Twelfth Knight

(4.5) Viola Reyes is annoyed. It’s true. Viola Reyes loves the fantasy world and after one of her game campaigns was shot down by her group which is a majority of boys, she’s had it with people. Meanwhile, Jack Orsino, the star football player, has suffered a severe knee injury which will have him out of the field for at least a year. Now, Jack has taken to playing a video game called Twelfth Knight where he makes a friend, Cesario, who in real life is Viola. However, Jack doesn’t know that, so in real life he’s enemies with Viola but close friends through the game.

Viola is such a complex character because many of the closest people don’t understand her. I had a hard time trying to make an opinion of her and her actions. She wasn’t the most likable person to most people and was often referred to as a “bitch”. She truly believed she was bitch and hid behind that term so that people didn’t have high expectations of her. Of course, she did have some things to work on like letting others in and not being afraid to show emotion but I feel like a lot of the people around her made her feel like she was the worst person ever. When in reality she's a teenage girl who’s angry at the world and still learning how to deal with those emotions. By the end, you could see an overall development in Viola, and dare I even say she seemed to be happy.

Jack was such a breath of fresh air. He represents every teenage kid who thought they had it figured out until they released, oh wait, I don’t. I’m happy that this book was duo POV and we were able to also see Jack’s POV of everything going on. It allowed us to understand his headspace during a time that was difficult for him. Also, it was so sweet to see how he gradually grew feeling for Viola and how he was one of the few people who didn’t view her as a horrible person. Whether he knew it or not, Viola was there for him and it was great to see their relationship blossom. They were exactly what the other person needed and they make a perfect balance. I loved this book and I can’t wait for the author’s next YA book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Tor Teen for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Viola escapes from her world by playing Twelfth knight- a MMORPG. She pretends to be a guy to avoid unwanted attention. Jack Orsino - her annoying student president decided to join and they play well together surprisingly.

Tons of celever references to Shakespear's Twelve Night. The book is fun and sweet. Really enjoy it. Great characters with Jack and Viola.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I admit, I read this out of curiosity to see how the author of the very high-concept The Atlas Six would do at writing for a YA audience. And the answer is... surprisingly well. It's a very different style, but some of her trademark philosophy and complex psychology come through--it's just sneakier than in her adult books.

I actually found this hard to put down. The Shakespeare parallel works very well without being too heavy-handed, the characters are well-rounded and the themes relevant. It's not particularly funny, as rom-coms go, but I didn't find that a lack.

This was the exact book I expected as advertised and more. This was the perfect YA romcom and it had everything I ever want in a romcom. While this was YA, it did deal with topics that so many readers no matter the age will resonate with. It deals with the uncertainty in the future, especially for teens who are expected to make the decision on what they want to do with the rest of their lives. It also went into pushing people away to protect themselves, not allowing anyone to see your true self for fear of being rejected. But it also talks about being unapologetically yourself and that whoever you are and whatever you like should be embraced. The discussion of feminism and how looked down upon women are certain spaces really rang so true as a women in engineering.

There was not a single character I disliked in this. I adored Vi and Jack and all of the side characters added so much to the plot instead of just a tool to further the plot. Vi was definitely a character who comes off strong and a bit annoying in the beginning, but I think that was the point since her issue deals with not letting people see the real her. I loved her relationship with her family and her brother Bash and the friendship she developed with Olivia. Jack had so much growth going from the perfect star athlete to realizing there’s so much more to life besides football.

The relationship between Jack and Vi was so pure and their banter was TOP NOTCH. I loved seeing their relationship going from nemeses to lovers and how they only made each other better. I cannot truly put into words how much I loved this book.

I loved this book! I can definitely see myself bringing it into my classroom. It would be excellent to pair with essays about intersectional feminism, like "Eloquent Rage" and "Uses of Anger." Would certainly prompt conversations about micro-aggressions, consent, white supremacy, and the patriarchy.

Twelfth Knight is a modern day, YA re-imagining of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Viola Reyes is sick of misogyny in her fandom circles and plays as a male character in the online RPG Twelfth Knight. Duke Orsino is the star football player who starts playing Twelfth Knight in the aftermath of a sports injury. They strike up a friendship, both online and at school. I really appreciated that each character had their own internal battle to fight, and I got quite a kick out of seeing the in-book versions of real-life fandoms. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a grumpy-sunshine with a really feisty heroine. And anyone who, like me, was obsessed with a certain soccer-themed movie re-imagining of Twelfth Night.
I felt seen by Olivia and the struggles that she faces in the story. I empathized with Jack as my husband had not one but two knee injuries changing what his daily life looked like. Olivie beautifully tackled themes of feminism, misogyny, religion, and racism. Some of these were explored more than others, but I feel like this is a great starting point for important conversations. I loved the diverse cast of characters and how they added layers to story. I laughed! I cried! I felt anger and joy. Needless to say I will be thinking about this book for a long time!

omggg 4.5⭐️!!! i love love the authors writing style!! this was such an easy ready and i enjoyed every bit of it!! the characters were so will written

5.0

First off thank you Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an arc for an honest review.

