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A review by llmacrae
The Bitter Twins by Jen Williams
3.0
(Copying reviews from previous GR account)
The Bitter Twins was a significant deviation from The Ninth Rain, both in content and length.
I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, but there was still plenty to like!
Book two picks up shortly after the end of book one, and although only a small amount of time has passed, there have been some BIG changes in the world of Sarn.
Noon has become my favourite character, closely followed by Kirune (although to begin with, I found him one of the more irritating new additions), but many of the others have fallen somewhat in my estimations. Aldasair and Bern are two bright sparks whom I adore, along with Eri and the two “weaker” war-beasts, Jessen and Helcate.
Our characters are split up for much of the book, each following their own sub plot. Although a few cross paths, they are mostly on their own, which is always fun - you get to see different parts of the world, learn more lore etc. There are four main plots - Hestillon, Vintage( & Eri), Aldasair & Bern, and Tor & Noon.
Although Hestillon’s probably had the most mystery and intrigue, it was unfortunately the one I enjoyed the least. I didn’t connect with her nor understand her motivations for the decisions she made, especially considering the worm people have been the greatest enemy to the world - and specifically the Eborans - for all time.
Tor & Noon have a similar mystery on their hands, which again, should have been full of intrigue and plot twists, but I also wasn’t a fan of it. It took them to a remote island in the barren sea, which while exciting at first, quickly soured. (And the ending of it… after all the days/weeks of being given the runaround, here’s a thing you need, bye - and zero reaction. I don’t know, I just wasn’t a fan).
Vintage, who was my favourite character in book one, had a plot that in my opinion, did a disservice to her character. It’s no spoiler that she sprains her ankle rather badly, which puts her out of commission with the travelling and the mystery and the plotting fun stuff, but unfortunately it keeps her pretty much in one spot, where she makes certain decisions that really felt out of character for her. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I’d come to expect from her, which left me disappointed. I loved Eri and Helcate, however, and it was fabulous to see his character change and grow more confident throughout the book.
Aldasair and Bern are a pair of bright stars that should be protected. (The latter of whom owns a pair of axes for which this book is named). They learn something significant about their enemy pretty early on (and certainly pay the price for it), which was perhaps one of the most distinctive events.
I felt several chunks could probably have been shortened or omitted altogether. It made the whole book feel a lot slower, the first half especially, with chunks of filler that felt unnecessary.
One minor point that I wasn’t a fan of was the sci-fi angle that appeared (well, was revealed) in the second half of the book. It wasn’t a personal favourite twist of mine. But that’s a personal gripe!
That being said, there was still a lot to enjoy! The cast of characters grows, with plenty of new people being introduced across various parts of the world. I would have loved to have some more backstory of our principle cast and learned more about their pasts, however we did get to learn a fair amount of Sarn’s past, from different people’s stories.
I’ve never seen a world quite like Sarn before, and the lore is fantastic. There are a tonne of rather disgusting things, especially where the worm people are concerned, and there are a lot of violations of trust and bodies that result in some of the book’s strongest conflicts (Celaphon, I’m looking at you). It made for some difficult reading, at times, but that’s no bad thing.
The Wild-Touched creatures are of particular interest, and the fact some can potentially be “tamed” or at least not go around murdering things is really unique and I love the idea. Thankfully, there were still giant bats (though they had less page time) and their little story was super sweet.
There are still a few of the letters/anecdotes at the beginning of chapters which I really loved from the first book. Though these aren’t as prevalent, they’re still super enjoyable to read, giving a taste into the minds of the characters who wrote them, while providing more world building or lore.
Finally, the ending battle was as full of action and excitement as was to be expected, although there was one part of it that greatly upset me - but I shan’t give away any spoilers.
I imagine the third book will be more action and fighting as the final parts of the various mysteries of this world and its inhabitants are finally revealed, and the consequences are put into motion. Noon, in particular, seems to be of particular importance, and I’d love to see more/discover more about the fell-witches, too!
