<b> <I> Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a free copy of “Two Twisted Crowns” by Rachel Gillig in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits.</I> </b>

<b> Overall rating: </b> 5 out of 5 stars

<b> Favorite quote(s): </b> <i> ""And the monster they became."</i>

<b> My review: </b> One Dark Window is one of my favorite reads for 2023, and it may even be one of my favorite books I've ever read. This is my October 2023 Anticipated Sequel Pick.

I'm so thrilled to have been selected to read an ARC of this amazing series by Rachel Gillig. Two Twisted Crowns picks up immediately from where One Dark Window left off. Just as with the first, Gillig crafts a stunningly grim world which ensnares you with every word. I love the character dynamics and how you get to watch what each character is vying for secretly as they watch one another. The card magic system is so interesting and I'm so terribly sad this duology is over. You bet I will be reading whatever the author writes in the future! The last line of this book will haunt me for years.


<b> Notable Themes, Elements, and Tropes: </b>
- Multi POV
- Hidden Identities
- Gothic/Horror Fantasy
- Card Magic
- Thriller/Mystery
- Stunning Imagery
- Found Family

Absolutely loved the conclusion to this duology. I ate both books up over the last 5 days and I am super happy that I was able to get my hands on an ARC before the release. Being able to read the duology back to back was quite the experience and I loved the experience it turned out to be.

From Ravyn and Elspeth to Elm and Ione I loved the love. Long live the Elm King.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up where One Dark Window ended, rejoining Elspeth as she finally pays the price for her magic use. Ravyn is tragically late to save Elspeth and the two must reckon with how to free themselves from their circumstances. Ione and Elm have a larger role to play in this sequel, which involves hunting for magical cards and navigating treacherous politics. As time begins to run out, Elspeth and her friends must decide how far they will go to save the kingdom and themselves.

I really enjoyed Two Twisted Crowns! It is a very satisfying sequel that contains the delightful atmosphere and creative characters from book one. I particularly loved Elspeth and Ione’s journeys and how in some ways they mirrored each other- both fighting for freedom from magic that comes with a terrible price. Ravyn and Elspeth have wonderful chemistry and I loved how they found their way back to each other. The Nightmare was one of my surprise favorite characters! His dry and witty sense of humor was hilarious. I enjoyed learning about his past and why he made some of his unfathomable choices. Ione and Elm’s relationship deepened as they searched for Ione’s card and led to some fantastic scenes and chemistry between them.

In this duology, magic always comes with a price that will be collected at the worst possible time. The magic system that Rachel Gillig has designed is truly ornate and beautifully detailed. I enjoyed this story of dreams, nightmares, action-packed adventures, and romance against all odds. I would highly recommend The Shepherd King duology, especially for fans of Hannah Whitten, Ava Reid, and Allison Saft. I can’t wait to see what Rachel Gillig writes next!

Thank you so much to Rachel Gillig, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

I was holding off on reviewing this, because once I submit this it's really over. .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·.
I loved this duology, so much. It was such a perfect marriage of my interests and it was written so spectacularly. The world was so atmospheric and the magic system was so cool--the descriptions of the world sucked me in to this universe so completely, and I loved all of the characters (even the more villain-type ones) because they were just all done so well. I won't give too much away, as this is the sequel to One Dark Window, but if you loved that book you're going to devour this. This second installment only solidified my love for this duology. Everything in the first book was wonderfully expanded and detailed in this story, and the plot was so well-paced and balanced with the characters and the romantic aspects. UGH, I might just reread this entire duology again, I need more! Luckily, Gillig has a new book announced, so that knowledge will have to tide me over until I can get my little hands on that new book!

I would argue that if you loved the first book like I did, this book was EVEN BETTER. I loved the shift in POVs and exploring new romances of characters and was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time demanding to know how it ended. There were so many redemption arcs and heroic moments for characters and the series end left me in awe how this incredible author could keep such a chokehold over my emotions in just two short books!! Highly recommend this series for anyone but especially those who love fantasy, gothic fantasy, romantasy, and magic!

