{Book Review} Twinepathy (IDIA #1) by C.B. Cook


 
Albany York has a secret.
Albany and her twin sister, Brooklyn, have spent years successfully hiding their telepathic connection. But when a girl falls unconscious at their doorstep, the girls learn that they might not be the only people in the world with extraordinary powers and that a memory thief is on the loose. As the twins try to help the girl find her memories, they discover that the superhero world might be bigger—and more dangerous—than they ever imagined.


Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | CreateSpace | GoodReads | Author’s Blog
 
______________________
 
The best way I can think to describe this book is: A rollicking good time! Because it WAS.
SO. This is a contemporary superpowers YA thingamabob which is something I’ve NEVER read before, BUT NOW I NEED MORE. Because woooow. This was so fun! Oh. And there’s twins. TWINS. Superpowers and twins. Do I even need to say anything else? I really don’t think I do. SUPERPOWERS AND TWINS, PEOPLE. Okay, okay, fine!
 
The Rundown:
Albany and Brooklyn (our twinsies) secretly have telepathy and can literally speak to each other’s minds even if they’re in DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. #convenient (I’m sure they save a lot of money on phone bills.) Super Twins status here. But, other than that, their lives have been normal. Until BOOM some little girl falls unconscious on their doorstep and wakes up with amnesia. Next thing the twinsies know, they’re joining IDIA, a secret (gotta keep them secrets) superpower organization thingy. Basically a place that recruits “enhanced” people to be agents and whatnot. Albany and Brooklyn are thrown into a case of a MEMORY THIEF (coolest. idea. EVER.) which ensues much mystery and danger. Also much of it takes place in ANTARCTICA.
Sounds fun, yes? YES.
And how about dat cover? <333
The book is in first person, present tense which is. . .not my favorite. But I actually forgot it even was in present tense after like the first 3 pages. So it obviously worked! This was my first thing to ever read by C.B. Cook. And let me tell you, SOMEBODY HAS SERIOUS TALENT. She puts words seamlessly together to give us a quick, easy read. The descriptions are short and sweet and yet I ALWAYS felt like I was right there. I could see everything perfectly without being bogged down by descriptions somehow. MAGIC STORYTELLING. I just loved the whole style of the book. Albany is our narrator and it FELT like we were inside the head of a teenage girl. Everything was so realistic and witty and well put together. A+ writing right here!
There were two things that struck me within just a few chapters of this book. One, the pacing. The pacing is spectacular! I’m quite picky about pacing in books. Actually in anything. (Probably because I used to be the wooooorst at pacing and have poured out blood, sweat, and tears in my stories trying to get the pacing right. So I think I pay extra attention to it as a result.) The story opens up with the twins playing Go Fish with their older brother Denver (their parents named them all after cities, is that not the coolest idea???), so you get a slight taste of their life, then a few paragraphs later the doorbell rings. CUE THE STORY. No slow parts! But also not overly hectic either. It had just enough information to keep my ever curious mind satisfied, but enough action to keep my short attention span happy.
Which kind of brings us to the second thing that struck me. This book felt like a TV show. And I mean that as the highest of compliments! I absolutely love when a book feels like a good movie or TV show. Some books don’t translate well to movies, but some do. The Hunger Games for example. Those books worked wonderfully as movies because the books just FELT like epic movies. Twinepathy was the same. The entire time I felt like I was watching a new superpower TV show put on by Marvel or DC or somebody. The pacing, the characters, the plot. Total fun TV show feel.
But what about the characters??? Ah yes, my favorite subject!
 
