Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth | Book Review

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth trades Venetian disguises and poetic soliloquies from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night for MMORPG avatars and savage gaming chats. It takes the bones of the classic comedy and rebuilds it into something entirely fresh, a story about the masks we wear online and even the more complicated ones we wear in real life. Meet Viola, the queen of sarcasm who’s tired of sexist gamers, and Jack, the golden boy who’s secretly crumbling under expectations. Together, their alternating perspectives create this delicious tension between who they pretend to be and who they might become if they dared to be real. Whether you're here for the Shakespeare references, the gaming and cosplay world, or just two messy young adults figuring their lives out, this book delivers with extra bites and heart.

(Di Twelfth Knight oleh Alexene Farol Follmuth nggak ada kostum ala Venesia atau monolog puitis kayak di Twelfth Night-nya Shakespeare, semua itu diganti jadi avatar MMORPG dan obrolan gamers yang sarkas. Buku ini mengambil pondasi cerita komedi klasik, terus dirombak jadi sesuatu yang segar banget: cerita tentang topeng yang kita pakai di dunia online, dan yang lebih ribet lagi, topeng yang kita pakai di kehidupan nyata. Kita bakal kenalan dengan Viola, ratu sarkasme yang sudah muak sama gamers seksis, dan Jack, si anak emas yang sebenernya lagi rapuh inside outside karena beban ekspektasi. Lewat sudut pandang mereka berdua, ceritanya jadi penuh ketegangan seru antara identitas pura-pura dan identitas yang mungkin mereka punya kalau berani jujur. Kamu suka referensi Shakespeare? Dunia gaming dan cosplay? Atau sekadar pengen baca tentang dua anak muda berantakan yang lagi mencari jati diri? Buku ini punya semuanya, dengan bonus bumbu sarkasme pedas.)

TL;DR: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night but make it gamers. She’s a sarcastic queen hiding behind a male avatar, he’s a golden retriever jock with a secret RPG obsession. Chaos, feelings, and glorious slow-burn tension ensue. 

⚠️ SIDE EFFECTS

🔺Uncontrollable yelling at fictional characters

🔺Sudden urge to create a secret gamer alter ego

🔺Questioning all your life choices at 2 AM

🔺Inexplicable craving to play D&D despite never having touched dice

🔺Emotional damage from Viola & Bash’s sibling dynamic (why can’t we all have a twin who roasts us lovingly?)

🔺Identity crisis after realizing you, too, have a "gaming persona"

🎯 PERFECT BOOK FOR:

🔺Your Discord friend who says "I’m fine" but is clearly not

🔺Shakespeare stans who think "But what if they texted, though?"

🔺Anyone who’s ever rage-quit a game (or a personality)

🔺Siblings who show love via brutal honesty

🔺Anyone who’s ever faked confidence online

🔺You, after your 5th "wait, who am I really?" spiral this month

🔺Your bestie who needs to hear "stop people-pleasing" for the 100th time

VIBE CHECK: This book is the literary equivalent of that one Discord friend who alternates between shitposting and dropping existential wisdom.

SYNOPSIS 

From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Atlas Six (under the penname Olivie Blake) comes Twelfth Knight, a grumpy/sunshine YA romantic comedy and coming of age story about taking up space in the world and learning what it means to let others in.

Viola Reyes is annoyed.

Her painstakingly crafted tabletop game campaign was shot down, her best friend is suggesting she try being more “likable,” and school running back Jack Orsino is the most lackadaisical Student Body President she’s ever seen, which makes her job as VP that much harder. Vi’s favorite escape from the world is the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, but online spaces aren’t exactly kind to girls like her―girls who are extremely competent and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi creates a masculine alter ego, choosing to play as a knight named Cesario to create a safe haven for herself.

But when a football injury leads Jack Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight, Vi is alarmed to discover their online alter egos―Cesario and Duke Orsino―are surprisingly well-matched.

As the long nights of game-play turn into discussions about life and love, Vi and Jack soon realise they’ve become more than just weapon-wielding characters in an online game. But Vi has been concealing her true identity from Jack, and Jack might just be falling for her offline…

BOOK REVIEW 

Twelfth Knight is told through dual POVs of Viola and Jack where we get front-row seats to their messy, relatable lives, one a people-pleasing boy drowning in expectations, and the other a razor-tongued gamer girl who’d rather troll than cry. What unfolds isn’t just a will-they-won’t-they (though yes, that tension’s delicious), but a far more interesting question: How do you become yourself when everyone’s got an opinion on who that should be? 

