I absolutely loved the last book in this duology!! It was so good and kept me immersed in the world the entire time. I can not recommend this book enough!

I'm not even sure where to begin. The second book of this duology did not disappoint! I love how Rachel Gillig changed things up to give us the POV of three of the main characters (well, four, since Elspeth and the Nightmare share a mind together. There were so many twists and turns, it was like being on your favourite rollercoaster! It is a MUST read! I will definitely be reading it multiple times.

Two Twisted Crowns takes place right where One Dark Window left off. While One Dark Window was pretty mid for me (3 stars), I decided to give Two Twisted Crowns a chance because I loved the setting and magic in the first one.

Unfortunately, I felt pretty similarly about this one. Though the setting is cool and the magic is still cool, I didn’t get anything about either that really blew me away. I wanted more information about the magic, instead of just focusing on the five cards that’s were important, I would have loved to see how the cards played into daily life for everyone, not just the palace.

Something I did enjoy in the first was the relationship between Elspeth and her monster, but due to events at the end of the first, we get none of that in this one. In fact, we get new relationships and povs and all of the relationships that were built in the first one, aren’t present in the second so every relationship just felt rushed in this duology.

I really like the writing style and idea for this book, so I’ll pick up other books from this author, but overall, this series isn’t one I’ll be keeping in my head.

Elspeth(+ The Nightmare) and Ravyn (& co.) are searching for the final card, The Twin Alders. With the completed deck(which is really just half the deck) and the blood of an infected they would be able to lift the mist and cure the sickness in the kingdom. Only The Nightmare who haunts Elspeth's mind knows where The Twin Alders card rests. He has promised to lead them to where it is, but promises are tricky and nothing is for free. Magic always has it’s price.

I love the first book in this duology. I hadn’t read a book as good in such a long time. That maybe, just maybe, I had too high expectations for this second book.




The writing was beautiful. The magic system and the concept of Providence cards and how they work/became is so unique and interesting. I loved the character of The Nightmare. I wanted more of him, him and Elspeth, his perspective, not just his memories. The banter, especially quite a few back and forth between Elm and Ione was funny and enjoyable.



This book had such a large focus on the secondary romance, Ravyn and Elspeth didn't get any actual time together. While we waited and waited for this to sort out; I never truly felt like I got what I came for as the ending was so rushed and frantic, while the middle had pulled along so tediously with Elm’s perspective. I think the author chose the wrong perspectives to follow or could’ve developed Ione and Elm’s characters better. Their addition meant a lack of Elspeth/The Nightmare and Elspeth/Ravyn which was honestly a let down.



I hope in the future the author gives us a Elspeth/Ravyn novella or something of the like. 



I would recommend this book to those that read One Dark Window. Even though it wasn’t as satisfying as I would have hoped there were still many moments that I was glad to have read. I do not know if I would recommend this series to anyone who hasn’t read it yet; because the first book is just so much better than the second.

A four star read for me. I do felt like this one was a little slower for me than the first one was. I really missed having Elspeth the entire book.

Rachel Gillig's writing is just amazing. This was a perfect conclusion to this duology that I enjoyed a lot!

Ione & Elm were such a high point for me also. Like all the heart eyes.

Thanks to Netgalley & Orbit Books for my ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

I was very excited about this book after reading One Dark Window earlier this year. The first book in the duology was something new, with a dark and uncertain ending. While Two Twisted Crowns was a great follow-up, there were elements of it that I felt were not well set up in the first book. I thought, at times, that perhaps the entire story would have been better served by having one book of slightly longer length, because quite a lot could have been cut from this book without losing the plot. That said, those things were good for development otherwise, so I don't hold it too much against the book itself.

The ending was satisfying, if a bit too cleanly done in my opinion. I won't complain more than that about a happy ending, however.

I absolutely loved this book. Two Twisted Crowns is a perfect continuation of One Dark Window. I loved all the POVs in this story. Elm and Ione were absolutely adorable, and the pain the author put these character through will haunt me. They deserve the world. Truly every page of this book felt important, there were no lagging parts. The story progressed wonderfully, and I loved the parts that called back to the first book. Even though this story ended in (what I think) is the only way possible, it didn’t hurt any less (ie: I sobbed)

I will absolutely recommend this duology to everyone and anyone. Thank you to the NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC of this book

Rating: 4.5 stars

I am so happy this sequel lived up to my anticipation for it! It was everything I had wanted and more.

The book is told from multiple point-of-views which really fits the story and how everything had ended with the cliffhanger of book one. I was happy to also get more from some of the minor characters like Elm and Iona. It helped to understand their treatment from other characters, especially Hauth. They were broken down a lot and I felt for them and what they had went through.

Ravyn and Elspeth have a bunch of hurdles to get through when it comes to their relationship. It isn’t easy being together after the ending of book one. I was curious to see how their story would go because of it and I am very happy with the result. The distance definitely didn’t stop their love and had me very teary-eyed at the end. There was also a budding romance that kept me satiated as well!

One of my favorite things about this book is the scenes from the past that we get. There is more to the cards and the betrayal of the Rowans as well as the Shepherd King. It was interesting to see how it all started and what led to the events of the present. There are a lot of plot twists that follow because of it and I wasn’t expecting any of them! They kept me engaged with the story and it was hard to put down.

Overall, this was a great ending to the doulogy. I am sad to see these characters go and this world that was created. It was dark, magical, and had my heart going pitter patter when it came to the romance. I will read anything by this author and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Such a stunning duology! I really appreciate not only the uniqueness of the story but also of the characters. I’ve never read about characters quite like these.

The first book sucks you in but the second really ties things together nicely. The author takes the reader on such a journey. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster at time, my emotions all over the place.

Overall, I highly recommend this.

Personally, I found this slower and less interesting than the first book. The first book had all that fun world building and explanation of the Providence Card magic however, with that already explained this book fell a bit flat for me.

Ravyn's need to constantly be in the Nightmares' mind to speak with Elspeth was just a bit weird to me - their love story lost my interest. I did however like the Ione/Elm love story plot and search for the Maiden Card.

Absolute BEST sequel I’ve ever read! Secrets are all throughout the book and Rayvn and Elspeth need to find the Twin Elders Card. Such an exciting ride. This story provides us with a lot of the missing pieces and brings to light so many things that were left unanswered. The character development in book 2 was even better than the 1st book if that’s even possible. I never Wanted this to end. All loose ends were tied up perfectly. Every single character in this story felt important and played a role in making the book complete. I’d stay here in Blunder forever. This is by far the best duology I’ve ever read. A special thank you to Net Galley, Orbit and of course Rachel Gilligan for my advanced ebook copy. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and I’m so sad it’s ended.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read a lot of Fantasy. Whether it be YA, New Adult, Regular Fantasy or the Smutty variety. Even still I thought the first book in this series was very unique and it was one of my favorite reads earlier this year. I was beyond ecstatic to get an ARC of this sequel (even though I procrastinated and read it after the book was officially released)…. But it honestly did not live up the expectations I had.

Let me start with the pros: I like that whole Nightmare was a bad guy he had good reasons, and I like that the story did feel complete in the end.

Now for the cons: Elspeth and Ravyn are the lead characters, I felt very invested in their story in the first book. I read the book in less than 24 hours and that was during my big reading slump earlier this year. I was eager to jump back into their story… but this book isn’t about them or even the plot outlines in the first book.

This story is ALL about IONE AND ELM. Two characters I felt neutral or hatred towards… they are what feels like 70% of this book… but their story line is almost no plot and just what’s supposed to be enemies to lovers but feels more like insta love. By the end of the novel I felt whatever about them… but WHY spend an entire novel setting up plot and then trash it all for these minor characters… then in the last 20% of the novel remember the original story and essentially go “oh right probably should wrap up the actual story here”.

Elspeth is the main character but she is NOT in this novel. Ravyn is the lead male and he barely a side character.

You can read the last 20% of this novel and be honestly better off than if you read the first 80%. None of it is relevant and none of it matters.

Alls to say this novel isn’t BAD but it’s like every other fantasy book out there. I’ll remember the first novel but I’ll forget the second.

SO GOOD. The first book of this series lives rent free in my head daily. The book is the perfect addition to the first. I don't want to give anything away from either book, but this one is so perfectly done. Rachel does an amazing job with the imagery and world building in this book. This book will draw you in from the start as it begins right after book 1 ends. Two Twisted Crowns has the perfect mix of a magical society, with dark undertones and romance. I would highly recommend this book! Just note, if you want to read this book you will need to read book 1 first.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this ARC! All thoughts in this review are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am speechless.
And I am NEVER speechless.
Two Twisted Crowns was absolute perfection.
It is very rare for me that a sequel satisfactorily builds on an amazing first book without losing momentum.
One Dark Window was amazing. I gave it five stars.
Two Twisted Crowns was somehow even better.
I am in love with Rachel Gillig’s writing style and creativity.
This isn’t your every day average romantasy series.
•The magic systems (there are two different kinds!) are unlike anything I’ve read before. They’re interesting and fun. We all know fantasy genre books and ideas tend to repeat and lean heavily upon the same premises. It’s because the ideas are great, but it does make things become kind of monotonous. It’s a breath of fresh air to have new and interesting concepts like those within The Shepherd King duology.
•The characters are very lovable…or loathe worthy depending on who we’re talking about. In other words, Rachel clearly gets across the feelings she wants you to feel towards each character.
•I’m a plot girlie. I enjoy romance storylines, but not as a main focus. This duology has very sweet romance, but the plot would absolutely stand on its own if the romance was removed. I adore that.
•The “gothic” feel of this book was perfectly executed. It definitely has a darker tone while still being cozy and enjoyable, and even sometimes making me chuckle.

Overall, I’m blown away by this book, Rachel’s writing, and this duology as a whole. I’m also heartbroken that the journey is over.
I’ll be patiently impatient in waiting for the start of her next duology. Why is 2025 so far away?!

Incredible ending to this duology. I'm really sad it's over! I loved the second story line between two other main characters but I do wish we had a little more of the original couple. But I'm happy with both. I even felt like I was attached to Nightmare by the end. Great job and cannot wait to read more from this author in the future.

I was so EMPTY at the end of One Dark Window because I cannot with cliffhangers... but Two Twisted Crowns is so worth the wait.

I LOVED that we got more Elm and Ione in this book. I'm not going to lie, I was originally not super excited when I heard there were more Elm x Ione chapters in this because hello! Ravyn and Elspeth. BUT once things got going, I was fully on board! Elm and Ione 5ever.

Also, let's not forget our original OG love story - Ravyn x Elspeth. Sometimes it's hard to continue a love story once characters get together, but I think TTC did such a good job keeping me interested. Like yes, Ravyn and Elspeth were already in love, but there was still so much going on and they still had to fight for each other.

I laughed (hello Nightmare sass). I cried (the love is so tender in this; sorry, no spoilers, but it got me). I never wanted this to end. Blunder will always hold a piece of my heart. I absolutely cannot wait to read more from Rachel Gillig!!

Be wary. Be clever. Be good.

Thank you Netgalley, for providing me with this digital ARC.

I was greatly anticipating this second book. I absolutely loved the first book in this duology. Let me start at the end. I will reveal no spoilers.

The end of this book was so poetically and beautifully written that I had to jump on and start my review there. To the very last word this is one of my favorite endings I’ve read in a long time. With that being said, the ending felt like a long time coming. I knew I would finish this book because I am thoroughly invested in the story. However, I thought it was quite slow moving for the first half of the book. Without revealing anything as to why I found it very distracting that we didn’t get much of Elspeth’s voice for a long time. Her voice is who I loved in the first book, and who I was really wanting to hear from, and her point of you was few and far between in the story.
However, after the halfway point in the book, and we started hearing a lot more from Ione and Elm it more exciting. I was very happy to read Ione’s complete character development, as well as Elms. They were by far the most interesting part of the story.
Further, along in the story, we learn a lot, more about the mist, the shepherd, king, and the providence cards and it answered all my questions from book one. Because it was slow to start, I took away one star. That and not having Elspeth’s point of view for a long time. However, I love a story or all of my questions get answered at some point, and the story definitely answered everything the ending brought a tear to my eye.

This sequel picks up right where One Dark Window ended. The Shepherd King is back!

I really loved Ravyn and Elm's arcs. Character development was on pointe. But I felt the serious lack of Elspeth in this one.

Overall, loved this duology! The Providence cards were such a unique element.

Two Twisted Crowns was everything I could have wanted. It concluded the story seamlessly and I just love this duology even more now.

It picks up right where the One Dark Window left off. Nightmare and his sunny personality was my favorite, and everything about him and his past that was revealed, couldn’t have been done better. The twists and turns, the unexpected romance between a different couple, the wood spirit…. I can not think of anything or any moment that was pointless and unenjoyable.

I pre-ordered this masterpiece and can’t wait to reread it. I highly recommend it to everyone.

STORY
♥️♥️♥️♥️

SPICE
- -

RECOMMEND
💳 yes

Two Twisted Crowns is set with multiple POVs; Elm, Espeth & Ravyn. The story picks up immediately after the end of One Dark Window, which must be read prior as this is a duet.

Readers learn more about the Nightmare & the history of the cards. We also learn more about Elm, which is surprising because it’s unexpected.

I struggled to read it and continue to read it. The conclusion felt a bit rushed & I still have some questions.

Overall, I still like this story & will most likely purchase the audiobook.

Thank you for the opportunity to read & review the eARC.