Wow! This took me by surprise. I enjoyed "One Dark Window," but Two Twisted Crowns really took the story up a notch. I LOVED the additional POVs, and I think they added a new dynamic to the story.

The writing is dark and moody, yet remains fun, and builds an interesting world. Perfect for an autumn read.

Two Twisted Crowns was a highly anticipated sequel for me and Rachel Gillig hit it out of the park! I think I actually enjoyed Two Twisted Crowns MORE than the first book, due in large part to the fantastic relationship development between Elm & Ione who were moved from secondary characters to primary characters from book 1 to book 2. The dynamics between those two is something I still can't stop thinking about.

We were able to learn so much more history in Two Twisted Crowns about the development of the magic system and the backstory of the Nightmare which was hands down the best part of the duology as a whole. As with book one, there is some repetitive language in the book that drove me crazy, (we know, we know, magic comes at a cost) which I think it just part of the author's writing style. It does pull me out of the story a bit, but doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment. Without going into much detail to avoid spoilers for book 1, the story was wrapped up in such a satisfying way.

I sincerely look forward to what Rachel Gillig gives us next because her creativity in building worlds, magic systems, and characters is unmatched. I would highly recommend this duology if you are in the market for a unique magic system, emotional relationship dynamics, good character development, gothic settings, and court politics.

Thank you netgalley and Orbit books for the opportunity to review an advanced readers copy of Two Twisted Crowns.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC.

Two Twisted Crowns in the book I've been most excited for this year. I was very pleasantly surprised when I read One Dark Window- it is so freaking good. Also, the way it ended had me desperately wanting to get my hands on the sequel.

I am not disappointed in the slightest. Actually- I feel back to square one already. After finishing Two Twisted Crows I find myself wanting- no, NEEDING more. :'(

Also I really enjoyed reading through Ravyn's POV.

Rachel Gillig is a fantastic author and this work read even better than One Dark Crown, (which was already great).

If you read One Dark Window and are curious about the sequel, just read it. It's great.

I have been waiting for the second installment of this duology since I One Dark Window called to me off a shelf, I picked it up randomly (after having not read a fantasy book in YEARS) and devoured in a manner of a day. One Dark Window was incredible, and ended on an intense cliffhanger and so Two Twisted Crowns was my most anticipated book of 2023.

To be honest, Two Twisted Crowns started a bit slow. I had to keep going and getting my copy of One Dark Window off the shelf to remind myself of little details that had happened in the first book (so I definitely recommend a re-read of ODW if it's been more than a handful of months). With the introduction of another POV character (Elm) I wasn't particularly excited about, I found myself struggling to invest into the story.

But then, Gillig worked her magic and around the halfway mark things too off running. Where it took me over a week to read the first half of the story, I devoured the second half in under a day, doing some excellent procrasti-reading and putting off some other important things.

In Two Twisted Crowns, Gillig brings more depth to her Providence Cards system, as well as the history of Blunder, where our story is set. The characters are deeply fleshed out, flawed, and relatable, and the fantasy system is unlike any I've read in any other series. Gillig also brings about the same slowly building tension I loved in One Dark Window-- you don't even know the book has gripped you until you're racing to finish it and know what happens. I even swore out loud multiple times as our main characters met different surprise barriers.

All in all, this is an excellent read and One Dark Window fans will not be disappointed-- just power through the slow bits and you will be just fine! It's exactly the same magic you remember. I believe this duology is a can't miss-- if you haven't read One Dark Window, go get it-- you still have 5 days to inhale it before Two Twisted Crowns comes out!

Ever since reading One Dark Window and being left hanging on that last line, I have thought of little else other than an explanation. Without giving anything away, I now understand the last line. As far as sequels go, Rachel Gillig hit it out of the park with Two Twisted Crowns.

For one, I loved the different POVs that are changed from Book 1. I knew I liked Elm but love them even more now! It's hard to write reviews for sequels so that I don't give too much away. Unlike how most sequels go (aka, never living up to the hype of the first book), Two Twisted Crowns went above my expectations.

