If you're looking for a faster paced, young adult fantasy with just enough romance to make you swoon, you might enjoy "Cursed Crowns" by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber. This novel features an interesting magic magic system, and lovable characters. While the sisterhood dynamic could be stronger, the romantic relationships of both sisters is well-crafted and adds an extra layer of depth to the story.

I really liked this book I just felt like it lacked the sisterly bond that seems to be important to the overall plot. In the first book the sisters are strangers who meet and eventually end up ruling a kingdom together. In this one I expected them to grow their bond and learn more about each other. Instead they spend 90% of the book separated and on vastly different journeys. They are clearly stronger together but have not been given the chance to learn their strengths.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC for "Cursed Crowns." Initially the first book I had a hard time getting into, but as I progressed it became a binge read! It was nice to come off reading the first one straight into the second, which I could not put down!! Wren continues to be my favorite of the twins and she is a great contrast to the other characters! Rose has definitely grown on me. Wren and Rose both have their own story lines that converge eventually as they both face heartache and moral tests. The story leaves off with the girls having to face new trials and tribulations on their path to becoming the rulers of witches and mortals. Like the first book, I felt there were too many chapters and too fast of a transition between perspectives, but I still greatly enjoyed Curse Crowns and look forward to the rest of the series!

This sequel to last year’s fun and delightful “Twin Crowns” gets darker, and it starts off slow. It remains firmly on the younger side of YA; it’s not pulling a “Kingdom of the Cursed,” and I can appreciate that. I’m not the target demo - gasp, I’m probably old enough to be the characters’ mother - but this series is charming enough to win me over. I could easily imagine Rose and Wren and their world as part of Disney Princess movie.

In contrast to how I felt about “Twin Crowns,” Wren’s arc in “Cursed Crowns” was more interesting to me; how can it now be when she dabbles in forbidden magic and a love triangle? Holding out hope that Wren and Alarik will reunite in the future. Tor was giving off Chaol (of the ToG series) vibes here.

Wren is a lot like your typical YA assassin heroine: brash, reckless, brave, and loyal. For that reason, I like Rose more as a character, as she’s more atypical, but Wren’s partial turn to the dark side was a welcome change of pace.

Some of Rose’s character traits may come across as unlikeable - and characters around her don’t always treat her well or respect her. Her arc is much less powerful - plus, it’s more of Shen’s arc - and I didn’t love the dynamic between Shen and her with this book. It’d be great to see her relationship with Shen develop further - or end. Right now, it’s sort of stuck (with a lot of scenes of them being interrupted during kissing). I’d like to see her in the action more in book 3, which I’m looking forward to eagerly.

A perfect sequel to Twin Crowns! I loved how much the world expanded in this story - we got to explore places only mentioned in Twin Crowns (no spoilers) and we got to know about Eana’s history. Plus, Wren and Rose are such well-written main characters. Though they may look alike, they are so different from each other - their thoughts, their interests, their personalities - which makes complete sense given how differently they were raised. Rose is initially going to be more politically savvy and Wren will be more confident in her use of magic. I found their individual thoughts and actions to be entirely plausible and believable based on their personalities.

Cursed Crowns picks up right where Twin Crowns ends, and even with the new threats and adventures, the focus isn’t taken away from the main threat - Oonagh’s curse that now lives in the twin Queens. That foreboding is a running thread throughout the entire novel, which was action-packed with self-discovery, questions of morality, familial bonds/sacrifices, and even a dash of romance (Tor who?).

I mistakenly thought this was duology, as only two books have been officially confirmed, but there are too many loose threads to tie up for there not to be a third book. I’ll be impatiently awaiting the announcement. In the meantime, I highly recommend picking up Twin Crowns/Cursed Crowns to begin your next fantasy adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.75/5 stars! I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was excited to read the sequel of "Twin Crowns," This story continues past the events of the first and shows Wren and Rose taking entirely different pathways forward with their throne at stake. I liked this sequel but for some reason, the writing style felt younger than the first book. The first book was YA, but YA at its best, most epic fantasy. This book read a little more immaturely which pulled me out of the story at times.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s books, Balzer + Bray, for this eArc of this book.

Cursed Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber is the second book in the series that began with Twin Crowns.
In this second book we follow Wren and Rose who were newly crowned as Twin Queens. However, not all of their people are fine with the idea of witches ruling over them. In addition to the unrest, the queens are still worried about their grandmother Banba who was taken prisoner by the King of Gevra. The twins are pulled in different directions about how to go forward with their reign.
Rose embarks on a royal tour to garner peace while Wren sneaks off to the kingdom of Gevra to save Banba.
Along the tour, Rose and Shen meet interesting characters who unearth ancient secrets that bring more light to who they are. In Gevra, Wren strikes a life-altering bargain with Alarik, King of Gevra to save her grandmother.
I enjoyed this series because it has a light, funny theme with serious moments that reminds me of ya books such as Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted. I enjoyed Rose’s character development and the sweet moments between her and Shen Lo. There was a particular character in Gevra that stole the show with top tier banter between him and Wren. I loved the scenes that he was in, and I hope to see more of this complicated persona in the future. Wren is the same as she was in the first book in terms of how fiercely she loves and cares, and her ability to see beyond how a person is outwardly and to look into their heart.
This book was a fun and light high stakes fantasy read that I would recommend, and the end will leave you wishing for the third book!