Let’s talk about Viola, because she’s the kind of character who’d have you muttering "Why are you like this?" while secretly admiring her chaos. Her sharp edges are survival tools in a world that’s quick to dismiss loud, opinionated girls. But beneath those edges is someone who’s not so much hard as she is terrified of being hurt. Her arc is about learning that trust isn't different from surrender.

Jack, meanwhile, is the boy who’s spent so long performing "fine" that he’s forgotten what he actually wants. Football star? Check. Reliable friend? Check. Secretly miserable because his entire identity is built on other people’s dreams? Big check. His story feels so relatable to anyone who’s ever nodded along while screaming internally, and his gradual awakening, that self-betrayal isn’t the price of love, feels like a gut punch in the best way.

What makes this story sing is how it refuses easy answers. Viola doesn’t morph into a sweetheart, and Jack doesn’t remove his kindness for some alpha-male fantasy. Instead, they stumble toward a messy middle ground where authenticity doesn't equal perfection, it's showing up as you are with your flaws, fears, and all. It’s the kind of book that leaves us with that rare, buoyant feeling: Maybe I don’t have to have it all figured out yet.

Viola's choice to game as a guy here is not used as some cute plot device, but it's a raw glimpse into what women face daily in male-dominated spaces. The moment she logs in with a male avatar, the harassment stops. Just like that. It's infuriating how familiar this feels, whether in gaming lobbies or boardrooms: the exhausting calculus of deciding whether to be yourself and face the consequences, or blend in just to exist peacefully. This novel shows how this constant self-editing wears someone down, pixel by pixel.

What makes this exploration so interesting is how this story holds up a mirror to our own world without feeling preachy. When Viola gets to play without constant sexist nonsense for the first time, your stomach drops because you realize: this shouldn't feel revolutionary. It should be normal. This book quietly asks why we keep putting the burden on marginalized groups to adapt, rather than demanding better from the spaces they're entering.

Jack's storyline provides the perfect counterpoint with his gaming experience is what Viola's could be if the world wasn't garbage. He's never had to think twice about his username or avatar choices. There's something particularly cutting about watching him casually rep his school colors in-game while Viola's carefully constructing a whole alternate identity. That contrast is an examination of our own blind spots about where we might have unearned advantages.

But here's where this book shines, it's not just about the problems. The game world becomes this unexpected sanctuary where both characters find versions of themselves they didn't know existed. For Viola, it's freedom from constant vigilance. For Jack, it's permission to be something other than the star athlete. Their online personas aren't escapes so much as undiscovered parts of themselves. This novel gets at this beautiful truth about gaming communities, when they work, they're not just entertainment, but lifelines for people searching for belonging. That balance of sharp social observation and genuine representation of fandom culture makes this story deeply memorable.

(Twelfth Knight diceritakan lewat sudut pandang ganda Viola dan Jack, yang bikin kita kayak nonton langsung kehidupan berantakan tapi relatable banget dari mereka berdua. Ada Jack, si people-pleaser yang tenggelam dalam ekspektasi orang lain, dan Viola, si gamers galak yang milih nyinyir daripada nangis. Ceritanya emang bikin deg-degan kalau kamu punya ekspektasi kayak "mereka bakal jadian atau enggak", tapi yang bikin lebih seru itu pertanyaannya: Gimana kita bisa jadi diri sendiri ketika semua orang punya bayangan tentang kita harus jadi apa?

Kalau bicara soal Viola, dia ini karakter yang bakal bikin kita geleng-geleng "Nyebelin banget sih lu?" tapi dalem hati bakal ngacungin jempol. Nyinyirnya itu senjata bertahan dia di dunia yang suka meremehkan cewek vokal dan berani. Tapi sebenarnya, di balik sikap kerasnya, dia cuma takut disakiti. Perkembangan karakternya di buku adalah tentang belajar bahwa percaya sama orang lain bukan berarti kalah.

