ARC kindly provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I'm really sitting on the fence with this book to be honest.

On one hand I disliked the characterisation of some of the side characters and their dialogue but on the other I liked the themes, backstories and the villains. I'm really 50/50 on this one and I think I'll be rating it an overall 3 stars.

The premise of the book was simply delightful and I couldn't help but quick the request button straight after I read the synopsis. It featured two sisters who go on a quest to rescue their mother only to discover family secrets and a dangerous and sinister plot centuries in the making. Okay I must admit it does sound a bit cliché but I do get excited when superpowers are involved in the books that I am reading. I was ecstatic to see telekinesis and telepathy at the forefront of The Goddess Twins. and little glimpses into time manipulation and shapeshifting too. It made the book so much more interesting and gave it another dimension.

Apart from the superpowers, I didn't expect myself to get a book so centred on sexism and racism. It kind of built up the dynamic of the villain and his corrupt mentality in which he ends up wanting to kill the goddesses out of sheer jealousy and for their power despite them being a part of his family. I thought his characterisation was well rounded through the stories Gran Gran told Arden and Aurora. That being said though, there were a few loop holes such as him leaving during the peak of the plot and him not trying to save his evil plan he was trying to execute for centuries. I reckon that could be easily tied up with a sequel especially since the ending was pretty open for a stand-alone.

Since a sequel hasn't been confirmed, I'm going to rate this based off of this book alone and I think it's time to mention some of the things I really disliked. One being Arden's and Aurora's cousins from London. Their dialogue was very cringy and I found myself wanting to skip some of those scenes just to avoid it. Unfortunately, superpowers could not save my love for the cousins.

Speaking of family, I enjoyed the unravelling of the plot and the backstory of the male figures however, there were a lot of loopholes within it such as the brotherhood and the mysterious kidnapped girls. I wanted to know more about them and I think the author could've delved into it deeper than she did. I hope that there's a sequel... I have so many questions that need answering!

All in all, good and bad points but I definitely can see this becoming a sound series.

ACTUAL RATING: 3.3 STARS

I loved the beginning of this book and the character descriptions and how it was essentially all about #GirlPower, but the delivery felt a little off. The lead up to everything was SO good, but then everything happened so quickly that I found it hard to keep up.

This story really threw me for a loop. I don't read a lot of YA Sci-Fi, but this was a fun and completely enthralling story from the very first page. Yodassa WIlliams's 'The Goddess Twins" explores Jamaican mythology as the teen twins search for their missing mother and encounter danger where they least expect it. Exploring social issues like misogyny and race, Williams manages to keep her readers completely engaged even while taking on big topics. I thought this book was quick, smart, and brilliantly written. I can't wait to read more!

The Goddess Twins by Yodassa Williams

There are Goddesses living among humans. They are the women and girls blessed by the Gods. But, since we live in a patriarchy, there are men who have dedicated their lives to stealing the power of women for their own evil games.

When their mother, Selene, goes missing, her twin daughters, Aurora and Arden, take off to London to find her. There, they run into their family who they know nothing about. The twins learn about the family secrets and will have to use this new information to save their mother and themselves.

This novel is definitely a girl power book in the best way. It shows Jamaican women being kick-ass and powerful. Yodassa Williams bravely highlights the dangers of misogyny from Black men. Considering this got writers like Alice Walker in trouble with some of the Black community, I think it is brave for Black women to write about this issue. Williams does an outstanding job of talking about sexism and racism without being preachy. It is a natural part of the world that the Twins live in and they must depend on each other and the other women in their family to counter it.

Some scenes especially one with “ghost girls” and water healing reminded me of Toni Morrison’s Beloved, especially in the way Williams writes about the abuse of young girls. Also, like Morrison, Williams adds African spirituality and healing to the story.

I loved this book. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time. One reason I loved it was that it caused me to laugh out loud and turn to my partner to tell him the joke which he laughed out loud to:

“Just this morning she looked at my outfit and asked if I was on my way to desegregate a school.”

Humor is hard to achieve in fiction, so thumbs up just for that. I also love the characters. Everyone was well developed and complex. The Twins are at odds at the beginning of this book. The book switches back and forth between their points of views. Even though they type cast themselves as Good (Arden) and Bad (Aurora) Twins, I empathized with both twins because of Williams’ excellent character writing.