Throughout it all, the magic system is unique and fun. The romance is beautifully done. The character arcs are well thought out and I learned to love all the characters (yes, even the evil ones). The pacing is well done. I give 5 whole stars for this follow-up to one of my favorite reads of 2022. You won't be disappointed in this sequel if you loved the first. I even think you might like it more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for allowing me the pleasure of reading an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect sequel to the perfect first book. I’m in love with blunder and all the characters in this story. I adore Rachel Gillig’s writing and I can’t wait to read more from her.

Two Twisted Crowns
by Rachel Gillig
The Shepherd King #2
Low Fantasy Dark Fantasy
NetGalley ARC
Publication Date: October 17, 2023
Orbit Books
Ages: 17+

Elspeth and Ravyn are searching for the final card, The Twin Alders, and with it and the others, along with the blood of an infected they would be able to dispel the mist and cure the kingdom, but only the Nightmare who haunts Elspeth's mind knows where The Twin Alders card hides, and while he leads them to where it is, he will not tell any secrets.

But there are those who do not want to get rid of the mist because without it the people within the kingdom would be harder to control without the mist to fear.

The second book of The Shepherd King series picks up where the first book left off, and honestly, I had a hard time getting into this story. I read the first book over a year ago, and there wasn't much recapping within the first ten percent, so I felt lost even though I had a vague recollection of what happened. There needed to be more sooner so I remembered why I liked the first book so much.

I can't say that with this one. Yes, it was good, but as I said above, I was lost so I didn't know why I cared about the characters because I didn't remember them so I had to wander through until there was a tidbit of info that clicked, but by then I was thinking about giving up, so it took me over a week to read because I couldn't get into the story until the last sixty percent when things fell into place and the book was reaching the end. So my advice, if it's been a while since you read the first book, go back and at least skim it so maybe you'll enjoy the story more than I did.

At times it was a little hard to follow because the chapters were dedicated to different characters, all 'speaking' in the third person except for Elspeth who got first; thankfully the chapters were titled with who was 'speaking'.

The cards are great, but their part in this story wasn't big even though they were a major plot line. Some were described how they looked and their powers and others were just brushed over, if that. The author paid more attention to them in the first book, and they should have had the same care in this one.

Because of the lack of recapping, I didn't like this one as much as the first book so I can't give it as many stars...

3 Stars

Wow. This was amazing. I liked the first book, but I absolutely loved this. This was the perfect duology, the perfect completion of this story. I really liked the pacing of this, plenty of action and romance and world building. I really liked the added POVs. And the Shepard King really became one of my favorite characters, unexpectedly. I would have liked a little more Ravyn/Elspeth at the end maybe?! Or just Elspeth with the people she loves! But this was great, I’m so thrilled I got this ARC and can’t wait to buy the physical copy!

Beautifully written, very descriptive, multiple POVs, a great plot, all equal the perfect sequel. This duology was the perfect compliments of one another.

***ARC received from Orbit and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

One of the biggest dislikes from the previous book was how the secondary characters felt a little flat for me. I was really hoping that the second book in the duology would explore more of the secondary characters since Elspeth was not a large lead in this book. Thankfully this delivered on expanding Elm, Ione, Ravyn and even the Shepherd King’s stories.

Elspheth unfortunately takes a backseat in this story which is a shame because I loved her so much in the previous book. She is mostly there to delve into into the history of the world and what happened with the Shepherd King. While I don’t hate it, I missed her since she added so much to the previous story. Thankfully the fun banter and deep relationship she formed with Nightmare is still going strong. They have a great relationship in a father/daughter sort of way.

Ravyn does shine a little better in this book, he felt a little less one dimensional. We get to see him show insecurities and break that mask he has so carefully crafted for himself. While they do interact its very limited.