An amazing sequel to a great series! I love how these authors expanded the world and the lore in this book, and the way they developed the characters. Sometimes you can tell when more than one person is writing the book, but that's not the case here. The writing styles blend together seamlessly. I love both Rose and Wren so much, I honestly can't decide which one I like better. Shen's character arc in this book was also really interesting. I liked him a lot in the first book, too. I also loved learning more about the history of the witches, Eana, and Ortha and Oonagh Starcrest. The scene towards the end involving Oonagh was super creepy. (Without giving spoilers, the scenes with a certain prince were also incredibly unsettling in the best way.) I thought Wren's narrative in this book was a little more interesting, whereas Rose's POV was more action-packed in the first book. I'm very interested to see how things are going to go between her and Tor given recent developments as well as my own mixed feelings about Tor...
For some reason I thought this was a duology, probably because of the whole twin thing. But given the loose ends that still need to be wrapped up, that doesn't seem like it's the case. So I'm excited for the third book!

Cute, and at times funny . . . and utterly not for me. Really, I think this was a clear case of me not being anywhere near the target audience, but even so this is a story that mostly reads a bit cloying for how "cutesy" it is. The girls are better when in one place together, too, which doesn't help the plot in this book as they are separated here (not permanently, of course, but for a good while), and it becomes a bit tedious when they're not together.

Maybe I'd have liked it more if it were a purely sisterly-focused and didn't have the romance so prominently? it had nice Snow White & Rose Red vibes, which was what attracted me in the first place. The sisterly chemistry could've been exploited better, it's not often we get this kind of familial, non-toxic bonds in YA after all.

Witchy hijinks continue in this sequel to Twin Crowns!

Cursed Crowns beings immediately following the events of the first book with Wren and Rose preparing for their coronation. A group called “The Arrows” is sowing discord throughout the country as they are against witches returning to society. They want to continue the ways of The Protector. Rose believes that the best course of action is a royal tour to show that there is nothing to be afraid of. Wren, on the other hand, is more concerned about getting Banba back from Gerva. On the day the royal tour is supposed to begin, Wren sneaks off to Gerva to strike a deal with King Alarik leaving Rose to deal with the royal tour and the aftermath.

Just like the first book, Cursed Crowns is told from dual POVs with each chapter switching off between Wren and Rose. This keeps the plot moving, however, I did find myself enjoying Wren’s chapters more. Rose’s main plotline doesn’t really begin until around 50% in the book, however, she does get to go on a fun side quest. I sometimes found the twins actions to be frustrating as they fall into old habits, but they both do show some growth towards the end of the book.

All of the side characters from the first book do make appearances including Shen and Tor. The romances with the twins are still alive, however, after the events in this book, it will be interesting to see how they play out in the sequels.

Cursed Crowns is a fun follow up to Twin Crowns. It answers some questions but also leaves many unanswered, keeping readers guessing as to what will happen with the twins next.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s for giving me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

If you liked the first, I believe you’ll like this one, too. I liked seeing other kingdoms in this one and the way the plot was driven forward. I did feel like Shen in particular acted out of character and it made me like him less. Some of the transitions were written awkwardly as well. Overall it was enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own. !Spoilers ahead!

Man what to say. I thought I loved the first book but this one was just so much better. I couldn’t put this book down and now I wish I could reread it for the first time again.

Rose and Shen…LOVE!!!! I was so shocked to find out the truth behind Shen and I was pissed about his cousin and uncle. I will say though that Shen should’ve known better than accuse Rose of lying and being jealous and trying to up him. She was looking out for him and she SAVED him for crying out loud. But, I’m glad it all worked out in the end for them.

Wren and Tor…,I thought I loved but throwing Alarik into the mix, I just don’t know who I want more. Don’t get me wrong Tor is lovely but I really just hate the way he acted when Wren was taken “prisoner”. It really threw me off. I love the idea of the enemies to lovers trope with Wren and Alarik though. I’m not sure how the authors plan to play this out but I’m excited for the next book. I think either way my heart will hurt for the one not chosen because they both deserve love.

Our Banba 😩😩😩😩. I’m glad she went out in a heroic way though and what Alarik did for Wren just made me love him more. I’m very curious to see how the whole ordeal with Oonagh is going to play out. I’m just praying that no one else important doesn’t because I don’t think I can take it.

I really enjoyed this second installment. It was fast pace and held my attention the whole time. I can’t wait to get an actual copy of this book. I actually already have two editions pre-ordered 🤣.

5 stars from this bookworm!

I had enjoyed the first book Twin Crowns in this series and was excited to continue the series. This had what I was looking for from this type of book. It had the same writing style that I had enjoyed from the first book, I was hooked with the first page of the story and glad I got to read this. The characters were what I was looking for and it worked in the fantasy elements. I really enjoyed reading the way Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber wrote this and am excited to where this goes.

"Wren stared down at Oonagh’s scowling face, as Glenna’s warning echoed in her mind. Beware the curse of Oonagh Starcrest, the lost witch queen. The curse runs in new blood. It lives in new bones. It was a warning meant for Wren, one that she had not shared with Rose. Her sister had enough to worry about already, without questioning Wren’s loyalty or wondering what sinister flaw she might share with their cursed ancestor. Besides, Wren knew she would never betray her sister. Not for anything in the world."