The two twisted crowns series is so amazing. One of the best I've read in years. Orbit has some amazing books, and I'll definitely be picking up more Rachel Gillig in the future. So sad this series is over, but I loved it while it was here.

What a wonderful experience! This book not only answered every question I had from the first book, but it kept my attention throughout the entire story. I finished this book in 1 day as I couldn't read fast enough!! I have recommended this duology to multiple people as one of the best reads of 2023. The character development of The Nightmare by far is one of the best, I came to love him and his relationship with the other characters.

When One Dark Window came out, I read the description but didn't seem interested. However, I still requested the ARC of Two Twisted Crowns. Let me tell you, a part of me is happy I waited to read this duology together because it was phenomenal. I enjoyed the relationship in Two Twisted Crowns more than the first one. This was a similar device was used by Hannah Whitten in For the Throne. Since reading this I have been looking for something to give me the same emotional rush.

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE FANTASIES OF THE YEAR.

I fell in love with One Dark Window last year. Fell more in love with it on my second re read and THEN Two Twisted Crowns decided to go ahead and exceed all my expectations.

This story gives us the same dark story telling vibes with extremely satisfying riddles, cursed woods, heartfelt romance and character dynamics I couldn't get enough of. This one switches POVs and I felt like the story moved in a direction that made sense. I loved getting more insight into different characters from the first book, I felt the heat and tension in the romance (in all aspects), and I drowned in dark gothic fantasy delight.

Gillig has created characters that feel raw and imperfect on the page. They grow and change and realize that weaknesses can be stepping points for true strength. I fell more in love with every page. I can't say too much since this is a sequel but rest assured...I loved it.

The banter. amazing. The plot. propulsive and well done. The characters. Well Crafted. The Magic. Unique and intriguing.

I will read whatever Rachel writes next.

*some strong language, darker fantasy elements and violence, open door (one scene) but emotionally driven with some light description.

Loved this book so much. What a wonderful conclusion to the Shepard King duology. One of my favorite things about this story and the first was the system of magic. It's so different than anything I've ever read. Added to the character development of the Nightmare, Elm, Ione, Elspeth, and Ravyn. I also really enjoyed the different character POVs. Usually I get confused when there are so many. Bit these where done so well it all tracked. Taking us to a conclusion that I didn't see coming.

This book didn’t captivate me the way the first book did.
There were just one too many perspectives. We would jump from Elspeth to Ravyn to Elm.

The pacing felt off to me. We would be following Ravyn and the crew go into the woods to get the Twin Alders and get to an exciting part…only to be ripped back into the boring world of Elm.

I understand, by the end, why we wanted Elm’s POV…but it was hard to get into because this isn’t a character that I bonded with in the first book.

I wanna thank Netgalley for proving me a copy of this book to review.

Two Twisted Crowns should be the roadmap on how to write a compelling sequel and ending to a duology.

This book was a masterpiece. It's widely worn when side characters from the first book become just as important to you as the main characters. Characters I didn't "like" from the first book ended up stealing my whole heart and soul. This book contained the perfect villain as well. You just loathe him with your entire being. I ended up endearing myself to the nightmare though. And he was ultimately my favorite character and a big part of why I kept reading.


All this to say, BRAVO. Well done. I'll read anything this author writes.

Overall enjoyed the book and the duet.
I felt like the supporting characters however took over the show a bit in book 2. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the bounce between first and third person POVs.

Somehow this was even better than book one! I am SO sad I finished it so quickly, but I could not stop. I will read everything this author writes.

I enjoyed this sequel so much more than the first book! They author tied up this story so nicely. I can't say too much without giving it away. Ravyn and Ren's character developments were so well done. I would love to see this in show or movie form!! Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the free preview ecopy.

obsessed!!! I didn’t get around to posting a review until now, but the characters and the plot are 10/10 🤩 our girl never fails to deliver

I loved this sequel and how Elm’s pov was added in, making another storyline that fit perfectly into the plot but also I just wanted to keep reading to get to Elm’s part! I felt like I had much more understanding of the cards. Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

This was such a fantastic ending to an awesome fantasy duology! 🗡️

This book starts where the first left off, and man it really doesn’t let you go. Along with Elspeth’s POV, Elm and Ravyn get a chance to be stars and while the back and forth first to third person narration was rather odd for me, I really liked getting their perspective of the events in the book. 👁️

Elspeth’s journey to reclaim her body and switching places with the Nightmare was a rather cool change of view. I could see how frustrated he was after eleven years stuck immobile, and so for Elspeth to get the same experience was both eye opening as well as fascinating. I really liked how the relationship between the two evolved in this sequel and the ending felt both satisfying as well as rather sad.🪞

Ravyn and Elm’s POV were so cool to get into. You could see all the pent up anger these men held and how they have used their outer emotions to mask their inner thoughts and feelings. I will say that Elm’s redemption arc in this book was probably my favorite of the bunch. You really got to see how and why he became the man that he is, and also how Ione (who also had an amazing and devastating subplot) really saw him for who he was. And their relationship was just *chef’s kiss*. I loved their banter so much! 🖤