Characters:
Albany: She is our narrator, as I said, and quite the little rash human bean. While perusing other reviews, I noticed a lot of people disliking her hasty, irrational decisions because it constantly caused trouble. But I actually. . .liked it? It felt human and realistic to me. She’s naturally a super curious person and can’t stand waiting around. Also following orders isn’t exactly her forte. But I never saw it in a, “NO I SHALL REBEL AND SAVE THE WORLD MYSELF BECAUSE I’M SO BRAVE AND AWESOME” kind of way that does tend to be common with main characters. Her actions were more out of curiosity and wanting to protect everyone. I mean, she only just discovered this secret superpower agency place, and is getting thrown headfirst into all kinds of dangerous situations. Not to mention she suddenly has to trust the judgment of the leader of IDIA after knowing her for like a DAY. I couldn’t entirely blame her (even though I’m a total rule-follower and pushover myself, heh). She also has a lovely character-arc, which I think was the point. And character arcs/growths are my faaaave. So yes, I didn’t have any problems with her recklessness. It was handled well, added good tension, and made for some healthy character growth.
And, as I said before, being inside her head totally felt like being in a modern day, teenaged girl’s head. For example, this is from the 2nd page of the book:
I fly into the kitchen. I’m no cook, but I had to try
the bacon cookie recipe I found. I mean, hello,
bacon and cookies! –
Twinepathy
I get ya, Albany, I get ya.
Brooklyn: Albany’s twin Brooklyn is a total sweetheart and I want to be her friend in real life. She’s the softer, more social butterfly of the twins (one of the reasons Albany was always trying to protect her, despite orders), and can literally coax ultra powerful, scary men into giving her a cookie recipe. (It happened.) (Also ALL THE COOKIES. Donuts as well are involved in this story. I APPROVE.)
Denver: The twinsles (I like making up words for twins, okay???) ever concerned brother. He was a total awkward penguin and I liked him very much. I’d love to see more of him in later books.
Maddie: She is an adorable girl whom I want to hug forever. The end.
Ezra: This girl was awesome because she’s an introvert with purple hair and does cool things and I just think her character was very unique. So yes.
Jen: This woman intrigued me greatly! Maybe not the easiest person to be all buddy-buddy with, but her cool-headedness always kept things together. I just really liked this woman and MUST KNOW MORE ABOUT HER.
Speaking of which. . .
Anvil: GIVE ME ALL THE ANVIL DETAILS I NEEDS THEM. At first this scary dude seems, well, scary (I’m so eloquent). He’s very detached, but you KNOW he’s actually a deep, deep pool of awesomeness and mystery and I must have answerrrrrssss! (We need more Anvil, C.B.! *puppy dog eyes*)
Blaze: BLAAAAAZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If this isn’t your type of story READ IT ANYWAY. Because BLAZE. He’s a teleporter and just shows up eeeeverywhere, which is the most fun thing EVAH. BUT THIS BOY. He’s witty and hilarious and actually NICE. At first I was thinking he’d be the dark, sarcastic guy I always tend to fall for (oops?). BUT, actually, he’s the other type of male character I love with all my being. The fun, sweet, I’ll-save-your-life-while-making-hilarious-comments type of charrie. But also he has a mysterious (possibly tragic) past. AND JUST LET ME HUG HIM. I want a Blaze in my life, yes I do.
There are others, too, such as Finch and Keller and probably a bunch more I can’t remember right now. But basically, it was a very diverse, fun cast! (BUT BLAZE. <333)

One of my most favorite things about this book were the unique powers. I feel like most superhero things tend to have very mainstream abilities—super strength, invincibility, flying, etc. But not Twinepathy! Sure, there are a few “normal” superpowers. (Funny how we live in a world where we can call superpowers normal. I blame Marvel! Or. . .thank Marvel? Yesss.) Such as the teleportation and telepathy. But then we have other entirely original abilities that made my unique-loving heart flip with joy. SO MANY COOL IDEAS. It was just a blast!
Though I do have a little tiff. The whole title is a play on twins + telepathy and yet there. . .wasn’t a lot of twinsing (totes a word) and telepathy going on. In fact, I wondered multiple times why the twins weren’t speaking to each other with their telepathy. I may have just gotten confused (because that’s what I DO) but on a few occasions Albany was worried about Brooklyn and I couldn’t understand why she didn’t just speak to her sister through their telepathy connection, since it’s apparently easy and natural for them. Also Brooklyn got left in the background a lot which made me sad. Gimme all the fun twinsing and telepathy(ing?) please!
Another thing is it wasn’t a super deep book. Such as we never get an explanation of WHY some people have superpowers. I mean, it seems to be a thing certain people are born with but. . .why? And how have Albany and Brooklyn handled it all their life? We just never get very deep at all into any of the characters and I really wanted to know everything about EVERYBODY. BUT I know some things are coming, because this is only the first book of a series. Also I’m not really saying this wasn’t real deep as a BAD thing. I think the sole purpose of this book is for FUN. And it fulfills its purpose completely.
Oh, and did I mention this book was inspired by MARVEL? Yesssssh.