The plot kept me turning the pages. The pacing was great. There are some loose ends. I also wanted more of Aurora being badass in this book. The story was slightly more focused on Arden. With that said, it is obviously meant to be a series. I hope that Aurora can come into her own in the next book.

The only issue I had with the ARC was that the Kindle formatting had many errors such as incorrect spacing. But it didn’t take away of the novel and it is not the author’s fault.

Again, I loved this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. I giving this book at 4.5 out 5. A half of point off for Kindle formatting. But other than that, it was a perfect book for me.

I recommend this book for Black teens and adults. I recommend this for all YA, New Adult, ad Fantasy readers regardless of race. Also, people who like books that uses spiritual lore as this one uses a Yoruba stories. People who love mermaids as much as I do will enjoy this novel! I recommend this book for Black teens and adults. I recommend this for all YA, New Adult, ad Fantasy readers regardless of race. Also, people who like books that uses spiritual lore as this one uses a Yoruba stories. People who love mermaids as much as I do will enjoy this novel!

I really enjoyed this YA novel. Frankly, I don't know much about how YA is suppose to read like but I enjoyed it none the less. I am afraid I have to say that the idea was masterful, however the execution was a bit short for me. I think I needed a clearer story line, more details to actually pull me into the story and allow myself to become apart of it. Some of the dialogue was rough for me, very 'teen'. This could be the entire point though of a YA and I apologize if I missing it!

Loved the plot, loved the story line. Would recommend.

Thank you so much for this copy!

As a Blerd (Black Nerd to those unfamiliar with the term), I'm always excited to hear about a new fantasy novel that centres Magical Black girls. And Aurora and Arden do not disappoint - not only are they magical, but they are goddesses. It's a solid premise that's let down by its execution. Williams relies on showing rather than telling, and though there is too much exposition and too little nuance, there is also a lack of specificity/development in the characters (in particular the twins), the myths/magic (which traditions?) and the settings (where in Jamaica? Where in London? "British accent"? There are myriad English accents, mostly tied to place. Which one?). I love the message of family unity and female empowerment but this is also delivered in a very didactic manner.

Williams has great enthusiasm and energy, and I hope that her craft grows apace.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The book follows twins Arden and Aurora on their quest to find their mother. As the journey begins they find out quite a few things about their mother, each other, and themselves.
Will these new discoveries be too much for them to handle or will they get past it all and get their happy ending.


The premise of this book was amazing. Twins finding out they are goddesses and their mom wasn’t truthful with them, girl meets boy and have an instant connection out of the blue, sisters finding family they never knew existed but immediately want slay together. I was down for it.

However, I find myself torn between not wanting to finish it and finishing. Let me explain, the idea of this book is so good it kept me hoping that the book got better in the end. I so wanted to like and enjoy the book and I did on some parts. I like the cousins, I like the fact that power is handed down through generations and generations of goddesses from this family. I like that family has to come together and use their collective powers to succeed.

What I didn’t like about this book is that it felt rushed. The story itself didn’t have enough time to develop. It was jarring for main characters progressing so fully without any real fleshed out story. There’s fast pace but it works for a story that is allowed the space to develop. I think this fell short here in that aspect.

All in all this was a very confusing read for me because it left me wanting more but not enough to risk it.

3/5 for the fact that I feel like the second one if there ever was to be a second one could be good.

I DNF’d it. I did not like the writing style at all and the girls seemed really juvenile. I know kids they’re age and they’re just way more mature. I don’t know. I was hoping I was going to like it, and I just couldn’t get into it.

Let me start off with the fact that the diversity and representation is absolutely amazing in this book. We need more books like this. However, I have contradictory feelings about this book... I loved the beginning! Up until the twins landed in London. The story was interesting and I loved the twin's characters and personalities!

That all changed when the first new characters were introduced, the two cousins. I absolutely despised these two. They were thrown onto the reader out of nowhere and the explanation was vague and kind of odd. I also hated how they were so mean to Aurora. Those two actually made me stop reading this book for a while, because I was so disinterested in them. That opinion kind of changed in the end, but I still feel like they are too judgmental.

I felt like the middle was so rushed. This universe is so interesting (all the different powers) but I felt like they weren't explained enough because of this rush. All the other characters were actually likeable and interesting, so I wanted to know much more about them than just a few pages. The journey was too quick for my liking and not so realistic. They just get right into it without much of an explanation.

