The Halves of Us

The Halves of Us Trilogy, Book 1

By: Sydney Paige Richardson

Narrated by: Rocky Taylor

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Twin Sisters: One destined to rule, one cursed to destroy.

Some say blood is thicker than water. But for twin sisters, Adie and Aura, their connection runs even deeper than blood.

After investigating a surprise attack carried out by dark souls controlled by the Wicked Willow, an evil residing in a neighboring region, Aura uncovers a family secret: She is the fulfillment of a curse placed upon her family centuries ago.

While Aura is destined to destroy their planet, Thindoral, Adie is fated to follow in their mother’s footsteps and become Ruler, but even Adie’s path comes with revelations. Dangerous premonitions plague her dreams, all depicting Thindoral’s demise at the hand of her sister.

As darkness takes control of her mind, Aura must determine whether defying fate and time is the choice that will seal her destruction, or if self-sacrifice will save all she holds dear. Meanwhile, Adie is faced with an impossible decision: Save her sister, or protect their world?

©2018 Machovia Productions INC (P)2020 Machovia Productions INC

The Halves of Us

Do you have a twin? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have one? Researchers say that twins may have more than just a genetic connection. Some twins that get separated at birth, grow up with similar mannerisms even though they have no way of knowing the other. Can you imagine how that bond grows if they are together? Now, imagine twins that have two separate destinies, one good and one evil. It’s unfathomable! Richardson has an alluring young adult dark fantasy which will have readers devouring the pages of this first installment with fervor.

Adie and Aura are twins. They are sisters who have grown up together, knowing that one will become the next ruler of Thindoral. What will be the destiny for the other? Wanting to find out sooner, rather than later, the girls sneak into their mother’s safe hold and decide to touch the one thing that gives power to the kingdom. With the Rokis’ power, Adie begins to have nightmares. Agreeing to never speak of what they did again, Aura and Adie may need to break that promise after the kingdom comes under attack from dark forces that no one knows how to defeat. Under siege, the sisters learn first hand what it takes to fight for their land, even if it means losing their soul to the darkness to do it. The prophecy states that one is meant to rule and one is cursed to destroy, but do prophecies always come true if you choose to defy fate? Only time will tell…

Richardson’s first installment in the Halves of Us Trilogy is quite eventful and entertaining. The characters are full of passion, curiosity, and innocence. The two sisters are forced to face things that are far greater than they can even comprehend. They can either choose to do it alone or together. Their innocence and lack of knowledge of outside forces, plays a vital role in this story. While it is classified as a young adult dark fantasy, there are aspects of this story that feel it should be for more of a mature audience; however, the dark fantasy is spot on. While the story in itself is sensational, Taylor’s narration isn’t what was expected for this first installment. She carries the pace quite well, but every sentence spoken feels rehearsed, monotone, and matter of fact. Readers may wish for a vocalist who gets into the story, sharing varying emotions like fascination, curiosity, betrayal, and grief. If you are a reader of dark fantasy, you may find this satisfies your appetite.

An audiobook was provided to Turning Another Page by Audiobookworm Promotions and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a four-star rating to The Halves of Us by Sydney Paige Richardson.

This audiobook is sure to become a YA favorite!

Set in another realm of time and in another place, this fantasy is of twin girls raised to become leaders in their kingdom. The quiet one is a few minutes older so is to become the Ruler. The other sister is adventurous and outgoing and has "nursed" her sister through years of countless nightmares. They have always been very close to each other and their parents, too. Each has their own special place in the kingdom and their individual roles as leaders. When they turn sixteen and are to proceed into the next step of their training, they are surprised as to what is each's destiny.

The author has been very creative in developing her characters, in both personality and in physical traits. They are quite realistic and unusual. Some characters are easily visualized but others needed to be defined in more detail to really be able to visualize how they appear. The scenes are portrayed well and some are quite graphic.

This drama moves steadily "along", and the momentum builds as the story progresses. There is plenty if action and adventure throughout the tale. The story ends strong, yet leaves the listener/reader anxious to experience the next book of the series.

Narrator, Rocky Taylor, did an excellent job in the narration with voice fluctuation in all of the right places and in designating different "voices" to separate characters.

This book ensures hours of entertainment.

*This was gifted me with no pressure for positive review. This is my honest review.

Engaging and Entertaining YA Fantasy!

The Review

A beautifully written and spoken audiobook, author Sydney Paige Richardson has done a marvelous job crafting a YA fantasy world readers will want to immediately dive into. The concept of twin sisters and each having a dangerous journey with a deadly future looming over them both gave readers a strong relationship to hang onto from the get-go.

Each girl’s journey to discovering their fate and destiny and the decisions they have to make to protect the world around them was a magnificent example of strong character growth. The author develops powerful and easily-engaging mythology that has become the cornerstone of the YA Fantasy genre. Accompanied by a beautifully narrated audiobook that brought the protagonists to life perfectly, this book has done a marvelous job of drawing readers into the narrative.

The Verdict

A beautifully-written YA Fantasy world filled with action, suspense, and dark secrets, author Sydney Paige Richardson’s “The Halves of Us” is a must-read. With a unique two protagonists, emotionally-impactful relationships that grow and change throughout the narrative, and a lovely narration that captures the magic and heart of the book, be sure to grab your copies of this important read today!

Can't Wait to Continue!

Is this book basically a YA retelling of Frozen? Yes, yes it is. And I am not mad about that at all. It's kind of everything that I, an adult, wanted from the movie (even though I still love the movie). I was also worried at how well I would follow along with a fantasy on audiobook, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed it!

I am fairly new to the audiobook world, but since this was my year of diversifying my reading I've been really excited to expand on how I read my books. Working from home I've been needing some way to work while also not going stir crazy, and audiobooks seem to be the perfect solution! And, like I mentioned, I was a little nervous about taking on a fantasy through audiobook. While it is my favorite genre, even reading a fantasy in a physical book can sometimes be difficult to keep up with. But this audiobook did not disappoint and the narrator really kept my focus even when I was multitasking!

Overall I really enjoyed this story. The sisters each had to go through difficult trials throughout and I am looking forward to where they go from here. Since this is a trilogy I will definitely be continuing on because I am definitely hooked by this world and this family!