin sister, Zandria. The book dragged on, despite most of the book centering around Aissa’s going back and forth between locations and using her job as an mechanic’s apprentice to infiltrate the palace for information. Connolly writes action and suspense scenes well, and many of them had me on the edge of my seat. However, these were not enough to save what I found to be a slow book filled with info dumps and repetitive details.
Aissa is a pretty standard YA narrator from 1st person POV. From the beginning we are told of her hatred of the Technocrats, but this never goes beyond surface level. Aissa was raised in the Technocrat capital and went to Technocrat school with Technocrat friends and neighbors, so I had a difficult time believing she harbored zero sympathy for any Technocrats. Living among them, she would have ample opportunities to see them as individuals rather than one homogenous evil group. At one point she states she used to befriend them, as her sister Zandria still can, but she lost these softer tendencies long ago. Why? We’re never given a reason for this. And of course, the only person able to break through Aissa’s Technocrat hatred and make her question her beliefs is her Technocrat love interest, Aro.
Despite the amount of scenes spent on Aissa and Aro’s relationship, their romance lacked chemistry. Aro works in the palace, so Aissa takes advantage of his crush on her to gain information and quickly finds herself becoming the mask. Although this isn’t an insta-love story, it still somehow felt like their love came out of nowhere and their romance didn’t drive the story forward. And no matter what the book blurb might say, this is not a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Unless there are connections I missed, the only similarity is that Aissa and Aro are from two enemy groups. Marketing their romance as a Shakespeare spinoff is misleading, which I know isn’t up to the author, but it still caused some disappointment.
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel too attached to any of the other characters either. For a YA Fantasy where both of the MC’s parents are actually still alive, they weren’t in the book very much and didn’t check on their kids very often. The king and queen are SuperEvil™ cardboard cutouts of villains who take pleasure in torturing Magi. I found it hard to believe Leon and Aro would trust Aissa, a new apprentice fresh out of school and whom they’ve never met before, with such important, top secret projects in the palace. Isaiah, Remy, and the Magi Council had the potential to be interesting, but acted more as plots devices than anything. Lastly, I wanted Sparky to play a much bigger role! He could have been such a fun side character, like R2D2 or BB8 in Star Wars.
Regarding the worldbuildling and soft magic system, there are some interesting elements I enjoyed, but overall both felt a bit shallow while also seeming like an overflow of information. I appreciated that Aissa is already skilled in magic at the start of the book, so this isn’t one of those stories where our protagonist discovers secret powers and must learn to use them; however, I still would’ve liked to see her struggle with her abilities throughout the book, as her magic constantly seemed to provide easy solutions. I also liked that the Magi Council was nuanced and provided challenges for Aissa just as much as the Technocrats, and I would’ve liked to see this dynamic explored more.
Although there isn’t any info on a sequel on Goodreads (yet), based on the ending of this book it’s definitely set up to be a series since much is left unresolved. Sadly, Twin Daggers wasn’t for me and it has joined the list of 2020 YA Fantasy series I will not continue past the first installment.
Thank you to Blink via Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Yet like many other reviewers, I unfortunately had a hard time getting through this story. Our MC, Aissa, has been placed as a Magi spy in the Technocrat capital with her parents and twin sister, Zandria. The book dragged on, despite most of the book centering around Aissa’s going back and forth between locations and using her job as an mechanic’s apprentice to infiltrate the palace for information. Connolly writes action and suspense scenes well, and many of them had me on the edge of my seat. However, these were not enough to save what I found to be a slow book filled with info dumps and repetitive details.
Aissa is a pretty standard YA narrator from 1st person POV. From the beginning we are told of her hatred of the Technocrats, but this never goes beyond surface level. Aissa was raised in the Technocrat capital and went to Technocrat school with Technocrat friends and neighbors, so I had a difficult time believing she harbored zero sympathy for any Technocrats. Living among them, she would have ample opportunities to see them as individuals rather than one homogenous evil group. At one point she states she used to befriend them, as her sister Zandria still can, but she lost these softer tendencies long ago. Why? We’re never given a reason for this. And of course, the only person able to break through Aissa’s Technocrat hatred and make her question her beliefs is her Technocrat love interest, Aro.
Despite the amount of scenes spent on Aissa and Aro’s relationship, their romance lacked chemistry. Aro works in the palace, so Aissa takes advantage of his crush on her to gain information and quickly finds herself becoming the mask. Although this isn’t an insta-love story, it still somehow felt like their love came out of nowhere and their romance didn’t drive the story forward. And no matter what the book blurb might say, this is not a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Unless there are connections I missed, the only similarity is that Aissa and Aro are from two enemy groups. Marketing their romance as a Shakespeare spinoff is misleading, which I know isn’t up to the author, but it still caused some disappointment.
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel too attached to any of the other characters either. For a YA Fantasy where both of the MC’s parents are actually still alive, they weren’t in the book very much and didn’t check on their kids very often. The king and queen are SuperEvil™ cardboard cutouts of villains who take pleasure in torturing Magi. I found it hard to believe Leon and Aro would trust Aissa, a new apprentice fresh out of school and whom they’ve never met before, with such important, top secret projects in the palace. Isaiah, Remy, and the Magi Council had the potential to be interesting, but acted more as plots devices than anything. Lastly, I wanted Sparky to play a much bigger role! He could have been such a fun side character, like R2D2 or BB8 in Star Wars.
Regarding the worldbuildling and soft magic system, there are some interesting elements I enjoyed, but overall both felt a bit shallow while also seeming like an overflow of information. I appreciated that Aissa is already skilled in magic at the start of the book, so this isn’t one of those stories where our protagonist discovers secret powers and must learn to use them; however, I still would’ve liked to see her struggle with her abilities throughout the book, as her magic constantly seemed to provide easy solutions. I also liked that the Magi Council was nuanced and provided challenges for Aissa just as much as the Technocrats, and I would’ve liked to see this dynamic explored more.
Although there isn’t any info on a sequel on Goodreads (yet), based on the ending of this book it’s definitely set up to be a series since much is left unresolved. Sadly, Twin Daggers wasn’t for me and it has joined the list of 2020 YA Fantasy series I will not continue past the first installment.
Thank you to Blink via Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
July 12, 2020
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It took me forever and a day to get through this. No I'm not being completely dramatic but damn did this book drag on and on.
Twin Daggers started off on a pretty good start. Then about halfway through I was finally getting hints about this being a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Not much but a hint is something, I guess. I continuously hoped and prayed that things would pick up for me but unfortunately I was completely bored throughout the book.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how I made it through this book. Or how other people rated it so highly.. maybe we read a different version? I will say it had it's ups and downs but once we got to something somewhat exciting or intriguing it just suddenly became boring. I felt like I was dragged throughout this entire book by the slowest sloth ever known to man.
In the end, it had so much potential to be amazing. Or maybe even likable. Yet, I was bored and disappointed throughout the entire book.
It took me forever and a day to get through this. No I'm not being completely dramatic but damn did this book drag on and on.
Twin Daggers started off on a pretty good start. Then about halfway through I was finally getting hints about this being a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Not much but a hint is something, I guess. I continuously hoped and prayed that things would pick up for me but unfortunately I was completely bored throughout the book.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how I made it through this book. Or how other people rated it so highly.. maybe we read a different version? I will say it had it's ups and downs but once we got to something somewhat exciting or intriguing it just suddenly became boring. I felt like I was dragged throughout this entire book by the slowest sloth ever known to man.
In the end, it had so much potential to be amazing. Or maybe even likable. Yet, I was bored and disappointed throughout the entire book.
April 27, 2020
Aissa lives a secret life, a magi infiltrating the enemy society. When she meets soft-hearted Technocrat, she starts to question everything.
I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Aissa and her twin sister Zandria are magis. They have been trained since birth to be spies, hiding their nature has been drilled into them.
The twins have a second secret, that they have to keep from everyone: their magic affects metal, as well as natural substances.
Aissa gets a chance to work in the Technocrat palace, thanks to researcher Aro. She plans to encourage his attentions, to seduce him for the benefit of the magis; but as she gets to know him she starts to fall for him, too.
I really enjoyed this. Aissa is a powerful magi, and a well-trained spy. She follows orders as far as necessary, but isn't scared to think for herself, trying to track down the truth.
The connection between Aro and Aissa is really sweet and slow-burning. For all her talk of 'seducing' him, Aissa is completely clueless.
The focus of this story is on the world-building and Aissa getting over her race's prejudice, questioning what ulterior motives others may have.
The world, and history of the Magi and Technocrats is very rich. This does slow down the pace of the story, though.
There are a lot of twists and questions, which are well-thought out.
I thought that Aissa did flip-flop on who to trust and why, without any external change in the characters. It did feel drawn out, and unnecessary to the plot.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and look forward to the rest of the series.
I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Aissa and her twin sister Zandria are magis. They have been trained since birth to be spies, hiding their nature has been drilled into them.
The twins have a second secret, that they have to keep from everyone: their magic affects metal, as well as natural substances.
Aissa gets a chance to work in the Technocrat palace, thanks to researcher Aro. She plans to encourage his attentions, to seduce him for the benefit of the magis; but as she gets to know him she starts to fall for him, too.
I really enjoyed this. Aissa is a powerful magi, and a well-trained spy. She follows orders as far as necessary, but isn't scared to think for herself, trying to track down the truth.
The connection between Aro and Aissa is really sweet and slow-burning. For all her talk of 'seducing' him, Aissa is completely clueless.
The focus of this story is on the world-building and Aissa getting over her race's prejudice, questioning what ulterior motives others may have.
The world, and history of the Magi and Technocrats is very rich. This does slow down the pace of the story, though.
There are a lot of twists and questions, which are well-thought out.
I thought that Aissa did flip-flop on who to trust and why, without any external change in the characters. It did feel drawn out, and unnecessary to the plot.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and look forward to the rest of the series.
September 16, 2020
Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for an Audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
Twin Daggers follows Aisa and her twin sister, Zandria, while they try to find their rolls in their society. There's just one problem, they belong to a magical race that is hunted, tortured, and imprisoned just for breathing. When they are tapped by the Magi leaders to spy and possibly assassinate a hidden heir to the throne can they infiltrate undetected or will they be discovered and lose each other forever?
The beginning of this book is a thing of beauty. The world is so beautiful, the characters so rich, and the bad guys oh so bad! We are introduced to the concept of the heartless; citizens born without hearts, kept alive by mechanical devices but only for about 18 years. I was hooked from the start and couldn't wait to see what happened next. But for the next 9 hours not alot happened at all, so much so that I feel like this story didn't have an ending at all. This could be the beginning to a duology or a trilogy, but absolutely nothing was resolved in the last half of the book. I really wish this story had kept up the pace and trajectory it was headed in, this could have been one of my top reads of the year, but with multiple hours just hanging in limbo I found the five star rating slip away. After what felt like an incomplete ending, that fourth star was shot down.
There are plenty of people who will disagree with me about this book being less that 4 stars and I am thrilled for those people to enjoy this world, however it just didn't keep that fire alive for me. I recommend this for anyone 11+ who love magic and mystery
Twin Daggers follows Aisa and her twin sister, Zandria, while they try to find their rolls in their society. There's just one problem, they belong to a magical race that is hunted, tortured, and imprisoned just for breathing. When they are tapped by the Magi leaders to spy and possibly assassinate a hidden heir to the throne can they infiltrate undetected or will they be discovered and lose each other forever?
The beginning of this book is a thing of beauty. The world is so beautiful, the characters so rich, and the bad guys oh so bad! We are introduced to the concept of the heartless; citizens born without hearts, kept alive by mechanical devices but only for about 18 years. I was hooked from the start and couldn't wait to see what happened next. But for the next 9 hours not alot happened at all, so much so that I feel like this story didn't have an ending at all. This could be the beginning to a duology or a trilogy, but absolutely nothing was resolved in the last half of the book. I really wish this story had kept up the pace and trajectory it was headed in, this could have been one of my top reads of the year, but with multiple hours just hanging in limbo I found the five star rating slip away. After what felt like an incomplete ending, that fourth star was shot down.
There are plenty of people who will disagree with me about this book being less that 4 stars and I am thrilled for those people to enjoy this world, however it just didn't keep that fire alive for me. I recommend this for anyone 11+ who love magic and mystery
August 14, 2020
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF'd @ 21%
Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly sounded like it had so much potential. I mean, it's marketed as an a YA action-adventure spy thriller retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I needed to see how the author was going to pull off something that could be so epic sounding. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for me at all. Probably around the 15% mark I began skimming as the further I got the less interested or invested in the world or characters I became. I shouldn't have been as bored as I was especially after a decent opening scene. Plus, it must come much later but I didn't catch any elements that would make it a Shakespearean retelling. I was expecting this to be great, but it missed the mark.
DNF'd @ 21%
Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly sounded like it had so much potential. I mean, it's marketed as an a YA action-adventure spy thriller retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I needed to see how the author was going to pull off something that could be so epic sounding. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for me at all. Probably around the 15% mark I began skimming as the further I got the less interested or invested in the world or characters I became. I shouldn't have been as bored as I was especially after a decent opening scene. Plus, it must come much later but I didn't catch any elements that would make it a Shakespearean retelling. I was expecting this to be great, but it missed the mark.
August 1, 2020
2.5 stars
After reading the first 20%, I almost stopped reading this book completely. I was not impressed and it was a bit of a chore to read. I was thrown into a world were two people were against each other, one in hiding, the other in power but we didn't really know what happened before and I had no idea of the world we were in other than some sort of rebellion was happening. It didn't really appeal to me. But then, I gave myself three hours to start reading again and finish the book or be done with it. I also had a BR planned for it so it helped and I managed to finish the book. I'm glad I did but that doesn't mean I'm giving it four or five stars. I didn't hate Twin Daggers but I didn't love it either.
In Twin Daggers, you'll follow twin sisters (but get only one point of view). They are Magi and even though they're young and sometimes pretty stupid, they have been given spy missions. One is a messenger, the other will infiltrate a mechanic shop since she's good with mechanics. The thing is, the twins can do magic on machines but no one except their families know about it. If the Magi were to discover it, they would consider them a threat. And the Technocrats, well they consider all Magi enemies.
I liked the idea behind the Heartless. It was interesting and had potential. However, the twists were very predictable and I wish the bits of worldbuilding wouldn't have been thrown in in the middle or the end of the book as by that point, I didn't really care anymore and it slowed the pace too much. I wanted to know those things at the beginning. I liked the romance and I liked Aissa and Aro for the most part but the rest of the characters? Meh.
(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Edelweiss)
After reading the first 20%, I almost stopped reading this book completely. I was not impressed and it was a bit of a chore to read. I was thrown into a world were two people were against each other, one in hiding, the other in power but we didn't really know what happened before and I had no idea of the world we were in other than some sort of rebellion was happening. It didn't really appeal to me. But then, I gave myself three hours to start reading again and finish the book or be done with it. I also had a BR planned for it so it helped and I managed to finish the book. I'm glad I did but that doesn't mean I'm giving it four or five stars. I didn't hate Twin Daggers but I didn't love it either.
In Twin Daggers, you'll follow twin sisters (but get only one point of view). They are Magi and even though they're young and sometimes pretty stupid, they have been given spy missions. One is a messenger, the other will infiltrate a mechanic shop since she's good with mechanics. The thing is, the twins can do magic on machines but no one except their families know about it. If the Magi were to discover it, they would consider them a threat. And the Technocrats, well they consider all Magi enemies.
I liked the idea behind the Heartless. It was interesting and had potential. However, the twists were very predictable and I wish the bits of worldbuilding wouldn't have been thrown in in the middle or the end of the book as by that point, I didn't really care anymore and it slowed the pace too much. I wanted to know those things at the beginning. I liked the romance and I liked Aissa and Aro for the most part but the rest of the characters? Meh.
(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Edelweiss)
September 8, 2020
| Review on Reader Fox Blog |
Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly is one of those books that could have been amazing, but fell flat somewhere between the writing and unnecessary plot devices. There was just so much potential and it was truly disheartening to see it all go to waste. So many good points could have been expanded upon from the world to the characters. But, at the same time, some of the writing and the villain plot kind of just wasted a lot of its potential.
The World
For me, the best thing about this novel is the world. In the simplest of terms, you have the Magi and the Technocrats. There is a long history of oppression from both sides, steeped not only in elitism and purist thought, but also in rebellion and rising against mistreatment. Though it is not how everything began, the fascinating piece is that the elitists are currently the ones being oppressed.
In the beginning, the Magi ruled everything. Later, the Technocrats worked to exterminate them and are now the ruling class. Thus begins our story.
I can't go too deeply into the intricacies of this world, unfortunately, without delving into some spoilers. Therefore, I will simply say that the more you find out about the history the more impressive it becomes. I was amazed when I learned the truth of everything. That amazement was promptly destroyed when I realized how much potential was wasted.
Twin Daggers
Aissa and Zandria are Magi twins working with a faction of Magi who call themselves The Armory. The Armory is a network of spies determined to overthrow the ruling Technocrats. Technocrats had previously deposed the Magi rulers and massacred their people to come into power. Unlike all other Magi, able to use magic only on the living, Aissa and Zandria are can affect inanimate objects. This makes them both a valuable asset, but only so long as no Magi learns the truth. It is seen as blasphemous to have such power.
They are given a task to find and kidnap the heir to the Technocrat throne. The child is said to be heartless, supposedly cursed by the Magi. Heartless are born without a heart and thus utterly dependent on a clockwork mechanism to keep themselves alive. As the sole heir to the throne, the kidnapping of this child would turn the tides.
Motivations
So, there's a lot going on in this story.
It's oddly difficult to tie down. Unfortunately, Connolly tells a lot of important information to her readers instead of showing it. In general, the writing was fairly lackluster. Though I liked the characters, very few seemed to have developed motivations. Of everyone, only Aro seemed to have any that made sense consistently.
Aissa and Zandria seemed very brainwashed. At times, it even felt like an incredibly racist way of thinking. The sheer hatred they had for the technocrats simply because of things they'd been told was excessive. Very little of it seemed based on personal experience. Instead, they seemed to hate Technocrats simply because they're supposed to. Even worse, Aissa would regularly think to herself that it was not her place to understand or question the decisions of her superiors.
The heartless plot was perhaps one of the better threads within this story. Not only was it deeply entrenched in the history, but it was also incredibly important in the present. I especially loved how it impacted the romance. Though somewhat predictable, the execution was brilliant.
Villainy
Honestly, both sides are problematic here. I loved that. It was genuinely refreshing to feel as though neither the Magi nor the Technocrats were the right side to join. This alone is why the wasted potential disappointed me so much. Connolly had so many directions that she could take and instead of adding nuance to her story, she took the easy way out.
Technocrats
All of her villains were very cookie-cutter. The King and Queen of the Technocrats were basically evil for the sake of being evil. There didn't really seem to be anything to them other than a love of torturing their enemies and caring for their child. In a way, neither the King or Queen felt like real people. Upon the revelation of who their child was, I couldn't help feeling as though their evil nature was very contrived.
And I could chock this up to Aissa being an unreliable narrator, but that doesn't quite feel right. Even with her indoctrinated hatred of Technocrats, it just doesn't add up.
Magi
The leader of The Armory is a villain of his own, believing Magi to be superior and seeding pure hatred of the Technocrats among all his people. He isn't solely concerned with finding a place of equality for his people but instead is looking to destroy the entire race of Technocrats. He regularly spies on his spies and ultimately makes decisions based on how they will benefit him most.
This played a role in the poor motivations of his son, but I won't get into that.