 
Content Cautions
NOTHING. This book is perfectly clean. And even though it’s a superhero book, there’s hardly any gore and such. People get beat up and things a bit, sure, but C.B. did a wonderful job of keeping it light. There’s not even any romance! (I suspect there maaay be a tinge in later books? I’m actually hoping for it because certain characters. *cough* BUT STILL. YA book with no romance. ‘Tis a miracle!) It’s just a fun, lighthearted read.
I’d say it’s mostly written for pre-teens and teens. (And people in their 2os like me who refuses to EVER stop reading YA. It’s my faaaave and I have no regrets!)
 
Conclusion
Well, I apparently had many thoughts on this book! But it was just that good! It’s not a very deep, emotional book, but sometimes we just need something to have a good time with. And that’s precisely what Twinepathy is. With a cool cast of characters, unique abilities, and smooth writing, it’s a quick, fun read. If you’re a fan of superhero/agent things and want something fun to read, I’d definitely recommend this one! It was the perfect little summer read! After finishing it, I felt like I had just delved into a cool TV show. (Like seriously, I reeeally want someone to turn this into a television series!)
Also cookies and penguin jokes. Yes. You need it.
Now I want to go find ALL the superhero and/or secret agent books! I had no idea what I was missing! (Any recommendations?)
For giving me such a fun time (AND BLAZE) I can’t help but give Twinepathy a. . .
 
5 out of 5 stars
 
Have you read Twinepathy? Are you going to nooow???
*grins* Have you ever read any superhero books?
Any Marvel fans? (*waves hand excitedly in the air*
Well, I’ve only seen the movies. . .but yeah.) What is your
favorite superpower you’ve ever come across in fiction?

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
30 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Deborah O'Carroll
August 8, 2016 6:30 PM

*shrieking* I AGREE ENTIRELY. <3 *huggles book*

BLAAAAZE!!!! <3 YUS. And Anvil, my precious burnt marshmallow. <3 All the hugs for him (even though he might get me for it…). And I'm glad you liked Albany — I did sometimes; mostly I couldn't decide. 😛 Yeah, I wish there was more about the twin/telepathy stuff and deeper things, but like you said, it was sooo awesome anyway and just FUN. And YES it totally made me think of a movie or a TV show or something! 😀

COOKIES AND DONUTS AND PENGUIN JOKES YEP YEP. Also your gif use = I APPROVE. *happily watches Bucky smile forever and a day* AND AHHH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY. *drools over gorgeous physical copy of the book* *stares at your pretty bookshelves with all their familiar "faces"*

But YOUR REVIEWS, girl! :O They're so awesome! I loved this one! ^_^ Your review is just perfect, fun and whimsical and amusing and just delightful AND I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN IT BUT AWK I LOVE IIIIT. <3 This post was the best. HURRAY FOR FUN THIIINGS! 😀

Sarah Elizabeth
August 9, 2016 1:57 PM

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED this book. And I absolutely LOVE your reviews! You are so thorough and hilarious and simply–overall–FUN, I just wanna spend money and buy ALL the precious books… I've read C.B.Cook's Paralyzed Dreams and knew she had potential for great stories, but had no idea this one was available! Can't wait to get my greedy, liddle hands on it… Thanks so much for the review!

Skye Hoffert
August 9, 2016 5:55 PM

I need to read this!

Savannah Perran
August 10, 2016 4:02 PM

I NEED THIS BOOK. It sounds absolutely epic and now I'm itching to get my hands on it :D. AND YOUR REVIEW. 'Twas the best *nods enthusiastically*.

I have a feeling I'd like this book muchly! *adds to TBR*

Micaiah Saldaña
August 11, 2016 5:23 PM

Hi, Christine! My name is Micaiah, and I blog over at Ramblings of a Writer (link's at the bottom of my comment if you'd like to check it out). I absolutely LOVE your blog. And the title, ELVES yes!

