~~~POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!~~~
~~~POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!~~~
~~~POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!~~~
This is such a different book than I'd normally pick up and I can't even say what drew me to it. I should have reviewed it as soon as I finished but with being so busy the past three or four days I haven't been able to update and review like I usually do.
When I first started The Twin's Daughter I was impressed with the storyline but the actual voice sounded strained at best. I went back and forth between thinking it sounded strained to think it sounded fake. Kind of like if someone asked ...more This is such a different book than I'd normally pick up and I can't even say what drew me to it. I should have reviewed it as soon as I finished but with being so busy the past three or four days I haven't been able to update and review like I usually do.
When I first started The Twin's Daughter I was impressed with the storyline but the actual voice sounded strained at best. I went back and forth between thinking it sounded strained to think it sounded fake. Kind of like if someone asked me to speak like a woman in 1920's England for example. I could try. But I would not succeed. As time went on I either changed my mind or got used to it and I'm still not sure which is was exactly.
I'm going back and forth on so many different things. Part of me feels there were parts that didn't stay true to the time period in which the story takes place, even though we don't know what period it was.
The ending..... surprised me. I think. I went back and forth with that too. :) A big part of me thinks it's totally unrealistic to believe the main character didn't know if this woman was her Mother or not. Maybe some instances I can buy that, from afar or from the back if the women were truly identical. But so up close and over time? That was hard for me to swallow to say the least. I ended up buying it by the end though. I'm not sure if that's a testemant to Lauren Baratz-Logsted's or because I so badly wanted to believe it so the story wouldn't have a crack in it for me.
I have to say this also, I don't exactly consider this 'historical-fiction' and think by sticking it in such a genre that it'll lose readers. Readers so judge a book by genre. I'm also not very sure I'd agree that this is 'young adult' - does a main character under the age of 18 make a book YA? Not to me. I didn't really see anything YA here. I don't meant to say it's only for adults, I don't remember anything I wouldn't want a teen reading, but it's not YA. IMO.
I'll definitely read another book by the author - I think she's one that will only get better with time!

Share/Like this Review?

Who is the victim?

When her mother's identical twin shows up out of nowhere, Lucy Sexton's world is turned upside down. Her aunt takes the place of a sibling she never had as she begins to teach her the ins and outs of society. But just as life begins to feel normal again, tragedy strikes leaving Lucy feeling alone. But who is the victim?

The premise of Lauren Baratz-Logsted's The Twin's Daughter had me very intrigued from the first time I read about it. It's a story that you hear on the news: "Twins reunited after 35 years; story at 11." With all of the technology we have, it's become very easy to find out information on people all around the world. But this story is set in the 1800s. With no internet or telephones, how did Helen ever find Aliese? This is what quickly drew me into the story, the mystery of it all.

Although I haven't been fourteen in roughly ten years, Lucy's character was very relatable. I loved how Baratz-Logsted showed Lucy's character maturing and becoming a woman. Even her relationships with other characters slowly became deeper and more mature as the novel progressed.

If there was any part I did not like, it was that it took me a while to figure out when and where the story was taking place. Many other books I read (at least, those that are set somewhere other than Anytown USA in the present) tell you in the beginning the year and location. London is mentioned in the novel a few times, however I couldn't figure out the time period at all. It may have been something I missed, but I eventually figured it out by looking up when the mention Gilbert and Sullivan opera was active.

This book definitely had me guessing all the way until the end. And it wasn't just guessing about the main mystery. There were many different things for the reader to try and figure out. How did the tunnel come to be? Would Kit return? Who was the red-headed man? Even if a reader did not get lost in Lucy's life, all of the mystery and intrigue that Baratz-Logsted wound through the story would keep them reading until the end.

I give The Twin's Daughter five stars because as soon as I finished it, I was ready to read it all over again. I would recommend this to those that love a good mystery, 19th century London, or historic crime novels. Actually, I'd recommend it to any readers, as it seems there is something in it for everyone.

Share/Like this Review?

Who is the victim?

When her mother's identical twin shows up out of nowhere, Lucy Sexton's world is turned upside down. Her aunt takes the place of a sibling she never had as she begins to teach her the ins and outs of society. But just as life begins to feel normal again, tragedy strikes leaving Lucy feeling alone. But who is the victim?

The premise of Lauren Baratz-Logsted's The Twin's Daughter had me very intrigued from the first time I read about it. It's a story that you hear on the news: "Twins reunited after 35 years; story at 11." With all of the technology we have, it's become very easy to find out information on people all around the world. But this story is set in the 1800s. With no internet or telephones, how did Helen ever find Aliese? This is what quickly drew me into the story, the mystery of it all.

Although I haven't been fourteen in roughly ten years, Lucy's character was very relatable. I loved how Baratz-Logsted showed Lucy's character maturing and becoming a woman. Even her relationships with other characters slowly became deeper and more mature as the novel progressed.

If there was any part I did not like, it was that it took me a while to figure out when and where the story was taking place. Many other books I read (at least, those that are set somewhere other than Anytown USA in the present) tell you in the beginning the year and location. London is mentioned in the novel a few times, however I couldn't figure out the time period at all. It may have been something I missed, but I eventually figured it out by looking up when the mention Gilbert and Sullivan opera was active.

This book definitely had me guessing all the way until the end. And it wasn't just guessing about the main mystery. There were many different things for the reader to try and figure out. How did the tunnel come to be? Would Kit return? Who was the red-headed man? Even if a reader did not get lost in Lucy's life, all of the mystery and intrigue that Baratz-Logsted wound through the story would keep them reading until the end.

I give The Twin's Daughter five stars because as soon as I finished it, I was ready to read it all over again. I would recommend this to those that love a good mystery, 19th century London, or historic crime novels. Actually, I'd recommend it to any readers, as it seems there is something in it for everyone.

Share/Like this Review?