The Unnecessary Big Bad
Of all the villains, though, the "surprise" villain is the worst. My biggest problem with this villain is the fact that this person didn't even need to be one. The most potential wasted is with this character. All of the awful things this character did never should have been included in the book to begin with. In fact, I think this character needed an entirely different role.
There could have been so much nuance to the novel if this character had represented a third option for Aissa and her sister. An option that was not corrupt in the ways the other two were. The world building even had an opening for it! The benefits this would have given the novel are huge!
But, instead, this villain was also a cookie-cutter mess. This villain did horrible things for poor reasons, had terrible dialogue, and was needlessly cruel.
Final Thoughts
So, I read this as an audiobook. I don't have a lot to say about that other than the fact that the narrator was nice. She managed to capture each of the characters fairly well.
In the end, I think Twin Daggers could have gone a lot farther than it did. There were so many opportunities for incredible dimensionality within the story. Each opportunity was passed up, though, in favor of a bland cut-out of the same old story. It's a real shame.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly is one of those books that could have been amazing, but fell flat somewhere between the writing and unnecessary plot devices. There was just so much potential and it was truly disheartening to see it all go to waste. So many good points could have been expanded upon from the world to the characters. But, at the same time, some of the writing and the villain plot kind of just wasted a lot of its potential.
The World
For me, the best thing about this novel is the world. In the simplest of terms, you have the Magi and the Technocrats. There is a long history of oppression from both sides, steeped not only in elitism and purist thought, but also in rebellion and rising against mistreatment. Though it is not how everything began, the fascinating piece is that the elitists are currently the ones being oppressed.
In the beginning, the Magi ruled everything. Later, the Technocrats worked to exterminate them and are now the ruling class. Thus begins our story.
I can't go too deeply into the intricacies of this world, unfortunately, without delving into some spoilers. Therefore, I will simply say that the more you find out about the history the more impressive it becomes. I was amazed when I learned the truth of everything. That amazement was promptly destroyed when I realized how much potential was wasted.
Twin Daggers
Aissa and Zandria are Magi twins working with a faction of Magi who call themselves The Armory. The Armory is a network of spies determined to overthrow the ruling Technocrats. Technocrats had previously deposed the Magi rulers and massacred their people to come into power. Unlike all other Magi, able to use magic only on the living, Aissa and Zandria are can affect inanimate objects. This makes them both a valuable asset, but only so long as no Magi learns the truth. It is seen as blasphemous to have such power.
They are given a task to find and kidnap the heir to the Technocrat throne. The child is said to be heartless, supposedly cursed by the Magi. Heartless are born without a heart and thus utterly dependent on a clockwork mechanism to keep themselves alive. As the sole heir to the throne, the kidnapping of this child would turn the tides.
Motivations
So, there's a lot going on in this story.
It's oddly difficult to tie down. Unfortunately, Connolly tells a lot of important information to her readers instead of showing it. In general, the writing was fairly lackluster. Though I liked the characters, very few seemed to have developed motivations. Of everyone, only Aro seemed to have any that made sense consistently.
Aissa and Zandria seemed very brainwashed. At times, it even felt like an incredibly racist way of thinking. The sheer hatred they had for the technocrats simply because of things they'd been told was excessive. Very little of it seemed based on personal experience. Instead, they seemed to hate Technocrats simply because they're supposed to. Even worse, Aissa would regularly think to herself that it was not her place to understand or question the decisions of her superiors.
The heartless plot was perhaps one of the better threads within this story. Not only was it deeply entrenched in the history, but it was also incredibly important in the present. I especially loved how it impacted the romance. Though somewhat predictable, the execution was brilliant.
Villainy
Honestly, both sides are problematic here. I loved that. It was genuinely refreshing to feel as though neither the Magi nor the Technocrats were the right side to join. This alone is why the wasted potential disappointed me so much. Connolly had so many directions that she could take and instead of adding nuance to her story, she took the easy way out.
Technocrats
All of her villains were very cookie-cutter. The King and Queen of the Technocrats were basically evil for the sake of being evil. There didn't really seem to be anything to them other than a love of torturing their enemies and caring for their child. In a way, neither the King or Queen felt like real people. Upon the revelation of who their child was, I couldn't help feeling as though their evil nature was very contrived.
And I could chock this up to Aissa being an unreliable narrator, but that doesn't quite feel right. Even with her indoctrinated hatred of Technocrats, it just doesn't add up.
Magi
The leader of The Armory is a villain of his own, believing Magi to be superior and seeding pure hatred of the Technocrats among all his people. He isn't solely concerned with finding a place of equality for his people but instead is looking to destroy the entire race of Technocrats. He regularly spies on his spies and ultimately makes decisions based on how they will benefit him most.
This played a role in the poor motivations of his son, but I won't get into that.
The Unnecessary Big Bad
Of all the villains, though, the "surprise" villain is the worst. My biggest problem with this villain is the fact that this person didn't even need to be one. The most potential wasted is with this character. All of the awful things this character did never should have been included in the book to begin with. In fact, I think this character needed an entirely different role.
There could have been so much nuance to the novel if this character had represented a third option for Aissa and her sister. An option that was not corrupt in the ways the other two were. The world building even had an opening for it! The benefits this would have given the novel are huge!
But, instead, this villain was also a cookie-cutter mess. This villain did horrible things for poor reasons, had terrible dialogue, and was needlessly cruel.
Final Thoughts
So, I read this as an audiobook. I don't have a lot to say about that other than the fact that the narrator was nice. She managed to capture each of the characters fairly well.
In the end, I think Twin Daggers could have gone a lot farther than it did. There were so many opportunities for incredible dimensionality within the story. Each opportunity was passed up, though, in favor of a bland cut-out of the same old story. It's a real shame.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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August 21, 2020
Twin Daggers⭐️
Aissa and Zandria are magi spies assigned to search the tunels and help their people. But when a strange boy follows them so effortlessly into the tunnels and he doesnt have magic their senses are on high alert.
So the girls recieve a new mission Aissa is to kidnap the heir to the technocrat throne but on her mission her sister is taken and she had to decide if she is going to be a good sister or a good solider.
I liked the sisters relationship and the magic system was new but I wasnt in love with the way the technocrat society was set up. The world seemed very stiff. Magi are good. Technocrat are bad. Magi are fugitives and we can never get along with technocrats. I wanted more depth.
Thank you to Harper Collins Christian Audio via netgalley for sending me a copy of Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly. Available on August 25 2020
All opinions are my own.
Aissa and Zandria are magi spies assigned to search the tunels and help their people. But when a strange boy follows them so effortlessly into the tunnels and he doesnt have magic their senses are on high alert.
So the girls recieve a new mission Aissa is to kidnap the heir to the technocrat throne but on her mission her sister is taken and she had to decide if she is going to be a good sister or a good solider.
I liked the sisters relationship and the magic system was new but I wasnt in love with the way the technocrat society was set up. The world seemed very stiff. Magi are good. Technocrat are bad. Magi are fugitives and we can never get along with technocrats. I wanted more depth.
Thank you to Harper Collins Christian Audio via netgalley for sending me a copy of Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly. Available on August 25 2020
All opinions are my own.
November 30, 2020
This book blew me away.
I wasn't sure what to expect going in, this author is new to me, and I was a little put off by the low average rating on the reviews that I had seen floating around. But let me tell you, this book worked for me. I read it all in one day, which is rare for me these days.
Aissa and her twin sister Zandria are Magi, and they have been in training their whole lives to take down the Technocrat empire that has oppressed and persecuted their people. Aissa is the more serious and reserved of the sisters, while her sister is impulsive and charming. The story is told through Aissa's eyes, and the closer that she get's the enemy the more she finds everything that she was taught may be a lie.
This book is fast paced and engaging, with fantastic speculative, fantasy steampunk worldbuilding. I loved uncovering the layers of this fresh and imaginative setting, how it juxtaposes the powers of the Magi against the cold science of the Technocrats, as well as the dark and light sides of both. This book has intrigue, mystery, and many twists along the way, which made me not want to put it down.
This book was marketed as a Romeo and Juliet re-telling, and while there were shades of forbidden love, sacrifice, and betrayal, as well as two warring peoples, I think that this story takes that inspiration and makes it something completely its own. I also saw that it drew comparison to Marissa Meyer's Renegades Trilogy, to which I wholeheartedly agree.
Aro is a very intriguing character, he is compassionate and determined. He is willing to make up his own mind, and not just follow what he is told. I loved the layers in his character. Remy is also a very interesting character, a lifelong friend of Aissa and Zandria, he is at times brooding and secretive, and there were times when I didn't know what to think of him. The side characters were not as fleshed out, and even though Zandria was Aissa's twin, I felt that she could have been explored more to give me more than just Aissa's feelings to go on.
As for content I would say that it is PG-13 for violence, disturbing scenes. There are a few heated kisses, and two characters fall asleep together, but it doesn't go any further than that.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this speculative fantasy, with its excellent worldbuilding, fantastic tension throughout, and strong, likable, and mysterious characters. I loved learning about the world, the differences in culture between the Technocrats and Magi, and as the book progressed, everything started to fall into place, while simultaneously raising more questions, all leading up to the explosive climax that left me wanting more. I will definitely be picking up its sequel when it releases. Can it be August 2021 already?
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I wasn't sure what to expect going in, this author is new to me, and I was a little put off by the low average rating on the reviews that I had seen floating around. But let me tell you, this book worked for me. I read it all in one day, which is rare for me these days.
Aissa and her twin sister Zandria are Magi, and they have been in training their whole lives to take down the Technocrat empire that has oppressed and persecuted their people. Aissa is the more serious and reserved of the sisters, while her sister is impulsive and charming. The story is told through Aissa's eyes, and the closer that she get's the enemy the more she finds everything that she was taught may be a lie.
