Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly
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Twin Sisters Aissa and Zandria have lived their lives with a secret. They are magic users, in a world where it is condemned. When they discover an underground door they cannot open, they hope it will help their people.
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What I liked:
-I liked this world that was built, a world that looks to technology for their solutions while the magic users are persecuted. It was an excellent way to really ramp up emotions and get a person invested.
-I love stories with twins.
-I loved the twins parents.
-The ending (of THIS book) was very high stakes and I had to speed up the audio because I was a little stressed out.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An immersive story full of a secret history to uncover.

This was a classic Romeo & Juliet retelling with an incredibly unique world. The world building is extremely well crafted, and we see elements of dystopian and steam punk lifestyle. The characters are easy to connect with and enjoyable. I really enjoyed this YA fantasy novel!

Everything you could want in an adventure! The world was intricate and inviting, the magic was simple yet fascinating, the drama and danger were fun and exciting. With a great example of a strong female lead, this fast paced, action packed story was a great thrill.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Didn't really pull me in like the rest of Connolly's work has done. Plot moved slow and the I didn't feel attached to the characters.

I congratulate myself on having the patience to finish this. This, which should have been about half the length but for the author's need to constantly iterate every single character's feelings about every single thing that happened. Now, as the majority of said characters had the emotional range of a teaspoon and the memory of a gnat, this could have been much more torturous.

Twin Daggers is a solid option in the crowded YA fantasy genre. It focuses on twin sisters with magical powers. I see the sequel, Heartless Heirs, is out already. I may put that one my TBR for the future. I have not been reading as much fantasy lately, perhaps being somewhat tired of it since the genre did get to be so popular in recent years. I do see the sequel is from the Christian publishing subdivision of HarperCollins, and I am glad it is likely a good option for folks who want the book to be appropriate for young adult readers.

Goodreads says I gave this 4 stars when I read it before release. I sadly don't recall much about the story.

I was interested in this book because it was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. However, I had a hard time connecting to this story and it’s characters.

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of the book. This review is based on my personal opinion and enjoyment of the book.

To be continued.

It's not my favorite of YA fantasies, but I do think the premise was very interesting and a lot of the teen audience will be surprised at the twists.

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.

By night, they work for the Magi’s spy organization, which seeks to overthrow the Technocrats who subjugated their people. Aissa and Zandria have been given the job of mapping the tunnels underground. They are searching for a lost library where they hope they will find spells stolen by the Technocrats. The sisters take their lives in their hands knowing that if they are caught, it is game over. They have two basic rules: never trust a Technocrat. Never underestimate a machine. Aissa is unique in that she has control over machines.

Soon Aissa is given her greatest mission: find and kidnap the heir to the Technocrat throne, who is rumored to be one of the Heartless—a person born without a working heart who survives via a mechanical replacement—and has been hidden since birth. Aissa has 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. A researcher who finds that Aissa may hold the answer to finding a cure.

Aissa’s new apprenticeship is a gift; she is able to get into the palace and find a way to help her people get revenge. But when Zandria is captured, Aissa will do anything to get her sister back. Even if it means abandoning all other loyalties … and risking everything by trusting the enemy. Aissa is the more serious and reserved of the sisters, while her sister is impulsive and charming. The more you read this book, the more you will find that nothing is what it appears, and secrets, and more secrets could cost the sisters everything because of betrayal and Aissa falling for the boy who makes her heart beat fast.

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. 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 one thing you can guarantee with duologies is that there will almost always be a cliffhanger ending. There are a lot of twists and questions and I am happy that I have the sequel ready to go on my Kindle.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The book has an interesting plot twins with magical powers in a land where magic is dead and technology rules. Power so unique they keep it hidden from their own people.

Aissa is a believer in their mission, to find the young female heir and ransoms her. She's meets a researcher to gain access to the castle and techno stronghold to find her pret. Until she falls for young researcher. Very Romeo and Juliet vibes of forbidden love, magi can't love techno's.

Only thing is Aissa is legit a horrible spy, her sister and friend aren't much better honestly. It takes them far too long to realize they're getting played. It becomes a bit frustrating as the reader as it was at least very apparent to me.

The books not bad, it's entertaining is give it 3.5 and read the rest of the series. I just hope their spy skills improve and develop with the books.

Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly, 368 pages. Blink, 2020. $11.
Language: PG (2 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Aissa and Zandria are spies, though most of the time their mission of mapping the drainage tunnels isn’t very exciting. When they find and report a magic door, they get called off and given new missions. But Aissa knows the door is important. As she determines to work on both the mission assigned to her and the missions she feels she must do herself, Aissa finds her way littered with secrets and betrayal.
Connolly’s words are as imbued with magic as the world she has created. I was pulled in and lost sleep over Aissa’s story -- and I’m not even a little upset about it. While I was occasionally confused and had to reread parts, straightening out those details was worth it in order to get the full picture. I love how Connolly dropped all the necessary hints for readers to make connections for the twists she set up, so that the explanations made sense and didn’t feel contrived. I am doing everything possible to get my hands on the sequel.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Dnf at 3%. A new form of fantasy where magic and technology clash. Unfortunately, it’s unable to really hook me in from the first few chapters

The pacing felt a little off - maybe too slow because of all the info dumps. But it was an interesting retelling of the classic Romeo and Juliet.

I really tried with this book. I got about 1/3 of the way through but it just was not for me. I couldn’t really connect with the story and I did not really enjoy the direction in where it was going.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Romeo and Juliet, as did my young adult daughter. We both felt that it held the spirit of Romeo and Juliet, but was unique, engaging and enjoyable.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest, unbiased review.

Fantastic retelling of Romeo and Juliet. MarcyKate builds an amazing world filled with magic and robots. Looking forward to Heartless Heirs when it releases.

This was such an interesting concept for a story! I was intrigued by the idea that technology and magic being at odds with each other. And forbidden love is always a fun trope.

The pace was a little slow for me unfortunately. In the beginning, there was a lot of world building and information being thrown out. While the information was interesting, I had a hard time staying focused on the story. When the pace picked up, I really enjoyed this book though!

I loved the characters. Each one had their own unique personality and motivations. It was easy to understand why they were behaving the way they were, and easy to feel a connection with them. That made me want to keep reading even when the pacing felt a little slow.

Overall, I had a fun time reading this book! It was a little slow at times, but the idea is so cool and the characters were well developed. I'm glad I gave it a read, although the pacing might turn some people off. If you're on the fence, though, I would recommend giving it a shot!