While we don’t get a POV chapter from Ione we get to explore her through Elm’s chapters as more of what was happening to her in the previous book is put forth. The use of the Maiden card, the secrets that she learned from a horrible incident and how she wants to break free of it. I wished we had a chapter, at least one or two from her POV but it was handled well through Elm’s chapters. I did like Elm, we got to explore more of his background, how he has dealt with the legacy of the Rowan family. I didn’t buy their romance as much as Ravyn and Elspeth, the bond they shared seemed to be from their matching trauma from Hauth and it would have been nice to see that explored more than just an almost immediate romance and to have them build to that in the end of the book than near the middle.

Unfortunately as with the previous book the villain is just too one dimensional bordering on caricature for me. The original Rowan King ended up being a better villain as his actions were explored during the Shepherd King’s stories as he felt more fleshed out and had a better justification for what he did. I know the final showdown needed that but it just didn’t work for me.

We explore a little more on the magic system of this book, the origin of the deck and it was a great addition to the world. The card system is truly interesting in how it came to be under the Shepherd King, why he chose to make the cards that he did. How he communicated with the spirits and what it cost him. I wish we had gotten more of that.

Once again the atmosphere is truly amazing and the pacing is well done. There is a strict deadline of the solstice and the book never feels like it spends too much time in one place or rushes through others. It spends enough time building the history to understand the Shepherd King’s motivations and why he ends up making the decision that he does.

I found this a great and satisfying conclusion to the duology.

Oh man, this was so good! Rachel Gillig, your work is truly a masterpiece! I absolutely love the magic system in these books, never read anything like it and I only wanted to keep reading! I enjoyed learning more about the providence cards, the characters and their stories and getting different points of view. I felt all the emotions; I gasped, laughed, smiled and even got teary eyed! The angst around what happens to Elspeth and getting Ravyn’s and Elm’s POV in the mist of everything was just perfection for me. Elm had me in a chokehold in this book 🤤 The ending did something to my heart but it was a great ending to this amazing duology!

Thank you sooo much Orbit books for the e-ARC!

5 Freaking stars. This book had me in a choke hold from the very beginning. The way this book was written made it so easy to disappear into the world and be one with the characters. I loved the way this book was told from multiple POVs so we got to follow the story from all its points rather than just one. Rachel Gillig put magic into this book in such a new and exciting way that kept you guessing and gripping your seat but also wanting laugh and cry and scream at our characters. I will never stop recommending this series it has become one of my favorites and I was so blessed to get to read it.

First, I want to thank Rachel and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.. When I started the book, I wasn’t aware there was a book before. Still, I dove in. I loved the feel of a fairytale, and the reference that magic isn’t infinite. There is a cost. I thought Ravyn was a character that I kind of both disliked and loved at the same time. He had witty banter, and that always wins me over. The romance theme was well laid out, but I won’t say too much so I don’t drop a spoiler.

Rachel does a fantastic job in telling the story in a way that draws you in, and you are immediately invested in the characters. While this wraps up the story, I can’t help but want more.

This is an incredible follow up to One Dark Window. This duology has everything I could want in a dark moody fantasy world.
The magic system is the most interesting and unique of anything I've read and I love the fact that magic is also a curse.
Two Twisted Crowns picks up where One Dark Window left off, however the book is much less centered on Elspeth and Rayvn than the first book. We mostly get to know Elm and Ione. I really enjoyed learning more of what motivates Elm and how he sees the world.

The ending was beautiful and heartbreaking because that means this story is over 😭. Already thinking of reading the series again.

“His mouth went dry, and nausea rolled up from his stomach into his throat. Blood continued to drip from his hand. And with every drop he gave away, he earned a
fragmented, biting clarity:
Blunder was full of Magic.
Wonderful, terrible magic.”

Rachel Gillig does a spectacular job in progressing into the second story, Two Twisted Crowns. This ghostly obscure world she brings us into is fiendish, entrancing, and otherworldly. I absolutely adore this story. I loved all the characters. It is with a heavy heart that I have to leave this mystical universe.

I want to thank Orbit Books, NetGalley, and Rachel Gillig for the opportunity to read this book.