This book looks so good! And yes, I'm a huge Marvel fan! *waves hand in air and jumps up and down* I have a giant book that sums up all of the Avengers comics that I've read, and I've seen all of the Avengers universe related movies. And to answer your last question, SUPER SPEED.

Micaiah Saldaña
August 11, 2016 5:34 PM

You know, I should probably include my blog's URL: https://godgalthatswhoibe.wordpress.com

Micaiah Saldaña
August 13, 2016 4:19 AM

*highfives you back* MARVEL IS THE BEST! Oh, the movies are so good, even better than the comics in my opinion. It sure would be. I'd speed to see all of my friends every day.

Jameson C. Smith
August 11, 2016 6:53 PM

Wow! This book sounds like so much fun! I'm definitely a Marvel fan, so Twinepathy is one I need to read as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. 🙂 And that cover is gorgeous! I like the simplistic style and the mask. Very cool!

As for other superhero books…I'm not sure I've read many? The Reckoners series is sort of close, though I'd call it more supervillain-themed?

And my favorite superpowers are flight and invisibility. 🙂

Tracey Dyck
August 13, 2016 5:28 PM

Ooh, doesn't this sound fun? 😀 Superheroes FTW! And it's so cool how it felt like a TV show. (And I second all the above comments saying how wonderful you are at reviewing books!)

Confession, though: When I first read the title, I thought it was a long I sound, like twine + pathy. XD Took me a while to realize, oh, telepathy, twins… TWINEPATHY!

Deborah O'Carroll
August 13, 2016 6:24 PM
Reply to  Tracey Dyck

*creeps into discussion* OH ME TOO!! For the longest time I pronounced it twine + pathy in my head too! My sister still does. XD I've adjusted now that I know it's supposed to be twin + epathy, but you're not alone. 😛
ALSO YOU NEED TO READ IT SOMEDAY TRACEY CUZ IT'S SO FUNNN. ^_^

Kiri Liz
August 15, 2016 4:01 PM

LOVED THIS!!! And now I must go reads this book. I mean, come on!!! Superpowers! TWINS!!! Humor!! MEMORY THIEF?!?!?!? Antartica???

It looks so amazing I simply can't even right now. Let me go compose myself.

Also, YOUR PICTURES AGAIN!!! EEP!!! Love that one with the shelf of Donita K. Paul and Jill Williamson in the background! 😀 And Maze Runner! Ohhhh, I have to read that series!

Shay
March 17, 2017 3:00 AM

Ok, yeah, I know I'm late to the celebration, but I JUST read this book (as in, from 8pm last night to 1:30am this morning *grins sheepishly*). Annnd… I LOVE IT!!!!

Like you said in your review, it wasn't super deep. And that's normally a really big thing for me, when some of my favorite books are by Jaye L. Knight and Wayne Thomas Batson, who go pretty deep on everything. Especially characters. But ya know, I didn't mind it! I have to agree with everyone else, this felt like the pilot for a TV show: quick, throws you right into the story without too much digging, and leaves you ravenous for more.
So I. CAN. NOT. WAIT. for "LightPorter"!!!!!!

And Jen was really cool, even though it was kinda hard to decide if ya totally liked her or not throughout the course of the story. She actually reminded me of one of my top fav characters (Hera Syndulla) from the Star Wars: Rebels TV show, especially as the series continues. (Honestly, Jen is very much what I think Hera will be like as time goes on, especially by the time of the height of the generation after her.)

