Synopsis (as taken from the back of the book) is as follows:

A creepy boarding school.

A sudden disappearance.

A secret diary waiting to be found.

This is the story of how I became my twin sister…

When troublemaker Scarlet goes missing from Rookwood School her twin sister, Ivy, is invited to ‘take her place’ – in more ways than one. It’s not long before Ivy discovers that secrets are rife and the truth has been concealed…

Ivy is determined to solve the mystery of her sister’s disappearance, even if that means going up against the terrifying Miss Fox. Even if that means pretending to be Scarlet for as long as it takes.

Ability to read – I had no problem reading this, the concept was so interesting that I was absorbed in the story from page one! It was easy to get stuck into this and read at a faster pace. I understood what I was reading and never did I have to stop and process things.

Characterisation – Ivy was a very strong character and I found her very compelling to read. She started off as a mousy version of herself but over the course of the story she grew in leaps and bounds. She didn’t become her sister – even though that was her job – rather, she became a more confident and bold version of herself. Her personality changed over the course of the book and the growth I saw isn’t something I think she could have accomplished with her twin by her side. She showed great determination and bravery in the face of mystery and danger and I was as surprised as Ivy when the ending was revealed.

I enjoyed how open Ivy was. Open to change, open to friendships and open to the idea that facts may be wrong. It made her character stand out as someone who was worth rallying behind. It will be interesting to see whether Ivy’s character changes for the better or worst in book two if Scarlet comes back.

Visualisation – It was easy to visualise what was happening here. The scenes were quite detailed and gave me enough information to be able to form a proper image. Also, there weren’t too many scenes to visualise and those that were, were repeated often making the image stronger and stronger as I continued reading. I could clearly visualise the characters, what they looked like, how they acted and how they interacted quite well. I understood what I was reading and was able to create an image of what I was reading easily.

Enjoyment – I’ve legitimately had this on my shelf since January. It was a series of books I’ve wanted to read since the latter part of 2018 but as usual, it has taken me far longer to get around to reading this first book. I loved it! I guess I had made some assumptions about the book but I’m pleased to report that the book did live up to muster and wasn’t a disappointment in any way. I enjoyed the vibrant characters and the stereotypes of boarding school girls who actually had fleshed out backgrounds. I enjoyed the mystery and the suspense and the reveal was not something I saw coming or something that I theorised. It will be interesting to see in book two, how these characters face the challenges to come and whether they’ll rise to the occasion or flounder at the gate.

Star Rating – ★★★★