“THE HIDDEN TWIN,” by Adi Rule, St. Martin’s Griffin, March 22, 2016, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult)
What if you were a twin, but no one could know? What if you, as that twin, should have been killed the moment you were born? What if the exact opposite happened?
It’s been 18 years since Jey and her sister were born. The two would be identical if not for the color of their eyes and the scars that lace the back of one. Jey has lived her life out it the open; the world knows her as an only child. But she’s not. Her twin sister, a nameless Redwing, has been hidden away in a small attic room. Following the death of the twins’ mother, their father didn’t have the heart to destroy his child. And so he hid her away, hoping she would be able to live as a normal human rather than the wicked creature mythology — and temple priests — promise she will become.
Despite the dangers, the hidden girl agrees to switch places with her twin for one afternoon. What harm could come while dusting the palace peonies of ash from the nearby volcano? Oh, nothing, nothing except flirting with son of the Empress; unleashing previously dormant powers; and letting her secret out. Soon she is in the crosshairs of a cult with a thousand year old grudge and a group of underground rebels, and both seeking her for their own gain. Redwing wants nothing more than to quietly slip away, but it seems fate has other plans.
The premise behind “The Hidden Twin” is compelling, the characters interesting, but the world in which they live comes together at a disjointed and somewhat piecemeal rate. As with any fantasy novel, I expected to enter a new world with unfamiliar aspects throughout. The problem with “The Hidden Twin” is that new world is never fully explained. It’s as if the author expects readers to come into it with some kind of previous knowledge that doesn’t exist. Now the book isn’t so complicated that you can’t figure things out as the story progresses, but the order in which some of that information is presented could use some editing.
I did, however, enjoy Adi Rule’s main character. She’s strong, curious and not at all happy with the status quo. Her progression from nameless girl to Redwing is well thought out and unfolds nicely. Though Redwing is the main character, I would have liked more from the supporting case, especially those who play up-close roles in Redwing’s life — they sometimes feel as if they’re only there to move the story along.
I came into “The Hidden Twin” expecting more. It’s a decent read, but not great. If you’ve got time to kill, I’d suggest checking it out from the library.