The final battle was also a bit disappointing. I expected more and we didn't even get to experience half of it! It has a huge build-up throughout the book, but then it is over with a few punches and a couple of words.

This book was a bit disappointing as I feel like this story really has some potential. The universe is interesting and most of the characters have unique personalities and powers, which were diverse and very compelling. It just felt incomplete.

I really enjoyed this story. It was an interesting fantasy about twins who learn they have special powers, and they meet a family they never knew about. It is based on Jamaican legends, so it was a really fresh story for me, and the twins had a great dynamic throughout the story. I think that a lot of teens would really enjoy this story, the girls had a great voice, and it was exciting.

I’ve been in a Fantasy type of mood lately so when I saw 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚃𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚜 on the #SRC2020 lineup, I went straight to Netgalley to request it! Unfortunately, the excitement I had going into it was short-lived and ultimately, I DNF 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚃𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚜.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚃𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚜 follows Arden and Aurora, twins who have discovered on their 18th birthday, that they possess powers just as their mother goes missing in London. While learning the history of their family, a family full of Goddesses ruling the world, they must fight to save their mother from a man who thinks the world is his for the taking.

To begin, I loved the premise of Goddesses running the world, because who run the world? GIRLS! We’re introduced to the typical alpha male who has a plan to take the world back. From there, we meet the girls, with Arden being the only somewhat pleasant character with a somewhat likable script. The writing itself was scattered and choppy, with its many random slivers of information given throughout but not well explained or connected. I was quite confused from the get-go and unfortunately, this wasn’t a Fantasy that transported me anywhere I wanted to visit.

Thank you to Netgalley and Spark Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion review. Also thank you to Book Sparks for having this book on their Summer Camp #SRC2020 list as I was not aware of it before then. Three stars for this entertaining debut novel. The entire time I was reading I could picture it as a movie and am really hoping for that in the near future! This was a delightful quick read about twins with special powers. I don’t want to spoil it for any of you so check it out!

Oh, this book drew me in! The premise and set up before reading "The Goddess Twins" was phenomenal. I loved the fact that "The Goddess Twins" was written by a Caribbean author who had strong Caribbean women in her book. The concept of the magic and mythology of the book were *chef kiss.* It had a very Percy Jackson type feel about it.
However, the Aurora and Arden were pretty one dimensional; all of the characters were one dimensional. When the twins assume their powers, they somehow have this hold and understanding of magic when they've supposedly never heard of magic before; it was pretty unrealistic. Aurora annoyed me, and I could NOT sympathize with her at all.; and on occasion, Arden was not much better in my book. I wished the message of women power was more subtle; it was being shoved down the readers' throats with the evil villain and the magic plot. It could have been portrayed A LOT better. The romance in the book was WEIRD and cringe, I'm all for a good "we-are-mates" type romance, but this rubbed me the wrong way. The plot was predictable, but sometimes predictable can be useful; in this case, it wasn't bad; it was 'meh.' The climax of the plot had me screaming at the characters for their dumbness, and I feel like we did not need a second book. "The Goddess Twins" could have just been a longer book.

This is a very well written novel that takes place in today's world. It is a fantasy themed story with many unique aspects in it. Not to mention every main character in this book is a person of color. I thought the author did a wonderful job representing her characters in this book. The storyline wasn't my favorite because I am more of a fan of action packed fantasy books. That being said, it isn't a bad book. It's not particularly my style but I feel like many people will love this book when it hits the shelves. I also loved the contrast between the twins (the main characters). One was a lover and the other a fighter. I think their opposite personalities helped propel the storyline so much. Also the focus on black girl empowerment and female empowerment is very inspiring.

I really wanted to enjoy this so much than I did, but I have issues with this. I think the main problem was the dual POVs were not distinct enough and the twins, Aurora and Arden were not developed enough as characters that you could distinguish them from one another. I found the story itself light and easy to read, it’s very fast paced, but I thought it needed to slow down a touch , it just went too fast. It’s representation is great, I wanted so much more from this because I want to read so much more than the usual, overall I think it tried a little too hard. I think if you worked on these things it could be so much more and what it deserves to be.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The Goddess Twins is a YA novel about 17 year old twins, Arden and Aurora. The 2 girls are on the cusp of their 18th birthday and live in Ohio with their mom, who is a famous opera singer. They had traveled the world non-stop for their mother's career until a year ago, when they finally settled down so the girls could have a normal high school experience.

