Twin Daggers (Twin Daggers, #1) by MarcyKate Connolly

Jun 23, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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 spi 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. ...more

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Aug 15, 2020 Renaissance Kate rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020, fantasy-reads

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 a 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. ...more

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Jul 11, 2020 Alaina rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2020-ng, retellings, 2020-arcs, fiction, young-adult

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 ...more

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Apr 27, 2020 K.S. Marsden rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

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 t ...more

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Sep 15, 2020 Kristin Sledge rated it liked it

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 e ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Lauren Stoolfire rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, thriller, romance, adventure

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 ...more

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Aug 01, 2020 Kelly rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020-arcs

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 do ...more

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Sep 07, 2020 Steff Fox rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020, creative-tales, meh, arcs, love-triangles, ya, bad-writing, wasted-potential, a-little-problematic

| 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 b ...more

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Aug 20, 2020 Rissa rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, audiobooks

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 wa ...more

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Nov 28, 2020 Faye rated it it was amazing

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 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. ...more

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Jul 13, 2020 Aly rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, 2020, romance, ya, fantasy, july-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 ...more

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Aug 12, 2020 The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, 2020-releases, arc, young-adult, netgalley

DNF @ 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.

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Aug 16, 2020 Lu rated it liked it

Shelves: in-english, earc, fantasy, love-story

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 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 ...more

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Jul 03, 2020 Megan rated it really liked it

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 o ...more

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Feb 25, 2020 Meghan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library

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 b ...more

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Sep 16, 2020 Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tbr-2020-september

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. ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 Petra rated it really liked it

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 ext 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. ...more

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Jan 09, 2021 Strawberry rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, ya, favourites

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 Mag 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. ...more

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Jul 28, 2020 Shilo Quetchenbach rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc-review, from-publisher, netgalley, dnf

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 ...more

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Sep 16, 2020 Jessica Harrison rated it liked it

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 i ...more

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Jul 20, 2020 Rachel rated it it was ok

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 ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Billed as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, Twin Daggers is a sneaky-spy mystery full of secrets and lies. Precocious twins, Aissa and Zandria pretend to be Technocrat apprentices by day, but are Magi spies at night, working to map the tunnels underground that may hold the lost Magi library and all its secret spells. Their parents keep up appearances as antiquities dealers in town to avoid anyone asking too many questions about their purpose. The 100-year wars between the Magi and the Technocrats e ...more

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Jul 27, 2020 Rose rated it did not like it

Shelves: netgalley

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. ...more

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Jul 21, 2020 Jessica rated it it was ok

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 ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Whitney rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-reviews

**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 w **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

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Jun 25, 2020 Nemo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 t 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. ...more

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Jul 20, 2020 Debbie Gascoyne rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, netgalley, 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. ...more

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May 06, 2020 Jenn rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I really wanted to fall in love with this book, but I barely even managed to finish it. The overall story is good, and I liked Aissa and Zandria. I even liked the other characters introduced, Remy and Aro. Yet the writing itself didn't pull me in. It was so redundant. Yes it's dangerous for Aissa and Zandria as Magi living amongst the Technocrats, but after reading "it's so dangerous for us" a dozen of times in the first few chapters of the book, I started rolling my eyes.
The other part that go ...more

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Oct 18, 2020 Carina Olsen rated it it was ok

Although it breaks my heart a little, I have to give this book two stars. I truly tried my hardest to love this one. But I simply did not. And I have a whole lot to share about it. While trying my best not to be too negative. As there were parts of this book that I did like. It was a mix between two and three stars. But closer to two stars.

It is heartbreaking to me, as I am huge fan of MarcyKate. Have adored her for years and own all her books and have read them all too. Have enjoyed them all ve Although it breaks my heart a little, I have to give this book two stars. I truly tried my hardest to love this one. But I simply did not. And I have a whole lot to share about it. While trying my best not to be too negative. As there were parts of this book that I did like. It was a mix between two and three stars. But closer to two stars.

