Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

THIS BOOK. Utter perfection. Rachel Gillig is officially one of my top favourite authors. This is hands down one of the best fantasy books I've read in my life.

This book was incredible, and an amazing introduction to a darker style of fantasy! It's not often that a sequel stands alongside the original story, but this was just as exceptional as book one. I loved the continuation of the story with a primary focus on a second set of characters. The author artfully managed to move the story forward an add to the dynamics of the first book while taking a new perspective on the adventure. Loved, Loved, Loved this book and the duopoly as a whole and have already recommended it to a number of other readers.

This was so good! I can’t get over how much I loved this story!! Very cool idea and well thought out. Had me hooked from the first page to the last!

A fantastic sequel to 'One Dark Window', this book did not disappoint! Adding in Elm's pov helped keep the story balanced and he quickly became one of my favorite characters. Can't wait to read more from this author.

I just want to start off with saying that I loved One Dark Window and was so excited for this one! Unfortunately, it was a huge miss for me and I’m not exactly sure why but I will try to explain.

Firstly, I was just simply so bored with the entire book. This is very character driven so if you enjoy that perhaps you will like this better, but we are missing a crucial character POV for the entirety of the book which I think was part of the issue. I also feel as though the magic system and world in the first book should have been expanded upon more in this one, and really wasn’t. Almost nothing happens in the book until the last 30%, which was extremely apparent when I was able to skip ~15% of the middle of this and still fully understand the ending. Really the only part of this book that drew me in was the romance subplot, but even that was not enough to keep my attention for more than a few pages at a time.

To put this in perspective, typically a book this size would take me 4-5 days to read, max. Instead, I was slogging through this for nearly three weeks. It would quite literally put me to sleep every time I picked it up.

I know a lot of people enjoyed this and I think if you would love a character driven story and don’t mind missing Elspeth’s POV, don’t let my review deter you!
If you are currently reading and bored to death, you have my permission to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a fair review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In my review for One Dark Window, I had described it as "an incredibly dark and atmospheric read that will leave you haunted and hungry for its sequel." and the hunger has officially been sated.

Two Twisted Crowns was everything a follow up sequel should be. Just as lush and gothic and mysterious as the first book, this completes The Shepard King duology in the most perfect way!

4.5 stars for both!

There's a dark mist that is infecting the Kingdom of Blunder. Elspeth touched one out of twelve Providence Cards at a young age, which each give off a unique power. Because of her action, she has been living with a voice inside her head for years called "the Nightmare".

Elspeth is now an adult and is on a mission to collect all Providence Cards so the mist could forever banish from the Kingdom, thus curing everyone that was infected by "the fever".

This duo was so much fun to read. These books are unique, and the dark gothic atmospheric vibes are everything. Aside, from the gorgeous covers, these books scratched an itch I didn't know needed to be scratched.

One Dark Window ended with a cliffhanger that had my jaw on the floor. I literally started Two Twisted Crowns right after (thanks for the ARC, Orbit!). I was relieved when TTC delivered, especially with the ending, because we all know how a duology can be a hit or miss.

The worldbuilding was not perfect and that's okay, the story and the characters more than delivered. These books begin on the slower side, but they are worth it, and eventually do pick up. I cannot recommend these enough and I can't wait to see what else the author writes.

This sequel was propulsive and captivating. It was the perfect amount of creepy while having a magical system that was uncomplicated yet felt new to me. Having Elspeth be hidden for a portion of the book and only hearing from the shepherd king was unexpected and kept the book feeling fresh. I could have spent more time in this world, but thought the ending was satisfying.

5 stars

I can't decide if I like One Dark Window or Two Twisted Crowns more, but together they are perfection together.

This book is the second in The Shepherd King duology. I was surprised when we had Elm's point of view, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I cannot decide which point of view I liked the most, they all added to the store and my experience. Rachel Gillig wove together the different points of view in a way that had me invested in every aspect of the story. I wasn't sure which direction the story would go, and I gave up trying to figure it out and enjoyed the ride. I was not let down and it exceeded my expectations.

