Skip to main content

FIRST BORN



SYNOPSIS

Molly lives a quiet, contained life in London. Naturally risk averse, she gains comfort from security and structure. Every day the same.

Her identical twin Katie is her exact opposite: gregarious and spontaneous. They used to be inseparable, until Katie moved to New York a year ago. Molly still speaks to her daily without fail.

But when Molly learns that Katie has died suddenly in New York, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. Katie is part of her DNA. As terrifying as it is, she must go there and find out what happened. As she tracks her twin's last movements, cracks begin to emerge. Nothing is what it seems. And a web of deceit is closing around her.


Title: First Born
Author: Will Dean
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: April 14, 2022



REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I am half a person. The darkest half”

As a twin myself (although not identical), I always find intriguing to read stories about twins, as they usually make me realize how well adjusted we are and how boring our lives are compared to fictional twins (not murderous tendencies here…YET) 😅

Molly and Katie (KT) are identical twins but complete opposites. KT is outgoing, always willing to take risks, while Molly is an introvert, a bit neurotic and not willing to go out of her comfort zone. She’s always evaluating the ways in which one could die and ready in case of any eventuality. When Molly receives a phone call from her parents while visiting her sister in NYC, informing her that KT has been murdered, she find the strength to travel over there to find out what happened to her. After all, no one knew KT as well as she did.

The book could be divided in two clear halves. First one is more of a character study on Molly. Although it has a slower pace, I enjoyed it the most. Molly can come as a bit abrasive and all her inner monologue can be a bit too much sometimes, making the reader uncomfortable. At the same time I found so interesting to see how she discovered NYC for the first time while dealing with her neuroses and all the dangers there. Then, the first twist came along and I was like…what? Wait a minute, what did just happen?

The second half was like a rollercoaster and, in my opinion, it took a step too far into implausibility. Was it entertaining? For sure it was, but you had to suspend disbelief too much for my taste. The actual ending left me with several questions and the moment I finished it I had to write to my friend Kim to ask if I had missed something. After some discussion I don’t think they could really be answered. I know this all sounds a bit cryptic, but it’s the only way to talk about this without spoilers.

After a really good first half I literally devoured, the second one went a bit OTT. Will Dean can really weave an intriguing story so I’m excited to finally get to my copy of The Last Thing To Burn (after more than a year sitting on my shelf).

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HERMANITO

SINOPSIS Este libro te cambiará. Esta historia arranca así: «Estoy en Europa pero yo no quería venir a Europa». Ibrahima Balde nació en Guinea, pero se vio forzado a abandonar su casa para ir a buscar a su hermano pequeño. No salió para perseguir un sueño. Abandonó su hogar para encontrar a la persona que más quería. Una mirada ingenua, castigada, arrebatadoramente poética y, en definitiva, única. La de quien ha sufrido todo y, sin embargo, tiene el poder de convertirlo en algo útil. En algo bello. Título: Hermanito: Miñán Autor: Ibrahima Balde & Amets Arzallus Antia Editorial: Blackie Books Fecha de publicación: 6 Octubre 2021 RESEÑA VALORACIÓN: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Estoy en Europa pero yo no quería venir a Europa”  ¿Cuántas veces hemos visto por televisión imágenes de migrantes llegando a las costas europeas? Ahora bien ¿cuántas veces hemos pensado en los motivos que llevan a una persona a arriesgar su vida para llegar a Europa; en los sufrimientos y penalidades que han pasado hasta poder ...
Post a Comment
Read more

MURDER IN MANHATTAN

SYNOPSIS Glitzy parties, sightseeing at the Statue of Liberty and strolls through Central Park with Gladstone the bulldog… Lady Eleanor Swift is loving her first trip to the city that never sleeps, until she witnesses a murder! After crossing from England on the SS Celestiana, Lady Eleanor Swift sets up her home-away-from-home in a lavish apartment in New York City. She is soon the toast of the town, with no high-class soirée complete without her presence. Of course, she drags her butler Clifford and Gladstone the bulldog along to every party too. But when she witnesses the charming doorman of her building, Marty, knocked down and killed in a hit-and-run, she finds fashionable society suddenly closes rank. The only local detective interested in helping her find the culprit is street-smart beat cop, Officer Balowski. Resolved to get justice for Marty and his family, Eleanor searches Marty’s tiny apartment and is shocked to find five rolls of banknotes tucked under the floorboards. Money...
1 comment
Read more

LOVE IN LOCKDOWN

SYNOPSIS Do you believe in love before first sight? Lockdown is putting Sophia’s life on pause – just as she planned to put herself out there and meet someone. When the first clap for the keyworkers rings out around her courtyard, she’s moved to tears for all kinds of reasons. Jack is used to living life to the fullest. He’s going stir-crazy after just days isolating. Until the night he hears a woman crying from the balcony under his. He strikes up a conversation with the stranger and puts a smile on her face. Soon their balcony meetings are the highlight of Jack and Sophia’s days. But even as they grow closer together, they’re always kept apart. Can they fall in love during a lockdown? Title: Love in lockdown Author: Chloe James Publisher: Avon Books UK Publication date: November 23, 2020 REVIEW RATING:   ⭐⭐⭐⭐ When I first heard about this book I thought "Uh, uh, no way I'm reading this. Too soon. Who would want to read a book about the lockdown when the second one is waving ...
10 comments
Read more