It is heartbreaking to me, as I am huge fan of MarcyKate. Have adored her for years and own all her books and have read them all too. Have enjoyed them all very much. And I will of course still continue to buy and read books by her. As she is awesome. And although this book was not for me, I'll not stop reading her books.

I will try my best to share all my thoughts about this book. But I will also try not to share too much. Just enough. I so wish I could say that I loved this one. Sigh. But that just wasn't the case. Still. I am glad that I read it. And I will still be reading the sequel, since I do very much want to know what happens next to the characters. I just also had many issues with this story. Which makes me sad. But, oh well. It is what it is. I did not like this one much and I will be sharing why. I shall begin by saying that I had issues first with the writing. It wasn't bad, not fully. But I was not able to connect at all. I felt nothing for these characters. It felt like this book was only telling never showing. It felt stiff most of the time. The main character did not feel real to me. Which made it even harder for me to enjoy this book. I so wish I had loved the main girl.

It took me forever to read this one, as I could never ignore the writing. Which made me feel like the book never ended. Which was so not a good feeling. But it was not all bad. I did like the world created. I was curious about the magic and the techno parts. But some parts were a bit too much for me. It was like all Aissa thought about. How bad the technocrats were, how they killed all the magi one hundred years ago. And kills them still if they find them. Which was so horrible, of course. And exciting to read about at times.

But I did not like the way Aissa was thinking about all of it. Sigh. There was too much focus on certain things. How she would do everything for her people, and things like that. Then the romance happened too. How she fell for a technocrat. Her people's enemy. She is always thinking about that. How she and him are not meant to be. This book is said to be a somewhat Romeo and Juliet re-telling. I saw that, but not much. It was insta-love. Which I don't mind, but felt like I never got to see them actually be together.

Oh, and there was another boy. A childhood friend, another magi person like her. Whom was totally into her. But all she could think of was the other boy. And yet she cries into his arms. She spend a night out in the wild curled up into his arms for warmth. Yeah. It was very much almost a love triangle. Shudders. But not really that either, as nothing happened, not yet, at least. Sigh. But anyway. I wish I could have loved her romance with Aro. I just did not feel it. Not one bit. I liked him, I liked her, but loved none of them. Oh.

Another part of this world I liked was the story of the Heartless. Babies being born without a heart. Having to get a clockwork heart put into them from birth. And then a new one each year, before that killed them. Though they barely lived more than twenty years even so. It was heartbreaking yet so interesting to read about. And I liked learning more about that. There were also small magic parts in this book. I liked that a lot too. I wish there had been more focus on it, as I wanted to know way more different spells and such.

This book tells the story of Aissa and her twin sister, Zandria. Magi spies living in a world that hunt their people down. Trying with their people to take over again, to get their place back. But it is not as simple as that. Full of different twists and such. Secrets that were not really secrets at all, that I felt like the main girl was stupid for not figuring out. A lot of those. Gah. I kind of disliked their parents. Since they were never there. Barely spoken of. I sort of liked Zandria, but we barely saw her as well. This was the story of Aissa.

There is much I could say about this book. And I have already said enough. Yet barely even mentioned the plot. Oops. It bothered me that Aissa never figured out all the secret things. They were all so obvious. Some things were too convenient. There were mentions of her seeing torture. It was kind of dark, yet I felt nothing. I wish I had felt something while reading this book. But I just did not. Which still makes me sad. As I really did want to love this. But I tried. I wanted to know what would happened, just didn't care much.

Even though Twin Daggers was not everything I had hoped it would be, it was still a good read. It was still a good story and I am glad that I read it. I just wish it had been better for me. And I know that others will love it. Which is always the case. But yeah. Sadly this book was not for me. Still going to read the sequel, though. And hoping that I will love that one more. As I must know what happens next. But wishing I was more invested as well. How rude. Still. This book looks stunning and so thrilled to own it for my collection.