And lastly, the part that I loved the most was the deep dive into the history of both Blunder and the Deck itself. I thought the backstory of the Nightmare was so relatable and heart wrenching, and I can see why the cards were made in the first place. 🃏

In the end, this was a wonderfully written conclusion to The Shepherd King duology, and I’m super excited to read Gillig’s upcoming series! 📚

Huge thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for accepting my request for an eARC in exchange for an honest review, and to the author, Rachel Gillig, for writing such an incredible and unique magic system and world! 🌲

Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Overall series: 4.5/5 ⭐️

To say I loved this book is to do it a disservice. It's rare to find a perfect fantasy duology these days, but this is definitely it for me. I won't give away too much because this is a sequel, but if you loved One Dark Window, all the gothic, romantic elements are here. I really love how this story is an allegory for trauma healing. If ever there was a story that would help us embrace the monster in us, it's this duology. Safe to say Gillig is now an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the early access to this ebook.

I very much enjoyed this story, so much going on and also so many ways to wrap it up. I felt very connected to the characters in this story despite the whispy, fairytale-like manner of the narrative.


I would have enjoyed just a tad more of the Yew Tree and his lost Nightmare but I very much enjoyed Elm and Ione’s story. I know it is common to set up the secondary main couple to be in the second installment but with this being a duology I needed a bit more of the two we fell in love with the first book. Ephelsa was finally able to start exploring herself outside of Nightmare though it had become marked with various Shepard King traits.

I know anything else this author puts out will be at the top of the shelf.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book!

I read the first half of this book and listened to the second half (thanks Spotify!) I typically do not listen to audiobooks, but may have not finished this book otherwise. I was not interested in continuing the duology after reading ODW, but I received the free copy and here we are. While the story itself gets a 3/5 stars, the audiobook gets 5/5 CRINGES. The narrators attempt at male voices made me want to bury myself with The Nightmare. She made Elm sound like Ash the Pokémon master and Ione like Snow White. It was distracting and may have turned me off to audiobooks all together. With that being said, the story is just okay to me. I can see why people love it. It’s just not for me. I enjoyed The Nightmare throughout both books and knew that he would have a redemption arc. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric. I just didn’t find myself really caring all that much about the characters. I thought we would have seen more about Raven and Elspeth, but this book centers more on Elm and Ione. I’m satisfied that we got to see more of the back story and feel like those loose ends were tied up nicely.

Two Twisted Crowns is a tidy conclusion to a nice fantasy duology. I did have to remind myself of the plot of the first book though, I apparently retained none of it. Even after reminding myself, I still barely remember it. I found book 2 had less pacing struggles but I still found it difficult to get into.

Using Elspeth’s captivity to remind the reader some of what they read in the last book is clever. She fills in the Shepard King’s past with her chapters but her parts are so short. I was really missing her from the narrative of the story. It felt like Elspeth was an afterthought and had no agency in a book that was supposed to be the conclusion to her story.

I found it difficult to get into the romance between Ione and Elm as I really didn’t like Ione in book one so the segue to her as a main character was hard for me.

It’s not a bad story. I just really could not connect with it at all. Most of the “big reveals” are aggressively not surprising but still seem well thought out.

I was ready for it to be a disappointment but the last 30% was really good and it wrapped up quite well. I did struggle to read it and kept putting it down. It ended up being very middle of the road for me

So absolutely obsessed with this duology! After reading this one, I will have to do a reread of it! I was left speechless.... this book is a must read!!!

Oh my! The perfect conclusion to this duology.

The way that the story came together was beautiful. I was so invested in this world and the characters.

It is everything that we already think, just woven so wonderfully into this story of magic, betrayal, history, redemption, family, and love.

*chefs kiss*

This was exactly the sequel that One Dark Window needed and deserved, I think this is such a fantastic duology that will appeal to a wide range of fantasy fans.

When I read One Dark Window, I was so fully enamored with the characters, particularly Ravyn and the Nightmare. I’m so pleased to say that we get plenty of sad angsty boi Ravyn, and all the Nightmare lore I was dreaming of. In addition, I think Two Twisted Crowns did a great job of expanding my interest in the other characters, particularly Renelm and Ione. I did miss some of the Elspeth/Ravyn dynamic - we still get to see some of this, but for obvious reasons it isn’t quite the same.

The plot picks up right where it left off in One Dark Window. The goal remains the same: reunite the full deck of Providence Cards, lift the mist, and heal the sick, but now the stakes are even higher. I do think the pacing in the first half was a little slower than I expected, particularly with Elm and Ione’s share of the plotline. However, once I hit about the 50% mark, I was fully hooked and the rest of the book went a lot quicker. We get to see a lot of expanded Blunder history and lore, which is something I was craving during One Dark Window and felt a little let down by. Everything we learn about the cards and the Shepard King in the sequel satiated my lore appetite and I was very pleased about this. The last few chapters felt like a whirlwind and I wasn’t sure how it was going to end, and I loved that it kept me guessing.

Overall, I had so much fun with this duology and I can’t wait to see what Gillig writes next. Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.