Sementara Jack adalah karakter yang terlalu lama pura-pura "baik-baik aja" sampai lupa sebenarnya dia pengen apa. Bintang football? Iya. Temen yang bisa diandalkan? Pasti. Tapi dalemnya hancur karena hidupnya cuma buat memenuhi mimpi orang lain? BANGET. Kita bakal baca buku ini sambil ngebatin "Bro, I feel you" pas dia pelan-pelan sadar bahwa dia nggak perlu mengorbankan diri cuma biar dicintai.

Yang bikin cerita ini istimewa itu nggak ada jawaban instan. Viola nggak tiba-tiba jadi cewek manis, Jack juga nggak tiba-tiba berubah jadi alpha male. Mereka berdua belajar menerima bahwa jujur pada diri sendiri itu bukan tentang jadi sempurna, tapi tentang berani muncul apa adanya dengan segala kekurangan dan ketakutannya. Buku ini meninggalkan perasaan lega karena rasanya gapapa deh kalau kita belum tahu semuanya sekarang.

Pilihan Viola buat main game pakai ID cowok di sini nggak cuma jadi plot device lucu-lucuan, tapi menggambarkan realita brutal yang sering dihadapi perempuan di dunia yang didominasi laki-laki. Begitu dia pakai avatar cowok, poof! Harassment langsung lenyap. Sesimpel itu. Ngeselin banget karena kita semua tahu persis rasanya, entah di game atau meeting kantor, kita harus memilih antara jadi diri sendiri dan hadapi konsekuensinya, atau ikut arus biar bisa exist dengan tenang. Novel ini menunjukkan gimana proses edit diri terus-terusan ini bikin capek mental, pelan-pelan.

Yang bikin pembahasan di buku ini makin keren, ceritanya seperti menyodorkan cermin ke realita tanpa kesan sok menggurui. Pas Viola bisa main game tanpa diganggu buat pertama kalinya, bikin tertonjok banget karena kita sadar bahwa ini harusnya sudah seharusnya terjadi, bukan sesuatu yang revolusioner. Buku ini menanyakan hal penting: kenapa yang harus berubah selalu pihak yang terpinggirkan, bukan spacenya yang harus lebih inklusif?

Di sisi lain, pengalaman gaming Jack adalah semacam versi ideal yang bisa Viola dapatkan kalau dunia nggak se-brengsek ini. Dia bisa pakai username asli, pakai warna favorit, bebas tanpa mikir dua kali. Ngeselin banget lihat Jack bisa santai pakai maskot sekolah di game sementara Viola harus bikin identitas palsu. Kontras ini bikin kita mikir tentang kehidupan nyata, privilege apa yang sudah kita dapatkan tanpa sadar?

Tapi buku ini nggak cuma ngomongin masalah aja. Dunia game malah jadi tempat ternyaman buat mereka berdua untuk menemukan sisi diri yang selama ini terpendam. Buat Viola, ini pertama kalinya dia bisa main tanpa was-was. Buat Jack, ini kesempatan buat menunjukkan sisi dirinya di luar atlet populer. Karakter online mereka bukan pelarian, tapi jendela buat eksplorasi diri. Novel ini berhasil menangkap esensi komunitas gaming yang sebenarnya: bukan cuma hiburan, tapi tempat yang nyaman buat yang lagi mencari tempat yang nyaman untuk mereka. Kombinasi antara kritik sosial dan apresiasi terhadap budaya fandom ini yang bikin ceritanya nempel di kepala lama banget.)

THINGS I LOVE

■Viola and Jack leap off the page because they’re gloriously, frustratingly human. She’s the friend who’ll call you on your BS while secretly being a legendary figure admired by all gamers. He’s the guy who’d organize your birthday party while forgetting to deal with his own burnout. And the supporting cast? Bash’s chaotic energy and Olivia’s steady warmth are the kind of characters who make the world feel lived-in. Together, they create a story that’s as much about finding your people as it is about finding yourself.

■The genius of this book lies in how it transplants Shakespeare’s classic comedy into the world of online gaming, not as a gimmick, but as a way to explore modern identity struggles. When Viola logs into the game as a boy, it’s not just a nod to the original play’s cross-dressing hijinks. It’s a survival move, one any woman in male-dominated spaces will recognize instantly. This book takes what could’ve been a lighthearted premise and injects real stakes: What does it cost to hide yourself just to exist safely? How much energy do marginalized players waste just navigating basic respect?

