Twice Born

Editorial Review by Gail Branan

Twice Born -- Welcome back to Graeme Smith's world. Step inside but be careful of the Shadows. They're not what you think they are.

Goodreads review by Astilbe

Every legend must have come from somewhere.

The world building was well done and sometimes made me forget I was reading a novel as opposed to hearing true stories about someone else’s ancestors. This felt genuinely real to me which can be difficult to accomplish in this sort of fiction but has made me extremely curious to read more from Mr. Smith in the future. He is a talented writer who knows exactly how to use a few carefully selected words to make a world come alive in my imagination.

I struggled to keep up with the plot at times due to how often it jumped back and forth in the timeline as well as among the perspectives of a few different characters. As much as I enjoyed the complexity of it as far as the world building went, having a more linear sequence of events would have made it easier for this reader to keep up with what was happening versus what happened in the past or would happen in the protagonists’ near futures.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that explored why certain characters were terrified of witches. Many modern fantasy authors have taken a much softer approach to what exactly a witch is and how dangerous she might be, so it was refreshing to read something that brings back the fear and uncertainty that swirled around these women in older stories. This was even more true since I happened to read this shortly before Halloween season began!

Twice Born was a wild ride.