Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Series: Untitled Duology #1
Format: Hardcover, 454 pages
Source: B&N
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In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole…yet some face the world alone.
The singleborn
A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.
The diminished
When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Raised by the anchorites of the temple after her family cast her off, Vi has spent her whole life scheming for a way to escape and live out what's left of her life in peace.
As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Bo and Vi face very different futures—one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined.
As much as I love Fantasy, I have to be really pulled into the book in the beginning or else I will lose interest. That is what unfortunately happened with the first half of the book. It was a real struggle to get through because of how slow the pacing was. But once the second half started, it began to get interesting. The last few chapters themselves were really good.
Character wise, Bo was my least favorite in terms of his personality. He was in love with someone he thought he knew his entire life, so he ended up divulging really important secrets to him thinking he would die soon and not tell anyone. Bo was too trusting, and kept making that mistake. But I did like how he didn't think he was super important just because he was named heir to the throne. He never felt like that was a role he could fill.
Vi on the other hand, was messy for most of the book. I know that she had a chip on her shoulder from being dropped off at the temple at a young age, but it just made her negative to everyone she met, including the anchorites that were actually kind to her when she left the temple. Her attitude did get better as she made friends and got away from the temple, but it was just eye rolling to have to constantly listen to her mistrusting everyone and trying to see what their intentions were.
My favorite part of the story is when Bo figured out the huge secret that the empire was hiding. It made sense because of how powerful the Suzerain are even though they don't do anything special.
I'm looking forward to see what happens to Vi, Bo, Curlin, Swinton, Mal, and Quill in the next installment. They all have big parts to play with taking down the evil that is threatening their existence.
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