This book is fast paced and engaging, with fantastic speculative, fantasy steampunk worldbuilding. I loved uncovering the layers of this fresh and imaginative setting, how it juxtaposes the powers of the Magi against the cold science of the Technocrats, as well as the dark and light sides of both. This book has intrigue, mystery, and many twists along the way, which made me not want to put it down.
This book was marketed as a Romeo and Juliet re-telling, and while there were shades of forbidden love, sacrifice, and betrayal, as well as two warring peoples, I think that this story takes that inspiration and makes it something completely its own. I also saw that it drew comparison to Marissa Meyer's Renegades Trilogy, to which I wholeheartedly agree.
Aro is a very intriguing character, he is compassionate and determined. He is willing to make up his own mind, and not just follow what he is told. I loved the layers in his character. Remy is also a very interesting character, a lifelong friend of Aissa and Zandria, he is at times brooding and secretive, and there were times when I didn't know what to think of him. The side characters were not as fleshed out, and even though Zandria was Aissa's twin, I felt that she could have been explored more to give me more than just Aissa's feelings to go on.
As for content I would say that it is PG-13 for violence, disturbing scenes. There are a few heated kisses, and two characters fall asleep together, but it doesn't go any further than that.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this speculative fantasy, with its excellent worldbuilding, fantastic tension throughout, and strong, likable, and mysterious characters. I loved learning about the world, the differences in culture between the Technocrats and Magi, and as the book progressed, everything started to fall into place, while simultaneously raising more questions, all leading up to the explosive climax that left me wanting more. I will definitely be picking up its sequel when it releases. Can it be August 2021 already?
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
July 13, 2020
I feel bad, because I wanted to like this. There was magic, a twin sister bond, and romance, but it just didn't play out like I hoped. The plot was really slow and I had a difficult time staying engaged. The twists were fairly predictable and I got frustrated with Aissa for not seeing who was betraying her.
I did like Aissa and Zandria's relationship, especially with them being twins and very close. Zandria could be irritating, they're spies but she finds a cute guy and tells him everything then gets taken. Hmm, who could have seen that coming? The romance with Aro had some cute moments and I did like him, even though he's a Technocrat. There's a lot of prejudice between the two groups, so I get that he had his own ideas about the Magi. He was kind and really liked Aissa, I felt bad that she was lying to him. I do get where the Romeo and Juliet retelling comes from, with them caring for each other, but I wouldn't necessarily market it as such.
I understand what the author was trying to do, but other than Aissa and Aro, I didn't care much about the characters and the plot seemed too predictable. Mostly my issue was pacing, if it had moved quicker than I might not have minded the other things as much. The ending was very open and had almost no resolution, so I would think there will be a sequel.
I did like Aissa and Zandria's relationship, especially with them being twins and very close. Zandria could be irritating, they're spies but she finds a cute guy and tells him everything then gets taken. Hmm, who could have seen that coming? The romance with Aro had some cute moments and I did like him, even though he's a Technocrat. There's a lot of prejudice between the two groups, so I get that he had his own ideas about the Magi. He was kind and really liked Aissa, I felt bad that she was lying to him. I do get where the Romeo and Juliet retelling comes from, with them caring for each other, but I wouldn't necessarily market it as such.
I understand what the author was trying to do, but other than Aissa and Aro, I didn't care much about the characters and the plot seemed too predictable. Mostly my issue was pacing, if it had moved quicker than I might not have minded the other things as much. The ending was very open and had almost no resolution, so I would think there will be a sequel.
dnf
August 12, 2020DNF @ 25%
The writing style of this book is not enjoyable to me. The pacing is very slow, and so far not a lot has happened in the book. I lost interest in this one.
The writing style of this book is not enjoyable to me. The pacing is very slow, and so far not a lot has happened in the book. I lost interest in this one.
August 16, 2020
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
Aissa and Zandria are twins and by day they are like the other normal Technocrats, eager to do their apprenticeships, but actually they are spies and assassins in training, Magi, willing to do anything in their power to get revenge on the Technocrats and retake their city. Even looking for a mysterious library in the tunnels under the city, against their orders and risking their lives.
When Aissa is given another mission, to find and kidnap the heir of the Technocrat throne, who should be Heartless (born without a functioning heart, so depending on metal one and a poisonous power source), her life and mission is complicated by the kind and handsome Technocrat, Aro, a researcher, who is determined to find a cure for the Heartless and asks for her help. But then Zandria is captured, Aissa is ready to do anything to get her back, but she doesn't know who to trust and what believe, when friends become untrustworthy and feelings could ruin everything she worked for.
Twin Daggers is a nice spy thriller, with interesting and stubborn characters and a fascinating worldbuilding, where magic and metal have an important role, representing the two warring factions, Magi, people able to use magic and Technocrats, those who thrive around metal, creating machines for any kind of purpose. All their Aissa and Zandria were taught Technocrats were brutal and evil and the queen and king are certainly so. After warring with the Magi and destroying them, the Technocrats believed the faction extinct, but people like Aissa, Zandria and their parents are still alive and fighting, plotting, spying to get back their lives and city. It was interesting reading about their training, both physical and in spells and to know more about the spy network, the Chambers and their fight against the Technocrats.
Aissa and Zandria are very different from one other. While Zandria is more cheerful and sometimes reckless, Aissa is more careful, more focused and her loyalty towards family and their goal is strong and unwavering. Until she meets Aro and she risks to lose her sister.
The story between Aissa and Aro is very sweet and well written, a sort of Romeo and Juliet in a world where magic exists and metal dogs are used as companions.
Aissa and Aro were taught Technocrats and Magi to be cruel and deceptive and to never trust them, but slowly, despite herself and her lessons, Aissa is attracted by his kindness and determination, surprised to meet a Technocrat so different from what she thought they would be and she's torn between her duty and her feelings. Aro is a very nice character, kind, sweet, his life changed by Aissa and, as for Aissa, is beliefs are turned upside down, pushing him to act and fight to do the right thing. I liked reading his interactions with Aissa and who sweetly and slowly they start to feel something for one other. Their connection is strong and beautiful.
I also like reading about Remy, the son of the leader of the spy network, is another interesting, but ambiguous character, torn between his family and friends. Darian is very deceptive and captivating and I'm really interested in reading more about his plans and what he will do.
In a plot full of twists, friends to enemies, enemies to friends to lovers, magic library, metal tree, torture, murder and spies, Twin Daggers is an interesting and captivating read, even though the pacing is a bit too slow, above all in the beginning. I enjoyed reading this book, but I was really invested in the story until half of it, because of the pacing. The characters and the plot are captivating and I want to read what happens next.
3.5 stars
Aissa and Zandria are twins and by day they are like the other normal Technocrats, eager to do their apprenticeships, but actually they are spies and assassins in training, Magi, willing to do anything in their power to get revenge on the Technocrats and retake their city. Even looking for a mysterious library in the tunnels under the city, against their orders and risking their lives.
When Aissa is given another mission, to find and kidnap the heir of the Technocrat throne, who should be Heartless (born without a functioning heart, so depending on metal one and a poisonous power source), her life and mission is complicated by the kind and handsome Technocrat, Aro, a researcher, who is determined to find a cure for the Heartless and asks for her help. But then Zandria is captured, Aissa is ready to do anything to get her back, but she doesn't know who to trust and what believe, when friends become untrustworthy and feelings could ruin everything she worked for.
Twin Daggers is a nice spy thriller, with interesting and stubborn characters and a fascinating worldbuilding, where magic and metal have an important role, representing the two warring factions, Magi, people able to use magic and Technocrats, those who thrive around metal, creating machines for any kind of purpose. All their Aissa and Zandria were taught Technocrats were brutal and evil and the queen and king are certainly so. After warring with the Magi and destroying them, the Technocrats believed the faction extinct, but people like Aissa, Zandria and their parents are still alive and fighting, plotting, spying to get back their lives and city. It was interesting reading about their training, both physical and in spells and to know more about the spy network, the Chambers and their fight against the Technocrats.
Aissa and Zandria are very different from one other. While Zandria is more cheerful and sometimes reckless, Aissa is more careful, more focused and her loyalty towards family and their goal is strong and unwavering. Until she meets Aro and she risks to lose her sister.
The story between Aissa and Aro is very sweet and well written, a sort of Romeo and Juliet in a world where magic exists and metal dogs are used as companions.
Aissa and Aro were taught Technocrats and Magi to be cruel and deceptive and to never trust them, but slowly, despite herself and her lessons, Aissa is attracted by his kindness and determination, surprised to meet a Technocrat so different from what she thought they would be and she's torn between her duty and her feelings. Aro is a very nice character, kind, sweet, his life changed by Aissa and, as for Aissa, is beliefs are turned upside down, pushing him to act and fight to do the right thing. I liked reading his interactions with Aissa and who sweetly and slowly they start to feel something for one other. Their connection is strong and beautiful.
I also like reading about Remy, the son of the leader of the spy network, is another interesting, but ambiguous character, torn between his family and friends. Darian is very deceptive and captivating and I'm really interested in reading more about his plans and what he will do.
In a plot full of twists, friends to enemies, enemies to friends to lovers, magic library, metal tree, torture, murder and spies, Twin Daggers is an interesting and captivating read, even though the pacing is a bit too slow, above all in the beginning. I enjoyed reading this book, but I was really invested in the story until half of it, because of the pacing. The characters and the plot are captivating and I want to read what happens next.
3.5 stars
July 9, 2020
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Aissa and Zandria are twin sisters with a secret--they are Magi, a people with magical abilities who almost got wiped out due to the technological advances of the Technocrats. However, they have another secret that is much more dangerous--their magic can be used on the very technology that killed their people. The girls are spies in the capitol Technocrat city along with their parents. For the sake of their people, the girls take on a mission while pursuing their own goals at the same time. Aissa usually has no problem following orders, but a certain Technocrat is making it harder for her to follow through. What is the most important to her: family, orders, or love?