■Jack and Viola’s dynamic is different from the typical "grumpy/sunshine" trope. She’s prickly and built walls so high she can’t see the people trying to reach her. He’s charming and so busy being what others want that he’s lost himself. Their online friendship, where Viola can finally breathe without performance, and their real life clashes, where Jack’s privilege blinds him to her struggles, create this delicious tension. Watching them collide (and slowly, painfully align) feels like watching two people realize they’ve been reading the same map wrong this whole time.

■Forget books where gaming is just a backdrop because here, the MMORPG Twelfth Knight is its own character. It’s Viola’s armor (her male avatar lets her play without harassment) and Jack’s escape (where he’s not a football star, just a guy who loves going on quests). The game where they meet is also where they become truer versions of themselves. Non-gamers get an authentic window into why these worlds matter, while players will nod at details like guild dynamics and the thrill of finding your people in a digital space.

■ Viola and her twin Bash steal every scene they’re in. Their relationship is all sharp elbows and sharper loyalty, no manufactured drama, just the kind of bond where they will roast each other mercilessly but throw down at the first sign of outside disrespect. It’s rare to see sibling dynamics written with this much authenticity, where love isn’t about grand gestures but showing up, even (especially) when you’re annoyed.

(■Viola dan Jack tuh hidup banget karakternya, rasanya kayak bisa keluar dari halaman buku karena mereka sangat manusiawi sampai bikin gregetan. Viola adalah temen yang bakal mengekspos omong kosong kalian sambil tetap jadi sosok gamer yang dipuja-puja gamer lain. Jack adalah tipe yang bakal bikin acara ulang tahun kalian sedetail mungkin tapi lupa kalo dirinya sendiri udah kelelep burnout. Belum lagi Bash yang chaos-nya bikin ketawa dan Olivia yang warmth-nya bikin adem, bener-bener bikin dunia di buku ini terasa nyata. Intinya, cerita ini nggak cuma tentang nemuin jati diri, tapi juga tentang nemuin orang-orang yang bikin kita merasa nyaman.

■Yang keren dari buku ini, dia mengambil konsep komedi Shakespeare terus dipindahkan ke dunia gaming tapi nggak cuma buat gaya-gayaan doang. Pas Viola main game pakai ID cowok, itu bukan sekadar referensi lucu-lucuan kayak di drama aslinya. Itu survival mode, sesuatu yang bakal langsung kita kenali sebagai perempuan yang pernah masuk ke dunia yang didominasi laki-laki. Premis yang keliatannya ringan ini malah jadi dalem banget: Apa harga yang harus dibayar cuma buat bisa exist dengan aman? Seberapa banyak energi yang terbuang cuma buat dapetin basic respect?

■Hubungan Viola dan Jack nggak cuma sekadar "grumpy vs sunshine" kayak di trope biasa. Viola punya tembok pertahanan setinggi langit sampe nggak bisa lihat orang-orang yang sebenarnya peduli sama dia. Sementara Jack terlalu sibuk jadi apa yang orang lain mau sampai lupa dirinya sendiri siapa. Di dunia game, Viola akhirnya bisa bernapas lega tanpa harus pura-pura. Di kehidupan nyata, Jack yang privileged nggak langsung paham permasalahan Viola, dan ketegangan inilah yang bikin chemistry mereka sempurna. Melihat mereka pelan-pelan nyambung tuh kayak lihat dua orang yang baru sadar selama ini udah baca peta dengan cara yang salah.

■Lupakan buku-buku yang menjadikan gaming cuma sebagai background aesthetic. Di sini, game MMORPG Twelfth Knight itu adalah karakter sendiri. Buat Viola, game itu baju zirah (avatar cowoknya bikin dia bisa main game tanpa diganggu). Buat Jack, itu pelarian (di mana dia nggak harus jadi bintang football, tapi bisa jadi gamer biasa yang ikut quest). Game ini nggak cuma tempat mereka ketemu, tapi juga tempat mereka menemukan versi terbaik dari diri mereka. Buat yang nggak main game, ini jadi jendela buat memahami kenapa dunia virtual penting banget. Buat gamers? Detail kayak dinamika guild dan sensasi menemukan circle di dunia digital bakal bikin kita manggut-manggut.

