Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. When I saw the premise for the book, I was really intrigued and interested to see how everything unfolded, and I really enjoyed this book. I loved the realistic characters and how the plot developed leading up to that ending. Overall, a really enjoyable book, and I can’t wait to see what this author produces next. 4/5 stars.

Absolutely not what I expected and in one way I loved, but on the other hand - was annoyed.

I found main character quote irritating and her fued with brother just got on my nevers. But their relationship was pretty much the only issue I had with the book.

I loved the story line. The world building was well written, unique and interesting. The whole concept seemed very original and I felt utterly intrigued. At some point will definetly come back for the second book.

This was an exciting debut novel that I read in one sitting thanks to the compelling plot and engaging writing style. Full of mystery and suspense, the reader is soon drawn into this inventive world populated with complex characters.

I have now tried to read this book twice from two different arc sites and both times, I have not been able to get my head around the magic system. I loved the idea that the story is set in more than one time line/world and how descriptive the author has made the openning chapters. From the blurb and starting chapters (even the graphics on the front cover) I should have loved this, however this was not the case. I could not read past the first few chapters. I will give it another go at some point.

I really enjoyed Midnight’s Twins. It gripped me from the very start and I was desperate to see what happened, and to find out what had happened to Fern previously.

Even though Fern and Ollie had their flaws and problems, I found them both really relatable and could understand where they were both coming from. I also loved their character development. I think they read as a little bit older than they were supposed to be – the book starts when they’re 15, but I found it difficult to remember that’s how old they are. That’s true of the other characters who become their friends too, especially Ramesh. However, given the circumstances they find themselves in, I guess you could expect them to grow up quite quickly.

I enjoyed the magical dream world of Annwn a lot. Alternative London and urban fantasy is very much my thing, so a London where fantastic dreams and nightmares stalk the streets is definitely up my alley. I loved St Paul’s as Tintagel too and I hope future books in this series allow us to see the other thanedoms around the country and what they use as their castles!

I would have liked to see more of how a life in Annwn affects your life in Ithr (our reality). We know that all the knights have real world lives, but does spending your nights in Annwn mean you don’t get a proper rest? Are people tempted to live in Annwn permanently? I think there’s a lot more to be explored there and I would love to see it in a future book.

As for the plot, I don’t want to go into detail because I don’t want to spoil anyone, but it absolutely raced along and easily took me with it. I found it very hard to put the book down, which was unfortunate as I had a lot of other things to be doing! Some of the plot was pretty predictable but it was told so well I didn’t really care, and there were still a couple of turns that took my breath away. I should probably warn you that there is a body count and it is quite high, but i actually liked that. These characters are fighting a war, and there would be casualties. I was impressed at how much I cared about those who died though.

Overall then, Midnight’s Twins is a fast-moving, young adult, urban fantasy, with two main characters who grow and develop over the course of the book. I really enjoyed it, and I’m already looking forward to the sequel!

2020 was a year full with stunning covers and captivating stories. And one of these books is Midnight's twins by Holly Race. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read this interesting book. Unfortunately this is the first book in the Midnight's twins trilogy and I have to wait for the next one. Also I need more answers. And I need them now!

I think this book has a unique plot, the idea of a dream world where we can find knights who save us from nightmares is pretty ingenious. I don't remember reading anything similar. So, from the start, this book got me. I was fascinated by this dream world called Annwn and what you can find there. Even the characters are well-drawn, Fern with her unique eyes and Ollie with his personality. They are easily to fall in love with.

Even if the author has a cold heart and I felt like watching GoT again, Midnight's twins is a great YA fantasy that deserves a chance to read it!

I received an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This is an exciting opening to a new trilogy by Holly Race. Firstly the cover was really striking and beautiful.
I love an opening book to a new fantasy series which is very well Fern and Ollie are twins and they do not get along. They lost their parents young and this sets up the story. There are knights involved in this story which I adored reading about, this does not occur too often! These knights appear to be stalking Fern's dreams, which is unimaginable!

DNF. I couldn't connect with this book at all and found it really hard to get into. I had high hopes for this, which is a shame.

