Burning Crowns

》ARC Review: Burning Crowns 《

The journey comes to an end.

When I first met Rose and Wren in Twin Crowns, it didn’t take long for me to realize how much I would come to cherish these special heroines and their respective and intertwining journeys. I will always love Rose and Wren, and the epic adventures they took me on. Adventures filled with heart-stopping moments, swoon-worthy romances, angst that ripped the heart, and triumph that helped heal it. The ingredients for a delectable three-course meal, creating a Michelin Star series that will become a treasure upon my shelves. 4.5✨

》The Story《

I found myself massively immersed within the overarching plot. It was dynamite! My attention was entirely captured by the way the narrative developed. I felt chills, anticipation, curiosity, and fixation upon every plot point. Oonagh was so well developed throughout— a massively worthy adversary for this final battle. I was very much impressed with how the overarching plot delivered within this book. The world-building was fantastic as well, we explored new places and further learned of familiar one. I also reacquainted myself with supporting characters on a deeper level. It was a very enriching experience all throughout!

》Rose: Strength and Love《

Rose, Rose, Rose!

My soft heroine, my princess, my queen! This was her moment to shine and shine brightly she did! Since the very first line she appeared in Twin Crowns, I so deeply resonated and fell in love with Rose. She’s had such a gorgeous growth throughout this trilogy.

In Twin Crowns, we meet a princess who is sheltered and denied her own agency in her life. She grew under the oppressive thumb of her guardian, made to believe the danger of witches and magic and forcibly blinded from the truths that could shattered those falsely built walls that surround her. Rose is whisked onto a journey that has her reclaiming her power and knocking those false walls down, one by one. In Cursed Crowns Rose's direction is clear, but her footing is not as certain as the facade she presents, as she struggles to find her way with her newfound powers, and how to give her heart to another. We see her very relatable insecurity on full display and witness how she brilliantly finds her true confidence and certainty in her own forged path.

Burning Crowns sees a far more reassured Rose, one who can steel her spine, take strength in her soft heart, and pride herself for exactly who she is. Being a Witch went from terror to joy for Rose. Much like Shen, I loved how she’d easily refer to herself as Witch as fact, one she wholly embraced and was happy to continue to learn to be. I loved seeing her more confident in her powers, both the magical and that of her own agency. She led so spectacularly throughout this journey, showcasing why she deserves her role as Queen. I’m endlessly inspired by her.

One of my very favorite Rose moments comes when she is feeling hurt and jealous. How she reacts is a fantastic representation of her growth. She doesn’t buckle under the hurt, instead she faces it with amazing poise. I’m so proud of the journey Rose has had.

Then there’s her romance with Shen Lo. A romance over a course of a series can be quick to lose its spark once a couple are together, but that is not an issue with Rose and Shen. They are still the delight to watch on page (with some steamy moments wheww!). Their love is clear, but their path is not, which makes for an engaging read. Now with Shen being a King of his own kingdom, there’s a new hurdle to overcome. Can a Queen and a King be together while running their own separate kingdoms and taking care of their people? The resolution to this romance is so incredibly satisfying! I love this couple so much, they’re absolutely it for me, and I am massively pleased with how their romance developed over the course of the trilogy. They remain close to my heart, and I can’t wait to revisit of my favorite moments featuring these two. I’ll miss you Rose and Shen— so very, very much!

》Wren: Courage and Choice《

Wren is a heroine with impact. She began her journey in Twin Crowns with a certainty in who she was and what she was meant to do— only to see it unravel and have to adapt. And adapt she did. She relearned herself, her place, and her the choices within her destiny. I loved watching her grow. She is so strong and steadfast, but something I so very much loved to see her being, was simply being vulnerable. Her heart opened up most with those vulnerabilities in Cursed Crowns. There she had such an amazing arc, she opened up in a way we had never seen, and it was during the book I realized I not only loved Wren, but I could understand her too. I was eager to see where her journey would lead in Burning Crowns.

This book sees Wren emboldened with great determination and eagerness to end a curse and right the wrongs of her ancestor’s past. Her selflessness, her courage, her determination, and her heart is on full display in Burning Crowns. A beautiful, inspiring culmination of her arc.

