Review: Twinchantment by Elise Allen

~ Info ~

Twinchantment by Elise Allen

• 🖋 Author’s website
• 📚 Find the book here

~ Rating ~

⭐⭐⭐⭐

~ Review ~

Travel with twin princesses Flissa and Sara through the treacherous lands of the Twists as they search for a magical antidote to save their mother – and maybe the whole kingdom – from an evil magician.

Twins, black cats, and other possibly magical beings are all outlawed in the Kingdom of Kaloon. So when the king and queen have twins, they pretend to only have one child, called “Flissara,” a combination of the twins’ names: Flissa and Sara. The king and queen hope that this will keep the twin princesses from being banished to the Twists, a dangerous place where magic runs wild. Since then, Flissa and Sara have shared a life, each taking turns being the princess and carrying out royal duties. However, when their mother suffers a magical attack, the twins decide to risk everything and head for the Twists where the evil magician who cursed the queen is said to reside. The journey is full of dangers but, with the help of a servant boy, a magical bird and an energetic black kitten, Princesses Flissa and Sara are determined to undo the magician’s curse and set the kingdom right again.

“‘Y-y-y-you,’ he stammered, and Flissa turned to see he’d gone ashen. ‘T-t-t-two of you!’
Uh-oh. Flissa reached up and checked. Sure enough, her hood had fallen off. Their secret was out.”
– Twinchantment

Twinchantment is a very entertaining book. I especially enjoyed reading about how Flissa and Sara manage to live as one single princess despite their very hectic lives! The girls divide up their royal duties based on their preferences, tell each other everything that happened when the other one was acting as princess, and make sure that ‘Princess Flissara’ reflects both their personalities. Despite having to ‘share a life,’ each girl has a distinctive character and I liked seeing how they strive to follow their own interests, like drawing or fencing, even while they are bound to lead a “double life”. The author alternates between each sister’s point of view for different chapters, and some of my favourite parts of the book are those where we get to know each princess better. It’s also exciting to read about how the princesses’ lives suddenly change, and how they and their companions have to face scary new challenges when they enter the treacherous, magical land of the Twists. One thing I found refreshing is that the sisters actually get along really well! In many of the books I’ve read, siblings are rivals, or else are forced to put up with each other. In Twinchantment, while Flissa and Sara have their disagreements and differences, they enjoy being together and are fiercely proud and protective of one another. It was great to read about how the sisters could rely on each other, no matter what hardships came their way.

Although the author gives the twins different personalities, they can still be very similar at times, which perhaps makes sense as they share so much, but, as a reader, you sometimes get confused as to which twin’s point of view is being presented. I also feel that Flissa gets to shine more throughout the book than Sara, and ends up seeming much more “competent” by using her fencing and agility to get the group out of tight spots. It seems to me that the author could have given Sara, with her creative imagination and social skills, more opportunities to save the day. Other frustrating aspects are that sometimes the problems the princesses face seem easily solved, and that on occasion villains end up monologuing and explaining everything to the princesses. This makes the story a little less believable. The book also ends in an odd spot, where it feels like it might be leading up to a big event but that event doesn’t happen. These are minor points, however, and the book is still very enjoyable to read!

Twinchantment’s plot about twin princesses on a magical quest will be great fun for readers who enjoy entertaining fantasy stories!

⁓ Books you may also enjoy ⁓

If you like the sound of Twinchantment, here are some other books you might want to check out!

The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle
by Deva Fagan
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review

No Place Like Home
by Linh S. Nguyễn
⭐⭐⭐½
My Review

~ Newsletter ~

Subscribe to my newsletter to be updated when I make a new post 🌠!
You’ll get news about my latest reviews straight to your inbox:

You can also find me on Tumblr ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph ~ Litsy 💫

✨✨✨