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Twinborn Trilogy #1-3
Twinborn Chronicles: Awakening Collection
All 3 of J.S. Morin's best-selling epic fantasy Twinborn Trilogy books in one volume
Firehurler - 4.6 average star rating with 68 reviews
Aethersmith - 4.7 average star rating with 23 reviews
Sourcethief - 4.6 average star rating with 21 reviews
One world of magic. One world of reason. Two lives intertwined in connection mistaken for a dream.
Kyrus Hinterdale is about to get drawn into a conflict the likes of which he could never have imagined. His discovery that the world in his dreams is real, and that his twin within that world dreams of him, sets him off on a quest of self-discovery that could reshape two worlds. He is not alone with this special vision. Others like him had been at it far longer, working secret plots and stealing secrets from one world to take advantage in the other. Caught in the middle of an ancient conflict, Kyrus and his twin, Brannis, must discover who can be trusted, who must be watched, and who is out to kill him.
Praise for the Twinborn Trilogy:
"If you read only one fantasy this year, make it this one!" - Theresa Snyder
"Original Concept, Perfectly Executed!" - Richi from Two Reads
"Intricately detailed, awesome read" - Mel Chesley from Caldonia Lass
"It is quite astonishing that author J.S. Morin can craft not only one breathtakingly vivid fantasy world, but two." - The Book Brothers
Firehurler - 4.6 average star rating with 68 reviews
Aethersmith - 4.7 average star rating with 23 reviews
Sourcethief - 4.6 average star rating with 21 reviews
One world of magic. One world of reason. Two lives intertwined in connection mistaken for a dream.
Kyrus Hinterdale is about to get drawn into a conflict the likes of which he could never have imagined. His discovery that the world in his dreams is real, and that his twin within that world dreams of him, sets him off on a quest of self-discovery that could reshape two worlds. He is not alone with this special vision. Others like him had been at it far longer, working secret plots and stealing secrets from one world to take advantage in the other. Caught in the middle of an ancient conflict, Kyrus and his twin, Brannis, must discover who can be trusted, who must be watched, and who is out to kill him.
Praise for the Twinborn Trilogy:
"If you read only one fantasy this year, make it this one!" - Theresa Snyder
"Original Concept, Perfectly Executed!" - Richi from Two Reads
"Intricately detailed, awesome read" - Mel Chesley from Caldonia Lass
"It is quite astonishing that author J.S. Morin can craft not only one breathtakingly vivid fantasy world, but two." - The Book Brothers
Audible Audio
First published March 12, 2014
117 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
J.S. Morin
192 books611 followersI am a creator of worlds and a destroyer of words. As a fantasy writer, my works range from traditional epics to futuristic fantasy with starships. I have worked as an unpaid Little League pitcher, a cashier, a student library aide, a factory grunt, a cubicle drone, and an engineer--there is some overlap in the last two.
Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that's all I do for a living.
I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author's privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don't dance, can't sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.
My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.
Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that's all I do for a living.
I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author's privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don't dance, can't sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.
My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 29, 2017
The narrator takes some getting used to, and the audio was horrid in places, but the story was great, complete and satisfying. Definitely worth an audible credit.
October 19, 2015
A bit complicated but worth the effort
This story has a large cast of characters many of which have twins in the other world that the reader needs to keep track of. That is not so unusual for epic fantasy stories but when some characters exchange places and all the twins start speaking as one person it can get a little tricky at times keeping them straight. I could see where making a llist of characters and their corresponding twin might have been helpful. I really liked the story though.
This story has a large cast of characters many of which have twins in the other world that the reader needs to keep track of. That is not so unusual for epic fantasy stories but when some characters exchange places and all the twins start speaking as one person it can get a little tricky at times keeping them straight. I could see where making a llist of characters and their corresponding twin might have been helpful. I really liked the story though.
June 10, 2025
While I rate it 4 stars I think I’d truly rate it a 4.4. The overall story and worldbuilding is one of my favorites and what has lead me to listen to it a 4th time.
