Twin sisters Aissa and Zandria are about to finish school and begin their assigned apprenticeships. On the surface they appear to be dutiful, normal teenagers. In reality they are spies set on a lifelong mission to take down the ruling class who destroyed their people. Twin Daggers pins mechanically-inclined humans (Technocrats) against magic-wielding survivors (Magis who must live in secret) while drawing some inspiration from a Shakespeare classic. 

Author MarcyKate Connolly gets credit for some originality, but I honestly would not have picked up on the Romeo & Juliet reference had I not read summaries prior to starting the book. Yes, there are opposing sides with a centuries-long history of war and deceit. And yes, there is a forbidden romance between main characters who belong to those opposing sides. But that’s where the similarities end – which is a good thing. In Twin Daggers, Connolly takes Shakespeare’s classic love story and imagines if Juliet (Aissa) had more power over her fate (and a twin sister) and sets the story in a fantastical world where magic and mechanics are at odds with one another. 

Aissa and Zandria (with the guidance of their parents) have trained their entire lives to master their magic abilities; as Magis, their powers work on organic matter, but not on machines. However, the twins are unique in that their powers do work on machines and other nonorganic matter. But while they must keep their magic secret from the rest of society, they must also keep their unique abilities secret from fellow Magis as well. Basically, only their parents and themselves know the full extent of their powers. 

As one might have guessed, the Technocrats are the bad guys here. They destroyed the Magi race and all evidence of their powers and existence – including a library that allegedly holds the literature that will help Magis become as powerful as they once were. Additionally, some Technocrats are born without hearts (i.e. the Heartless) and must rely on mechanical hearts and a power source to survive. According to Technocrat history, this defect is a result of the final curse by the Magi – which only gets worse and worse with subsequent generations. Of course, the Magi do not subscribe to this belief. 

The Twin Daggers spend their nights working on covert missions assigned by the Armory (secret Magi Council-type group). Once assigned to their apprenticeships, Aissa begins to work with the Master Mechanic and Zandria works as a Messenger for the city. Now their mission is to locate the Heartless Heir (inside intel, as the King and Queen do not want subjects to know that their child is born with this defect). They must then kidnap her and use her for ransom/negotiations with the King and Queen to level the playing field. 

Through Aissa’s work she develops the opportunity to assist a Researcher at the Palace – enter love-interest Aro. Aissa and Aro develop feelings for each other, although Aissa is more conflicted than he is. After all, Aro believes that Aissa is a Technocrat and is free to date if she so chooses. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and Aissa spends the remainder of the story facing internal conflict. Not only does she have to fight her true feelings on the inside (she can’t possibly be in love with a Technocrat), but she also has to use his affection for her to her advantage in order to secure her role on Palace grounds and fulfill her mission. 

Connolly displays her talent in these scenes with Aissa. Aissa has to keep her head in the game to find the Heartless Heir and focus on restoring what her people lost. As if being a teenager with this huge responsibility wasn’t difficult enough, she has to face the distraction of a cute boy with whom she falls in love, and use him knowing the pain that it will eventually cause both of them in the end. As the reader, I felt Aissa’s conflict of duty vs. love – and pity for Aro for being the dupe in this situation. 

On top of that, Palace patrols capture Zandria while the both of them were secretly continuing their previous mission. So while Aissa has to continue winning the trust and affection of Aro, she also has to pretend that her twin sister isn’t locked away and possibly being tortured for intel. Connolly continues to pull at the heartstrings in Twin Daggers via Aissa’s internal monologue. 

This book wasn’t necessarily a page-turner up until the last quarter of the story. In the beginning, Aissa basically spells out the setting and background for the reader – a world-building technique that kind of annoyed me. After that, I will admit the guilty pleasure of reading the budding romance between Aissa and Aro, and the encouragement and guidance from Zandria to use it to her advantage (as sisters do). As the story continues, more than one true identity is revealed and the stakes get higher – both of which drive the action to the very (open) end.

I appreciated the themes of confronting prejudice against “the other”, family loyalty, and resilience in the face of generational oppression. Twin Daggers is Connolly’s first young adult novel (her published works consist of children’s and middle-aged titles). I can see her adding this genre/audience to her collection as she continues in her career. And yes, there is a sequel in the works, titled Heartless Heirs, which is set to come out in Fall 2021.

MarcyKate was kind to virtually meet with me to talk about her career thus far, her decision to jump into the young adult world, and how the pandemic shaped her experience this time around. Interested readers can listen to the interview on Episode 99 of the Nerd Cantina podcast. Twin Daggers is now available for purchase.