A few days before their 18th birthday, their mom tells them that she has to go to London to fill in for the lead in an opera. Aurora is mad with her mother because she had promised she was done with traveling the world for opera. Arden is more accepting, though still sad. This reflects the girl's personalities. Aurora is the more rebellious and sociable twin, whereas Arden is more bookish and compassionate.

At a house party thrown by Aurora, the girls discover that they each have a power. Arden can read minds and Aurora has telekinesis. Soon the girls learn their mom never arrived at the opera house in London and has gone missing. The girls hop a flight to London where they discover family they never knew and learn of their own status as goddesses.

This was a fun, quick read. The story takes us from the US to Jamaica, and London. It is told from alternating perspectives of Arden and Aurora. I more closely aligned with Arden since I am definitely more bookish than rebellious. It reads like it could be the start of a series so I will keep my eyes peeled to see if the author plans a follow-up.

In some ways it reminded me of the Percy Jackson series and the related Rick Riordan Presents books in that we have young adults who learn that they have a connection to the gods and have special powers. I recommend this to fans of those books as well as fans of Afro-futurism, and fantasy, particularly by a WOC.

The Goddess Twins, Yodassa Williams' debut novel, tells the story of a deity family that struggles for power.

The novel starts with two twin daughters, Aurora and Arden on the eve of their eighteenth birthday. Their mother, a famous musician, leaves for London when an opera member and the understudy are both sick. Aurora, upset that her mother is leaving them before a prominent birthday, decides to throw a party that night. Arden, the unpopular sister is sequestered to her room on that night, and decides to work on her novel.

A boy ends up coming to her room, claiming that he had had dreams about her and simply had to meet her. This scene unfolds in her room, when Arden's godfather, Leo, rushes into her room frantic that their mother has disappeared when they touch down in London.

Chaos ensues, and the girls decide to fly to London to try and find their mother. There, they come in contact with two of their cousins, who they had no idea who existed. Even crazier, Aurora and Arden find out that they have goddess powers that their mother suppressed to try and give them a normal life. It is these powers that they need to use to combat their crazy grandfather who wants to kill the goddess women and use their powers for himself and his Brotherhood.

To be honest, I failed to make a connection with this novel. I enjoy some fantasy novels, but to me, the plot was too fast-paced, and had some loose ends that with the progression of the novel, just didn't come together for me. The ending seems like the author plans on writing a sequel, so I would certainly read the novel to see if those loose ends actually get tied up, but overall, most fantasy novels that I have read usually have more character and plot driven depth.

This book was a 3.5 read until the very end...and that dropped it half a star. The twins themselves felt very typical "opposites" but you could tell they very much loved each other in this book. I would have preferred equal conflict resolution with both Aurora and Arden, but it wasn't too frustrating regardless. The concept of this book and the history told to you was absolutely beautiful. The Jamaican history woven throughout was really solid to read.

However, this book felt like a lot of talk, and not a lot of action. There was a lot of telling you the story and telling you about their powers, but when it came to the final battle? Not too much action really seemed to feel written.

Overall, the concept and storytelling carried this story quite a bit more than the characters and I think this book would be a really solid fit for early YA readers!

Yodassa Williams first offering, “The Goddess Twins”, was an interesting read. Good vs bad, World domination, Family dynamics are a few leads in the storyline.
Teenage twin daughters of an international opera singer, Arden and Aurora, have a lot to learn about themselves, their mother, and the world they live in. And they have to learn it fast as they find out their mother is missing, that they have superpowers, a family they did not know they had, and to top it off they and the females of their newly discovered family are goddesses.
Arden and Aurora may be identical twins but they are so opposite of each other in every manner. Where at one time they were close, now they cannot seem to be together without fighting. Will they be able to overcome their differences in time to save their mother?
The storyline unfolds very quickly. Different kinds of love, courage and understanding will bring about an ending that could promise other stories for the characters involved by this clever author.

I was intrigued by the concept, but there’s so much I feel like could have been fleshed out more, like the characters and their relationships (especially with the strong emphasis on family) and a bit more exploration of the world, especially the magical/mythological aspects.