This book was a pretty interesting take on a Romeo and Juliet type of story. I had a hard time getting into the story at first due to all the information about the Magi vs. Technocrats that I had to read through. Once I got past that, I thoroughly enjoyed the story! Aissa is such a strong, level-headed character. I really liked watching her wrestle with her duty and her heart. I don't want to spoil anything so I can't discuss my favorite character, but the side characters in this story are also very likable! The whole concept of the Magi was fascinating and I hope to see the characters learn more in the next book. Ultimately, this was a great fantasy romance and I'm looking forward to the next book!
Aissa and Zandria are twin sisters with a secret--they are Magi, a people with magical abilities who almost got wiped out due to the technological advances of the Technocrats. However, they have another secret that is much more dangerous--their magic can be used on the very technology that killed their people. The girls are spies in the capitol Technocrat city along with their parents. For the sake of their people, the girls take on a mission while pursuing their own goals at the same time. Aissa usually has no problem following orders, but a certain Technocrat is making it harder for her to follow through. What is the most important to her: family, orders, or love?
This book was a pretty interesting take on a Romeo and Juliet type of story. I had a hard time getting into the story at first due to all the information about the Magi vs. Technocrats that I had to read through. Once I got past that, I thoroughly enjoyed the story! Aissa is such a strong, level-headed character. I really liked watching her wrestle with her duty and her heart. I don't want to spoil anything so I can't discuss my favorite character, but the side characters in this story are also very likable! The whole concept of the Magi was fascinating and I hope to see the characters learn more in the next book. Ultimately, this was a great fantasy romance and I'm looking forward to the next book!
October 22, 2020
Очень "сбивчивая" книга.
Собственно, все рецензенты в первую очередь жалуются именно на это.
Вроде как, интересная и относительно необычная идея, но как же все в книге просто «понапихано» (иначе это не опишешь). Столько идей, а реализация странная: и, вроде, и книга немаленькая (местами прямо затянутая), и при это все как-то «понакидано». Автор словно не знал, за что еще хвататься и о чем писать. Все подряд, все подряд, черт ногу сломит.
Где-то автор затягивала с описаниями, где-то мир вообще непонятен… Все запутано, надо буквально «въедаться» в сюжет и смысл.
Ко всему прочему, логика книги и сюжета несколько наивная. Поразительно шаблонные (прямо картонные) злодеи. Предсказуемые повороты. И любовь, и доверие абсолютно на пустом месте. Я, конечно, понимаю, что и в «Ромео и Джульетте» с романтикой все крайне наивно, но тут прямо уже слишком…
Изначально мне нравилась идея. Читать было из-за стиля повествования сложно, но увлекательно. И, думаю, другой автор смог бы из этой относительно необычной идеи сделать конфетку. Но тут ему или опыта, или ума реализовать сюжет просто не хватило. Реально ощущение, что не знала она, за что хвататься, что писать, что описывать.
Магия, вроде, тоже описана автором подробно, но все равно ее суть не слишком понятна… Не так уж много времени она ей посветила.
Ну и слишком много вопросов книга после себя оставила. Если продолжения не будет, то это очень странно.
Итоговая оценка: 5/10
Собственно, все рецензенты в первую очередь жалуются именно на это.
Вроде как, интересная и относительно необычная идея, но как же все в книге просто «понапихано» (иначе это не опишешь). Столько идей, а реализация странная: и, вроде, и книга немаленькая (местами прямо затянутая), и при это все как-то «понакидано». Автор словно не знал, за что еще хвататься и о чем писать. Все подряд, все подряд, черт ногу сломит.
Где-то автор затягивала с описаниями, где-то мир вообще непонятен… Все запутано, надо буквально «въедаться» в сюжет и смысл.
Ко всему прочему, логика книги и сюжета несколько наивная. Поразительно шаблонные (прямо картонные) злодеи. Предсказуемые повороты. И любовь, и доверие абсолютно на пустом месте. Я, конечно, понимаю, что и в «Ромео и Джульетте» с романтикой все крайне наивно, но тут прямо уже слишком…
Изначально мне нравилась идея. Читать было из-за стиля повествования сложно, но увлекательно. И, думаю, другой автор смог бы из этой относительно необычной идеи сделать конфетку. Но тут ему или опыта, или ума реализовать сюжет просто не хватило. Реально ощущение, что не знала она, за что хвататься, что писать, что описывать.
Магия, вроде, тоже описана автором подробно, но все равно ее суть не слишком понятна… Не так уж много времени она ей посветила.
Ну и слишком много вопросов книга после себя оставила. Если продолжения не будет, то это очень странно.
Итоговая оценка: 5/10
February 26, 2020
This book was received as an ARC from Blink in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
At first when I read the first few pages, I was expecting to read between the lines and be dramatically confused. This book was not that at the slightest bit. The creativity of the plot and the spunkiness of the characters really brought the book to light and in a way came to life. I love books that are so descriptive that it transports you into the book as if you were part of the story along for the journey. That came forth when Zandria in kidnapped and Alissa is plotting away to destroy the Technocrats and rescue Zandria for good. It also gets exciting when characters risk it all to save their loved ones and themselves including their loyalties to other tribes. You never know where the story will go. I know our teen book club will have a lot of discussions for this book and I can't wait to hear them.
We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
At first when I read the first few pages, I was expecting to read between the lines and be dramatically confused. This book was not that at the slightest bit. The creativity of the plot and the spunkiness of the characters really brought the book to light and in a way came to life. I love books that are so descriptive that it transports you into the book as if you were part of the story along for the journey. That came forth when Zandria in kidnapped and Alissa is plotting away to destroy the Technocrats and rescue Zandria for good. It also gets exciting when characters risk it all to save their loved ones and themselves including their loyalties to other tribes. You never know where the story will go. I know our teen book club will have a lot of discussions for this book and I can't wait to hear them.
We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
September 17, 2020
As someone who has consumed a lot of YA fantasies, I think this book follows a tried and true structure. It wasn't good or bad but it wasn't anything new. It was all just...okay.
August 22, 2020
Thank you to HarperCollins Christian Audio/ Blink for providing me with audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest i had a hard time deciding on how to rate this book and my mixed feelings took care of that.
The Romeo and Juliette comparison isn't very accurate in my opinion,but still the thing in common is the love between a technocrat and a magi - two warring fractions.
The whole idea of Technocrat society that rely and evolve around technology versus the hunted ,hiding and extinct Magi society possessing the power of magic and cherishing all things natural was interesting idea and world.
There were some things that rubbed me the wrong way...i will start maybe with the narrator and it felt like she overplayed a little and gave the whole book a slightly petulant tint and not the serious mystery vibe that was needed.
The main male character felt a little flat for me and absurdly trusting and naive that made it hard to connect with him.
As for Aissa....it was a hot-cold sort of relationship with her.....and maybe she was given too many flips in her mind about important matters and decisions.
The things i DO liked were puzzle like information about characters and world building that was given to you bit by bit throughout the book and made it more interesting.
Zandria was the most interesting and vivid character for me and as it was mentioned in the book perfectly balanced the character of Aissa.I would've loved to explore more of her.
The second character that intrigued me was Remy and his change of heart but unfortunately his character wasn't explored very deeply.
Despite the quirks i found myself interested and continuing reading(listening in my case) and for me that is the most important thing for a book.
If it keeps you reading then the mission accomplished and thats why i am giving the 4 stars instead of 3.
I don't know if there will be a second book,and i strongly hope there will be given the open ending and all the questions begging for an answer....i am definitely interested what will happen furtehr with all of them.
To be honest i had a hard time deciding on how to rate this book and my mixed feelings took care of that.
The Romeo and Juliette comparison isn't very accurate in my opinion,but still the thing in common is the love between a technocrat and a magi - two warring fractions.
The whole idea of Technocrat society that rely and evolve around technology versus the hunted ,hiding and extinct Magi society possessing the power of magic and cherishing all things natural was interesting idea and world.
There were some things that rubbed me the wrong way...i will start maybe with the narrator and it felt like she overplayed a little and gave the whole book a slightly petulant tint and not the serious mystery vibe that was needed.
The main male character felt a little flat for me and absurdly trusting and naive that made it hard to connect with him.
As for Aissa....it was a hot-cold sort of relationship with her.....and maybe she was given too many flips in her mind about important matters and decisions.
The things i DO liked were puzzle like information about characters and world building that was given to you bit by bit throughout the book and made it more interesting.
Zandria was the most interesting and vivid character for me and as it was mentioned in the book perfectly balanced the character of Aissa.I would've loved to explore more of her.
The second character that intrigued me was Remy and his change of heart but unfortunately his character wasn't explored very deeply.
Despite the quirks i found myself interested and continuing reading(listening in my case) and for me that is the most important thing for a book.
If it keeps you reading then the mission accomplished and thats why i am giving the 4 stars instead of 3.
I don't know if there will be a second book,and i strongly hope there will be given the open ending and all the questions begging for an answer....i am definitely interested what will happen furtehr with all of them.
January 9, 2021
Oh wow, this book! Although it took me some time to get into the story, once I did I just couldn’t put this down. Aissa and her twin sister Zandria live in Palinor, a Technocrat city where people value machines, above nature and magic, and live alongside them. But while Aissa and her sister spend their days among the Technocrats pretending to be them, every night they spend time below the city, mapping out the tunnels that run underground as their Magi parents have instructed them to do. But Magi are not welcome in Palinor ever since the Techno-Magi wars and when the twins find an interesting locked door hidden beneath the city, they soon realise that they aren’t the only ones searching the tunnels for secrets. And if the truth of their real identities as Magi are ever found out, there will be deadly consequences.
‘Twin Daggers’ is such an amazing fantasy story although I have to admit it did take me a bit of time to get into the tale at the beginning. The book starts with Aissa and Zandria sneaking into the drainage tunnels that run under the city, with Aissa narrating the entire story and giving a bit of background to what is happening and the key aspects of them being Magi in a Technocrat world. The story is interesting from the start although getting to know all the details of the conflict between the Technocrats and Magi did take a bit of time to settle into my head and it wasn’t until Aissa and Zandria graduated school and begin their apprentiships around the city that I really was invested in the story.
The war between the Magi and the Technocrats left the Technocrats believing the Magi to be extinct, but while Aissa and Zandria work as spies, as all Magi within the city do, we start to find out more about the Techno-Magi wars and their dark consequences. I don’t really want to give away too much because the plot is long and very detailed but at no point was I confused and in fact I just loved how detailed some of the story was, including the details of the heartless and the special magic that the twins have. It wasn’t long before this book went from one that I initially struggled to get into, to one I just couldn’t put down and I just loved how the world was brought to life in my mind with all the wonderful descriptions and what happens.
The relationship that blossoms between Aissa and another character was sweet and I liked how this developed. In fact it really felt like a sweet Romeo and Juliet tale but what happened at the end was far more exciting! There is so much that happens with all of the characters in the book and although I had an inkling about a certain Magi character a while before something was revealed, I wasn’t quite expecting the plot twist that actually happened. And there were quite a few twists that I really wasn’t expecting. They were perfect though and made me gasp several times and get all emotional.
The ending is such a dramatic one and so satisfying too, and it leaves the door open for the sequel which I’m just desperate already to read! There’s something so amazing about this story and although I’ve seen some negative reviews about it being slow and difficult to get into (with some people giving up before they read more), for me it was just a little more descriptive than some ya books, but that descriptive nature soon brought me into the world of Palinor, the Magi and Technos, and it was just so compelling and so detailed that I was completely sucked in and I just didn’t want the story to end! There is nothing offensive in the book although there are a few descriptions of deaths and torture that might upset more sensitive readers. Apart from that there is nothing else that I would consider offensive/triggering.
This really was a wonderful and unique fantasy story and one which I think plenty of people will enjoy once you get into it. Although it can seem a little slow and descriptive at first, especially at the start in trying to understand the dynamics of the Magi and Technocrats and everything about the divide between the two, it isn’t slow throughout and it does pick up with so many exciting moments both heart-warming and breaking. In the end I was completly hooked and I just couldn’t put the book down! I can’t wait for the sequel and would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good and detailed fantasy story with a sweet romance thrown in!
-Thanks to Harper Collins for a free copy for review.
‘Twin Daggers’ is such an amazing fantasy story although I have to admit it did take me a bit of time to get into the tale at the beginning. The book starts with Aissa and Zandria sneaking into the drainage tunnels that run under the city, with Aissa narrating the entire story and giving a bit of background to what is happening and the key aspects of them being Magi in a Technocrat world. The story is interesting from the start although getting to know all the details of the conflict between the Technocrats and Magi did take a bit of time to settle into my head and it wasn’t until Aissa and Zandria graduated school and begin their apprentiships around the city that I really was invested in the story.
The war between the Magi and the Technocrats left the Technocrats believing the Magi to be extinct, but while Aissa and Zandria work as spies, as all Magi within the city do, we start to find out more about the Techno-Magi wars and their dark consequences. I don’t really want to give away too much because the plot is long and very detailed but at no point was I confused and in fact I just loved how detailed some of the story was, including the details of the heartless and the special magic that the twins have. It wasn’t long before this book went from one that I initially struggled to get into, to one I just couldn’t put down and I just loved how the world was brought to life in my mind with all the wonderful descriptions and what happens.
The relationship that blossoms between Aissa and another character was sweet and I liked how this developed. In fact it really felt like a sweet Romeo and Juliet tale but what happened at the end was far more exciting! There is so much that happens with all of the characters in the book and although I had an inkling about a certain Magi character a while before something was revealed, I wasn’t quite expecting the plot twist that actually happened. And there were quite a few twists that I really wasn’t expecting. They were perfect though and made me gasp several times and get all emotional.
The ending is such a dramatic one and so satisfying too, and it leaves the door open for the sequel which I’m just desperate already to read! There’s something so amazing about this story and although I’ve seen some negative reviews about it being slow and difficult to get into (with some people giving up before they read more), for me it was just a little more descriptive than some ya books, but that descriptive nature soon brought me into the world of Palinor, the Magi and Technos, and it was just so compelling and so detailed that I was completely sucked in and I just didn’t want the story to end! There is nothing offensive in the book although there are a few descriptions of deaths and torture that might upset more sensitive readers. Apart from that there is nothing else that I would consider offensive/triggering.
This really was a wonderful and unique fantasy story and one which I think plenty of people will enjoy once you get into it. Although it can seem a little slow and descriptive at first, especially at the start in trying to understand the dynamics of the Magi and Technocrats and everything about the divide between the two, it isn’t slow throughout and it does pick up with so many exciting moments both heart-warming and breaking. In the end I was completly hooked and I just couldn’t put the book down! I can’t wait for the sequel and would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good and detailed fantasy story with a sweet romance thrown in!
-Thanks to Harper Collins for a free copy for review.
July 29, 2020
I realized pretty early on that this wasn't for me - around 10% or so. I stuck with it until 38% but I couldn't stand it any longer and started skimming... then quickly dnfed because if you're skimming what even is the point of reading?
By 10% I could predict where the story was going. By 40% it was going... exactly where I'd predicted. Now maybe I'm wrong and there's an amazing plot twist at the end but like, I'm not gonna slog through a book I don't like hoping for a plot twist.
The writing was littered with cliches: "can't make heads or tails of it", "jumped out of my skin", "on pins and needles", "my blood boils", "spitting image"... this strikes me as lazy writing. Cliches can *always* be replaced with something more original.
The text was SO repetitive. The 'must do anything so magi don't have to hide' comes up what feels like 100 times in the first 10%. Also *no one* is as evil as the king and queen are. They're cartoon villains.
The sisters seemed immature and I kept wondering why they'd been handed these missions that are so important and secret. Two seemingly young teens are the key to bringing down your enemy and saving your people? Improbable.
The only thing that kept me reading as long as I did were Aro and Sparky. but sadly they're not enough to keep me reading to the end.
*thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc for review
**Edit: So, I should probably include who would like this book even though I didn't. So here are the books it reminded me of: Ash Princess, The Beholder, Storm Crow, Curse so Dark and Lonely, A Touch of Gold. I didn’t like any of those either, but I know a lot of people did. So if you are one of those people, this book might be for you :-)
By 10% I could predict where the story was going. By 40% it was going... exactly where I'd predicted. Now maybe I'm wrong and there's an amazing plot twist at the end but like, I'm not gonna slog through a book I don't like hoping for a plot twist.
The writing was littered with cliches: "can't make heads or tails of it", "jumped out of my skin", "on pins and needles", "my blood boils", "spitting image"... this strikes me as lazy writing. Cliches can *always* be replaced with something more original.
The text was SO repetitive. The 'must do anything so magi don't have to hide' comes up what feels like 100 times in the first 10%. Also *no one* is as evil as the king and queen are. They're cartoon villains.
The sisters seemed immature and I kept wondering why they'd been handed these missions that are so important and secret. Two seemingly young teens are the key to bringing down your enemy and saving your people? Improbable.
The only thing that kept me reading as long as I did were Aro and Sparky. but sadly they're not enough to keep me reading to the end.
*thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc for review
**Edit: So, I should probably include who would like this book even though I didn't. So here are the books it reminded me of: Ash Princess, The Beholder, Storm Crow, Curse so Dark and Lonely, A Touch of Gold. I didn’t like any of those either, but I know a lot of people did. So if you are one of those people, this book might be for you :-)
September 16, 2020
MarcyKate Connolly’s Twin Daggers is billed as a fantasy spin on Romeo and Juliet, but it doesn’t quite live up to the source material.
I wish that we could stop promoting books as “a cross between this or that” or a retelling or reimagining of something else. When this happens, the book starts at a deficit. I already have an idea of what might happen, and my expectations are based on the previous story/stories.
This is definitely the case with Twin Daggers. I wouldn’t have necessarily have tied it to Romeo and Juliet without the above reference, and it would have been better for it. That’s not to say that I would have fallen in love with the book, but I would have appreciated it more overall.
Connolly is a strong world builder, though it took a while to fully understand her vision. I found the machine/technology elements particularly interesting. There are a few things that are never completely explained, leaving me to wonder if the author forgot about them or if she plans to expand on them in the book’s sequel.
Twin Daggers is not a dynamic read, and there are moments that seem to drag. However, the story was compelling enough that I wanted to see where Connolly was heading. I have a feeling the second book will be the stronger of the two. I’d recommend this as a library read.
I wish that we could stop promoting books as “a cross between this or that” or a retelling or reimagining of something else. When this happens, the book starts at a deficit. I already have an idea of what might happen, and my expectations are based on the previous story/stories.
This is definitely the case with Twin Daggers. I wouldn’t have necessarily have tied it to Romeo and Juliet without the above reference, and it would have been better for it. That’s not to say that I would have fallen in love with the book, but I would have appreciated it more overall.
Connolly is a strong world builder, though it took a while to fully understand her vision. I found the machine/technology elements particularly interesting. There are a few things that are never completely explained, leaving me to wonder if the author forgot about them or if she plans to expand on them in the book’s sequel.
Twin Daggers is not a dynamic read, and there are moments that seem to drag. However, the story was compelling enough that I wanted to see where Connolly was heading. I have a feeling the second book will be the stronger of the two. I’d recommend this as a library read.
July 21, 2020
I really, really wanted to love Twin Daggers. There was so much potential with this book: magic, conspiracy, enmity between the Magi and the Technocrats, a twin bond between Aissa and Zandria, romance, the Heartless (an especially intriguing aspect). Unfortunately, none of these aspects fully developed in a way I hoped. This book was very slow-moving for me, and when it finally seemed like the story would pick up, it fizzled out again.