This book had a really great and interesting premise, people who could walk in an alter dream reality of our own world. For the most part it was a good read. The plot was interesting and the characters appealing. For me, however, I found the book to be quite slow. I also felt that it read quite young. I had expected an urban fantasy YA in the vein of Cassandra Clare's books, but it read more like a middle grade book to me which made it quite hard for me to get fully immersed in the story.

The story basically is there's a version of our world when we dream, Annwn. Some people can become knights and protect our dreams in the other world. It's a morality story of good vs evil and the battles we face in our world as well as in our dreams.

The book is well written but felt more middle grade than YA at times. It's a great premise but I didn't feel as drawn into the world and attached to the characters as I hoped I would be. Fern was the only character I felt connected to during the story emotionally.

You're thrown straight into the action of the story and for the most part, this book is very fast paced. I'd have loved to have read more of the twins exploring Annwn and setting the scene. There's so much action that it felt like there hadn't been enough work on setting the scene beforehand.

It was a great premise and I'd be interested to read more in the series.

This was a good story with hard themes explored in a natural manner, you got to see the darkness and issues that even those that seem 'perfect' face and everyones insecurities. The idea behind it was very good but I felt some parts seemed a little long and others too short and jolted.
A solid book and one I would probably pick up the second to read but not one I'd race out to get

When the book begins we find ourselves back in 2005 following Una King, Fern and Ollie’s mother, as she races across Annwn in the attempt to avoid a dangerous monster called a treitre and get home to her babies. Unfortunately the treitre catches Una, and the next morning back in Ithr she is found dead in bed, believed to have passed away in her sleep.

The prologue made my heart pound and was a very startling introduction to the world of Midnight’s Twins. In fact, it made it impossible to put Midnight’s Twins down, because it gave me so many questions which I just couldn’t wait to get answered, and it certainly gets the award for the most memorable start to a book that I’ve read this year so far.

Fifteen years later, Fern starts receiving mysterious texts from someone who claims that they murdered her mother. Having always accepted the fact that their mother died in her sleep, Fern is determined to find out more about Una and the world of Dreamers which ended up being the death of her.

One of the first things that struck me about Midnight’s Twins was how simple yet effective the contrast between Fern and Una’s viewpoint is. Una’s viewpoint is told in third person, whereas Fern’s is told in first, and it so easy to read. The two viewpoints are impossible to mix up because of how differently they are written, and it makes it a pleasure to dip back into the past and learn more about Una’s time with the Knights. I can’t think of another book which switches from third to first person without it feeling awkward or distracting you from the story, so it really makes this book stand out from the crowd.

It’s pretty impossible to briefly sum up the events of Midnight’s Twins, because so much happens throughout this book. Not only do Fern and Ollie have to undergo training to prove their worthiness as Knights of Annwn, they also have to undergo some serious soul-searching to attempt to repair their relationship. Meanwhile, there’s the big bad Sebastian Medraut: a rising politician in Ithr, and one of the most dangerous figures Annwn has ever seen.

I did find the character of Medraut and his One Voice party to be scarily relevant. With so many politicians across the globe acting as though a vote for them means unquestioning agreement with all of their policies it feels as though people are being silenced, so the concept of a politician whose whole shtick is to get people to be silent is both realistic and terrifying. He’s so charismatic that people can’t see the negative side of him, and it makes him so much easier to hate: I just wanted him to experience his comeuppance, but with this being the first book in a trilogy it wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped it would be for Fern and Ollie to triumph.

There’s so much that I highly recommend about this book, but I’m trying my hardest not to give any spoilers because I want you to discover the story for yourself! I will say that you might want to keep some tissues close by, because there are some seriously heartbreaking named character deaths. This might be marketed as YA and feature teenage characters, but there’s more death in this than you find in most fantasy novels! My jaw dropped a couple of times, because I couldn’t believe that some of these characters were being defeated so early in the series.

The only reason I didn’t give this book five stars is because there were a few scenes which were written a little clunkily. I found myself being thrown out of the story because I had to pause and reread a couple of times to get my head around what was going on, but it didn’t take too long to get back on the horse so it wasn’t a massive issue. That might be because this is a debut or because it’s a series starter, as there is a lot of exposition and world building to craft the world of Annwn properly, but I’m hoping this will become less of an issue as the series continues.