And I have to agree, I loved Blaze!!! He was awesome, and I'm left so completely wanting to know more about him and his backstory!!! Is anyone else thinking the title of the next IDIA book, "LightPorter" is referring to him….? (And am I the only one who loves the Blaze x Albany pairing? 😀 )

Deborah O'Carroll
March 17, 2017 4:15 PM
Reply to  Shay

*creeps into conversation* TWINEPATHY!!! <3

I've seen Star Wars: Rebels, and that's an interesting comparison. O_O (It's so fun, though I quit watching at the end of the second season because I didn't like where it was going. XD But I LOVED the first season! :D)

BLAZE!!!! <3 Yesss, we need more of him! I CAN'T WAIT FOR LIGHTPORTER TOOO!!! (I… um… actually got to beta-read the first few chapters and it's going to be AMAZING!!!!! I'm dying of suspense waiting for it to release! 😀 *bouncing*)

I'm pretty sure the Lightporter title does refer to Blaze, but I guess we'll find out! NEED! <3

*creeps out of conversation*

Shay
March 17, 2017 7:52 PM

@Christine Smith
Can you even wait for "Exiles"?!?! WE GET MORE DANIEL!!! (And hopefully Leetra and Timothy!!) XD
My favorite series by Wayne Thomas Batson is probably "The Berinfell Prophecies" (though I love TDW too!). And I just found out a few weeks ago that someone is FINALLY continuing that series, so I'm sooo excited for that!!! =D

Rebels is being fantastic, and also very, very bad at the same time right now. Fantastic because the stories and story-telling techniques just keep getting better and and better, and it's incredible to see all the ways that it's tying into Rogue One and the later movies. Very, very bad because it's twisting all my emotions into knots with every episode, and keeps on stomping on my heart when I least expect it. I just want everyone to have a happy ending, but especially stay ALIVE! 8|

Shay
March 17, 2017 8:19 PM
Reply to  Shay

@Deborah O'Carroll
Cool! As the story goes on Hera is changing lately, with all the burdens on her and stuff she's been through, just that we've seen since the series started. It's hurting my heart to see, but it's what makes me think she's so much like Jen. Of course, I think that's part of the reason I liked Jen a lot (though I tend to go for all those sort of characters anyway. 😀 )
Oh, I have to agree, season 1 was just so much fun! From there it's just gotten better and better, in my opinion, though it's getting more intense and the stakes are higher as the story progresses. And like I said to Christine, it's twisting my heart all up with feels! Everyone is growing up, and they're changing! I mean, it's a good thing, but still….

Do you mind me asking what you weren't liking in the end of the second season? I've thought season 3 has been really awesome so far, the finale is next week, so I've been all over the place with my typical fangirl impatience. 😀

*GASP* EEP!!!! THAT'S INCREDIBLE!!! Now you've got me even more hyper for it!! XD
Umm….can I ask…if you know or are allowed to say when a projected release date for "Lightporter" is? I NEED something to write down on my calendar, it relieves some of the impatient crazy fangirl issues I have over this stuff. Or makes them worse, I'm not sure which. XD 8D

Deborah O'Carroll
March 18, 2017 4:48 AM
Reply to  Shay

@Shay:
Well, if Christine might end up watching it, I don't want to spoil things in the comments here. XD Buuuut let's see if I can say things so you'll understand. I was FURIOUS and super upset about what happened to Kanan in the last episode (I think)… just… no… you do NOT do that to my favorite character. -_- I also felt like the whole show (actually the whole Star Wars universe ever since Disney got it) has just been getting super dark (to me) and I didn't like that it started to hint that Ezra might be edging toward the Dark Side. I just hate it when they do that with characters I like! What's wrong with them staying good? Why does badness have to be "more big-time"? And I hated that they brought that certain villain back for the last episode or two. You just… you don't do that. You don't bring back a villain who totally SHOULD be dead! Ahem. My opinion, obviously. 😛 I hope I didn't annoy you with my thoughts! I'm glad that you like the show, and I really enjoyed the first season and some of the second, I just don't really want to watch further due to poor Kanan, the darkness, Ezra-mess-hints, and I'm just annoyed at… you know… that villain. 😛 (I know he came back in the Clone Wars show–which I haven't seen–but I still don't like it, and I think it's ridiculous that they get away with such a plot mess. XD) Although, I've heard that Grand Admiral Thrawn is in it now, which does make me curious because he was in some Star Wars books I read by Timothy Zahn, which I liked a lot more than The Force Awaken's version of the future of Star Wars. XD