Love does not even begin to describe this book. Olivie Blake solidified her genius in my mind with her reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. I felt seen by Olivia and the struggles that she faces in the story. I empathized with Jack as my husband had not one but two knee injuries changing what his daily life looked like. Olivie beautifully tackled themes of feminism, misogyny, religion, and racism. Some of these were explored more than others, but I feel like this is a great starting point for important conversations. I loved the diverse cast of characters and how they added layers to story. I laughed! I cried! I felt anger and joy. Needless to say I will be thinking about this book for a long time!

In my opinion: Perfect for fans of She’s the Man

Thank you to NetGallery for a free ARC.

At its base, this book is a fun, classic retelling of Twelfth Night. The characters are so fun and individual, I had no issues pulling them apart from the Shakespeare counterparts. I adored Vi and Jack. I loved watching them grow and watching Viola's walls break down to let Jack in, especially during the pseudo third act break up. These two are surprisingly mature for high school seniors but I appreciate not dumbing them down. I will say that towards the beginning Viola felt a little like a "I'm not like other girls" character, but I realized it was more of her protecting herself rather than trying to be different.
This book plays a lot on things such a sexism in the geek/nerd world. I think this translate very well into the Viola pretending to be her brother part of the plot. It also briefly touches on some notes of racism with Jack being mixed race, but it didn't hold much to the story. That being said, I loved having non of the main characters be white. It doesn't add or subtract much from the story itself, but I loved the inclusion of different races and heritages including Muslim (?) for Olivia Hadid.
This is such a fun YA novel. I thoroughly enjoyed devouring this book. It stays loyal to the source material while nurturing its own fun spin on the classic story. Well worth the read if you are a Shakespeare fan, or a fan of DnD or MMORPGs.

There is so much that I love about this book! It’s a common enemy to lovers trope, but I was happy to see that the author changed things up a bit and had her own take on it. I loved that both football and roll-playing games were well detailed in the story. I thought it was great that both Vi and Jack, though very flawed in the beginning, showed much growth by the end. And I loved that at the end, the characters used their words and actually communicated with each other honestly and expressed their feelings as mature people.

I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially to teens/YA and to readers who enjoy RPGs. However, I am neither of these things and I loved it.

Thank you Net Galley and Tor Teen for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

A book I needed in my youth to know that it is valid to be a girl in a male-dominated space.
This story has important commentary on feminism in the gaming communities, both for table top and video games, while also being a fun romance and Shakespeare retelling!

Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity!

This author can do no wrong in my opinion. They have a magical ability to write a banger book every single time. It never misses.
I’m utterly amazed and obsessed!
5/5

I told you I would read ANYTHING this woman writes (under ANY PEN NAME) and I was NOT LYING!

This is her second YA romance novel, and boy was this even lovelier than the first. Farol Follmouth has an incredible way of exploring important topics such as race, feminism, bisexuality, and women in STEM.

In this gem, we get:
🏈 jocks and nerds
👾 flirty video game messages
🗡️ adorable costumes and cosplay
🏠 found family

I don’t read a ton of YA books but I would ✨highly✨ recommend this one. While I was able to read this as an eARC, I have ALREADY still preordered a physical copy of this book (it has sprayed edges 😍).

Thank you to Alexene Farol Follmouth, Tor Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful YA romance - heavy on the comedy elements, featuring a seemingly all-business high schooler Vi Reyes and Jack “Duke” Orsino, star running back of the high school football team and much to VP Vi’s dismay, President of their student council. After an injury sidelines Jack’s football season, he’s introduced to an mmorpg and is connected with a classmate who also plays, and they strike an immediate connection. Meanwhile, all of Vi’s friends seem to be abandoning her, and her feminist mom has been happily dating the same guy for months!

Sort of generally following the plot of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, this book features hidden identities, revealing conversations, and relationships with more depth than they seem.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing both Violet’s and Jack’s points of view, and their personal journeys intersected in all the best ways to help them both grow as people and grow into a couple with a healthy relationship.