■Viola dan Bash selalu mencuri perhatian di setiap scene mereka. Hubungan mereka itu kayak sikut-sikutan di luar tapi solid banget di dalem, nggak ada drama nggak perlu, cuma ikatan di mana mereka bisa saling nyinyir habis-habisan tapi langsung solid kalo ada orang luar yang ganggu. Jarang banget ada hubungan saudara kandung yang ditulis se-otentik ini, di mana cinta nggak ditunjukin lewat gesture heboh, tapi lewat kehadiran, terutama pas lagi kesel banget.)

🌟 RATING SYSTEM (1-10):

🔺Relatability: 9.5 (Viola’s rage = me in any situation)

🔺Feels: 8 (subtle knife-twists to the heart)

🔺Humor: 10 (Bash alone deserves an award)

🔺Slow-Burn Tension: 7 (romance takes a backseat to personal growth)

🔺Accuracy of Gamer Life: 11 (devs should patch this realism)

WHAT THE OG TWELFTH NIGHT CAST SAID ABOUT THIS BOOK

🔺VIOLA: "Finally, someone gets it. Disguising myself as a man in Illyria wasn’t some wacky comedy bit, it was a survival tactic. Also, this Viola gets to curse and play RPGs? Upgrade. Malvolio who?"

⭐ 5/5 Stars

🔺SIR TOBY BELCH: "Needs more wine and sword fights. But the lad’s got spirit! (P.S. This 'Bash' fellow sounds like my kind of scoundrel.)

⭐ 4/5 Stars

🔺MALVOLIO: "Disgraceful. Where’s the poetic justice? And why does this Viola get to be liked for her sharp tongue? Unacceptable. I demand a refund."

⭐ 1/5 Stars

🔺OLIVIA: "Cute, but my love story had more pining. Though I do appreciate this 'Olivia' character, finally, someone with taste. (Also, Jack’s hair? Chef’s kiss.)"

⭐ 3.5/5 Stars

🔺SEBASTIAN: "I don’t understand. Where’s my shipwreck? My duel? My identity theft trauma? This 'Bash' fellow has it too easy."

⭐ 3/5 Stars

🔺DUKE ORSINO: "Ah, to pine again! Though my Viola never roasted me this hard. Jack, you poor soul, I feel you."

⭐ 4/5 Stars

CONCLUSION 

At the end of the day, Twelfth Knight is not really about fake gamer tags or cute enemies-to-maybe-more tension. It's a memorable read with that quiet moment of recognition of "oh, we've all done this". Maybe not the elaborate gaming persona, but the careful curation of self we present in different spaces. This book's real magic is how it takes this very digital-age dilemma and makes it universally human. Viola and Jack's stories remind us that while armor (whether a male avatar or a perpetual smile) might protect you, it also keeps the real connection and actual growth at bay. With its mix of humor, heart, and way too accurate gamer life, this book is the "Wait… why am I like this?" read. So if you’ve ever felt stuck between who you are and who the world expects you to be? Congrats, this one’s for you. Now go forth, embrace the chaos, and maybe log off once in a while.

(Intinya sih, Twelfth Knight nggak cuma sekadar soal ID game palsu atau hubungan enemies-to-lovers yang bikin gemes. Buku ini lebih ke "Loh, aku pernah ngerasain ini juga sih." Mungkin nggak sampai bikin persona gaming elaborate, tapi lebih ke gimana kita punya versi diri kita yang sudah kita pilah-pilah untuk dikeluarkan di situasi tertentu. Yang bikin buku ini ajaib banget itu cara dia mengubah dilema jaman digital (harus jadi siapa di dunia online vs real life) jadi sesuatu yang relatable buat semua orang. Cerita Viola dan Jack mengingatkan kita: pelindung (entah pake avatar cowok atau senyum palsu) emang bisa menyelamatkan kita, tapi juga bikin kita nggak bisa bener-bener connect sama orang atau berkembang. Dibungkus dengan humor, empati, dan kehidupan gamer yang too real, buku ini tuh kayak "Eh, tunggu, kenapa ya aku kayak gini?" dalam bentuk novel. Jadi kalau kamu pernah merasa terjepit antara jati diri dan ekspektasi orang lain? Selamat, buku ini cocok banget buat kamu. Sekarang, jalani aja chaos-nya, tapi jangan lupa log off sesekali, ya. )