It’s really hard to leave a review without spoiling it, but the concept is truly unique.
I would rate this a 5 star if not for how formal it can feel at times. Sometimes it’s less a story and more of a speech. While others, their dialogue is absolutely brilliant and witty.
Despite knowing how it ends I always enjoy how it gets there.
On a side note if you’re on audible the sound quality can be absolutely janky at times despite the good narrator.
It’s really hard to leave a review without spoiling it, but the concept is truly unique.
I would rate this a 5 star if not for how formal it can feel at times. Sometimes it’s less a story and more of a speech. While others, their dialogue is absolutely brilliant and witty.
Despite knowing how it ends I always enjoy how it gets there.
On a side note if you’re on audible the sound quality can be absolutely janky at times despite the good narrator.
July 12, 2020
Another Audible finished. Sometimes curiosity and a surplus of credits makes you do strange things. This time it was worthwhile, as long as you keep your head whilst reading/listening. It is difficult to write this without spoilers but to say that each character is twice what they seem and remembering who goes where can be a little distracting. Sometimes magic is needed, sometimes it is good old gunpowder, rarely both; in fact the two appear to be mutually exclusive. OK, enough hints.
When it is done well, being read to is a joyful experience. In this Audible production the reading was superb with great characterisations and consistency. For the purist it is read in American so occasional words will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, but much less than vinegar on a paper cut.
No matter how good the reader, it helps to have something worth reading. The characters in TTC are well written, interesting, and beleivable. JS Morin is not afraid to lose characters shold the plot require it. The writing is engaging and stylish and above all else, compelling.
Once in a while, ordering something through sheer randomness pays off. Not always but on this occasion certainly
When it is done well, being read to is a joyful experience. In this Audible production the reading was superb with great characterisations and consistency. For the purist it is read in American so occasional words will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, but much less than vinegar on a paper cut.
No matter how good the reader, it helps to have something worth reading. The characters in TTC are well written, interesting, and beleivable. JS Morin is not afraid to lose characters shold the plot require it. The writing is engaging and stylish and above all else, compelling.
Once in a while, ordering something through sheer randomness pays off. Not always but on this occasion certainly
April 13, 2020
Almost 70 hours of audio for 1 credit, makes this more than worth it.
I put off reading this for a while just because the ads were cheesy and claimed to be as good as some of my favorite authors...it's decent but not on the level of some of the masters of modern fantasy. The concept of multiple worlds has always been super fascinating to me, and the plot being that in some extremely rare cases people can be "twinborn" basically being two different people on two worlds, but living that life in your dreams is super interesting and well done.
Gripes: I do feel like for it being super rare we come across quite a few of these characters but they tend to seek each other out so it's not totally unexpected. For being so long I feel like the world is slightly underdeveloped, however the characters and intrigue drive the story. There are parts that seem rushed and underdeveloped, as well as parts that seem to meander randomly for no plot related reason.
What I liked: It was a well executed soft magic system, I normally don't like soft magic system because deux ex machina happens a lot but while occasionally present here, it wasn't at super disappointing times. The magic does have limits of both skill, source, verbal/mental commands, etc...however these are not well defined. The author has established lore of the world that is interesting and sets up the story to be continued while leaving you with a satisfying ending.
All and all was this the best thing since sliced bread...no... I did enjoy it and you get a whole lot of story for a cheap price.
**Audio note: The narrator did take me a minute to get used to but I ended up enjoying his narration. There is some weird random chiming throughout the audiobook, I could never really figure out what it signified. At first I thought it was for world switches but that wasn't the case, maybe it's chapters in the hard copy i'm not sure, just not used to anything in audiobooks that seems to purposely take you out of the story, but you get used to it.
I put off reading this for a while just because the ads were cheesy and claimed to be as good as some of my favorite authors...it's decent but not on the level of some of the masters of modern fantasy. The concept of multiple worlds has always been super fascinating to me, and the plot being that in some extremely rare cases people can be "twinborn" basically being two different people on two worlds, but living that life in your dreams is super interesting and well done.