Midnight's Twins tells the story of our protagonist, Fern. This gal lives with her twin brother Ollie and her Dad. Fern is a bit of an outsider and when bullies took their antics too far, Fern was scarred for life and her brother hates her. Oh and their mother, Una, died in her sleep when they were quite young and that is just given to you in the first 3 chapters.

Fern discovers that there are two worlds (after some mysterious text messages) This world and the dream world called Annwn where she tries to uncover the death of her mother after being told she was murdered in Annwn. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN...

Holly brings us into the world of Arthurian legends and Dream Magic. Set in London, Annwn is almost identical to the real world but there's a castle in St Paul's Cathedral, Dolphins in the Thames, no biggy. She did such a good job of describing this world that even I want to dream about it. Annwn was built by dreamers, which is brought to life by memories and inspires them in the real world but when Fern enters this world she is told that where there are dreams, there are nightmares and that's where the Knights of Annwn come in to play. Defenders of the dream world, their job is to fight off these Nightmares but as all good books have, we need a villain and oh boy, do we have a villain. This villain wants to control people using their dreams! So what do Fern and Ollie do, they train to become the Knights they were meant to be,while finding out they both have a rare magical gift.

The character development is so good. I just love Ollie's growth throughout the book. There's action and a ton of it, there's mystery and intrigue and there's just some down right shocking moments.

I'll admit, I did struggle with pronouncing some of the names in my head. Which puts me off ever so slightly when reading a book because I have to go research how to say these words. I also felt like not much time had passed from Fern and Ollie learning how to wield their powers and training as a Knight to being thrown into dangerous missions considering they were new to the world. We understand early on that Fern possesses more power but that doesn't mean she should just get thrown into the deep end.

I don't want to give much away because I really think you should read this book and delve into dream magic and the suspenseful journeys, Fern and Ollie go through.

It's a wonderful debut novel for Holly and I cannot wait for the sequel. When I found out it was going to be a trilogy, I squealed a little. I'm so excited for more Fern and Ollie. :D

I reviewed this book for a blog tour.

An interesting mix of Arthurian myth and London geography in dreamland as Fern and her twin Ollie follow in their mother's footsteps to protect the dreamers of Britain from a threat they're not aware of.

The first book in a projected series, I'm interested to see where this goes.

This is a good book which unfortunately I fell outside the target audience for. It reminded me a little of Holly Black's The Darkest Part of the Forest but aimed at a younger audience. The twins competing for the honour of knighthood in Annwnn was interesting but ultimately, I just failed to connect. That said I can think of a good dozen kids of the right age group who frequent my library, who will really enjoy this.

Fern discovers her mother's secret when she's 15, but when she realises her twin brother has been chosen instead of her, she is determined to change her fate and prove she should be a knight of Annwn too.
Annwn is the dreamworld, a mirror of the real world, where everyone goes when they sleep. It's full of magic but also filled with danger and nightmares, thankfully the knights are there to protect the dreamers from the worst of the perils but there are continuous threats to them too.
It turns out not only was Fern meant to be a knight, but she and her twin have an extremely rare gift. When the dangers from Annwn spill into Fern's waking life, she has to find a way to fight an enemy more powerful and dangerous than any of nightmares.

The book starts off with a very intriguing and mysterious prologue. It definitely got my interest and made me want to keep reading. What could these strange, dangerous treitre be? I also really wanted to know more about the complicated relationship between Fern and her family and what happened to make them this way. You can tell she cares about her family even though it seems that something horrific happened to cause a huge rift between them.

It was all so magical, reading about inspyre, which is the substance that the dreamworld is made of. I would love to be able to control it and make things out of my imagination! On the other hand it's terrifying to think that dreams and nightmares could be real.

I really struggled to connect with this story, I guess just wasn’t my thing. I think it was probably too young a YA for me , but I am sure others would enjoy it, I guess I’m just not the target audience or it feels that way

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

Fern was born an outsider, and has had a lifetime of torment. But when she learns that dreams are real, everything starts to change.

