This is the second book in a series, a prequel to the first, but can be read on its own. A portal fantasy, it shows 12-year old twin sisters Jack and Jill, raised by terrible parents who force them into different roles unsuited to them. They find a stairs into a world of mostly-offstage horrors where they are raised to the age of 17 by contrasting masters.
I found the prose style a little fancier than I like, and was slightly off-put by the third person omniscient, but those are really tiny points. My main (still minor) issue was the tinge of horror; I don't recall where I found the recommendation for the book, but it didn't mention that part. So, were I a horror fan, this probably would have been a 5/5 (or maybe 4.5, were that possible).
I found the prose style a little fancier than I like, and was slightly off-put by the third person omniscient, but those are really tiny points. My main (still minor) issue was the tinge of horror; I don't recall where I found the recommendation for the book, but it didn't mention that part. So, were I a horror fan, this probably would have been a 5/5 (or maybe 4.5, were that possible).