The banter in this book is top notch - every line of dialogue is true to each character and clever and funny - and maybe because it’s coming from a play there is a LOT of dialogue. Character diversity also shines, with lots of different ethnicities and backgrounds represented.

As a woman who had to deal with toxic masculinity in gaming, comics, and RPG spaces for most of the past thirty years, I really appreciate how those experiences are reflected in Violet’s story as well.

Recommended for all fandom/gaming fans and fans of romcoms and modern Shakespeare adaptations!

Alexene Farol Follmuth’s Twelfth Knight was the Shakespeare/teen movie/gaming mashup I didn’t know I needed, and I loved every minute of it! If 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s The Man had a sarcastic book baby with a heart of gold, it would be this YA novel, a retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night that takes on misogyny, family expectations, and what it means to find the people we can truly be ourselves with. I loved the main characters, prickly, independent Vi and golden boy Jack as well as their friends and families. This was the first book I’ve read by Follmuth, but I’ll definitely look for her other work! Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Net Galley for the advance reader copy.

Oh my goodness. This was such a great read I have all the feels I don’t even know where to start!

First, Twelfth Knight is my favorite Shakespeare so when I see nerdy twelfth knight?! The combination made my heart happy.

Second, Viola, our main girl…what a heartwarming character. This book is as much about finding yourself whole navigating this crazy thing called life as it is an adorable romance.

And third, the butterflies! Omg. Such an endearing relationship that blossoms that really reminds us all of what we go through in those formative years!

Not only does this take us on a journey for our main character but a lot of our side characters grow so much throughout the book. And the story takes us through their trials of learning who they are and admitting that sometimes it’s ok to just exist, to face the facts or be vulnerable and that’s one of the many reasons why I absolutely loved this!! I can’t wait to pick up a copy when it’s officially out and will definitely recommend to everyone!

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

I devoured it. I couldn't put it down. This book spoke to me on so many levels. I love board games, tabletop games, RPG games and the fact that there was this representation in it had my heart bursting with joy. As someone that is Filipino, just seeing anak in the book had me tearing up. My little self, saw herself in the pages of this book.

Viola was not the most likeable main character but she was real and I couldn't help but love how true she stayed to herself. She didn't compromise her beliefs and did not make herself small so others could be comfortable. The relationship between her and Jack did not disappoint. I loved how their relationship grew and how each character had their own journey of self growth.

This book was so much more than I expected.

5 stars

This book is like if A Cinderella Story and She’s the Man (aka Twelfth Night) has a cute nerdy little baby. It’s been a while since I read a book where the teenagers felt like and talked like teenagers which is fantastic. What a lovely little book.

Twelfth Knight was such a fun read! A modern YA retelling of the Shakespeare classic done right. I was so curious about how they would really give a fresh take on the story, and I love the way they executed it in a way that is so relatable. The inclusion of video games and role play was perfect!

I was really drawn in by the characters and was so gratified by their growth throughout the novel. It was so easy to root for and get truly invested in Duke and Vi’s story. I definitely recommend to other readers!

Wow, this book hit really close to home (as do all of her books). I saw a lot of myself in both Vi (I, too, am a marshmallow with sticks) and Jack. The character growth in this book is amazing and had me rooting for them the whole time (together and independently). What sweet nerdy love & friendship 🥹.

Thank you Tor Teen and Netgalley for the ARC.

Twelfth Knight is a modern YA retelling of the Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. Instead of our classic Duke Orosino and Viola, we have Jack Orosino, a legacy football star, and Viola Reyes, a MMORPG and tabletop game enthusiast with a "don't mess with me attitude." Jack and Vi already know and don't like each other. When Jack gets a knee injury, he gets really into the MMORPG game Twelfth Knight, and "re-meets" Vi as her video game identity, where she plays as a man. As the two start to talk, Vi says that she is Sebastian, her twin brother. The two continue to get to know each other, both within and outside of the game.

This book made me a little nervous because modern Shakespeare retellings don't always work for me, PARTICULARLY with mistaken identifies. But y'all... when I tell you that I love this book, I LOVED IT! All of the elements really worked for me and it really felt like an actual modern retelling instead of "inspired by" the original play. I am so pleasantly surprised that a modern mistaken identity story can still be told. Having it happen online in a video game setting truly worked so well. I really liked Vi and Jack, and totally understand why they didn't like each other originally and how their relationship changed as the book went on. It was also hilarious and I read it in one day because I wanted to see how it ended.