Gripes: I do feel like for it being super rare we come across quite a few of these characters but they tend to seek each other out so it's not totally unexpected. For being so long I feel like the world is slightly underdeveloped, however the characters and intrigue drive the story. There are parts that seem rushed and underdeveloped, as well as parts that seem to meander randomly for no plot related reason.
What I liked: It was a well executed soft magic system, I normally don't like soft magic system because deux ex machina happens a lot but while occasionally present here, it wasn't at super disappointing times. The magic does have limits of both skill, source, verbal/mental commands, etc...however these are not well defined. The author has established lore of the world that is interesting and sets up the story to be continued while leaving you with a satisfying ending.
All and all was this the best thing since sliced bread...no... I did enjoy it and you get a whole lot of story for a cheap price.
**Audio note: The narrator did take me a minute to get used to but I ended up enjoying his narration. There is some weird random chiming throughout the audiobook, I could never really figure out what it signified. At first I thought it was for world switches but that wasn't the case, maybe it's chapters in the hard copy i'm not sure, just not used to anything in audiobooks that seems to purposely take you out of the story, but you get used to it.
October 10, 2024
The premise of the Twinborn are great! ... until it turns out that just about everyone of the major characters, and innercircle are Twinborn. It was great when there were two or three ... not so great when there is suddenly 12, all within a small circle. Perhaps I missed something, but I felt that was a major deflation point.
Other than that, the books are average. The first is a typical fantasy story. Books 2&3 are way too slow and boring.
Final battle was well done and the conclusion was satisfactory. But it probably could have been done in 2 books.
A major plus, is the magic battles. I loved it. It is the first and best portrayal/telling of true classic D&D spells, where somatic and verbal components feature prominently and makes sense. Loved this.
Reading/listening to this after the Black Ocean series - the characters were flat and disappointing. Morin wrote such incredible characters in the Black Ocean, which Naramore brought to life in spectacular fashion. Though Naramore did well in Twinborn, he probably didnt have the material to work with, as in the Black Ocean.
Other than that, the books are average. The first is a typical fantasy story. Books 2&3 are way too slow and boring.
Final battle was well done and the conclusion was satisfactory. But it probably could have been done in 2 books.
A major plus, is the magic battles. I loved it. It is the first and best portrayal/telling of true classic D&D spells, where somatic and verbal components feature prominently and makes sense. Loved this.
Reading/listening to this after the Black Ocean series - the characters were flat and disappointing. Morin wrote such incredible characters in the Black Ocean, which Naramore brought to life in spectacular fashion. Though Naramore did well in Twinborn, he probably didnt have the material to work with, as in the Black Ocean.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2020
Meh
The story was fascinating and the characters were likeable. The twinborn idea is a lot of fun. So why 3 stars? In short, it was a bit of a letdown. It's like walking in to a restaurant and being overwhelmed by mouth-watering aromas, only for the food to be... Meh.
Did I enjoy the read? Yes
Ending? Meh
I don't feel I wasted time reading this... I just don't have a desire to re-read like I do the greats.
The story was fascinating and the characters were likeable. The twinborn idea is a lot of fun. So why 3 stars? In short, it was a bit of a letdown. It's like walking in to a restaurant and being overwhelmed by mouth-watering aromas, only for the food to be... Meh.
Did I enjoy the read? Yes
Ending? Meh
I don't feel I wasted time reading this... I just don't have a desire to re-read like I do the greats.
July 31, 2017
Lost potential
This book had so much promise, but didn't live up to its established potential. There were many items and characters left unexplained poor dangling that it felt like the story never really sealed. This book wasn't bad enough to stop reading, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
This book had so much promise, but didn't live up to its established potential. There were many items and characters left unexplained poor dangling that it felt like the story never really sealed. This book wasn't bad enough to stop reading, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
May 30, 2020
I struggled to finish. While an interesting concept, that everyone has a twin in an alternate universe, it did not live up to its potential. The story became long and bloody. Whole populations were annihilated to prove a point. As the story swapped back and forth between characters their motives became increasingly harder to comprehend and I became increasingly less interested in the outcome.