Ahem. Star Wars rant over. 😉

No, I haven't heard any release dates for Lightporter, unfortunately! I happened to get to read the first couple of chapters as a sort of reward/perk for being the first (or one of?) person to review the first book or something, so I got a sneak peak, which only makes me die MORE to find out what happens! 😀 But I heard on C.B.'s blog that she's 100 pages into the story… I don't know how long it will be. She's said a few times that she'd like for it to release this year sometime, but that's all I've heard, sorry. (I'm the same way: I need to put stuff on my calendar. XD) Hopefully it will come out sooooon for us poor waiting fans!!! 😀

Deborah O'Carroll
March 18, 2017 4:51 AM
Reply to  Shay

@Lauri: The first season at least of Star Wars: Rebels is suuuper fun!! 😀 I just adore the characters! ^_^ EEP. <3

I NEED LIGHTPORTER NOW TOOOOO! (I don't know how Blaze-ish the sequel will be but I think the title's about him, anyway? BUT BUT THIIIINGS AND ALL THE PRECIOUS CHARRIES FROM TWINEPATHY. <333)

Shay
March 19, 2017 1:06 AM
Reply to  Shay

@Deborah O'Carroll
OOOH, YESS!!! WHAT THEY DID TO KANAN!! That messed me up SO BAD!! I did not get it when it happened, but it's turned out to be some INCREDIBLE character development so far!! He's come a long way, and it's really helped move him forward in his "Jedi path."
And 'that villain' is DRIVING ME CRAZY TOO!! Honestly, I knew about him coming back in Clone Wars as well, but I DID NOT like it, so I was really hoping he wouldn't be back again in Rebels. So when he did show up again…errg, it made me actually start to reconsider how much I liked the show at that point. Like you said, it was such a messed up mess!!
And Ezra had my heart all twisted in knots, I couldn't see him go bad!! I still just can't!!
HOWEVER…
(there's always a however 😀 )
I really can't believe how well they've done this whole thing! Kanan's 'problem', while it can never be completely resolved, has really pushed him into being a better Jedi.
'The Villain'…well, I still hate him, and still *really* want him to die…but…somehow, they've made it work. I agree with you 100% about him needing to die and all, but they've caused it too actually make sense through Rebels. He's really caused Ezra to have to make up his mind about what he believes, and what path he's gonna take in life.
And then just Ezra. AH, that kid!! Everyone was so scared he was gonna go dark at the end of season 2, and I agree, I really don't like it when people seem to want to make everyone go darker. But actually, after about the first 3 episodes of season 3, Kanan had helped him get straitened out, and he's left most of that darkness behind him.
And every character has to go through those trials, where they decide what path they want to take, and struggle with darkness of some kind. They know what they've always been taught is right and wrong, but eventually they have to battle out on their own what choice they're gonna make with their lives. Ezra has basically shown us what Anakin COULD have been, what he should have done when he was struggling. And it's made us love him all the more, because he ultimately has made the right choice. (and I didn't feel like it was glorifying his darkness during that point, but showing how he was going wrong. 🙂 )
And THRAAAWN!! YESS!! He's baaad, but not in a Sith-y, Darth Vader-y sort of way. As far as villains go, he's probably one of my all time favs now. I'm super worried about what he could do to the Rebellion, but I can't help but love his villain-ness. *huge grin*
And your rant didn't bother me at all!! I love to find out what others think, especially about Rebels, since it seems there's not a whole lot in this demographic that is really into it! I'm sorry for going on my own rant. 😀 I think just as far as this goes, season 3 has gotten really good and the darkness has edged off (though there was one episode in the middle that I did NOT like and would avoid watching.) 😀

I saw the update on her blog about her progression!! And her little meter on the side that shows how far done she is is about 1/2 filled so far, sooo…..EEP! Maybe it won't be too long! 😀

Shay
March 19, 2017 1:10 AM
Reply to  Shay

*UPDATE*
When I typed out that post to you above, Deborah, I hadn't seen today's Rebels episode. But now, I can tell you once and for all…

*spoiler*

WE WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT 'THAT VILLAIN' AGAIN!!!!
Maybe I shouldn't be so excited about this, but they did a fantastic job finishing it all up and making it make sense when it was so blundered in Clone Wars. 😀