Author: Jen Williams
Publisher: Headline
Published Date: March 8, 2018
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆
REVIEW
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The Ninth Rain. In fact, it was my favorite read of April. In it, we are introduced to a plethora of fantastic characters as well as a world that seems large. I was we would get to explore more of it in this second installment and I was not disappointed. I loved all these characters and how each had their own quirks and personalities. Second books always make me a bit nervous, especially when I loved the first as much as did, because second book slump is definitely a thing. I am glad to say that this held up to the first in a great way.
SYNOPSIS
"The Ninth Rain has fallen, the Jure'lia have returned, and with Ebora a shadow of its former self, the old enemy are closer to conquering Sarn than ever.
Tormalin the Oathless and the Fell-Witch Noon have their hands full dealing with the first war-beasts to be born in Ebora for nearly three hundred years. But these are not the great mythological warriors of old; hatched too early and with no link to their past lives, the war-beasts have no memory of the many battles they have fought and won, and no concept of how they can possibly do it again. The key to uniting them, according to the scholar Vintage, may lie in a part of Sarn no one really believes exists, but finding it will mean a dangerous journey at a time of war...
Meanwhile, Hestillion is trapped on board the corpse moon, forced into a strange and uneasy alliance with the Jure'lia queen. Something terrifying is growing up there, in the heart of the Behemoth, and the people of Sarn will have no defense against these new monsters."
MY THOUGHTS
Bitter Twins picks up exactly where the first left off, with Hestillion captured by the Jure'lia Queen inside the corpse moon, and the war-beasts finally reappearing. I thought the beginning was fantastic here. This book as a whole really made me hate-to-like Hestillion as a character. She is going through a complete change in her belief system and I found it realistic of what eye-opening revelations feel like. Although I don't completely like how she was turned into something of a villain. It was almost as if she learned something and changed her goals completely.
I also liked the arc of the main trio, Vintage, Non, and Tor. They travel to hard to reach island in hope of finding the secret to helping the war-beasts become their fearsome selves. From there journey to figuring out how to get there, to actually travelling there, then even their wandering and discoveries on the island, are all very compelling. Their story along with Hestillion's definitely kept my attention and made me want to keep reading.
What knocked this book down slightly for me, were the other side stories. The introduction of these new characters really created a slow start to this book. The pacing didn't match the first books ending and did make it somewhat difficult for me to get "into" it. It took about 1/4 of the way through for me to start to enjoy it as much as I did the first one. Because of that, Bitter Twins felt just a little bit long to me. However, the pacing did pick back up in the second half and when I say I flew through it, I'm not lying.
I loved the reveals about the world. A bomb was dropped that completely changed what the characters (and myself) believe about their world and their gods. The growth of the war-beasts and their connection with their chosen people I also enjoyed. I love books with animal (or creature) companions and some of the interactions were both heartwarming and funny.
Although there were some things that I didn't enjoy from book one to book two, overall this series is great so far. The characters I am able to connect with, although many of the newer ones I feel shouldn't have gotten their own chapters. I hope the third book continues with the quicker pacing of the second half and packs a punch in the ending.
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