I absolutely LOVE the sisterly bond between Rose and Wren. It’s always great to see females working together as opposed to against each other.

This one gets a little spicier in the romantic sense.

I think both girls have shown tremendous growth from when we first met them. It’s truly done so well!!

I will update the review with the link to on our blog closer to publication date.

I'd like to thank the publisher HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review

A big thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollin's for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

OMG this series is so good, and I am both overjoyed and saddened that its over.

Cursed Crowns is the second novel in the Twin Crowns duology by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber. The initial book is a simple yet amazing YA fantasy rom-com that follows the story of twin sisters Rose Wren. With the simple premise that Wren sets out to steal the life of Princess Rose, to usher in a new era of ruling following their parent's death. All while Rose is kidnapped by a coven of witches. Dash in some adorable romances of a guard and bandit, and there is Twin Crowns.

I absolutely loved the first novel,. and this one certainly blew me away. I would highly recommend checking out this series if you're given the chance. You won't regret it.

I loved the author’s dual point-of-view writing style. I flipped through these pages quickly, and there was never a dull moment! Throughout the series I’ve connected with Wren’s character on so many levels, but never more so than when she starts to realize that people she thought were her enemies are no more. It’s an awesome story of growth and really realizing what’s important. I’m also obsessed with the way her romance life is progressing and I can’t wait to read book three!

It was so good, better than the first even. The middle dragged a bit, but it was needed to set up the end of the book. Let me start off by saying the character development in Rose was wonderful, I did not despise reading her chapters this go around! However my girl Wren was making some QUESTIONABLE choices. I swear if she doesn’t end up with Tor I will cry, don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the other kiss but he isn’t Tor. Can’t wait to dive into the next one.

Review to post 5/7/23

I was super pleasantly surprised by the first book in this series, Twin Crowns. So I was pretty excited to get to its sequel, as one is. It was pretty good, though I will admit that the first 30-40% was a bit of a struggle for me. I had a hard time recalling who was who, and was very grateful for some recap bits. There were whole plot points that I was a but confused on, so that was rough. But eventually, things did pick up and I started enjoying the story as I had the first.

The twins are once again separated, which I actually didn’t totally mind? Like, it made sense for the story, so I was down. Plus, it allowed us to see more of the world, and more characters. So I did find it to be a good choice. The writing is witty and charming as ever, and the humor infused in the story is definitely my favorite part. I also really enjoyed that the characters had to make some really brutal decisions, and there were often choices that were bad no matter what they did. That is a favorite of mine, so I was on board.

Without giving much away, I really enjoyed some of the twists and turns the story took. Some of them were pretty messed up, but honestly that is likely why I loved them. Always here for weird stuff, frankly. I will definitely be tuning in for the next installment!

Bottom Line: Once it got going, I was fully invested and enjoyed it as I had the first!

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Twins Crowns and was even more pleasantly surprised that Cursed Crowns avoided the dreaded second-book slump. Book 2 picks up where we left our twin queens, but pretty quickly they are both off on their own adventures (Wren to Gevra and Rose to find the Sunless Kingdom). Although the twins are not together for much of the book, the authors found ways to connect them and illustrate just how close the sisters have gotten. I'm hopeful that in book 3 we will get to see the sisters together and working as a team even more (I would also love for Celeste to have a bigger role). Overall, the subtle and charming humor, as well as the lovable characters and their adventures and mishaps make this book a very fun read.

(Also, there's a new potential romance in this book that I was hoping would happen and I am here for it!)

I really enjoyed Twin Crowns and was super excited for the opportunity to read Cursed Crowns.

I adored Wren in book one and liked Rose but found her a little enjoying. That dynamic shifted a bit and honestly the twins were best when they were together, which is not the premise/plot of this story. Rose and Wren both had really great growth which was fun to experience. Rose in particular rose to become my new favorite twin by the end.

This was a fun fantasy for me, but just didn't hit quite as hard as the first one did. I enjoyed the twists and turns, The writing, as usual, was great and the story maintained a nice pace throughout it. The beginning might have been a bit slow, but after that it was an easy read that had you quickly turning the page to learn what happened next. The expanding of the world was also super fun, it is so complex and interesting so that was super neat.

Loved the little bit of unexpected steam or baby spice that came with the story. That was a nice surprise. As was finding out this is not a duology. Excited for what comes next!

