The Trilogy of Two | Juman Malouf | Review
Identical twins Sonja and Charlotte, twelve-year-old musical prodigies, learned to play before they learned to talk, but lately, mysterious things have begun to happen when the girls pick up their instruments...
Abandoned at birth by their parents, Sonja and Charlotte were found one night by Tatty, the Tattooed Lady from a travelling circus, with nothing but a note and locket from their biological mother. Tatty raised them as her own and Sonja and Charlotte have grown up quite happily among their friends in the circus, with Tatty as their mother. Both girls have grown to become very accomplished musicians but something strange has started happening when they play their instruments. Audiences float in the air, the weather changes, and the girls can't believe that they are responsible.
Sonja and Charlotte have often dreamed of bigger things but after accidentally revealing their magic in the wrong place, they find themselves having to flee their circus home for far more unfamiliar territory. The girls must journey through dangerous lands they never believed existed to escape capture, to find Tatty after she is taken from them, and to return something very precious that has been taken from children all over the land, and, along the way, they find out a few things about themselves.
The Trilogy of Two is a classic adventure story, full of twists and turns, perilous journeys through uncharted lands, magic, and mystical beasts. Sonja and Charlotte travel through many different places and get into many different scrapes, as all protagonists of children's books should, and meet a lot of different obstacles along their way. The world of The Trilogy of Two is weird, wacky, and colourful, filled with shapeshifting boys, magical musicians, and hidden worlds. There is a lot to keep track of in Sonja and Charlotte's story, and at times it can get confusing, trying to keep up with all the twists and turns the story takes, but there is never a dull moment or time to be bored.
Sonja and Charlotte themselves have a lot to learn, and a lot of growing up to do over the course of their story. There are bumps along the way and the girls are not always the most likeable of protagonists but if they were, how would they have room to grow? And as they find out the truth about who they are and the powers they have, the girls do begin to grow and find out just how powerful they really are. There are a lot of supporting characters in this story, helping Sonja and Charlotte on their way, but they are at the heart of it and it's their sisterly bickering and bonding that propels the story forward, meandering as it may be at times.
The Trilogy of Two packs a lot of story and character in its pages, and that can make it difficult to read at times, but the creativity of the world in which it is set, and the fast paced twists and turns that take the reader through that world, are sure to keep younger readers entertained, just as long as they can keep the plot and all the different characters straight as they read. This book is a lot of fun, and the illustrations throughout the novel are a sweet addition, but be prepared to be bombarded by this strange and wonderful world, in a way that might confuse while it entertains.
This book was provided for review by the publisher but all opinions are the reviewer's own.
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