The writing was amazing and I kept stopping to think about it and talk to people about lines that just wouldn't leave my mind. The magic, the mist, the romance, and the heist-like plot all weaved together seamlessly. This is a series I will definitely be revisiting. I highly recommend The Shepherd King Duology.



Be wary. Be clever. Be good.


Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orbit for allowing me the opportunity to read. I'll be eagerly looking forward to more from Gillig.

A great follow up to One Dark Window. I loved the characters and the story and the book was very well written. I do think I liked book one just a bit more so this wasn't quite five stars for me but I really enjoyed this duology!

Two Twisted Crowns takes off right where One Dark Window leaves off and made for such an excellent second installment!

This book continued to have incredible world building, with an intricate magic system and history told in a truly incredible way. I truly appreciate when an author doesn’t info dump to the readers, and she had such a fascinating way of building the lore in her world and how the characters learn the history of their kingdom.

This book also included Elm’s perspective and it was the perfect addition that I didn’t realize the first one was lacking! He not only became an engaging, well developed character in this novel, but including his perspective allowed us to see more of what was happening at the castle while Ravyn and Elspeth/The Shepherd King search for the Twin Alders card. I love how we got to see more from his past and life, along with a new romance for his character. I need to complement Rachel on this as well; I appreciated getting a new romance instead of unnecessary drama added to Ravyn/Elspeth’s relationship. They have enough going as it is. Plus, I REALLY liked Elm and his love interest and thought it added SO MUCH to the story!

Truly a well written, magical tale. I greatly enjoyed this duology, and the ending was PERFECTION. I highly recommend to anyone who wants an easy, magical story with heart and a little romance added in.

I received a copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

why i did OBSESSSED over Elm - like OBSESSSSSS help me (embarassing) this book was extremely hard to keep up with compared to book 1. i totally understand why (since this is the last book in the series) but i still don't get a lot of what happened. love the characters and loved that book 2 followed elm + ione but was just a lot for me

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

This is one of the few books I've given 5 stars to this year but it is more than deserving. This duology was everything; Two Twisted Crowns had a LOT to live up to after One Dark Window and boy, did it deliver. Everything about it is so unique, so captivating, so good, so BRILLIANT. I have no doubt this will forever be one of my absolute favorites of all time. This is story telling at it's finest.

We get to follow several more characters this time around. We are brought through the consequences of Elspeth and Nightmare; Ravyn is determined to find the Twin Alders card to unite the deck, relinquishing the mist for good. The love he has for Elspeth and everything he does to try and save her is beautifully heartbreaking.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about following the secondary characters because it's almost never done the way the reader wants, but I should've known better than to be worried; Rachel executed it all perfectly. I loved following Elm and getting to know him better.

Rachel Gillig is truly an author to look out for. She has an amazing way of pulling you in with the perfect blend of world-building and story. There's romance (oh my GOSH, the romance) but it doesn't take away from the plot which I greatly appreciate.

If you enjoyed the first book, you’ll enjoy this book. Maybe even more so. The writing is consistent, The story evolves at a good pace, My attention was still captivated.

CONTENT WARNING: self-harm (for magical purposes), suicidal ideation, violence, murder, death of a child

I fell in love with the atmospheric, dark, twisty writing of Rachel Gillig when she burst onto the scene with One Dark Window, a novel that immediately left me wanting more. When I finally got to start this book, nothing could tear me away.

Whereas the last book mainly focused on Elspeth’s perspective and experience, this one broadens the scope by giving us more perspectives—we see the world through the eyes of Ravyn, Elm, and the Nightmare. I like books with multiple perspectives when it’s done well, and Gillig masters it here. It was especially beneficial to the story since all three of these characters are on separate journeys in the story. Elspeth kind of takes a backseat in this story, although she still features in it.

I really loved getting to know more about the Nightmare. There’s all these flashbacks to his past throughout the book, and we get to know who he was and who he is now, and what made him change. I really loved getting to see even more of his snide comments, and his interactions with Elspeth.

Gillig continues to display her immense talent when writing characters in this book. She writes incredible character arcs for Ravyn, Elm, the Nightmare, Ione, and Elspeth. She even wrote a redemption arc for a character that I was convinced that I hated. Her writing itself is wonderful—atmospheric, evocative, and dreamlike. I felt like I was transported to Blunder and the mist-shrouded forests right alongside the characters, and was fully invested in everything that was happening.

