Book Review #2: The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer

Hello Dear Reader!

If you keep up with me on my Instagram account, you already know that my boyfriend got me The Fowl Twins by Eoin Colfer for Christmas, which was something he hid very well because he acted to be very adamant about not getting it for me for Christmas. I was super close to crying tears of joy when I tore that wrapping paper and saw the title. It is by far my favorite Christmas present ever!

Before I get to the review, here is the book summary:

Criminal genius runs in the family...

Myles and Beckett are eleven-year-old twins, but the two boys are wildly different. Beckett is blonde, messy and sulks whenever he has to wear clothes. Myles is fanatically neat, he has an IQ of 170, and he wears a fresh suit every day like his older brother, Artemis Fowl.

Perhaps you have heard of the Fowl family and their adventures?

This Fowl adventure is filled with the most unusual of individuals: an immortal duke, a miniature troll, a nunterrogator and a Police Specialist that's 42% elf. And of course, the Fowl twins - one a certified genius with a criminal leaning, and the other possessing an unusual talent that has not been fully explored... yet!

Here begins the second documented cycle of Fowl Adventures.

The first in a breath-taking new series from global superstar Eoin Colfer. Set in the multi-million bestselling world of ARTEMIS FOWL.

End synopsis, and BOY am I looking forward to the second installment!

Anyway, on with the review!

The Fowl Twins is a very unique young adult fantasy novel set in the real world with magical creatures living beneath the humans residing on the surface above. Only, these aren’t your typical magical creatures, at least in terms of the fairies that come to mind. After all, in addition to magic, they use highly advanced technology that outshines those invented by humans and make up a very intimidating police force that one should not trifle with.

But of course, that doesn’t stop the forces of the universe to push the Fowl twins Myles and Becket to run into them along with quirkily unique villains (whom I will not discuss because of major spoilers. These villains are really not what you would expect, which is pretty typical of Eoin Colfer).

As described in the book summary and emphasized throughout the entire novel effortlessly, Artemis’s younger twin brothers Myles and Becket Fowl are complete opposites. While they share the same face, Myles looks and acts a lot like his older brother while Becket has wildly curly blond hair, is generally thought to be normal and borderline idiotic, and is in possession of some serious physical abilities. Though clearly sitting on the opposite ends of the personality spectrum, the twins’ relationship is hilarious, deep, touching, and adorable.

As said by Becket Fowl, Myles has the big brain and does the thinking while Becket executes whatever he thinks up. Myles is very much like his older brother Artemis in the way that he clearly shows his genius, dresses in a custom-made suit every day, and is able to make some impressive plans that seem nearly impossible to execute. In addition, he is prone to overexplaining concepts that are mentioned and correcting and developing an effective argument against others’ incorrect statements. Despite this, Colfer does a fantastic job of distinguishing him from his brother, as Myles is noticeably more arrogant than Artemis, much vainer, and possibly has more of that criminal mastermind blood running through him, something that made me a bit unsettled while reading certain scenes where this particular twin was the focus.

Meanwhile, Becket is the energetic, imaginative opposite who effectively compliments and counteracts Myles’s character. A charming blond boy, Becket’s IQ is unknown, and her very much prefers nonscientific and physical activities rather than seeking and expanding his knowledge like his twin and older brother. Becket also loves talking to animals in their language, something that is critical in this novel (minor spoiler alert). While initially thought to be rather simplistic and dumb, Becket is actually a lot smarter than people think as he is able to annoy his logical brother rather easily, calm him down just as well, remember the critical things, and has natural instincts as sharp as an animal’s. So, while not smart in the typical Fowl fashion, Becket does specialize in a different kind of intelligence.

In addition to the twins is a brand-new fairy who, while very different from the original LEP officer Holly Short, reminds me so much of the elf. A spunky, strong, and independent female, this new LEP specialist is intelligent, has amazing physical abilities, and is amazingly good at handling all the surprises the Fowl twins have to show her during her journey with them. Without giving any spoilers, I really fell in love with her character and enjoyed every moment she was given.

In addition to our main trio, the villains are very impressive to say the least. I know I said I wouldn’t get into the villains, and I won’t, but come on. An immortal duke and a nun who falls far from the image of your typical nun? With villains possessing the power of intelligence, highly sophisticated killer technology in the duke’s case, and soldiers and weaponry in the nun’s, these villains were really what gave The Fowl Twins its own unique flare.

Deviating from the novel’s new cast of characters, Eoin Colfer’s style of writing is as humorous and seamless as it ever has been. Similar to that of a person telling a story around a campfire, reading The Fowl Twins is like having Colfer there with you, telling you the story himself. While he does tell the main story as any author should, he goes off into unique tangents that aren’t necessary to the plot but are related. He does this a good number of times in the novel, but he does it in a way that is seamless and makes it feel necessary to the story. Not to mention that they are also very entertaining to read.

In addition to these tangents, Eoin Colfer also does a really good job of jumping from character to character without confusing the reader or breaking the flow of the story. Like in the Artemis Fowl series, Colfer not only tells the story in the perspective of the protagonists, but he also tells it in the perspective of the antagonists, giving every single detail he can while also using these shifts to develop the characters and give readers more time to get to know them.

Reading the writing style of Eoin Colfer is super fun, casual, and relaxing. It’s like having your quirky, funny friend there with you, telling you this amazing story.

So, The Fowl Twins rating:

10/10 and super exciting for its next installment coming this Fall 2020. I really enjoyed reading this book, and it was very nostalgic for me. I am a big fan of the Artemis Fowl series, and reading about his younger twin brothers’ journey with fairies and hearing them mention his name and what he’s like as an adult in his twenties just warms my heart. In general, if you’re looking for a unique and well-executed spin on the young adult fantasy genre, I highly recommend this book. It’s spunky, it’s funny, the tension in it is well-developed, the characters have you thinking about whether or not they would actually exist because of how insanely well-developed they are, and it is very well-narrated.

That is all for this book review! I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I hope you give The Fowl Twins a try if you aren’t into the young adult fantasy genre.

Thanks for reading!