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zmurph16 's review for:

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
3.25
adventurous challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

 Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the advanced copy (which I read not in advanced oops)

Twelfth Knight delivers a realistic tale of high school drama, qualms with yourself as you're growing up, and the unexpected consequences of personal injury. I was a big fan of the main character, Viola. I feel as if a lot of people will say she's too mean, or unbearable to read, but I grew up as that girl who was closed off from everyone because she was afraid that being lonely was easier than being loved and then abandoned. Both main characters have nontraditional family situations. Jack's parents are divorced but co-parent very easily and Viola lives with her single mother who has historically used romance and dating as a social experiment. Both versions of these nontraditional families feel very realistic.

The biggest let down for me was the very beginning of the story. There was a lot of exposition that needed to happen before the two main characters are even in each other's paths (besides them being in Student Government together where they don't really communicate either). There's a lot of setup for both ConQuest and Twelfth Knight, but only follow through on Twelfth Knight. I think to be able to move the story along a little be more there could've been lest focus on ConQuest.

All in all, it was an average book that delivered a very lovely ending that had me rooting for everyone!