Although I enjoyed this book less than the first, I’m still very interested to see how the final book wraps up this intriguing trilogy!
The Bitter Twins was a significant deviation from The Ninth Rain, both in content and length.
I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, but there was still plenty to like!
Book two picks up shortly after the end of book one, and although only a small amount of time has passed, there have been some BIG changes in the world of Sarn.
Noon has become my favourite character, closely followed by Kirune (although to begin with, I found him one of the more irritating new additions), but many of the others have fallen somewhat in my estimations. Aldasair and Bern are two bright sparks whom I adore, along with Eri and the two “weaker” war-beasts, Jessen and Helcate.
Our characters are split up for much of the book, each following their own sub plot. Although a few cross paths, they are mostly on their own, which is always fun - you get to see different parts of the world, learn more lore etc. There are four main plots - Hestillon, Vintage( & Eri), Aldasair & Bern, and Tor & Noon.
Although Hestillon’s probably had the most mystery and intrigue, it was unfortunately the one I enjoyed the least. I didn’t connect with her nor understand her motivations for the decisions she made, especially considering the worm people have been the greatest enemy to the world - and specifically the Eborans - for all time.
Tor & Noon have a similar mystery on their hands, which again, should have been full of intrigue and plot twists, but I also wasn’t a fan of it. It took them to a remote island in the barren sea, which while exciting at first, quickly soured. (And the ending of it… after all the days/weeks of being given the runaround, here’s a thing you need, bye - and zero reaction. I don’t know, I just wasn’t a fan).
Vintage, who was my favourite character in book one, had a plot that in my opinion, did a disservice to her character. It’s no spoiler that she sprains her ankle rather badly, which puts her out of commission with the travelling and the mystery and the plotting fun stuff, but unfortunately it keeps her pretty much in one spot, where she makes certain decisions that really felt out of character for her. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I’d come to expect from her, which left me disappointed. I loved Eri and Helcate, however, and it was fabulous to see his character change and grow more confident throughout the book.
Aldasair and Bern are a pair of bright stars that should be protected. (The latter of whom owns a pair of axes for which this book is named). They learn something significant about their enemy pretty early on (and certainly pay the price for it), which was perhaps one of the most distinctive events.
I felt several chunks could probably have been shortened or omitted altogether. It made the whole book feel a lot slower, the first half especially, with chunks of filler that felt unnecessary.
One minor point that I wasn’t a fan of was the sci-fi angle that appeared (well, was revealed) in the second half of the book. It wasn’t a personal favourite twist of mine. But that’s a personal gripe!
That being said, there was still a lot to enjoy! The cast of characters grows, with plenty of new people being introduced across various parts of the world. I would have loved to have some more backstory of our principle cast and learned more about their pasts, however we did get to learn a fair amount of Sarn’s past, from different people’s stories.
I’ve never seen a world quite like Sarn before, and the lore is fantastic. There are a tonne of rather disgusting things, especially where the worm people are concerned, and there are a lot of violations of trust and bodies that result in some of the book’s strongest conflicts (Celaphon, I’m looking at you). It made for some difficult reading, at times, but that’s no bad thing.
The Wild-Touched creatures are of particular interest, and the fact some can potentially be “tamed” or at least not go around murdering things is really unique and I love the idea. Thankfully, there were still giant bats (though they had less page time) and their little story was super sweet.
There are still a few of the letters/anecdotes at the beginning of chapters which I really loved from the first book. Though these aren’t as prevalent, they’re still super enjoyable to read, giving a taste into the minds of the characters who wrote them, while providing more world building or lore.
Finally, the ending battle was as full of action and excitement as was to be expected, although there was one part of it that greatly upset me - but I shan’t give away any spoilers.
I imagine the third book will be more action and fighting as the final parts of the various mysteries of this world and its inhabitants are finally revealed, and the consequences are put into motion. Noon, in particular, seems to be of particular importance, and I’d love to see more/discover more about the fell-witches, too!
Although I enjoyed this book less than the first, I’m still very interested to see how the final book wraps up this intriguing trilogy!