Twice Lived

November 1, 2023

Some children are born shifters, moving between two parallel Earths until they settle in one for good. Most shifters maintain a single identity across their dual lives, but Lily and Canna have grown into separate people on either side of their shift. That division has kept them shifting into their teens but now threatens to tear their mind apart. Neither girl wants to lose the life she's built, but if they don't settle soon, both their identities will be destroyed. This novel magnifies the pressures families experience as teens decide who they'll become. While Lily and Canna's shifting and impending settling drive the plot, the novel's most urgent emotions come from the girls' mothers, Georgie and Cynthia, who are desperate to avoid losing their daughters as time runs out. Readers will find themselves torn by both families' predicament--no matter what, someone stands to lose. This tension propels the story, but there is a lack of payoff after that tension is resolved. VERDICT West's (Face) novel will speak to teens and their parents' anxieties of identity and belonging but is reluctant to settle itself on the emotional aftermath.--Erin Niederberger

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 11, 2023
West (Face) uses parallel worlds to explore the pain of coming of age in this deeply emotional fantasy. Lily and Canna alternately share one body that randomly shifts between two alternate Earths. Shifters normally settle into one or the other in their toddler years but Lily/Canna is 16 and still shifting. As each identity begins to feel uncomfortable in her own skin and the duo’s memories become increasingly blurred, they learn that if they don’t settle soon, they risk psychological fracturing. Racing against time, Lily and Canna each fight to stay in their own world yet prepare their separate families for the worst-case scenario. West does an admirable job portraying the tug-of-war between individuals as they grapple with issues of family, identity, and friendship. Readers young and old will appreciate the notes of tenderness amid the conflict and will find it difficult to choose a side. Complete with a shocking yet satisfying ending that showcases West’s cleverness, this is an impressive feat.

December 1, 2023
Some children are shifters, moving between two identical Earths, living parallel lives alternately in one and the other. Most grow out of it early and settle on one family, one life. Canna and Lily are the rare exception, still shifting even at sixteen. Each of them has a life they value, friends and family and goals--and unlike younger shifters, they are distinct people, truly different in each of their lives. It seems, though, that research suggests they have to settle soon, or the stress on their mind of maintaining both lives will reach a breaking point. Neither one wants to let go of what they have, while each of their mothers has been preparing for them to vanish since the first time they shifted. Lily has her own budding romance; Canna has a group of friends feeling the strain of youthful crushes. In West's latest (after Face, 2022), the web of consequences and connections to friends and family keeps this story going, within a framework of their mothers' support-group stories, while Canna and Lily fight each other to be the one who makes the final shift and settles.

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