Two Twisted Crowns is an amazing ending for a duology. This story will stick with me for years to come. The author had me guessing on what would happen next with every turn of the page.

The story picks up where One Dark Window ends immediately. I love the different POV during this book and how they all came together at the end. The unique magic system of the providence cards and secrets unveiled during the story make it really enjoyable. The only things I wished differently in the story is for a better revenge plot. I felt the villains in the story did not get what they deserved. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Wow. This was...wow! No words can do this book and duology justice. My #1 read of the year, it made me feel so many emotions. I am not a book crier but the ending had me crying like a little baby. It's so unique and magical, a must read.

This was the sequel we all wanted and needed. Elspeth, the Nightmare, Ravyn, and Jespyr, all travel into the misty woods to find the twin alder card. But this journey will not be an easy one and there are bargains to be made.

Elm is forced to stay behind at the castle with his father and dying older brother. The king wants him to become the heir since it looks like his brother will not survive Elspeth and the Nightmares attack.

This book is written in several POVs; Elspeth, Raven, and Elm. I loved reading Elms's storyline and fell in love with him in this book. It did get a little confusing with the multiple POVs but they were necessary.

If you enjoyed the first book, One Dark Window, you will love how this story unfolds.

Highlights:
Gothic Fairytale
Magic Cards/ Unique Magic System
Quest to save the kingdom
Riddles
Secret Identities Revealed
Multiple POVs

#twotwistedcrowns #RachelGillig #theshepherdking #elspeth #elspethspindle #Ravynyew #Elm #elmrowan #onedarkwindow #orbit #orbitbooks #arcbook #bookreview

What an absolutely amazing way to end this beautiful duology! Rachel Gillig does an amazing job at creating the best images in your head and makes you feel like your right there in the story searching for the Twin Alders card with Rayvn.

I enjoyed the multi POV and felt like it helped us get to know Elm, Rayvn and the Nighmare better.

The rhymes, the twists, the banter!! It was all amazing.

Two Twisted Crowns was nothing short of amazing! The continued world building and dark, haunting imagery transported the reader to Blunder and beyond. Along with the imagery, another aspect I loved was the multiple POVS throughout the story. The relationship between Ione and Elm also had me HOOKED! I love Elspeth and Ravyn, so I was happy to see more than one couple have a happy ending. Learning the backstory of the Shepard King and how he created the deck was the perfect thread to tie the incredible duology together. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for honest review!

𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ❣︎ Two Twisted Crowns by @rmgillig

while writing this review, I reread the final sentence to the epilogue. Rachel, Rachel, Rachel!!!

... 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥.

I’m not here to beg you to read this. I did that in my review for ODW. Chances are, if you read book one, you ran to book two the moment it was released. For those unsure if they want to carry on, this is me asking you to 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩.

“𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐄𝐥𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐡,“ 𝐈𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝. “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.“

this entire duology was stunning from start to finish. the journey and challenges. the emotions, dark and pure. the magical system, that is utterly unique. the nightmare and his full story being revealed - it killed me. TTC had a new layer of heaviness. there was torture & pain and a long road to recovery. plus, I fell in love with the new relationship and all the POVs. for those of you who feel that Elspeth took a back seat in “her own story,” go read the final sentence one more time. maybe that’ll prompt a 💡moment for you.

every detail played a part. we truly saw and experienced each sentence and poem that Rachel wrote come to fruition. There was no question left unanswered. I don’t know what format this author follows, but the endings of her books are unmatched. I’m feeling happy and sad. I’m content with the ending, but not ready to let go. I miss the nightmare. oh, how I miss him.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.
THIS IS HOW YOU COMPLETE A SEQUEL. take notes.

I highly recommend this series to fantasy & non-fantasy readers.
𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 ...
✨rich imagery
✨multiple pov
✨layered & digestible world building
✨unique magic
✨gothic vibes
✨dark drama
✨pure romance

5 gothic ★★★★★

𝐭𝐲𝐬𝐦 @rmgillig @orbitbooks_us @netgalley 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐑𝐂.

Omg I didn’t think I could love a book more than I loved the previous but wow, this was phenomenal. I loved the world building so much in the first one I was so happy to see the second on Netgalley, thank you so much for the approval. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

This was such an amazing duology! This story is unlike any other and is so captivating. I have already recommended it to anyone who will listen!

Two Twisted Crowns

It’s safe to say I am obsessed with series beyond what is good for my health. I adore it with all of my romance, fantasy, and horror loving heart. It’s fast, freaky, and just a smidgen saucy.

This sequel to One Dark Window had me captivated the entire read. The character development and arcs blew me away. That in combination with some of the best chemistry I’ve read in forever and the fascinating magic system had me in a chokehold.

Do not wait to read this series. It’s perfection. It’s out today!!