Furthermore, the world-building as well as character building was lacking for me. I didn't care for Aissa all that much, Zandria and Remy almost felt like superfluous characters, and Aro seemed especially underdeveloped for me. Maybe I would've felt differently if we could have gotten his perspective; I find it more and more difficult to enjoy books with a single point of view.
Even though Aissa is a Magi and Aro is a Technocrat, I don't really see why Twin Daggers is marketed as a Romeo and Juliet retelling. If I hadn't read that, I doubt I would have made the connection. Also, this does not compare to Marissa Meyer at all. I'm specifically thinking of the Lunar Chronicles....just no.
To finish it off, this book ends with a cliffhanger. I'm not sure where the storyline is going or how it will sustain itself, and I'm not sure I care.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***
Furthermore, the world-building as well as character building was lacking for me. I didn't care for Aissa all that much, Zandria and Remy almost felt like superfluous characters, and Aro seemed especially underdeveloped for me. Maybe I would've felt differently if we could have gotten his perspective; I find it more and more difficult to enjoy books with a single point of view.
Even though Aissa is a Magi and Aro is a Technocrat, I don't really see why Twin Daggers is marketed as a Romeo and Juliet retelling. If I hadn't read that, I doubt I would have made the connection. Also, this does not compare to Marissa Meyer at all. I'm specifically thinking of the Lunar Chronicles....just no.
To finish it off, this book ends with a cliffhanger. I'm not sure where the storyline is going or how it will sustain itself, and I'm not sure I care.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***
July 28, 2020
I had a hard time getting through this book. The world building was not at all interesting to me and I didn't really care for the characters. The plot was extremely predictable and the ending was just ok. I'm not compelled to read future installments.
I really wanted to like this book in terms of the sisterhood and the twist of magic and machinery. But it just didn't mend well.
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book in terms of the sisterhood and the twist of magic and machinery. But it just didn't mend well.
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2021
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult / Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Twin Daggers is the first part of a two part duology by author MarcyKate Connolly. Once upon a time in the land of Palinor, Magi were once powerful people until they were decimated by people called Technocrats during the Magi War. Technocrats bombed schools, hospitals, and those who were left, went into hiding. 16-year-old Aissa Donovan’s life is a web of carefully constructed lies. By day, she and her sister Zandra play the role of normal young Technocrats eager to fulfill the duties of their new apprenticeships.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Young Adult / Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Twin Daggers is the first part of a two part duology by author MarcyKate Connolly. Once upon a time in the land of Palinor, Magi were once powerful people until they were decimated by people called Technocrats during the Magi War. Technocrats bombed schools, hospitals, and those who were left, went into hiding. 16-year-old Aissa Donovan’s life is a web of carefully constructed lies. By day, she and her sister Zandra play the role of normal young Technocrats eager to fulfill the duties of their new apprenticeships.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
August 13, 2022
I inhaled this book. I was instantly enthralled by the world, the characters and the danger. The magic was fascinating and simple, the drama and danger were fun and exciting, the romance was a little meh but better then I thought it would be. All around, everything that makes for a fantastic adventure and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here!
July 28, 2020
I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The plot synopsis of Twin Daggers sounded intriguing, but the resultant work failed to deliver on the shiny, abbreviated promise. It moved at a glacial pace, lacked necessary backstory, and was peopled by prosaic, one-dimensional characters. I doggedly read the first 20% but commenced skimming until the precipitous cliffhanger was revealed on the last page. The plot twists were predictable, and the story was too deficient to be properly engaging. I will not continue with this series.
The plot synopsis of Twin Daggers sounded intriguing, but the resultant work failed to deliver on the shiny, abbreviated promise. It moved at a glacial pace, lacked necessary backstory, and was peopled by prosaic, one-dimensional characters. I doggedly read the first 20% but commenced skimming until the precipitous cliffhanger was revealed on the last page. The plot twists were predictable, and the story was too deficient to be properly engaging. I will not continue with this series.
August 16, 2020
**Thank you to Netgalley and Blink Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my rating**
"Love, for us, is a mad, brutal thing. It will only lead to destruction."
I REALLY enjoyed Twin Daggers. The book follows Aissa, a Magi, who is tasked along with her twin sister, Zandria, to find the heir of a rival faction called the Technocrats. The Magi, who have magic over natural objects like plants and people, have long been at war with the Technocrats, a people whose society is only possible through their creation and use of machines. Aissa and Sandra are unique in that they are Magi who can control both natural and mechanical objects. However, their mission becomes compromised when Aissa begins to fall in love with a Technocrat boy named Aro. The choice becomes loyalty to her people or loyalty to her heart.
I thought the book was well written. It was a quick read with a magic system that was well explained and explored. Sometimes with Fantasy novels, the magic system can fall by the wayside or feel like there are things left unexplained, so it was nice to see an author make sure the reader has a thorough understanding of the beliefs, the history and the extent of the power for the Magi.
Aissa and Zandria's relationship was sweet. It was nice to see a sisterly bond where they can be open with each other and critical of each other, but they also are there for each other whenever the other needs it. Aissa also had what felt like the right amount of tension in her choices. It never felt like she was figuratively self-flagellating. She had a sense of duty to her sister and the Magi, but also a growing attraction to Aro. It felt angst appropriate without being overbearing.
The only downside I have to this, really, is that the synopsis for this book describes it as a "Fantasy spin on Romeo & Juliet." I think this is true in the sense of the book being about star-crossed lovers. However, I also think that description sets up certain expectations that aren't met in this book. I would've preferred if it was just set up as being attracted to someone you can't have. It's more of a badass Fantasy spy thriller than it was a Romeo & Juliet retelling. Definitely a book that held my interest throughout. I have a feeling there's going to be a sequel, and if there is, I would be excited to read it and find out more about Aissa's journey.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
.
"Love, for us, is a mad, brutal thing. It will only lead to destruction."
I REALLY enjoyed Twin Daggers. The book follows Aissa, a Magi, who is tasked along with her twin sister, Zandria, to find the heir of a rival faction called the Technocrats. The Magi, who have magic over natural objects like plants and people, have long been at war with the Technocrats, a people whose society is only possible through their creation and use of machines. Aissa and Sandra are unique in that they are Magi who can control both natural and mechanical objects. However, their mission becomes compromised when Aissa begins to fall in love with a Technocrat boy named Aro. The choice becomes loyalty to her people or loyalty to her heart.
I thought the book was well written. It was a quick read with a magic system that was well explained and explored. Sometimes with Fantasy novels, the magic system can fall by the wayside or feel like there are things left unexplained, so it was nice to see an author make sure the reader has a thorough understanding of the beliefs, the history and the extent of the power for the Magi.
Aissa and Zandria's relationship was sweet. It was nice to see a sisterly bond where they can be open with each other and critical of each other, but they also are there for each other whenever the other needs it. Aissa also had what felt like the right amount of tension in her choices. It never felt like she was figuratively self-flagellating. She had a sense of duty to her sister and the Magi, but also a growing attraction to Aro. It felt angst appropriate without being overbearing.
The only downside I have to this, really, is that the synopsis for this book describes it as a "Fantasy spin on Romeo & Juliet." I think this is true in the sense of the book being about star-crossed lovers. However, I also think that description sets up certain expectations that aren't met in this book. I would've preferred if it was just set up as being attracted to someone you can't have. It's more of a badass Fantasy spy thriller than it was a Romeo & Juliet retelling. Definitely a book that held my interest throughout. I have a feeling there's going to be a sequel, and if there is, I would be excited to read it and find out more about Aissa's journey.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
.
Read
March 17, 2021DNF: 38% (no rating)
Twin Daggers, turned out to be a disappointment. A book by my number 1 favorite author, might I add. :(
The worldbuilding was interesting. But I soon got tired of Aissa constantly reminding me of how cruel the Technocrats are and how they almost destroyed her people. That's all she seems to think about. That and how she would never get distracted by boys.
Ah, famous last words.
The magic system? Interesting.
The worldbuilding? Nice.
The characters? If you stabbed one of them right now, I wouldn't flinch.
I will most definitely read more books by Connolly I might even try Twin Daggers later. But this book was driving me further into a reading slump, and I'd rather not go there.
Connolly is a very talented writer, this particular book just wasn't for me, sadly.
(No rating)
We are Magi, a once powerful people decimated by the Tencho-Magi wars one hundred years ago.
Twin Daggers, turned out to be a disappointment. A book by my number 1 favorite author, might I add. :(
The worldbuilding was interesting. But I soon got tired of Aissa constantly reminding me of how cruel the Technocrats are and how they almost destroyed her people. That's all she seems to think about. That and how she would never get distracted by boys.
Ah, famous last words.
The magic system? Interesting.
The worldbuilding? Nice.
The characters? If you stabbed one of them right now, I wouldn't flinch.
I will most definitely read more books by Connolly I might even try Twin Daggers later. But this book was driving me further into a reading slump, and I'd rather not go there.
Connolly is a very talented writer, this particular book just wasn't for me, sadly.
(No rating)
June 30, 2020
Received a free copy through NetGalley UK in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this, however, there were a few reasons why I'm giving it four stars rather than five.
The writing style was good. I don't like first-person perspective because it's rarely ever written in such a way that it's not constantly there reminding you, repeating 'I this, I that, I the other', which I find to grate. However, I didn't have that problem with this book at all, which was a refreshing change. I think the writing was really quite well, the style fit the story, and the present tense, which I prefer, keeps the pace going nicely along. There were a few things about the writing that did get a little redundant after a while, though, and that's repetition throughout pertaining to constant reminders of the plot whenever something new happens. I understand that if something takes place in the first chapter and it gets to the half-way point a gentle reminder might be in order, subtly woven in there, but certain things were repeated over and over at least once a chapter. Reminders of the Techno-Magi war, for example, how dangerous this is or how secret that is, or that there's a missing library and how hateful the Techno people are, etc.. It wasn't so over-done that I gave up on the whole thing, but it did get a little irritating after a while, it was like reading and re-reading the same thing over and over throughout the whole thing. Info dumps aren't good at the best of times, but repeatedly does hinder the story a little, however small the info dumps are. Other than that, though, the writing itself wasn't an issue for me, though on the copy of the book that I received a lot of paragraphs were mashed together making it difficult to follow who was saying what at times - I can only assume this won't be an issue come the official publishing.
