Name: The Fowl Twins
ISBN: 9780008324810

Eoin Colfer

Criminal genius runs in the family...Myles and Beckett Fowl are twins but the two boys are wildly different. Beckett is blonde, messy and sulks whenever he has to wear clothes. Myles is impeccably neat, has an IQ of 170, and 3D prints a fresh suit every day - just like his older brother, Artemis Fowl. A week after their eleventh birthday the twins are left in the care of house security system, NANNI, for a single night. In that time, they befriend a troll on the run from a nefarious nobleman and an interrogating nun both of whom need the magical creature for their own gain . . . Prepare for an epic adventure in which The Fowl Twins and their new troll friend escape, get shot at, kidnapped, buried, arrested, threatened, killed (temporarily) . . . and discover that the strongest bond in the world is not the one forged by covalent electrons in adjacent atoms, but the one that exists between a pair of twins. The first book in the blockbusting new series from global bestseller Eoin Colfer.

The Fowl Twins

One week after their eleventh birthday, the Fowl twins--scientist Myles, and Beckett, the force of nature--are left in the care of house security (NANNI) for a single night. In that time they befriend a troll who has clawed his way through the earth's crust to the surface. Unfortunately for the troll, he is being chased by a nefarious nobleman and an interrogating nun, who both need the magical creature for their own gain, as well as a fairy-in-training who has been assigned to protect him. The boys and their new troll best friend escape and go on the run. Along the way they get shot at, kidnapped, buried, arrested, threatened, killed (temporarily), and discover that the strongest bond in the world is not the one forged by covalent electrons in adjacent atoms, but the one that exists between a pair of twins.

Kirsten Simkiss

This more of a 3.5 star book for me, but I rounded down to tip the average closer to my ideal score for the book. (Currently standing at 4.08 at the time of my review.)

I went into this book ready to meet the twins as functioning members of the Fowl family, and I got them. Myles is the smart, Artemis-like twin - the personality type that the series has come to depend on. Beckett is the "dumb" polygot and martial artist. They are also physically different looking, just to drive home the point of "these twins are nothing alike!" But it was stereotyping to the max, and that aspect kind of bothered me at times. Myles also suffered heavily from comparing himself to Artemis constantly, to the point that he still felt like a character in the book. Through digital recordings and references to him that felt like nearly every chapter, Myles (and sort of the whole book) fell under the shadow of the previous series. And, to be fair, I expected that somewhat. Artemis Fowl was a great book series and it's why I continued on to this subsequent series. However, I feel like the new Fowl characters would really shine if they had let them stand on their own four feet without the constant mentions.

I liked Lazuli. I thought it was fun to explore her identity in the fairy culture. However, I kind of felt like she sort of took a back seat in this book. She was a necessary element for the book to have, as I assume this will kick off subsequent adventures exploring the underground fairy world. However, I sometimes felt she was just kind of set dressing so that the Fowl twins could succeed. I felt like she really came into her own in that final fight when she got her magic, so I look forward to seeing her grow more over the course of the later books. I felt like they spent more time developing Whistle Blower, who was honestly kind of cute. NANNI was also an interesting side character, and I love the idea of artificial life becoming sentient, so I'm interested in seeing what way they go with her.

Was it enjoyable? Yeah. I don't think it was as good as the original series, but that's a tall order anyway. Will I read on? Also yes.

Kwan Ann Tan

such a fun cute book- I loved going back into the Artemis Fowl universe & while the book may be a little more smug/unrealistic (yes, even more so than the previous series) about all the antics they get up to than I remember, it's still so satisfying!

laura

This book was a fun read. It def took me awhile to adjust to the new main characters. I really loved being back in this world and seeing this characters. It was such a fun adventure read!! I also really liked both main characters. I also really enjoyed seeing previous characters and super excited to see where this series goes. I also loved all the fast pace action of this read!