Even better than the first one somehow. I’ll never stop raving about this series or author. Can’t wait to see what new stories she’ll come up with next!

This was a great sequel to One Dark Window! The characters continue to develop and the story deepens our understanding of their past and way forward. The story adds depth and twists, as should be expected with the second novella, and it does not disappoint. Fans of the original should appreciate the continuation of the story and the new parts to be explored.

I was hooked on the first instalment and the sequel was a great addition! Especially in the cliffhanger I had some reservations about where it may go, but it kept it intriguing while growing in the story. Without revealing too much, the final culmination in the story does tie up loose ends and brings characters into somewhat of a conclusion with each other.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Please excuse my tardiness in posting my review. My TBR list is continuously growing and I keep finding so many amazing books being requested + added to my pile! I have so much gratitude for this copy that has been shared with me.

This sequel truly exceeds expectations! I'm finding it hard to bid farewell to the captivating magic world and its characters. "Two Twin Crowns" concludes The Shepherd King series with three compelling points of view—I devoured Ravyn, Elm, and Elspeth's narratives, which seamlessly intertwine two engaging storylines. This dark, gothic fantasy brims with magic, tension, witty banter, forced proximity, and thrilling action that immediately pulled me in. Picking up right where "One Dark Window" left off, the kingdom of Blunder is in turmoil. Ravyn teams up with Nightmare to locate the final card of the 12 providence cards, essential for uniting the deck and dispelling the dark magic infecting them, all before the solstice deadline. Nightmare's snarky yet endearing personality shines as we delve into his backstory, witnessing the depths of his pain and the protective bond he forms with Ravyn, Elspeth, and Jespyr. Exploring the intricacies of the magic cards adds depth to the narrative, while the evolving relationship between Ravyn and Nightmare, filled with humorous bickering and genuine affection, tugs at the heartstrings. I found myself growing even more attached to Nightmare and shedding tears for him by the story's end.

While I was caught a bit off guard by the shift in the way the romance was handled in this book vs the first, I still very much enjoyed the conclusion to this duology.
The world is vivid and dangerous, and the relationship between the main character and the nightmare that lives in her head just absolutely fascinates me.

The best writing and most interesting parts of this sequel were related to the romance. Of course this is typical of a romantasy, but with the structure of this final book having us go back and forth between characters, the storyline revolving the actual fantasy plot was lacking.
Overall, I thought this was rather predictable, most of the characters were not fleshed out enough, and a main conflict/issue for our characters that carried over from the first book actually had a really easy fix and had me asking why the characters didnt do this from the start...?

Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Picking up right where One Dark Window left off, Two Twisted Crowns weaves a dark tale of mystery, adventure, betrayal and love.

I loved learning The Nightmare’s backstory, along with how the providence cards were created. It added a whole other dimension and more depth to the story. The plot kept me hooked right from the start and didn’t let go. There were moments that had me on the edge of my seat, wondering how the characters were going to get themselves out of these scrapes. The new points of view were also a great addition to the story. I found myself caring more about characters from the first book that I wasn’t necessarily as fond of.

This was the perfect way to finish off the duology and I cannot wait to see what Gillig writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Rachel Gillig for the advanced copy of Two Twisted Crowns in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.

When I read One Dark Window last year it was like… an epiphany. Truly the gothic fantasy romance I’d been wanting to read for the longest time. The writing amazing, the plot mysterious and intricate, the characters flawlessly morally grey- easily my favorite release of 2022 and a favorite of all time. So suffice to say Two Twisted Crowns was one of my most anticipated follow ups and it absolutely did not disappoint 👏🏻

The thing about sequels is they can easily drag. But this was obviously not the case for TTC. In fact I don’t think it could’ve been done more perfectly. It branches into past intervals that not only add to the story but carry the plot forward PERFECTLY. We get more side character arcs to the forefront which I LOVED. The atmosphere was as stellar as before. I got the answers I needed and overall everything tied up together exceptionally. 10/10 for a fantastic finale!

"Let me out. Let me out. Let me out."