Fern is an outsider, even to her own family. Her mum died when she was a baby; her twin brother is part of the pack of local kids that bullies her; and that same brother has always been her dad's favourite; giving Fern no one to trust but herself.
Fern has always been bullied for having bright red eyes. From kids at school, to strangers on the tube, she's always been treated differently, because of something she can't help. It was made even worse, when her face was scarred when her bullies went too far.

When Fern turns 15, she discovers the world of Annwn, a place of dreams and imagination. Like her mother before her, she has the chance at becoming a knight, as there are nightmares, too.

Wow.
This story took a while to get into, because I found it tricky at first to see the ever-changing Annwn, with it's weird rules and creatures; and if I'm honest, I was a little unsettled at how close to home the relationship between Fern and her brother was.
But once it got going, this was fantastic.

The world of Annwn is built by generations of dreamers, who bring it to life in the strength of their memories; and it turn Annwn inspires them in their normal lives.
Not everything is as straight-forward as trainee-knight Fern is originally told. There's more than nightmares, and there's an insidious presence threatening both worlds.

I loved the plot and the fast-action, as Fern and the other knights have to uncover what this person is after, and why it is linked to the death of her mum, fifteen years ago.
The risks are real - anyone who dies in Annwn, dies in the real world. And this story, for all of its light moments and camaraderie, is bloody brutal. Hunger Games brutal.

The story was also deeper than I expected. The way it looks at mob behaviour, and how normal people can be stirred to violence by charismatic politicians. Or all the small little gestures and comments that make it clear that they don't trust anyone who looks different, because their dangerous belief has been encouraged by the wrong people.
No one is all good, or all bad.

I also liked Ollie's journey through this. In the real world, he's popular, good-looking, and people are always on his side.
When he becomes a knight of Annwn, it's the first time a group of people see his twin sister as his equal, and judge him for what he's done.
The hatred that has been festering between them for years finally has to be faced, if either of them will survive.

I very much enjoyed this one, and I'm looking forward to the next part of the series.

Capturing your imagination and filling you with intrigue from the very beginning, this tells the story of Fern who discovers the existence of Annwn, a mirror dream world. She wants to be a Knight of that world, like her mother was, but her hated brother is chosen instead.

Playing on the them of what dreams truly mean, this story gives them substance making them into this parallel world. Making tangible the power of imagination. The enemy has the shape of nightmares or so it seems. Something even more terrifying lurks..

The word play is beautiful, with descriptions that are wild and colorful, gifting you with enticing imagery. Imagery that seems to envelope you in emotion. The characterizations are also done quite well. Fern is such an interesting character, a melancholic shy loner, and you feel for her.

The book is a bit uneven. Somewhat confusing in parts with so much information packed in so few sentences. In other parts I think the author gets so carried away with the images, that the plot is sometimes lost. But she gets on track again.

An important theme here is power and what we do when we wield it. How easy it is to use it for harm, but how better is can be if used for good. Another is how being different shouldn't be feared but accepted, even rejoiced. Also how lost we'd be without dreams, without goals.

There is a lot of action and a gruesome battle at the end that brings forth a plot surprise which opens up a whole new can of worms. One with some answers and many more questions. Holly Race has given us a fascinating world and I want to visit it again with the sequel.

With fast paced action scenes and plenty of twists (including a few I didn't see coming!) Midnight's Twins was hard to put down.

This novel has a fantastic concept with a world everyone will want to visit. The dream world, Annwn, is full of endless wonder and magic, from dolphins in the Thames to a castle hidden in St Paul's Cathedral. London was both familiar and utterly alien.

Midnight's Twins had an undercurrent of Hunger Games-worthy politics, where dangerous, influential figures are given a magical boost. As a result, Midnight's Twin also brilliant explores the danger of being different, or an outlier, in a world that is rapidly being told to distrust and fear you. Some of the most chilling scenes in this novel occurred in the real world, where the monsters were human inside and out.

I was completely drawn in by Fern and Ollie's complicated, messy sibling relationship. There is so much character growth over the course of the novel for both twins, who realise there is more that brings them together than divides them. Both Fern and Ollie have to learn to navigate loneliness and friendship, and conquer the fears which accompany letting others in and allowing yourself to be vulnerable.