Considering what the story is about and how integral the twins are to it, I did expect to see more of Zandria despite it being from Aissa's point of view, especially seeing as the two of them are told to us to be really close as identical twins - it would have been nice to have seen a bit more of it before everything goes down. There were times when it was quite easy to forget Zandria even existed, she seemed to insignificant in places, and I understand there were times she obviously couldn't be around, but the rest of the time she could have made more appearances.
One thing that really niggled me about this story, as it tends to with a lot of others I've read, is that this is a story based in a fantasy / steampunk / AU-dystopian world, and yet sexism is still quite pronounced. Early into the book we're told that the father is the fighter, the one who knows weapons and fighting techniques, and the mother is the herb gatherer and healer; the cook. It might be nice to have those roles reversed every once in a while. This is a world that doesn't reflect our own, after all. And there's also the issue of Leon and how he treats Aissa when she gets her apprenticeship with him, the comment about how he's been sent a girl this time around, and how he undermines her at every turn, making her pretty much beg for approval of her good work and falling short even when he does compliment her. In a completely other world outside of our own, I would one day love to read a book where everyone is treated equal unless there's a plot-purpose to a certain group of people not being so.
But the plot itself? I was hooked from the beginning and gripped by it the whole way through. Somehow I missed the fact that it was a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet, but I worked it out pretty early on at a guess, anyway, and I'm glad for it - if I'd read that beforehand, I might not have been as bothered by it, but it was a unique take on it and however much there was a romance connection here or there, and however much it might have woven into and around the main plot, it never really took over from it - it built on it and upped the stakes, making the overall plot more exciting. I was really pleased with that, as I'm not big into purely romance books, and I hate when a good plot starts, but is then overtaken by an instant romance and the plot falls by the wayside, so that was a nice surprise.
I liked Aissa, even if she did start out a bit too much of a worrier to the point where it made her constantly cautious and wise, etc., she came into her own as the plot thickened and the danger grew, and although we were mostly told Zandria was the opposite, we didn't see it much, and once she was rescued at the end she was like a completely different person, which is understandable to a point. Again, she didn't get much page time even then. I hated Remy from the get-go, but he was the kind of character you enjoy hating and not one that was just hated because they were that awful, which is never a bad thing - he can never be trusted in my eyes, and I'm glad Aissa pretty much stuck with that - I guessed the Romeo and Juliet elements through him, guessing him to be the Paris character of the story (or, I guess, co-Paris role since Darian kind of fits as well). Aro was intriguing from the start, and although I did guess who he might be before the big reveal came, making it somewhat predictable (the re-telling aspect obviously giving it away as well, anyway), it was written so well that guessing beforehand didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story or how it all played out. The King didn't seem to be an actual character, and what we saw of the Queen was a character to hate, so it might be nice to see more of them in the sequel, especially knowing what we do now, and same with other Magi characters.
I loved the bits of the plot where we got to see what the Techno's technology was about, learning bits and pieces through Aissa's work, and the Heartless, but it would, again, have been nice to see more from their point of view, especially since we were told they were all sickly children who didn't live long while Aro never seemed ill at all. I think between the plot and the romance, there wasn't much room for seeing other characters and aspects outside of the main character, and so we were only told and not shown what development was going on - this is understandable to a point when it's first-person, but it seemed like there were plenty of chances to squeeze things in and around it. The parents weren't in much, either, and especially not the dad, and the fact there were so many more secrets than we were first lead to believe in the family and how there are so many questions left around that - I do hope the sequel sheds light on all of these unanswered questions and threads that were left hanging.
I haven't read anything quite like this in a while, so it made reading this refreshing, the plot was gripping, the characters, however few we saw, were interesting and more or less stood by themselves, the romance was tied heavily to the plot, though not overshadowing it, and the plot kept up a nice pace and left enough excitement to keep things interesting. It was a good story, and when I finished, I did wonder if there would be more from this little world, so I was glad to read there would be a sequel at some point in the future. I would most definitely love to read that when it's available, and this is a book I will probably re-read at one point or another.
I really enjoyed this, however, there were a few reasons why I'm giving it four stars rather than five.
The writing style was good. I don't like first-person perspective because it's rarely ever written in such a way that it's not constantly there reminding you, repeating 'I this, I that, I the other', which I find to grate. However, I didn't have that problem with this book at all, which was a refreshing change. I think the writing was really quite well, the style fit the story, and the present tense, which I prefer, keeps the pace going nicely along. There were a few things about the writing that did get a little redundant after a while, though, and that's repetition throughout pertaining to constant reminders of the plot whenever something new happens. I understand that if something takes place in the first chapter and it gets to the half-way point a gentle reminder might be in order, subtly woven in there, but certain things were repeated over and over at least once a chapter. Reminders of the Techno-Magi war, for example, how dangerous this is or how secret that is, or that there's a missing library and how hateful the Techno people are, etc.. It wasn't so over-done that I gave up on the whole thing, but it did get a little irritating after a while, it was like reading and re-reading the same thing over and over throughout the whole thing. Info dumps aren't good at the best of times, but repeatedly does hinder the story a little, however small the info dumps are. Other than that, though, the writing itself wasn't an issue for me, though on the copy of the book that I received a lot of paragraphs were mashed together making it difficult to follow who was saying what at times - I can only assume this won't be an issue come the official publishing.
Considering what the story is about and how integral the twins are to it, I did expect to see more of Zandria despite it being from Aissa's point of view, especially seeing as the two of them are told to us to be really close as identical twins - it would have been nice to have seen a bit more of it before everything goes down. There were times when it was quite easy to forget Zandria even existed, she seemed to insignificant in places, and I understand there were times she obviously couldn't be around, but the rest of the time she could have made more appearances.
One thing that really niggled me about this story, as it tends to with a lot of others I've read, is that this is a story based in a fantasy / steampunk / AU-dystopian world, and yet sexism is still quite pronounced. Early into the book we're told that the father is the fighter, the one who knows weapons and fighting techniques, and the mother is the herb gatherer and healer; the cook. It might be nice to have those roles reversed every once in a while. This is a world that doesn't reflect our own, after all. And there's also the issue of Leon and how he treats Aissa when she gets her apprenticeship with him, the comment about how he's been sent a girl this time around, and how he undermines her at every turn, making her pretty much beg for approval of her good work and falling short even when he does compliment her. In a completely other world outside of our own, I would one day love to read a book where everyone is treated equal unless there's a plot-purpose to a certain group of people not being so.
But the plot itself? I was hooked from the beginning and gripped by it the whole way through. Somehow I missed the fact that it was a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet, but I worked it out pretty early on at a guess, anyway, and I'm glad for it - if I'd read that beforehand, I might not have been as bothered by it, but it was a unique take on it and however much there was a romance connection here or there, and however much it might have woven into and around the main plot, it never really took over from it - it built on it and upped the stakes, making the overall plot more exciting. I was really pleased with that, as I'm not big into purely romance books, and I hate when a good plot starts, but is then overtaken by an instant romance and the plot falls by the wayside, so that was a nice surprise.
I liked Aissa, even if she did start out a bit too much of a worrier to the point where it made her constantly cautious and wise, etc., she came into her own as the plot thickened and the danger grew, and although we were mostly told Zandria was the opposite, we didn't see it much, and once she was rescued at the end she was like a completely different person, which is understandable to a point. Again, she didn't get much page time even then. I hated Remy from the get-go, but he was the kind of character you enjoy hating and not one that was just hated because they were that awful, which is never a bad thing - he can never be trusted in my eyes, and I'm glad Aissa pretty much stuck with that - I guessed the Romeo and Juliet elements through him, guessing him to be the Paris character of the story (or, I guess, co-Paris role since Darian kind of fits as well). Aro was intriguing from the start, and although I did guess who he might be before the big reveal came, making it somewhat predictable (the re-telling aspect obviously giving it away as well, anyway), it was written so well that guessing beforehand didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story or how it all played out. The King didn't seem to be an actual character, and what we saw of the Queen was a character to hate, so it might be nice to see more of them in the sequel, especially knowing what we do now, and same with other Magi characters.
I loved the bits of the plot where we got to see what the Techno's technology was about, learning bits and pieces through Aissa's work, and the Heartless, but it would, again, have been nice to see more from their point of view, especially since we were told they were all sickly children who didn't live long while Aro never seemed ill at all. I think between the plot and the romance, there wasn't much room for seeing other characters and aspects outside of the main character, and so we were only told and not shown what development was going on - this is understandable to a point when it's first-person, but it seemed like there were plenty of chances to squeeze things in and around it. The parents weren't in much, either, and especially not the dad, and the fact there were so many more secrets than we were first lead to believe in the family and how there are so many questions left around that - I do hope the sequel sheds light on all of these unanswered questions and threads that were left hanging.
I haven't read anything quite like this in a while, so it made reading this refreshing, the plot was gripping, the characters, however few we saw, were interesting and more or less stood by themselves, the romance was tied heavily to the plot, though not overshadowing it, and the plot kept up a nice pace and left enough excitement to keep things interesting. It was a good story, and when I finished, I did wonder if there would be more from this little world, so I was glad to read there would be a sequel at some point in the future. I would most definitely love to read that when it's available, and this is a book I will probably re-read at one point or another.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2020
This was thoroughly. enjoyable, with original world-building, engaging characters, and a believable romance. It promises to be the first of a series. - at least I hope there's a continuation of the story - and I'll look forward to any sequels.
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