Overall, this was an incredible read. This story was just as dark and twisty as the last one, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I was blindsided by so many plot twists, and loved seeing different sides of the characters I thought I knew. There’s an unexpected romance that I loved seeing bloom, and it was between two characters that turned out to be cinnamon rolls desperately in need of a sweet romance. Everything about this story was perfect, right up until the ending. I’ll be eagerly awaiting whatever Rachel Gillig writes next.

This book was an amazing ending to a fantastic duology. This is probably one of my top ten for the year. The first book was such a good read and left you wanting more. Two Twisted Crowns is everything you could ask for in a sequel. It continued the well built world of magic and intrigue. And added in a quest to save loved ones. It really doesn’t get any better.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
“Two Twisted Crowns” by Rachel Gillig

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Content: 🌶️🌶️/5
Genre: Fantasy

“Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders. If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom. And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.”

PREPARE TO BE SICK OF ME because I will not shut up about this book any time soon 😂 Best book of the year! And what away to end this incredible series. I laughed, I blushed, I cried... And I never wanted this book to end! Rachel is an amazing author and her writing really makes you feel like you are immersed in the story of Blunder. These characters? How can you not love them?! Elm definitely stole the show for me in this book! New book boyfriend? Absolutely! I loved the exploration of his back story and the chance to see a relationship develop for him because... Well, just read the book for yourself to find out!😏 and don't even get me started in The Nightmare... My guy deserves the world! I absolutely love characters that are sarcastic and grumpy, but when you peel back the layers have a complex history and a soft side. His story had the ending that I could only wish for for a character like his and I will seriously miss reading his sarcastic comments and riddles. The characters in this book had the best ending and it will continue to be something I will think about often🥹 This book is perfect. 10/10. Standing ovation. Will be a book that I recommend to EVERYONE I ever talk to!

Thank you Rachel and Netgally for the ARC🖤

What an excellent follow up to One Dark Window!

As we continue the story of our magic Maiden fighting to help a Destrier and Prince reunite a deck of 12 magical cards, we get to have multiple POV’s from almost all the main characters. A much different set up than the first book and very interesting switching back and forth allowing insight into everyone’s thoughts.

I found the story started out much slower for me in this book but eventually picked up. Towards the end I almost couldn’t read fast enough…the suspense was KILLING ME. The story itself was very intricate and revealed soooo many more details, I put my hand to my mouth at least a couple of times. I did find the Ravyn and Elm’s character behavior/ story almost interchangeable at one part early on which I didn’t like, but it finally separated and I enjoyed the story much more.

This story has way more suspenseful moments and heart stopping challenges to overcome than in book 1, but I appreciate both tones for what they are. This was an excellent sequel and I highly recommend it.

A deliciously dark and twisted tale of the past, present, and future. Weaving together ancient history, corruption of those in power, magic, pain, and sacrifice into a story that will capture your attention on a cold winter night.

In the second book of the Shepherd King duology we return to Blunder, where the Nightmare has control of Elspeth's body, the high king wants her & her family dead, and Ravyn has collected all but the last Providence card required to lift the mist and change things in his country.

The sequel is just as deliciously dark and twisty as the first, delivering a gorgeous story filled with prose that paints an ominous picture. Getting to the last Providence card isn't as easily said as done, and Elspeth, Ravyn, and a number of their friends must head deep into the woods to find the Spirit. Meanwhile things continue to escalate back at court, where the younger heir Elm is trying to find a way forward while protecting Elspeth's cousin.

I inhaled this one in 2 sittings, which included falling asleep reading it. It's vivid, and lush, dark and twisty, and just as well executed as the first. If you love gothic vibes, are looking for another series with FOR THE WOLF/FOR THE THRONE vibes, or love dark and atmospheric fantasy, its got to be on your TBR.

Sequel to One Dark Window. Loved Elms POV and The Shepard King but felt like we didn't get Elspeth as much as the first book. I did find myself a bit board at times but still a solid 4 star book. The magic system was fun and I would defiantly recommend this duology.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
“Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”