MIDNIGHT'S TWINS is a fun debut that starts an exciting new trilogy.

The dream world, Annwn, is a very alternate London - and I loved it. Much of the London seen is Central London - the bit I'm very familiar with - and it felt so authentic. It's always been quite magical to me, thanks to an overactive imagination, so seeing that magical side come alive thanks to the power of dreams was so much fun.

Woven into the fabric of Annwn is a lot of familiar mythology with a new slant. There's a lot of Arthurian legends mention, but always in the background and never making the story feel like a retelling but rather anchoring it to concepts I already know. It made it feel more real. I'm hoping later books explore this more, particularly the fact that he ended up a traitor! All these references to mythology enrich the world, making it so much bigger than seen.

I really liked the way it tackled the politics of the other - through the persona of Merauit. It's so interesting to see populism tackled in YA without it being a dystopia that's already happened. Instead, MIDNIGHT'S TWINS sets a world where these ideas are taking root. The path is set to become a dystopia, if nothing is done about it.

The final twist was so good - I'd only seen half of it coming. I'd seen quite a few coming, because they were well set up and a lot of the plot fell into common beats (nothing wrong with that, and making a story feel familiar but unique at the same time is a good way to make an engaging - plus it means you can then really unleash a twist at the end!)

Holly Race's "Midnight's Twins" is a magical tale that I wish I more invested in. Yes, it was good but because my reading taste has matured to older young adult, new adult and adult literature. However, I think this debut fantasy is better suited for younger YA readers to those who are finding themselves in the middle of the category.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I made it 30% of the way though before calling it a day. I need to be invested in the story and connect to the characters in some way but this felt one dimensional.

Due to this, I won’t be continuing or reviewing on other platforms.