Wren’s journey is one shared in part by Alarik and Tor. The love triangle’s resolution comes to an end, and I do think regardless of sides it closes in understanding. Facing Wren are two choices in her future. There’s the potential partner who I felt really helped Wren to grow and who connected deeply and emotionally with her, then there’s the potential partner who ignited a flame within her. I rooted for the former, but could appreciate the merit of the latter. Ultimately, the choice was always in Wren’s hands, and the narrative helps us see exactly to whom and why her heart leads her where it does. While this storyline was the one I greatly anticipated, what surprisingly compelled me most was the fantastic dynamic between the trio sans romance! Wren, Alarik, and Tor are so much fun on their journey! I loved their camaraderie: there may have been awkward moments, but overall they had a great time ribbing one another, sharing laughs, and sharing truths. Their bonding helped to ease the result of the love triangle.

While it may not have had my personal hoped resolution, I so greatly appreciate the care the authors took so there was no hurt party within the perceived love triangle. The endgame is strongly guided to us early on in the narrative, we see it before Wren does, which I am glad as it helped me sort out my own feelings along the way.

They ensure it’s the right fit by being Wren’s clear choice.

》Friends, Allies, and Sisterhood《

I adored the supporting cast! Shen Lo owns my heart entirely, and he once again has so many brilliant moments within the narrative, including a terrific arc as he comes to find his own footing in place and role. Alarik and Marino were also definite stand outs for me! Alarik remains one of my absolute favorite characters of all time, he captivated my attention upon every scene and line. Marino featured in more scenes than in previous books and cemented just how intriguing, fun, and lovable his character is! Tor also has terrific moments, many swoon-worthy ones and also some great comedic ones. I also absolutely adored seeing Celeste and Rose be the best friends we’ve not had the chance to really see together on page. In the past two books, Celeste shared the majority of her time with Wren, so I was thrilled to see her be with her main bestie Rose this time around, hehe! I also loved the sweet romancing between Celeste and Anika!

The supporting cast shined so very brightly in this one!

And while Rose and Wren may spend their journeys apart for a while, they bond is as strong as ever. I so appreciate how the authors took care to explore their relationship— and strengthen it. This is their story, the true love story is theirs, and it was beautiful to witness its beginning and end.

》Goodbye, For Now《

I’m going to greatly miss this world, but I’m so glad it exists so I will always be able to revisit. And who knows! Maybe one day it’ll expand with future spin offs! With its vibrant supporting cast, there is endless potential in storytelling.

Until we meet again!

Thank you Catherine Doyle, Katherine Webber, and NetGalley for inviting me into this world one more time with this gorgeous arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful ending to a series I hold so dear to my heart.

Burning Crowns is the spellbinding conclusion to the Twin Crowns trilogy and wow does it go out with a bang. I loved seeing Wren and Rose really come in to their own in this book. I feel like in this story they both found what they really needed.

The side characters were stellar in this book, I would have spent any amount of time with any of them.

Wren and Rose have captured my heart and there they will stay.

I don’t even have words to say😭 I can’t even BELEIEVE it’s over. I’m so sad I’m going to miss this world with every fiber of my being. It was a perfect ending but nontheless I would have craved for more. Wren and rose were everything and the most precious sisters I’ve ever read about. Tor and Shen are the most loyal if men BY MY OH MY DO I WANT MORE ALARIK. I loved him with every fiber of my being in this book and I nEED more of him like yesterday.

The final book in the Twin Crowns trilogy sees Rose and Wren finally face their undead ancestor Oonagh Starcrest in a battle for their country and their lives. I have loved this series and this final volume had me gripped from the beginning. I wanted to take my time with this but the storyline is so gripping, that I found myself unable to put it down and finished it in the wee small hours of the morning. There is magic, action, humour and romance (and gorgeous characters to fall in love with). Five stars!!

Funny, charming, compelling, I was hooked from start to finish.