I’m sorry but this was thoroughly ridiculous😭

I tolerated some things in the first book because I thought things would get better in the next book but now it’s obvious that this just the “style” the author wanted to use. I’ve seen that people loving this series so I’m probably just not the right audience for this series.

I feel that the attempt to combine rom-com and high fantasy didn’t work well for this book. The characters mostly interact by joking around and being dramatic, that makes the whole vibes felt unserious.

Not to mention the shallow characterization. For example. One moment Shen was all over Rose but suddenly he doubted her as if they never spent each waking moment pining for each other. The Gevran sibling who were described to be ruthless and vile suddenly were welcoming and kind. And Wren, oh goodness I hate her so much she’s just being reckless every damn time like pls be serious for once😩😩😩

Also the romances weren't appealing AT ALL please just shift the genre into new adult and be done with the flirting and pining for God’s sake. I won’t be reading the next book that’s for damn sure.

Amazing follow up to the first book, the adventure and trial for the twins were great, the development of the story and how is executed brilliant. Already recommending to all my friends

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For me, this is a major improvement from Twin Crowns! Some things are still repetitive and drawn out, but it's not major. Wren and Rose go through such great character development. The pacing was much faster than book 1, and it's just what the series needed. It's kind of a an in-between of YA and NA; it has themes of both. I am still enjoying the magic system, and I also love the worldbuilding. Cursed Crowns has a lot of plot twists and turns and that's exactly what the series needed! I cannot wait to read the rest of the books.

AMAZING WOW I loved it!! Im SO THANKFUL for this eARC! I I loved the first book and THE SECOND LIVED UP TO THE HYPE ✨

One of my favorite New Adult romantasy novels to be published this year! I can't wait for everyone to get to read this! Rose and Wren's sisterly bond and love stories while ruling their kingdom have captured my heart in a way no new adult fantasy novel has been able to in a long time.

A SHORT PREVIEW: Follow Rose and Wren as they try to navigate ruling their beloved Kingdom together. They find love and make mistakes in this moving installment of the Twin Crowns Series. Hidden kingdoms, shifting loyalties, and challenging personal beliefs are the basis for Cursed Crowns.

THOUGHTS:
- This was by far the book I was most excited about on my May 2023 book releases list, mostly due to the authors’ dual point-of-view writing perfection. I flipped through these pages quickly, and there was never a dull moment!
- Throughout this series I've connected with Wren's character on many levels, but never more so than when she starts to realize that people she thought were her enemies are no more. It's an awesome story of growth and really realizing what's important. I'm also obsessed with the way her romance life is progressing and I can't wait to read book three!!
- Rose's emotional maturity has always been a sticking point for me in this book and I feel like we really got to see her grow in necessary ways for the series to continue in the right direction. I don't want to say too much or reveal anything, but Shen's character is still around, and his plotline has a fun twist I definitely didn't see coming!

NOTES:
- Definitely new adult with the way some romantic relationships are portrayed.
**Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray, & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

THIS BOOK.

First of all, thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this eARC of Cursed Crowns! I fell in love with the first book, Twin Crowns, and knew I had to get my hands on the sequel as soon as I could!

And I'm happy to say this book did not disappoint. This book truly deepens the political and magical turmoil brewing in Eana, and introduces new cities and cultures that I absolutely loved! The twins are separated into their own adventures early on, and each chapter ended on a cliff hanger that instantly made me want to get back to the other!

Wren and Rose are relatable and complex protagonists. And while they are very different from one another, their love never wavers. I also thoroughly enjoyed getting to see Shen's character develop, and get to know more about Genera, Tor and Alarik.

You can't go wrong with picking up this sequel!

This is a typical "second book" for me. What I mean by that is it definitely leads up to a book 3 but wasn't as good as the first book. Both twins make immature decisions and where is all the magic? I felt this book had so much potential especially after the first book but it was a bit of a miss for me. Will I still read book 3? Probably.

3.5 stars rounded up. The second book of this series picks up right where the first left off. There is a lot of character growth shown on this book, but a lot of immaturity from the two mcs. The storyline is good and sets up for a lot in the next book to come.

Cursed Crowns sucked me in and kept me in its grip even more than Twin Crowns had. What a great follow-up to book 1! We get to know the characters a bit more, with some surprises being uncovered about them while we also learn more history of the lands.