On a personal note, I'm dealing with a hip injury and was in the mood for a story about someone with a similar issue. It really did make me feel better to get another perspective on taking time for your body and managing changes as they happen.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a romantic comedy! 5 strong stars from me! Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book, my thoughts are my own!

This was another hit from Olivie Blake/Alexene Farol Follmuth. I really enjoyed the author’s YA debut the year before last and I liked this one even more. The dialogue and romance were charming and I can see this becoming a hit for YA/Contemporary Romance fans.

I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like Vi’s character but she grew on me after a while. I thought this story was really sweet and the author touched on sexuality well. It was well written, funny, and emotional. I’m so glad I gave it a chance and read it. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

🎮TWELFTH KNIGHT🎮

Welcome to Twelfth Knight, where we play to win, both on the field and online. But is anything a game when hearts are on the line?

Jack Orsino needs help. With a torn ACL and a football scholarship up in the air, he’s floundering. As his girlfriend asks for ‘space,’ he’s THROWN.

Enter Vi, our RPG-playing student body council member who will get everything done yesterday. When Jack offers her a trade, she takes it and is thrown into an unlikely friendship where her loneliness begins to ebb.

As Jack and Vi work to reunite hearts and beat the impossible game Camelot Quest, it becomes clear that beating unwinnable games may be easier than mending these hearts.

Witty, endearing and sharp as a sword— Twelfth Knight is a retelling not to miss! This layered tale will have you cheering for the underdog all the way to her winning play.

✨Read if you like:
-Grumpy (her) / Sunshine (him)
-Role-playing games, online gaming & Comic-Con
-Shakespeare retellings
-Banter for DAYZ
-teens in high school (student body, popular kids, football)
-secret identities.. I mean, it IS Twelfth Night (or what you will… )

💕Thanks to the Tor Teen folks for sending this my way!

AFF/OB once again proves that she's the master of characters, whether in fantasy or a contemporary setting. I love how this book blended two hobbies usually stereotyped as opposites as each other and showed how in real life, people are much more complex. Viola was perfectly snarky yet sympathetic, and Jack was a great love interest.

Alexene Farol Follmuth has the unique talent of making me absolutely enthralled by a book that I fully do not understand. Do I have any clue how the magic system in The Atlas Six works? No. Do I understand any of the robotics in My Mechanical Romance? Absolutely not. And do I have any idea what goes on in TTRPGs and MMORPGs (and also football)? Definite no, considering I had to google what an MMORPG is. (Technically, Pokémon Go is one!)

That all doesn’t stop me from loving everything that Alexene/Olivie writes; there’s something about the way she crafts characters and motivations and feelings that transcends the necessity to have any clue what’s happening in a particular scene. Twelfth Knight is a fantastic exercise in understanding the teenage experience, and I wished it wouldn’t end. My only question is whether Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night exists in the world of this book, because if it does … how on earth would the characters react to that?

A love letter to all perpetually angry teenage nerds who really just want to be loved. As someone who spent many of her formative years escaping into fantasy worlds and completely immersed in fandoms as a means of shutting myself out from the real world, I completely understand Vi's jaded attitude towards everyone around her (even those she loved). Olivie Blake (aka Alexene Farol Follmuth) has an innate talent for constructing beautifully fleshed out characters that tug at your heart strings. Vi and Jack feel like real teenagers, in all their messy and chaotic glory. They say things they don't mean. They fumble and they mess up. And somehow all of these surface level flaws make their love story all the more raw and beautiful.

I lovely Twelfth Knight retelling and a great YA/modern take on it. Thought the romance was cute too.

This is a great updated, modern day re-telling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. I highly recommend this title for any and all high school libraries. and any English teacher who has a course on Shakespeare's plays.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing access to this ARC! I’m a sucker for Shakespeare retellings, and this book did not disappoint. I flew through this story about an angry gamer girl and a sensitive “sportsboi.” I love the dual narrators, both distinct in voice and motivation. The authentic diversity of diversity — race, sexual orientation, age, relationship status, hobbies, etc. — is refreshingly not forced or cliche. As frequenter of fan conventions, I really appreciate VI’s “woman in a man’s world” perspective, although my experience hasn’t been as negative or one sided as hers. The author did a great job of building the mythology of the games and fandoms within the novel. This was a fun, fast read!

I loved this adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night! Viola is a hard-working high school senior, determined to be accepted for who she is. Jack (“Duke”) is the youngest son in a football family, sidelined by an injury in his final high school season. But most importantly, this is a book about opening yourself to being seen, with all its risks & rewards. Jack & Vi have excellent chemistry and the focus on their character development makes the end all the more rewarding.

