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A review by illstoptheworldandreadwithyou
Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
4.5
Shakespeare meets YA meets role-playing games (RPGs) in the latest book from Alexene Farol Follmuth.
Jack Orsino is at the top of his game. He’s killing it at football; he’s dating a cheerleader; he has a scholarship to his top choice for college; and everyone adores him—everyone except Viola Reyes, that is. Jack is on top-of-the-world.
And then he suffers a knee injury. And his girlfriend wants to take a break.
What is he supposed to do now that his life isn’t football, football, football with some time with Olivia mixed in.
It seems like Viola Reyes picks up the slack for everyone. Things need to get done; someone needs to do them; and Viola has systems and methods in place for everything. She comes off as prickly, but really, she’s “‘just a marshmallow with spikes.’”
When Jack, president of the Associate Student Body, strikes a deal with Viola to actually work on the events hosted by the student government in exchange for her helping him with Olivia, she agrees. He should be doing those things anyway, and Viola is partnering with Olivia for a class project. Jack and Viola begin to spend time together.
And when Jack starts playing an online RPG, called "Twelfth Knight," he doesn’t know that the other player he partners with on the quests, C354R10, is really Viola. He assumes he’s playing with another guy, and Viola leads him to believe his game partner is her twin, Sebastian. The two open up to each other even more from behind their screens.
I’m always impressed by how this author captures the teenage experience—the frustrations and the hurts, the friendships, being on the precipice of finishing high school and heading off to college, young love, growth, and new horizons. I enjoyed the mashup of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with the RPG that pulls the Arthurian legend into play, too.
It’s a coming-of-age love story, with an unlikely pairing of teens that help each other to grow. It shows that people don’t fit neatly into boxes or under specific labels. The jocks can also be gamers. The cheerleaders can be in AP classes. The driven, Type A student has other sides.
Read it for the diverse cast, the queer representation, and the feminist perspective.
I had advance copies of both the ebook and the audiobook. The dual narration by Alexandra Palting and Kevin R. Free captures the youthfulness of the characters and drops you into high school with them.
4.5⭐️
I had an advance copy of the ebook from Tor Teen and an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio, both via NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.
Jack Orsino is at the top of his game. He’s killing it at football; he’s dating a cheerleader; he has a scholarship to his top choice for college; and everyone adores him—everyone except Viola Reyes, that is. Jack is on top-of-the-world.
And then he suffers a knee injury. And his girlfriend wants to take a break.
What is he supposed to do now that his life isn’t football, football, football with some time with Olivia mixed in.
It seems like Viola Reyes picks up the slack for everyone. Things need to get done; someone needs to do them; and Viola has systems and methods in place for everything. She comes off as prickly, but really, she’s “‘just a marshmallow with spikes.’”
When Jack, president of the Associate Student Body, strikes a deal with Viola to actually work on the events hosted by the student government in exchange for her helping him with Olivia, she agrees. He should be doing those things anyway, and Viola is partnering with Olivia for a class project. Jack and Viola begin to spend time together.
And when Jack starts playing an online RPG, called "Twelfth Knight," he doesn’t know that the other player he partners with on the quests, C354R10, is really Viola. He assumes he’s playing with another guy, and Viola leads him to believe his game partner is her twin, Sebastian. The two open up to each other even more from behind their screens.
I’m always impressed by how this author captures the teenage experience—the frustrations and the hurts, the friendships, being on the precipice of finishing high school and heading off to college, young love, growth, and new horizons. I enjoyed the mashup of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with the RPG that pulls the Arthurian legend into play, too.
It’s a coming-of-age love story, with an unlikely pairing of teens that help each other to grow. It shows that people don’t fit neatly into boxes or under specific labels. The jocks can also be gamers. The cheerleaders can be in AP classes. The driven, Type A student has other sides.
Read it for the diverse cast, the queer representation, and the feminist perspective.
I had advance copies of both the ebook and the audiobook. The dual narration by Alexandra Palting and Kevin R. Free captures the youthfulness of the characters and drops you into high school with them.
4.5⭐️
I had an advance copy of the ebook from Tor Teen and an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio, both via NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.