@rmgillig you are a genius. I bought your book even after I got the ARC. It’s a forever keeper.

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Gillig, and Orbit for my digital advanced review copy! My opinions are my own.

Plot - 5
Writing and Editing - 5
Character Development - 5
Personal Bias - 5
Final Score - 5

I can not recommend this series enough! And this sequel to wraps things up perfectly!

I am so in love with the poetry of this entire series. It’s so beautiful and haunting and foreboding! It adds such a wonderful aura to the story and leaves you trying to piece together the riddles of the Shepherd King.

The magic of the cards in this entire story is such a unique plot point, and I loved getting to learn more about the history of the cards as well as their abilities!! And we learn so much more about the Shepherd King in this book. But the arc of all the characters was AMAZING! And so many great surprises!!! I adore Elspeth, Ravyn, Elm, and Ione!! I was so content with how things ended, which you don’t often get with a finale!

I love this duology and this book did not disappoint. The author did a great job of answering questions and wrapping up the stories while still keeping the stakes high to the end. I was so invested in the characters and this book had me on a rollercoaster. I am so sad to finish to this story.

[Actual Rating 4.25] Two Twisted Crowns is the direct sequel to One Dark Window in the Shepherd King duology. As this story picks up right where the other novel ended, it is best to read the two stories in order. Elspeth is still the main character in this novel, yet she is more in the background of this story. While there are reasons for it, this might not work for every reader who is expecting more from her character. In this tale, the Nightmare is taking over Elspeth’s mind. This POV along with the POVs of Ravyn and Elm provided a nice balanced story. The plot from this story continues with the gathering of the cards to defeat the enemy.

With the story following Elspeth, the Nightmare, and Ravyn and Elm and Ione, there was a lot to follow yet the writing worked well. The romances between Ione/Elm and Ravyn/Elspeth were all well-done, however, Ione and Elm’s stood out more. The one between Elspeth and Ravyn still exists, but it was more in the background than expected. The relationship between the Nightmare and Elspeth was well-done as there was an interesting push-pull to their dynamic. As for the cast of characters, I enjoyed the range of personalities and motivations. The characters all played their parts in the story well and I loved how all the plots came together. Overall, this novel was a great end to the duology and I look forward to reading a lot more from this author in the future!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Orbit, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This picks up right where One Dark Window ended. This was fantastic! One of my new favorite series, and I will read anything she writes.
I love the magic of the cards. It's different and new. And these characters are some new faves. They are all flawed and that made me love them even more.
Whether you're a person that likes character driven books or you're looking for a good plot, this would be great for you. It's so good!

I was late to the party on this series but I'm so glad I picked it up!

I was pretty excited to dive into this and wasn't disappointed. With Elspeth in the clutches of The Nightmare and everything in a bit of chaos book 2 of this duology immediately had me riveted.

While I feel like I wanted more of Elspeth and Rayvn's story, I was very excited to get to know more about the history of how everything came to be. I also really enjoyed that we learned so much more about Ione and Elm.

Definitely a duology that I will happily recommend to many readers in the future.

Thank you for the early copy!

If there is one series that I tell everyone I know to read, it is this one...as of this year. Not only was One Dark Window one of my favorite books this year, but the duology has made it onto my "books I will love forever" shelf and I don't think I will ever remove them.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up where One Dark Window left off so if you haven't read that book yet, stop reading this right now and go pick it up.

Elspeth has been taken over by the Nightmare and she ends up taking a backseat to wants of the Shepherd King and while I'm always here for more of the Elspeth / Ravyn storyline, I liked getting to know him more and understand his motivations.

Now that they have all but the Twin Alders card, Ravyn and the Nightmare are on a quest and will stop at nothing to get what they need. If they are going to find the card before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic, they are going to have to work together, no matter how much they dislike one another.

A lot happens with this storyline but we also get to have some focus on Elm and Ione and it was everything I hoped it would be. I won't give anything away around this storyline but trust me when I say, Gillig has done a great job in building out these characters from who I thought they were from One Dark Window and it was perfect.

If you haven't picked up this duology yet, you need to - trust me! It has plenty of action, mystery, romance, and everything else you might be looking for in a good book. This series is officially on my best of 2023 (I was ltp for ODW) and I can't wait for more from Gillig.

I very rarely give books a 5-star rating, which is why when I gave One Dark Window 5 stars, I was frothing at the mouth for the sequel. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

Two Twisted Crowns jumps straight into the plot and hooks you in. Spoiler: you don't get to see too much of our protagonist Elspeth in the beginning. While I was a bit put out about this, I ended up loving the direction Gillig took. Being able to read about the other characters was incredibly refreshing. Especially my girl, Ione, I knew from the moment we met her in One Dark Window that she would be my favorite character (although Elspeth holds a special place in my heart).

Gillig's writing style is refreshing and eerie, exactly what I look for in dark fairytale-esque stories. What I loved most throughout this book was the poems and rhymes. It's a wonderful way to foreshadow and Gillig was able to make it complex enough that it wasn't immediately obvious (at least to me, lol). The magic system was fairly easy to follow in the first book even still as you were given more context and information in this sequel. The pacing of the book was very well done and the cliffhangers Gillig left you at the end of a chapter were insufferable (I mean this in a very good way; I was gripping my Kindle like my life depended on it.

I mentioned it earlier, but I cannot put into exact words how much I loved Ione's story. It took me down a completely different path and I was often frustrated when the chapters refocused on Elspeth and Nightmare - and I love these two, so one can only imagine how much I love Ione. Speaking of, the banter between Elspeth and the Nightmare was a pleasure to read. The Nightmare has a great sense of humor and we really got to see more of it in this book.

What I did find a little disappointing was the ending. I often call endings like those "pretty bow" endings, because it's the best possible outcome a book or movie can have. Endings that leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth often have more impact than endings wrapped in a "pretty bow". Traditional fairytales also often have morbid endings, so I was hoping this would have been like that. In any case, I still enjoyed it and it was executed very well.

I cannot wait to read what else Gillig has in swirling in her mind.

The book opens up shortly after the events of the first book, One Dark Window. Elspeth, Ravyn and the gang are still working around the clock to get all the Providence Cards together to break the spell from the Spirit of the Wood and banish the mist that has cut off their kingdom from the rest of the world. Gillig does such a good job of setting the atmosphere and the whole time you can feel this kind of oppressiveness whenever the characters are traveling outside! The side characters become more fleshed out in this sequel and things that were teased in the first book come to fruition. The magic system in this duology was new and different from anything I've read before and I found it completely fascinating! Gillig does a good job of not over explaining it and letting the reader experience it for themselves during the story.

I really loved this series and Rachel Gillig will be on the top of my TBR list the next time she comes writes something else! I'll definitely be ordering these two books for our library. Thank you to NetGalley and to Orbit books for this ARC in exchange for a honest review!

This duology is now definitely an absolute favorite of mine!

The Shepherd King series absolutely has taken over my brain as of late, and this second book really solidified that. The romance in book 1 was wonderful and I loved it, but somehow in hindsight it can’t possibly hold a candle to how much I LOVED the romance in book 2. On top of that, the world and magic really just became so expansive in this book. I loved every little piece of lore we got, and how it all came about so naturally and led to really mind blowing my connections that have been in the works since early in book 1. I had a lot of shifting opinions and impressions of different players in this story, and come the end it really felt like nearly the entire story took me by complete surprise. Our ultimate villains truly feel terrifying, the odds feel insurmountable, and nothing felt entirely settled until the very end. And despite all of these moving parts, I found myself falling so deeply in love with every single character with every page.

It’s hard to review this thoroughly without spoiling things for book 1 that I would never want to ruin for anyone else, but here is what I will say: read this series ASAP if you like;
•swoony and tension filled romance
•unexpected allies and unsettling truths
•an magical and gothic world with all manner of horrors and a rich, FULL history
•a completely immersive and atmospheric feel that transports you somewhere that feels far, far away from where you are
•heart pounding action and danger that has you clutching your chest in fear for the characters you love so much
•a happily ever after that you could never have foreseen but also feels better than you imagined

This one really does deserve the hype it’s received, and I’m so, so incredibly excited to see what Rachel Gillig does next! Thank you so much to Orbit & NetGalley for the eArc of this phenomenal book!

Two Twisted Crowns was satisfying conclusion to the Shepard's King duology. It still contained the same storytelling that kept me captivated reading the first book. I found answers to the questions that I had and a more enriched understanding of how this magic system came to be.

Shout out to NetGalley & Orbit Books for an advanced copy of Two Twisted Crowns!

I am sad to leave Blunder, but I can't imagine a more perfect ending to this enchanting story. These characters have heart and their stories are a perfect mix of painful and beautiful.

Honestly, this book was a work of art and I have no notes on it. If there are no fans left of Rachel Gillig in this world, I have departed. The way she is able to hold pain and joy together throughout single sentences is UN. REAL. Much like life, the characters in this entire duology have to navigate good and bad, joy and pain, or chaos and beauty. In this book, I loved getting to see more from Elm & from the Nightmare. I loved the gasps I gasped and the turns that turned. I loved the depth of love for family that was portrayed and the overall message that no choice comes without cost.

Two Twisted Crowns is my favorite read of 2023 and this duology together is in my top 5 of all time.
Don't mind me over here sobbing; I just miss my friends from Blunder.