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This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books, here: https://carinabooks.blogspot.com/2020... ...more

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Aug 19, 2020 Heather - hturningpages rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, arcs

Rating: 2/5 Not-so-shiny-daggers

Format: ebook. I’d like to thank Blink and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To sum up:
In the world of Twin Daggers, an old hatred exists between the Technocrats (a technology-focused people) and the Magi (people with magic!). Two magi sisters attempt to spy on the world of the Technocrats in order to find secrets that will help their fellow Magi. When one of the sisters starts to fall for her mark however, things start to ge Rating: 2/5 Not-so-shiny-daggers

Format: ebook. I’d like to thank Blink and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To sum up:
In the world of Twin Daggers, an old hatred exists between the Technocrats (a technology-focused people) and the Magi (people with magic!). Two magi sisters attempt to spy on the world of the Technocrats in order to find secrets that will help their fellow Magi. When one of the sisters starts to fall for her mark however, things start to get complicated. This is pitched as a Romeo and Juliet with a fantasy twist.

What I enjoyed:
I think the premise is pretty cool. I love mash-ups with science and magic and this one definitely had the potential to do some neat things. I appreciated that the story was pretty easy to follow, the motives of the characters were clear, and the plot was fairly well constructed.

What was meh:
Unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with this one. The biggest problem for me was the author’s writing style. Connolly has a dramatic flair that errs on the side of repetitive, so felt that every revelation and emotion felt by the main character was both a little over the top, and stated at least three times. This got really exhausting and frustrating. Connolly also tended to state what I felt was obvious on every page, from facts about the way their world works that she has already stated, or the character’s inner thoughts given their circumstances. It ends up resulting in a main character that feels shallowly developed, single-minded, and naive.

Speaking of characters, we are mostly in the mind of Aissa (one of the twins) and the other characters are not really elaborated on with real depth. Their parents, who live with the twins are barely involved and don’t seem to notice their daughters escaping their rooms most nights. Aissa's twin seems to have a slightly different personality, but I still had to actually look up their names to remember who has who to write this. The other twin just doesn't really jump off the page. The only other character that has some interesting mystery and development is Aissa’s forbidden romance/love interest, Aro. A lot of time was spent building up their relationship but I had a hard time feeling their chemistry. This in part might be due to a lot of focus on tingly hand touching scenes and flushed necks, which just isn’t enough for me to understand why they are drawn to each other.

The next big issue I had was with the world-building. I was willing to give the author a lot of ground on the details here since a world where science and magic exist can be difficult to pull off. Ultimately, I felt like the details of this world were barely sketched out and most of the reasons for why the world was the way it is was not explained (other than the long-ago feud between peoples which was ultimately explored further near the end). I still don’t actually understand what being a Technocrat means. What kind of technology do they have and how is it different from our own? Instead of explaining how their technology is used in their daily life, the author focuses on frivolous things, like mechanical pets that follow people around, and mechanical flowers (like why though? Why not use sculpture, or paintings, or like anything else that isn’t as complicated?). It’s stated early on that a lot of living things aren’t around anymore (like plants and animals) which raises huge questions for me. I would have liked for the author to give us more information about why this is the case, and what do people eat if this is the case? This issue was pretty minor to the plot, but one that I had that is important to the plot revolves around “the Heartless”. It is explained early on that some of the Technocrats are born without functioning hearts, and therefore must have them replaced with mechanical ones. Already I have so many questions. Like how would a fetus survive a birth without a heart?? And if this society has developed technology to birth infants without hearts, then why give these babies mechanical ones? Why not develop an artificial heart from some other living tissue? (like whatever protein they have to be growing for them to eat?) I’m guessing because then this story wouldn’t feel as steampunk, which is a pretty lame answer imo.

Overall, I was really disappointed with this story. It had really great potential, but I got frustrated with the writing style and my questions about the world. The plot was alright, but I wasn’t blown away by the twists, I could see them coming a mile away because of the way the author writes. I just wish she would have cut out a lot of the repetitive details and given her readers more credit. ...more

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