Twin Crowns by Katherine Webber and Catherine Doyle

What’s not to love about an easy-to-read fantasy with romance, adventure, twin princesses and a corrupt palace courtier? Princess Rose has always known that she will become queen of Eana after the murder of her parents when she was an infant. Witches were accused of the crime by the Kingsbreath Willem Rathborne but unbeknownst to everyone, her twin sister, Wren, was smuggled out of the palace and taken to live with the witches. Wren has always known that she would take over the throne and rescue her people. When Rose is kidnapped by Shen and taken to the witches’ stronghold on the cliffs, she begins to understand what really happened to her parents and becomes increasingly attracted to Shen. Meanwhile Wren has taken her place in the palace and is forced to learn about being a princess and try to withstand her fascination with her prospective husband’s guard. The wellbeing of both the witches and the kingdom is threatened and Rose and Wren face danger as they try to fit into their new environments.

Told in alternating chapters the voices of both Rose and Wren are clearly defined. Rose has always believed that Willem Rathborne had her best interests at heart and was unaware of his machinations to gain control of the throne for himself, so much so that he is willing to allow a rival kingdom to take over. She is stunned to learn that she is a healer and that all the witches are under threat. Wren has been brought up to be strong and tough always believing that the throne should be hers and she would be the saviour of her people.

The pace is fast with action galore, a wild gallop across the desert, forays into secret passages, encounters with wild beasts and a cruel king, dire prophecies and kidnappings, all keeping the reader engrossed. The authors have added some humour and snarky repartee, and of course the romances are engaging.

This light-hearted romantic fantasy is sure to appeal to readers who will want to read the next in the series, The cursed crowns. They may also be interested in The Queen's rising by Rebecca Ross or Three dark crowns by Kendare Blake.

Themes: Fantasy, Princesses, Witches, Revenge.

Pat Pledger