This is the best book in the TWIN CROWNS trilogy for sure. There's more adventure, more magic, more humour and, best of all, more romance. Despite the ships being the same, they never go stale as Rose and Shen face royal duties that threaten to pull them apart, and Wren wrestles with her budding feelings for two Gevrans. I'm a Wren/Alarik fan and I suspect the way Alarik was written here was to firmly put to rest the love triangle with Tor (though anyone reading this expecting Alarik to win Wren's heart once and for all would be kidding themselves, lol). That said, the tension between the three of them is deliciously stretched to maximum effect when they're forced to travel to the mountains hoping for a cure for Wren and Alarik's curse. No character is left behind in the finale either, so we still get to see members from the Sunkissed Kingdom, like Kai and Lei Fan, and Gevra, like Anika, as well.

The writing is much improved (though I will never get over the 'said blank comma adverb' ) and doesn't feel like it was written by two different people – their voices blend seamlessly together, beautifully conveying that message of friendship and sisterhood this series was always aiming to hit.

I just had a smashing time reading this one – just as they finally hit their stride, and it's over! I'll miss Rose and Wren and their antics for sure.

WILL I READ MORE BY THESE AUTHORS? Obviously.

This book is the final book of the Twin Crowns trilogy and to say it didn't disappoint is an understatement. I love the relationship between Wren and Rose and the trust and understanding of each other that they have managed to achieve. We are taken on a journey in this book and aspects of it reminded me of Daughter of Winter and Twilight by Helen Corcoran (which I highly recommend) and I was delighted that the story didn't just take place in one setting. I was extremely satisfied with the ending and hope the authors return to the world in some way or another in the future! Highly recommend this trilogy and both authors other books!

What a perfect way to finish this absolutely amazing and magical series!

Both authors have created a series that will connect to any fantasy young adult reader, and easily make you fall in love with the world, the characters, and the story itself. This being the final book in the series I have to say I was a bit apprehensive as I did not want this journey to end, but what a perfect ending it was to the journey you went on with both sisters. It took you through twists and turns, laughing and crying, and altogether an amazing adventure, sisterhood and romance you will never forget.

Cat and Katie I am so sad to see this series end but so grateful that you created it for all us readers to enjoy. I hope this is just the beginning of the magical worlds you will both create for young adult readers everywhere.

I can’t believe it’s over, my heart is broken. I absolutely love love love this trilogy and this finale finished it beautifully, I can’t say too much as I don’t want to give anything away but my god I was always on my edge of my seat, needing to know what happens next etc. the story telling is so beautifully done by these talented authors that at times I forgot I was reading, I felt like I was in there world with Wren and Rose. Thank you for allowing me to receive an early copy, I read it during the Easter weekend. I would recommend this book and the series to anyone. I’m obsessed and love it.

I absolutely loved Twin Crowns/Cursed Crowns and I’m so glad that Burning Crowns was a great ending to the trilogy that tied everything together nicely and felt like it did the series justice. (Although I wouldn’t have expected anything less from the dream team that is Katie and Cat!) This book was action packed with hijinks and mystery. At times it did feel like there was A LOT going on but it had the effect of making in me desperate to know what happened to Rose when it switched to Wren’s POV and vice versa.

As in the previous books, this continued to be full of cheeky moments ( SHEN LO !!!!!) as well as romance, magic and sisterhood. Alarik continued to be my fave side character and I also loved the way the twins have developed as both individuals and sisters. I have so much love for the sassy badass Rose who no longer hides her thorns. The writing was beautiful, the story was exciting, the world felt real and alive and there were even some call backs to ‘The Princess Bride’ which inspired parts of the first book ( the phrase ‘As you wish’ is used and it was incredibly satisfying!)

I went through a roller coaster of emotions and it was bittersweet for me to read the finale because of how special this series has been to me but I felt like there were a few clever opportunities written in for supporting characters to get spin offs and be explored further (looking at you Marino!) so I may not have to say goodbye to Eana just yet!

Basically, if you like YA Fantasy, I couldn’t recommend this series enough!

I can't say much plot wise because this is Book 3 of a trilogy, but what I can say is this is a superb end to a stunning series that will whisk you away to the most captivating worlds.

A wonderful ending to a truly special series. Our heroines, Rose and Wren, have really grown so much since the first book, haven’t they? I felt that this book really shone when it came to the characters, and loved how tight and well paced the story was. It made me not want to put the book down. With this third instalment I feel that I can confidently recommend this series to everyone. I am truly not ready to say goodbye to this series!