Spellbinding conclusion to The Shepherd King duology with adventurous quest, haunted woods, and fairytale elements woven together into a book that I couldn't put down. I loved seeing more of the Nightmare and the Nightmare's interactions with Rowan as long-lost secrets regarding the cards and the mist were revealed. The Nightmare is one of my favorite characters ever, and has the bite, the depth, the regret, the strength, and the secret motives that hooked me! I also loved Rowan's protectiveness over Elspeth and there were plenty of "touch her and you die" moments. And I found the secondary, surprise couple's love story to be a welcome continuation of the romance themes in the first. 

The prose was dark and alluring, full of quotes that you'll want to revisit again and again:  

“There once was a girl,” he said, his voice slick, “clever and good, who tarried in shadow in the depths of the wood. There also was a King—a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book. The two were together, so the two were the same: “The girl, the King, and the monster they became.”

"You did not come all this way to yield to despair." 

This book has everything you want from dark fantasy!

Two Twisted Crowns was not what I expected, but in the best possible way!!! I love a story where you are constantly trying to make predictions and still end up surprised by how things turn out. This duet had joined my list of forever book recs.

I love Elspeth and Ravyn so much in both books. Also, I couldn’t believe that we got not one, but two romances in the Shephard King duet 😍 Ione and Elm were two supporting characters that I absolutely adored from book one. Seeing their characters develop further in book two was chef’s kiss.

Thank you so much to Rachel Gillig and NetGalley for this ebook!!! Of course I also had to purchase the physical book as well— it’s stunning and has joined my fantasy favorites bookshelf!!

4.5 stars. What an amazing end to this duology. It wrapped up this story perfectly. Elm stole the show in this book but so did Nightmare. Forever love for Taxus🫶🏼

I absolutely am in love with this world. I have always loved and been drawn to gothic literature and obviously fantasy is my favorite. So I knew when I heard of this duology that it would be my cup of tea. I did not expect to fall in love with this world as much as I did. It was the perfect mix of gothic atmosphere and themes. The magic system is so unique and added to the overall vibe of the world. I loved the highwaymen/ heist plot. It was so unexpected but so so good. The love story is so compelling and the nightmare is so well written. Everything I loved from the first book was here tenfold in the sequel.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

A fantastic conclusion to an amazing duology, I received this digital copy after publication day, so I didn’t realize I had gotten it.

I enjoyed this one some what, I feel like there was ALOT of hype of this series book one and two and it truly just didn't live up to it for me. I mean it was good don't get me wrong but I had a hard time keeping interested and going on. I feel maybe read this series right after Fourth Wing wasn't a good idea, nothing can compare to that one.

This was the PERFECT ending to this duology! I was on the edge of my seat at the end of the first one and this wrapped it up so well!! Highly recommend!!!!

This book was so good!
I loved the first one and I loved getting to go a little more in depth into the nightmare. I found myself SO FRUSTRATED that he wouldnt let her go.

The romance in this book is just *chefs kiss*

Beautifully written.

I went into this one not having read the first one, so at first I was a little confused. Now I have to go back and read the first because this book was amazing!

Rachel Gillig has created a fantasy world that I never wanted to leave. The writing and the story were pure perfection.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I had heard of the author before and heard good things, but this one wasn’t for me. It’s the second book in the series and I had not read the first one; I fully accept that it was on me to have read the first book before reading this one. However, I had read books in the past that didn’t rely so heavily one the precursor books, so I didn’t think it would be a huge deal. It was.
I hope this doesn’t stop someone from reading this book because it is well written and engrossing, I just spent much of my reading time feeling lost.

I really loved this duology. The magic system and the cards were so interesting and brought some real magic into reading. I should have done a reread of the first book before this one though because I felt like I was forgetting things from the first book. Elspeth is definitely going to be one of my favorite heroines.

from my goodreads:

alright but elm absolutely carried this book on his back. i mean he had me swooning with just a handful of short sentences.

i think this was much better than one dark window! i liked getting multiple character povs and learning a lot more about the cards and the history of blunder. i thought the plot was a lot more gripping and intriguing.

this duology is the definition of a book with a subplot romance. it is really more of a fantasy romance than a romantasy (if that makes sense) overall it was alright, not my favorite but this second book made it much more interesting!