The story strikes every emotional cord, with great humor, some heaviness, sadness, frustrating behavior by some characters, confusion, elation, hope, despair, sweet moments, and YA-level sexual tension. I was quite angry a few times with certain characters, I laughed a lot, I gasped, I felt sad at times and utterly wept my eyes out at one point. I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout, curious about just how badly certain situations would turn out and hoping desperately for resolutions even when it seemed impossible to turn around the events befalling these characters. I have not been this invested in a book since Stephanie Garber's The Ballad of Never After, nor have any others hooked me as much as her books do. Until Cursed Crowns.

There was one aspect of the story in which a character was behaving shockingly out of character, and I expected a satisfying explanation; to me, that felt like a loose end that should have been wrapped up. That one part actually had me questioning my ability to enjoy the book as a whole, as I was pretty furious when it was going down. In the end, it did not taint my experience enough to sacrifice my overall opinion. It's still a 5-star read.

There was so much going on in this book, with the characters traveling to unexpected locations or going through unexpected turns of events, which can feel like an incohesive mess if not written well, but this storyline held together nicely. Looking back on all the people introduced, all the places visited, all the wildly varying plotlines explored, it feels like a complex and rewarding journey.

The complication of one love affair, with the addition of a new bond, was simultaneously exciting and heartbreaking for me. Is it time for reverse harems to be allowed in YA? Because I do not want any characters involved here to end up hurt! I want them all to get what they want. I'm preemptively sad about the loss that is in store for someone in this scenario. I have a feeling that book 3 is going to rip out my heart in several ways, but I still look forward to reading it next year.

The only thing that could have made this even better would have been listening to the audiobook, if the same narrators are used as for Twin Crowns; they were magnificent in rendering the different voices, and I especially appreciated and remember Shen's and Ansel's voices as they were read in book 1. I hope to one day experience book 2 again with their reading bringing the characters to life, but I carried their voices with me in memory while reading.

The two twins are over their heads, obviously. They are so focused on trying to curry favor with the royals they have left in power, they have just gotten around to trying to curry favor with the people that still hate witches, which they are, and one of the royals they disposed is working to rally those people against them (And more). Rose decides impulsively, that, without setting up proper guards and such ahead time, she and her sister are going to tour their land and offer their gifts to their people (healing and enchantment).

This makes sense as a rash, but political maneuver to try and garner a foothold of loyal supporters throughout their kingdom.

What doesn't make sense is Wren ditching her guards, sister, and people to go save her sister in another land. I mean, I get it on principal, but she's not an independent force anymore. She can't sneak onboard a ship by herself and try to rescue her grandmother from a foreign neighbor without first setting up a meeting. This means, since their first letter failed, they have a few choices as I see it: outright threaten them in a way they can follow through such as "enter negotiations with us to return the old woman or we enter war".... which is not really a choice right now. Or find people they trust to try and rescue her grandmother. There has to spies that are loyal to the throne. Mercenaries that can be bought.

Just anything but getting in a ship by yourself and trying a rescue mission while your kingdom desperately needs you.

Seriously, there's more to this book, but I couldn't get past this. Rose's part makes the most sense, and in any other story, I'd be yelling about how stupid her choices are and how entitled she's acting at certain points.

But Wren's part? That just killed it for me.

This feels like the perfect follow up to the first book. I am obsessed !! We get to see these characters as their own people, as opposed to who they were when they each were introduced with their goal to take the crown/go back home. Their development from the events of book one are obviously there, but again it feels like we're seeing them in a new light now that they're not tethered to their previous goals.

I loved seeing more of their personalities as well as more growth and acknowledgment toward certain actions they take. There are more characters involved in this book and it's truly so fun to get to know them and see how they challenge Wren and Rose. Whether it's to test who they are or what they could be.

Overall I am SO excited to see where their story leads them in the next book !! I truly am so glad they've confirmed it's getting a third one. I don't know if two would be enough for me. I want these characters to live forever !!

One of my favorite YA series to date! It’s in my top 5 now for sure. This one did not disappoint. I felt that Wren and Rose really come into their own more. Rose was basically deprived of any outside life and Wren just grew up for revenge, I feel that this book really made them question those motives again and turned their world upside down. It was super good!!