October 24, 2020
Some really great moments, but it felt like the author ripped chunks out of various books then sewed them together. I was lost enough that the boring parts weren’t worth wading through to get to the good parts. I stopped halfway through part 2 of 6. Maybe one day I’ll come back and try again. For now, time for something that keeps my interest and that my small brain can comprehend.
June 10, 2017
Profoundly good, recently written fantasy. Very deep and personable characters. Amazing and innovative premises which hold together and extend out in many directions to huge extents. Beautiful storylines.
April 2, 2022
Unique concept, and perhaps because of making sure the reader gets a good understanding of that, the start was somewhat slow. Seemingly unrelated stories and character jumps were confusing at first, but as the story progresses, everything weaves together and it's done beautifully.
March 21, 2018
Starts of great, but gets rather boring.
May 31, 2019
Took a little while to get into the novel, but once I was invested I really enjoyed it!
November 11, 2019
I couldn't even make it through the first book, I was too distracted by the poor writing.
April 28, 2020
Excellent premise.
May 27, 2020
Nice collection though I am not seeing the other 3 books for this series. should be 6. nice twist on magic.
December 17, 2020
Well I finally finished after sitting it down for 6 months. The author deserves more than my three stars but I just can’t give it more. I wasn’t captivated by the story. Sorry
January 15, 2021
Would have given it a 4 but had to many sexual relationships.
January 25, 2021
The series was okay. It's interesting, the magic system is basic in my opinion, and there isn't much depth really, just people doing magic just cause they can I guess. Nothing special
February 17, 2021
Would give it 4.5 if I could. A slightly slow start and the characters meander a bit toward the end but the plot is great, solid character development, and great ending
October 18, 2022
An interesting approach. I won’t reread this series. Not bad for a one time read though
February 20, 2025
🎧-Rounded up. Once I settled in, it was a fun story with an interesting premise.
July 27, 2025
Lowkey grinded this series whole last month. Had books 1-3 combined so was nice not to wait. Pretty unique magic system and world building. Didn’t really like ending which is why I put 4 stars.
April 8, 2023
DNF at ~40%
January 23, 2021
First book is very interesting with new concepts and world building. Pace is little bit throttled in second and also there is no direct goal in sight for story. Fortunately third book gets little bit better and finish is quite decent.
November 6, 2017
This is the second time I have read this book. I enjoyed it even more than the first time because I didn't have to spend so much time trying to figure out who was who and which world I was in. The only complaint I have is that the font size is always changing (I read from a Kindle). It is a bit annoying having to keep on making the letters bigger or smaller at the start or end of each chapter. However, to my mind this is a small price to pay to read this excellent series.
I have now started the Mad Tinker's series (also reading for the second time) and am sure this will give me just as much pleasure.
Highly recommended.
I have now started the Mad Tinker's series (also reading for the second time) and am sure this will give me just as much pleasure.
Highly recommended.
December 18, 2015
Heck yes
Much better than the mad tinker chronicles . While I'm glad I rad it second so no gist surprises were ruined I wish I'd had a red guide to keep it all staging when reading the mad tinker chronicles. Would definitely recommend to fans of magic and sci fi.
Much better than the mad tinker chronicles . While I'm glad I rad it second so no gist surprises were ruined I wish I'd had a red guide to keep it all staging when reading the mad tinker chronicles. Would definitely recommend to fans of magic and sci fi.
January 24, 2017
Genious story line.
The interweaving nature of the plot was refreshingly new to me. It took a little discipline to keep some of the characters straight in my mind, at first, but this story teller did an excellent llent job of painting his story in the mind's eye.
The interweaving nature of the plot was refreshingly new to me. It took a little discipline to keep some of the characters straight in my mind, at first, but this story teller did an excellent llent job of painting his story in the mind's eye.
Read
July 30, 2017Not for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews