⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This is book 2 in the Shepard King series and it picks up right where we left off in One Dark Window!!

Spoiler free: First off, the magic in this world is SO unique, I haven’t read much of anything like it. The way Rachel Gillig built the world and the setting was so intriguing to me throughout the duology, I was hooked. There was just a little something missing for me. After getting Ravyn and Elspeth’s POV in the first book, I was lacking their connection in this book (of course, with all things considered it makes sense). I liked the addition of Elm, but it caught me off guard and I wish we got to explore his relationship a little better. I was also worried how this book would go given the ending of book 1, but I think the story was done extremely well and wrapped up nicely.

Thank you Net Galley and Orbit Books for this ARC!! I have received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

Two Twisted Crowns maintains the same gothic atmosphere, characters and fantastic writing that made readers fall for One Dark Window. Gillig did shake things up a bit by switching to multi-POV between Elspeth, Ravyn and Elm. I was resistant to the change initially, but its necessary to further the plot of the story (if you finished One Dark Window, I'm sure you can piece it together). The change also gives us so much more insight into the lives and past of the other characters. I thought I loved Elm before, but he really shines on his own in this one. I also really enjoyed unraveling the mystery that is Ione and understanding her perspective on the events from book 1.

Gillig masterfully paced the world building across both books so as not to overwhelm the reader. With the complicated magic system already established, we dive deeper into the history of Blunder, the Providence Cards and the mysterious Shepherd King.

I particularly loved that Two Twisted Crowns delves into the backstory of the Nightmare. He's as complex and nuanced as was hinted in book 1, with a tragic past that makes his relationship with Elspeth all the more sweet. He's a monster that you can't help but root for and is still my favorite part of the series.

I have two major grievances that bumped this down a star. The first, is that Elspeth is largely unimportant to the plot. She really exists to spur emotional turmoil and further the character arc of the Nightmare. It was a bit disappointing to see what was a strong and smart FMC become so unnecessary. The second feels too spoilery to say outright, so I'll just say that I was disappointed that what felt like a pivotal scene at the end of the book was glossed over.

Thank you to Rachel Gillig, NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. My review has been posted on Goodreads, submitted on Barnes & Noble and Books a Million, and will be posted on Amazon on pub day. A shortened version will be posted on Instagram on publication day.

It's a perfect follow-up to One Dark Window. It doesn't happen often, but I found myself putting down the book, not because I disliked it, but because I loved it so much I couldn't bear the thought of it ending. I could say I was a little disappointed with Elspeth taking a back seat, but I found the additional POVs made up for it enough. I'll never be upset with the expansion of characters I was curious about, especially when I end up being even more attached than I thought possible. I look forward to Rachel's future works, I can only see it going up from here.

I have been so excited for this release I absolutely loved book 1, so when this hit my kindle I jumped right into it.

This book picks up right where One Dark Window ends, we finally are on the mission for the last card while they deal with the fallout of the last book. We get multiple POV’s this time and we get a look into the past and how all the cards were made, the shepherd kings rise and fall.

We start with one story line then it splits into two. (I won’t post who, I don’t want to spoil) I didn’t really care for one of them, I did some skimming through those chapters. I knew we needed some information from that storyline but I guess I was more connected with the other characters. I truly loved book one and I was so excited about this one but it just didn’t do it for me like the first. Overall a 3 ⭐️ for me.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up where one Dark Window left us hanging, and is told from Elpeth, Ravyn, and Elm's POV. As they continue the journey to unite the deck of Providence Cards, they must face their fears a unveil ancient secrets. The things they learn about Blunder's past will help them to forge its future.


I was afraid I wasn’t going to like this book since (for obvious reasons) it wasn’t going to focus on Elspeth and Ravyn, but it turns out, I had no reason to worry. The writing style continues seamlessly from book 1 and Elm completely stole my heart! I have never read a multiple POV book where I was equally invested in all of the characters, but learning more about the Nightmare’s past helped to understand more about the history of Blunder and the Providence Cards. Getting to know Elm better was fun! The banter between him and his love interest was yummy and he showed us that pain does not always have to harden your heart. We already knew it but we really learn the depths of Hauth’s callousness (he can get fucked). I do wish we got a second epilogue with more of a detailed resolution for Elspeth and Ravyn, but all in all, I loved this duology and 10/10 would recommend to anyone!


Thank you Rachel Gillig, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I really loved One Dark Window, so I've been waiting to read Two Twisted Crowns since last year. Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Gillig, and Orbit for the opportunity to read this book early. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to read it early. This was one of my top reads of the month. It has the perfect vibes for spooky season. Overall I thought it was a satisfying ending to The Shepard King duology.

This conclusion to One Dark Window was everything I didn't know I needed. After the cliffhanger that was ODW, I wasn't sure how this would compare - but let me say, it both wrecked me and fulfilled me as a reader. I loved that we were able to get multiple POVs of all the different events that were occurring, and the venture into the woods was *chefs kiss*. The spoiler of who is related to who (trying to be spoiler free) was also so delightful and I didn't see coming, but in the best way. The only thing that I would say, is although this is Adult - the smut is closer to YA - in that it really isn't descriptive or smutty - but not a bad thing, just something to note!

Rachel is a master of word play and plot design, and whatever else she writes will be an autobuy/autoread for me.

This duology was EXCELLENT! I haven’t read anything like this & I barely have words for it. And this book was even better than the first. Just 5 ⭐️s all around! I laughed, I cried, I loved, and I was kept at the edge of my seat during the whole thing.

In my review of the first book, I asked for more Ione and we got it! But what I didn’t know I needed was more Elm. I think he might be my new favorite character of all time. This man has my whole heart🖤🖤 I absolutely adored how we got the different perspectives/story lines in this book!

This duology will absolutely be something I read again. Highly recommend… do not sleep on this one friends!!

📣 really great fantasy duology—both books have some steam!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC & the publisher for the complimentary hard copies. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what’s one of your Monday numbers? 5:10, when I woke up; 1, how many times I’ve topped off my coffee; 2, how many of my kids are returning to school today after fall break.

After refamiliarizing myself with Rachel Gillig’s Shepherd King world I dove right in & got lost again in this story filled with secrets, power, & attempts to outmaneuver villains.

Book 1, One Dark Window, is such a great entrance to the series & book 2 Two Twisted Crowns picks back up where it left off, with our heroine Elspeth’s body having been taking over by the Nightmare who’s lived inside her for the last many years.

A former king who was violently taken out, The Nightmare is one of the people responsible for the current nasty state of affairs in the kingdom of Blunder & someone who wants to find the missing magical cards that have caused so much trouble.

This book is very much about quests & so many of the characters have one, some journey or goal in mind. In the background is The Mist, which can drive people mad, & the horrible Rowan king & oldest Prince, who care only about their power.

This duology features complex characters—good people who have done not so nice things for various reasons & good people who might be able to snatch some happiness from the many forces against them.

To that end, Two Twisted Crowns offers something unexpected, a blossoming romance between the younger prince Elm & Ione, formerly engaged to his brother & currently emotionally trapped by the Maiden card. The romance is sweet & steamy & I was so happy to watch another couple fall in love in this series 💁🏻‍♀️.

It’s always hard for me to review a series after the first book but the bottom line is this is such a great series & you should definitely check it out if you enjoy some falling in love with your fantasy.

5 stars. Out 10/17.

CWs: lots of violence in this book. Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs for more detail.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing ghost earrings from @ & a yellow sweater, holds the books & stands in her backyard. Trees are in the background. The second image is a closer shot of the same.]

I truly could not imagine a better sequel to One Dark Window. Dark, cunning, the gothic themes, layers upon layers of twists and treachery and love make this an absolutely beautiful tale.

The groups trip to find the final card brings everything full circle. From what transpired 500 years ago to what was occurring in present time. Completing the story of the girl, the king, and the monster they became.

Thank you NetGalley & Orbit for providing an arc copy.


Review will be posted on Amazon & Goodreads. Book may be featured in future content on Instagram & TikTok @cursebreakerbooks.

As soon as I finished One Dark Window, I RAN to Netgalley to request book 2!!! I loved book one so much and was so excited to jump into book 2.
This was so good. I loved having the multiple POVs written in this book compared to book one! I’m so glad to have been able to read this arc early! When I finished book 1 I definitely did not want to wait a whole MONTH to read book two! So definitely pick up this Duology together to be able to enjoy the whole story together.
I loved that everything got all wrapped up, and adding the other POVs really helped with that.
Overall, this was a wonderful duology and I’m so excited to read her other works moving forward!

• ARC Review: Two Twisted Crowns •

When I tell you that I was basically vibrating with a mix of anticipation and trepidation the entire time I was reading this, I mean that very sincerely.

The sequel to the truly excellent One Dark Window, Two Twisted Crowns ups every single stake in this gothic fantasy tale and will have you completely in its thrall for every single page.

In addition to the quest to complete the deck of magical cards that’s introduced in the first book, Two Twisted Crowns introduces another plotline: and it is an extremely potent forbidden romance full of simmering tension and banter that made me scream out loud more than once.

Rachel Gillig’s writing here is as lush and sharp as in her debut, and as the plot winds its way through the woods, there are surprises that will have you cheering and gasping and groaning in frustration on the edge of your seat, hardly able to breathe.

I loved every second of it.

5🌟
2🌶️

This duo-logy makes my heart happy. I loved this world and the characters! Elm <3 was perfect. The magic system in this is so unique and just wonderful. I will be rereading this over and over again. I would love to get a few novellas or extra stories out of this world!

This was one of my most awaited books for this year and I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley, to Rachel Gillig, and the publishers for allowing me to receive it as an ARC!

Things I liked:
- This book starts off right where the first one ends and Gillig has such a wonderful way of transporting you back into this world.
- I absolutely love Elspeth and Ravyn so I was a little disappointed that we don't get much time in their heads in this book compared to the other POVs. But there's a big reason for that and the story makes sense with this format.
- The Nightmare has possibly become my favorite character above Elspeth and finding out who the Nightmare really is, his motivations, and his relationship with Elspeth from his perspective was a 10/10 experience.

Things I didn't like:
- I didn't particularly care for Ione and Elm in the first book and this book has a lot of chapters from Elm's POV and about Ione and Elm's character arcs. I couldn't really stand them in the first book and I couldn't really bring myself to care about them in this book either.
- I wanted more Elspeth and Ravyn - especially because Elspeth is the central figure to this story.

I cried at the ending (in a good way). The writing and the prose is still so beautiful and lyrical. The world imagery and atmosphere is outstanding. I loved the Nightmare and his banter with Ravyn. I loved getting his background and getting answers. But there was so much of Elm and Ione and their chapters took away from the action and answers we were getting from the Nightmare/Ravyn/Elspeth chapters.

I still love this series, this world, and Rachel Gillig has become one of my favorite authors. This was still one of my favorite reads and it was perfect for spooky szn.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced reader copy of this book!! I have been looking forward to reading this book for MONTHS!! The magic system from One Dark Window was so intriguing to me!

After patiently waiting for a resolution to the massive cliff-hanger from One Dark Window, I have finally found peace in the form of this incredible book. I absolutely loved it. This book continues with the story right where it left off in book 1, but also starts to bring different characters into the spotlight. This story was not just a continued love story between Raven and Elspeth, but also an introduction of a brand new couple that I honestly liked better than the first one!! There was incredible tension to the romance and the character development was incredible. I really loved this all the way through to the end, no complaints here!!

5/5 ⭐️

"I am the shepherd of shadow. The phantom of the fright. The demon in the daydream. The nightmare in the night."

This was one of my most anticipated sequels of the year and it did not disappoint. The story picks up right after the ending of One Dark Window, and with the addition of multiple POV's from some of my favorite characters from the first book. The spooky Gothic vibes continue and we are given rich backstory and character growth leading to a very satisfying ending.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.

This book took me a little bit longer to get sucked into because the Elspeth chapters were not my favorite and kind of repetitive at the beginning. I was also annoyed that it was focusing so heavily on Elm and Ione at first but by the end of the book I loved all of them and was happy that this book went more in depth with other characters while still giving you some Ravyn and Elspeth. I still like the first book more but was very happy to be back in the One Dark Window world. The nightmare always cracks me up. Especially when he tries to tell Ravyn that Elspeth is talking shit and Ravyn always sees right through it.

Chilling, poetic, dark, and deeply romantic; everything I hoped for and more in this highly anticipated sequel to one of my favorite novels. My first ever ARC and I couldn’t have wished for a better debut! I was so pleased to at least find myself back in the mist and mystery of Blunder. This book dove directly into the action and never let up. The romance in this book was even more compelling than in the first in my opinion. These characters have a hold on me stronger than any providence card. I adore this unique and exciting world that Rachel Gillig has created. Clever, wary, and good, indeed!

*A huge thank you to NETGalley and Orbit books for this eARC!*

Two Twisted Crowns quickly became one of my most anticipated reads this fall after finishing One Dark Window. The cliffhanger perfectly set me up for this book, and I was eager to dive in.

I had extremely high hopes for the ending of this duology, and Rachel Gillig delivered. TREES! I devoured it in 1.5 days—here's why: Rachel Gillig's writing style is beautifully descriptive and captivating. This magic system is truly unique and, surprisingly, you learn so much more in this book. It includes two new POVs; one I desperately wanted, and one I didn't know I desperately NEEDED. The character development is phenomenal and seamless. I became attached to these characters and was rooting for their growth. The romance plots and tension had me squealing; Rachel Gillig, you KNEW what the romantasy lovers needed and you fed us well (note: this is not a spicy duology, it has sprinkles of light spice). I officially have two new book boyfriends. I absolutely hated the villain(s) in this story...meaning, Rachel did an amazing job writing these character(s).

This second book BEAUTIFULLY ends this series in the most satisfying way. I will absolutely be recommending this duology to anyone looking for a binge-worthy, gothic fantasy.

I love that Two Twisted Crowns picked up exactly where One Dark Window left off. All of the setup and world building that Gillig put into ODW really came to light in TTC. I love when an author makes me scream into the void an answer they set us up for.. Gillig did that multiple times.
Absolutely amazing. Couldn't recommend this more highly.