Full disclosure, I received an ARC copy of Twin Daggers from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was a little late in finishing this as Twin Daggers published during my busy season at work and I fell off my review schedule for a few months.
Unfortunately, I DNF’d Twin Daggers.
I don’t normally review DNFs, and as is my normal policy I won’t rate the book any lower than 2.5 stars because I feel like authors work very hard on their books and deserve recognition for finishing.
I also acknowledge, that while the book may not be for me, others may enjoy it.
Twin Daggers Review
Twin Daggers started off extremely dull for me. Stilted writing combined with a huge tendency to info-dump really just ruined the mood for me.
I have another policy where I give a book at least 100 pages before giving up on it, and I’m sorry to say that I broke my rule for the first time.
I finished around 5 chapters, and it was enough for me to get a good handle on what was going on.
This is very much a hidden Rebel Alliance against the The Empire type scenario. I’ve read it also carries Romeo and Juliet undertones but they are very light.
One major downfall, for me, was that the author tries too hard to make Twin Daggers sound original.
The Rebels are called “Magi” and the ‘Empire’ is portrayed by the Technocrats.
Magi is just another term for “magic user” and I have a hard time breaking the connotations of that term from what I already know of it from history.
And a Technocrat is, by definition, “a member of a technically skilled elite.” Except in this story it’s just meant to be someone who accepts machines and technology.
These clash of terms really grated on me anytime they were used. Which is a lot.
I mean a lot a lot.
That and the info-dumps bothered me so much I went to Goodreads to see if it got better. But when several reviews told me the beginning was the best part, and that it was really difficult to get through, I threw in the towel.
Life is too short and I still have such a big backlog of books for me to read something that just wasn’t working for me.
If you like steampunk-ish type settings, this might be the perfect book for you.
Looking for a good book?
Check out my review of House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas.