Absolutely incredible! Are you kidding me?! This sequel was everything. I love this duology so much. The fantasy is incredible. Honestly I’m speechless! Thank you NetGalley for an arc

I was so surprised by this book. It took me a while to really delve into it as I had not read book 1 when I received my advance reader copy of this. Once I read book 1, it took me another little bit to want to get into book 2. Not because it wasn't good, quite the opposite. Both these books were amazing but for different reasons. Two Twisted Crowns took the cliffhanger ending of book 1 and placed it on a pause. We got to know secondary characters as well as the main characters of the first book and it made us invested. All of a sudden you cared about Ione. You cared about Elm. Were they interested in book one. Yes but did I expect to be that drawn in to their story? Not at all. The story telling was fantastic and the lore built in book one just grew in book two. You felt empathy for the Shepard King and you understood why he did what he did. You understood that he cared for Elspeth in a way that was paternal and that she cared for him in a fatherly way as well. The ending was superb. Hauth got what he deserved in my opinion. And to be completely honest, it was the most satisfying ending in a book I'd read in a long time. I even got a bit teary if that's any indicator. Rachel Gillig has a faithful reader in me and I cannot wait to read more by this wonderful author.

Two Twisted Crowns is a captivating read that had me hooked from start to finish! The world-building is rich and immersive, with every detail drawing you deeper into the fascinating realm the author has created. The characters are complex and dynamic, each with their own motivations, making it impossible not to get emotionally invested in their journeys.

The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat, and the pacing is perfect—neither too slow nor rushed. The author masterfully blends tension, intrigue, and emotional depth, creating a story that feels both epic and personal at the same time. This story had the perfect blend of fantasy and romance elements.

"Be wary, be clever, be good" BRB while I get this quote tattooed across my forehead.

5 starts doesn't feel like enough. This review has taken me an ungodly amount of time to write, in large part to not feeling like I would be able to write anything that would do it justice. I have read Two Twisted Crowns 5+ times since it was released, and it has a very special place in my heart. Every raving review you have seen of this duology is correct and it will live rent free in my head forever.

Elspeth, Ravyn, Ione, Elm and the Nightmare. I WOULD DIE FOR THEM.

The magic system, character development and emotional depth had me screeching, crying and cheering for them the whole way. The pacing was flawless and flowed seamlessly between both books. The writing was incredible. The multiple POVs were constructed so masterfully I felt a connection to every character- even the lesser involved side characters. Elm and Ione’s relationship was another major highlight (don’t get me wrong, I am obsessed with Elspeth and Raven), but the YEARNING. Bring back men who yearn in 2025.

“A hundred years,” he said to her, as if she were the only one in the room. “I’ll love you for a hundred years – and an eternity after.”" **BAWLING**

The relationship between Ravyn and the Nightmare came in close second. Their banter was hilarious and brought much humor to break up the emotionally devastating tension. Last but not least, the relationship between Elspeth and the Nightmare was beautifully bittersweet. I would be lying if I said I don’t re-read their goodbye every few months. And tear up every time :’)

In summary, I can’t imagine a more perfect duology. Rachel Gillig has cemented herself as one of my god-tier authors, and I will be first in line for anything she writes.

Thank you so much to Orbit Books and Netgalley for an eARC of this book. You introduced me to one of my now favorite authors, and I will forever be grateful for that.

Just as magical as the first one. I loved it.
The covers are stunning and the story is beautiful.

This is the second book in one of my favorite duologies I have ever read. The magic system, the world, the story and the characters are all so unique and I love them!!! I love One Dark Window and did not think this could get any better but I was wrong!!! This book was even better and if I could give it 10 stars I would!

My only complaint is that the story is over!!! I want more from this world and more from this author!! She will be an automatic buy from now on no matter what she writes

The perfect ending to this gothic fantasy duology! I absolutely loved One Dark Window and Rachel Gillig did not disappoint with this one. The plot and magic system were so unique and I genuinely had a great time reading this series.

I loved everything about the characters, the world, and the storyline. Additionally, I loved getting Elm's pov in this book.

Rachel Gillig is a new must-buy author for me.
After reading “One Dark Window”, I wasn’t sure how she was going to top it. I mean, usually, sequels aren’t as great as the first book, right? Boy, this book proved me very wrong!
This book was amazing! I could not put it down and devoured it in one day. Obviously, I love Raven and Elspeth but I wasn’t expecting to root for the monster so hard in this book! The way Gillig wraps it all up made me tear up! The way that everything was connected was right there but the way she weaves it all together was beautiful!
I also loved rooting for Ione and Elm! Gosh, I know that they were secondary chapters but they were just too important to me!
I think about this book often even though I’ve finished it a while ago. I can’t wait to read it again and again because I know it’ll hit every single time.

While the book started off slowly for me, I became fully invested by the end. The shift to multiple points of view, distinct from the first book, ultimately added depth to the plot and characters, enhancing my overall reading experience.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to be approved for this book! I listened to One Broken Window on audio and became OBSESSED with this Duology!

Thank you NetGalley for this amazing opportunity! This world of magic that Racheal Gillig created is my favorite by far. I have never read a book with a world and magic system this intriguing. I would have stayed for the fantasy aspect alone, but the romance is a beautiful touch to an unforgettable world.

This book is so atmospheric - I'm sad to have the duology end! It was set up so beautifully and gave me answers to all the questions I had in my brain from the first book. What a beautiful ending to this saga.

5/5

The Shepherd King series was everything that I wanted a fantasy series to be! It had a unique magic system that was was explained and executed by the author perfectly. The romance, the fighting, the magic, the adventure was everything I was hoping it would be. Nothing was lacking.

Two Twisted Crowns starts off where the first book ended after Nightmare took over Elspeth and all hell broke loose. The main plot of book 2 is Ravyn and Nightmare going on a journey to find the remaining cards of the 12 providence cards to unite the deck. They only have until the solstice to break the curse and get rid of the dark magic and infection surrounding their land.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed that in this book we got to learn a lot more about Elm and Ione who were some of my favorite characters. They had their own sub-plot, side mission, that I think the author did a spectacular job of adding to the story. If we only relied on Ravyn, Nightmare, and Elspeth's povs the story would actually be quite boring. Elm and Ione's story really made this book a 5/5 star read.

Rachel Gillig is a fantastic author and I can't wait to read more!!

Well I finally took the plunge and started on this series and what an epic ride. It’s rare that a sequel is better than its predecessor but this one definitely was. This was such a fantastic, original story with epic world building, characters that tug on your heart strings or simply make you want to murder them, full of twists and turns…. The list goes on.

Just do yourself a favour and read them both. You won’t regret it. First 5 stars of the year.

Rachel Gillig continues to enthral and enrapture. If ever there was a story meant for a duology, this is it. Not only is the journey cathartic, but it is so very human. And the prose! There's something about Rachel Gillig's prose that just sits right with my reader heart. I will read anything and everything she writes. A shopping list? Take my money. A 2000-page, impossibly long book? I'll do it.

Thank you for the early earc for this book! I absolutely loved the first book and this was such a strong sequel. I loved the secondary characters, the setting and storytelling.. I read the first book so long ago and didn't do a reread and yet I was able to dive right back into the story and world. I feel like this was such a strong duology and so unique. It had all the elements of fantasy I love but added in so many unique things (especially the magic system). This was seriously just such a strong follow up and I can't wait to read more from Rachel Gillig in the future. She is definitely on my must buy list!

Two Twisted Crowns is the second book in the Shepherd King duology by Rachel Gillig.

I ended up listening to the audiobook via my Spotify premium subscription. I really enjoyed listening to Lisa Cordileone narrate this book, she does a phenomenal job.

I absolutely inhaled this book in less than 12 hours and stayed up way too late to finish! I think I may have enjoyed the first book just a smidge better, BUT both books are absolutely 5 stars in my book.

In the first book of the duology, One Dark Window, I saw the seeds planted for the romance that unspools in this book. I was definitely here to watch them fall for one another, and was rooting for them the whole time. There are several point-of-view characters here, and I enjoyed all of them immensely.

This was a very fitting end to the duology. I have a mighty feel I may re-read these books from time to time!

To say I was excited when I was approved for this ARC is an immense understatement, and I’m extremely thrilled that this book exceeded my expectations!! Rachel Gillig is a master at her craft. This duology is everything you could ever want and more! Two Twisted Crowns is the perfect sequel to One Dark Window.

Have recommended this duology many times as a librarian in person and to family/friends who share these interests, have just gotten around to reviewing electronically. Beautiful book that I think of often, in its writing and story telling, and I cherish the characters very much.

This took me so long to get to and I don't know why! I read book one when it was released and then put this one off for so long that I had to reread book one to continue.

I will say that I really appreciated the multi-POVs that we got in book two since we didn't have that in book one. It was a nice change of pace and helped establish more motivations and relationships with side characters.

The relationships didn't really work for me in book two which was unfortunate because I was definitely a fan of Elspeth and Rayvn in book one. My main complaint is that a duology is too short to have the love interests split up for almost the entirety of a book and expect to love their happily ever after at the end. I needed to see them grow together in order to really have stakes in their relationship. The second relationship was also flawed in my opinion since much of the "love" developed off-page and before we were following either character.

I do think that the middle dragged a little, but I overall liked this book- especially the ending.

This book is AMAZING. I’ve never seen a magic system like this and it immediately drew me in. The romance is amazing, the story is fantastic. I can’t gush enough!!!