Skip to main content

The Twin by Natasha Preston - Review






The Plot

The Twin, written by Natasha Preston is a psychological thriller/suspense young adult novel which centres around identical twin sisters Iris and Ivy. They have been separated for six years because of their parents' divorce. Ivy, the more studious and reserved one has lived with her dad, while Iris, the popular, more outgoing twin lived with their mother. 
Tragically, their mom died while out on her routine jog and so Iris returns to live with her sister and father. It's a huge adjustment for each of them but Ivy and her dad try to make Iris feel as at home as they can. Ivy is perplexed by Iris' nonchalant attitude regarding their mom's death. She evades talk of the subject, seeming more interested in the details of Ivy's life and what her new high school will be like. It seems to Ivy as though Iris is taking over her whole life. But she pins it down to Iris trying to adjust to her new life as well as grief. Her twin couldn't possibly be hiding anything...

The Cover

The book cover features a flower and a pair of scissors/shears. The stem and top part of the flower being cut as well as the fact that the sisters have plant/floral names might symbolise their separation. The shears also represent duality since the novel is about twins. Ivy mentions that her mom's favourite season was Spring, so that could also tie in to the cover. 

The Characters

Ivy is the protagonist and narrator of the story. She is a conscientious, intelligent sixteen year old girl who has a love for swimming. Ivy is the archetypal 'good twin' to Iris' 'evil twin', rarely straying from the rules. She's a high achieving student in school and has a compassionate, thoughtful disposition. When her long-lost twin sister arrives, Ivy tries her best to be accommodating and to make Iris feel at ease in her surroundings. She's a likeable character whom you root for and hope things will work out for. What irked me though was the fact that although Ivy is a smart person, she basically ignored the red flags where Iris was concerned. She kept dismissing her behaviour and pinned it down to her having trouble adjusting. It drove me crazy! 

Tyler is Ivy's boyfriend. He's described as being a solid, reliable guy and it's easy to see why Ivy's so crazy about him. Ty is very loyal to Ivy, standing by her through Iris' plotting. But even with all his devotion he still turns against Ivy at the end and that's another thing that drove me insane. How could he believe Iris over his girlfriend? The girl he said he loved and is supposed to remain loyal to? I guess that just shows his flawed human nature, but still... it wasn't right and I couldn't get over it. I felt attacked 😭😂

Iris is the yin to Ivy's yang or something like that. She's the wilder one of the two and from the get-go, gives off creepy vibes but the majority of the characters are too mesmerised by her charms to truly pick this up. This girl is set on taking over her sister's life. From the moment Iris stared at Ivy through the latter's bedroom window, smoke alarms should've gone off in Ivy's head that something disturbing is going on with her twin. And yet, as intelligent as Ivy is supposed to be, she dismisses it. There are scenes where you actually do feel sorry for Iris and that just shows how good she is at manipulation. 

Some of the other characters are the twins' dad, Ivy's therapist, Meera, and Ivy's best friends, Haley and Sophie. Basically, they all fall for Iris' performance and are trapped in her web, even though they're not aware of that. My heart really ached for Ivy because virtually everyone in her life bought into Iris' stories and took her word over Ivy's. Though Iris is a master manipulator, which makes it easy to fall into her trap. Still, it would've been nice to see someone sticking by Ivy through it all. 

Themes 

The topics addressed in this book are family, siblings and mental illness. The author did a good job of showing the strained relationship between the sisters. I feel that the mental illness aspect could've been delved into a little deeper. It's implied that Iris has a psychiatric disorder but I feel like it was really just used as a plot device. 


The Twin is an entertaining read with an interesting premise and I was captivated by it. But I feel like something was missing from it and it left me slightly dissatisfied. 

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poem by @writing_15_

      Photo source: writing_15_ I'd like to present a poem written by a friend of mine. She's fifteen years old and a very talented writer. You guys can check out her  Instagram . Writing_15_ also has a new  blog  where she posts her poetry, book reviews and short stories.  I watched you fade away,  slowly. Then all at once. Like I watched the petals of a flower, fall to the ground. Parts of you fell away faster than others.  Your sense of humour stayed, but your kindness fell of the stem.  You aren’t the same person you once were. Your petals continue to fall. You are slowly changing into nothing but a stem.  The water you need is no longer available, like the attention you no longer receive.  Your petals have fallen to the ground, leaving nothing but a stalk. You have changed, leaving nothing but a stranger.                               ...
2 comments
Read more

Wit Heinings(An Afrikaans Short Story)

  Die trein kaartjie. Dis al waaraan sy kan dink. Die trein kaartjie; dis haar sleutel tot vryheid. Tot asemhaling, ja dit sal haar longe weer lug laat proe. Binne haar handsak – die glinsterende bottelgroen een wat sy verafsku, die een wat hy vir haar as geskenk vir hulle eerste huweliksherdenking gegee het (nie noodwendig oor die kleur, of die gehalte, of die prys nie, maar eerder oor die sentiment wat daaragter skuil) – tussen die voue, lê die vierkantige papiertjie. Sy vroetel met haar vingers binne in die bottelgroen mond, haar hand Jona en die 'geliefkoosde' handsak die vis. Uiteindelik voel sy die kaartjie– dit was darem nie ingesluk en weggevoer nie. En blaas saggies uit. Die agterkant van haar skedel raak aan die koel muur. Daar's niemand langs haar nie. Haar oë gaan toe en prentjiemooi beelde van 'n paradys neem haar verstand oor. Alleen lê sy op 'n goue strand, geniet die ligte somer briesie oor haar vel. Sal iemand haar as mal beskou indien sy nou '...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Quiet Kind of Thunder - Sara Barnard - Review

Steffi has anxiety and is selectively mute. She knows basic sign language and is assigned to look after Rhys. He can't hear, but he listens and he and Steffi communicate in their own silent way. They navigate the world with a quiet power and show that a whisper can be louder than a shout. A Quiet Kind of Thunder left a mark on my heart. I can't even explain how much I enjoyed this book! The characters are so memorable and multilayered. Steffi and Rhys are an endearing pair and I love how they communicate with each other. Their relationship isn't perfect. It's messy and full of ups and downs, but that's what makes them real and relatable. There might be a barrier between them, but they work through it. This novel is beautiful, not only because of the love story, but also because of the relationships between the main characters and their families. This book shows that being gentle isn't a weakness and introverts can thrive in this world.
2 comments
Read more