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

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

HELLO, IT’S ME!

  I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to read... MY BRAND NEW BLOG! (Look at me plagiarazing   drawing inspiration from Adele for my very first entry).                                                               She approves! So, if you're here reading this...THANK YOU for tuning in! For those who don't know me my name is Javier and after more than a year writing reviews on sites as Goodreads and NetGalley I decided to create my own blog to share my love of books with the world. When I first started writing reviews I was not able to put two sentences together, but as I kept writing I realized I had lots to say about the books I read. Rest assured my reviews will always be honest (no problems here telling when I don't like something) and spoiler free (I hate spoilers!). My personal preferences are:...
10 comments
Read more

IN A HOLIDAZE

SYNOPSIS It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions. But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe:  Please. Show me what will make me happy. The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe. Title: In...
6 comments
Read more