Being familiar with the Shakespeare play made this so fun, but the book stands brilliantly on its own.

Thoughtful teen romance and coming of age story.
Vi is a gamer, geek, nerd and is blunt to a fault. Jack is a people pleasing jock with the “perfect” high school life. When a knee injury turns Jacks world upside down it throws him into the world of Twelfth Knight a game where he meets Vi who is pretending to be a male. Sparks fly as these two try to negotiate the pressures of high school, making choices about the future, and negotiating the horror of relationships.
A warning if you don’t like the character of Vi in the beginning maybe don’t read this book. I found lots of other review that complained that Vi was just mean. I think she just didn’t know how to express herself and is justified in some of her actions.
I thought this was a sweet coming of age story that covers issues faced by females who want to work/play in male dominated areas. The story is the classic nerd girl meets jock boy but done in a slightly more sophisticated way.
Read if you like
Geek cultures/games/cosplaying
High school romance
Grumpy sunshine female grump male sunshine
Feminist undertones

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of She’s the Man, I was very excited to pick up this title, and it did not disappoint!

The characters—namely Viola, Jack, and Olivia—felt incredibly real. I especially loved the diversity of the main cast and how the social issues they are passionate about were brought up in a natural way.

The pacing of the entire story had me glued to the pages until the end. The final confrontation was absolutely beautiful, and the character development of Viola and Jack was just perfect.

This was a very fun read! I thought it was a great modernization of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and entertaining in it's own right. It took me a little bit to get pulled into the story, but once it got going, I was hooked.

Viola comes off very strong at the start of the story (as I suspect is the intention), but it's tempered well by Jack's perspective. There's absolutely frustrating moments of "just tell him!!" but Vi's reasons for secrecy are believable enough for high school. Their romance blossoms in a cute way and the stakes are consistent throughout. The secondary plot(s) of Vi's favorite video game and tv show are very entertaining; I loved the fantasy flavoring it added. Vi's dealings with sexism in fan spaces were really relatable, and as Twelfth Knight progressed I found myself understanding her rage.

All in all it's an easy read that I think fans of YA romcoms will enjoy. There's great character development, fun banter, and a story with a lot heart!

5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book... It was giving A Cinderella Story vibes :D

I was in a bit of a reading slump after reading a lot of fantasy books, and Twelfth Knight definitely got me out of it. I couldn't put this book down once I started. It was a nice and easy read with likeable main characters, and it's one of those books you can easily digest and is pretty fast paced. I have Alexene's other books on my TBR list and I am excited to read more from her. I'll be preordering this book so I have a physical copy :)

Thank you for the ARC!

I’m a total sucker for a good Shakespeare adaptation, especially when it comes to Twelfth Night, so when I saw the title and who the author was I immediately went “sign me up!” I’m glad I did, because this was a fun and fast read, filled with Easter eggs that left me wanting to play video games, DnD, and even give a certain show a second chance despite the finale that shouldn’t exist. The romance for the main character was obvious for anyone who knows the original play, or has seen the “She’s the Man” movie adaptation with Amanda Bynes, but as with everything, the getting there was the best part.
Our main character is accomplished, acerbic, and leaves me wanting to know how much sleep she actually gets with everything she does. The love interest comes off as a typical teenage jock in the beginning, before turning it around and proving they are more than their stereotypes. By the end of the book, I had side characters I was really rooting for who I’d love to see again, a main pairing that seemed they could last, supportive parent figures we could all use in our lives, and a renewed love for fan culture.
A couple minor details I wish had been better fleshed out were the relationships with the side characters and Viola’s Muay Thai interest, but not enough to detract from my giving it five stars, because this was a fun adaptation that had me laughing, crying, and nodding along at several monologue moments.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Incredible! I absolutely loved this one. Such a great book to curl up with. It was hard to pull myself away to do things, but I always looked forward to diving back in. Highly recommend!

As a Shakespeare fan and a high school English teacher, I really loved this book! Follmuth captured the angst of teens struggling to find themselves as we as figure out how to exist in a social circle, as well as the joy of things like ren fair, comic conventions, great video games, and competing at sports. Her characters are rich and well-rounded, and the story took the best parts of Shakespeare and pulled them into the modern era while doing what The Bard does best: put into words the struggle of how to be human. Five stars and looking forward to buying this for my classroom!

I am a huge fan of Alexene Farol Follmuth/ Olivie Blake, and I was so excited to see her branch into a new realm of fiction with this Shakespeare adaptation! I thought this story was really well done and it breathed life into the original in a fresh and exiting way, I would definitely recommend this.