A second book that I feel delivers as well (if not better) than the first book is a rare find for me, but it happened with this. After book one I really wanted more on the magic system. The use of cards was such a cool concept that felt a bit lacking in the delivery. Two Twisted Crowns covers the cards and their abilities in much more detail, especially certain ones, and I loved seeing all those details fleshed out. Altogether this saved the series for me. The first book left me feeling a bit middling, I could take it or leave it. The second has me already wanted to reread them both.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

Rachel has become an autobuy author for me. Her writing style is poetic yet there are few pauses in the adventures she weaves. I am never bored. My only complaint is that, in finishing this sequel, the story has ended.

In Two Twisted Crowns, readers finally learn the Shepard King’s secrets, spend most of the book unsure whether we will see a happy ending, and learn intimately about other key characters in the story.


For fans of The Cruel Prince, Two Twisted Crowns enchants readers with a tale of heroics, passion and finding oneself.


A HUGE thank you for the NetGalley Arc of my most anticipated release of the year! I cannot wait to purchase the final copy.

(Note: will be posting a review on TikTok and Amazon as well)

This was the best sequel I have ever read, hands down. This duology is jam-packed with symbolism, full-circle moments, and character development. While elements were predictable, the way Gillig wove everything together is an incredible experience. There is so much complexity structured into this novel. I loved ODW, but this is a whole other level.

I feel like I have read a lot of great books this year. Each I say is my new favorite. But in the end I really feal like a lot of them still didn’t hold a candle to The Shepard King Series. Two Twisted Crowns is exactly the conclusion that this duology deserved. I found myself shedding a tear, laughing, and even yelling while reading. To evoke such a response from me takes a lot I feel. As I have found that a lot of the books I have read have been very predictable.

While you know exactly how this is going to end, well at least the basics of how its going to end…. The other twists that were put in here were fantastic. I found myself so imeresed in the story that I really didn’t have time to guess any of them until they were right there and i was a few sentences away! I really liked that in this one we do have more of another love type story coming in with Elm and Ione. Adding that second love story to the duology. Overall this was an amazing Duology and I can’t wait to see what Rachel Gillig has in store for us next. If it is anything like One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns we are in for another amazing ride!

Ultimately, extremely happy with the way this duology wrapped up. The ending of One Dark Window was the perfect spooky cliffhanger leading us into Two Twisted Crowns. Thoroughly enjoyed Elm and Ione’s relationship and the ending for these two was perfect. Also, enjoyed the Nightmare’s second chance at portraying his true fatherly love. Overall, a well rounded spooky book perfect for the vibes of the season.

I liked this book better than the first one. It had surprises at every corner and you didn’t know what was going to happen next. It has complex and cool magic. The bad guys lose and everyone gets a happy ending. ☺️

Two Twisted Crowns is the sequel to Gillig’s addicting One Dark Window. While the first book focuses on Elspeth and The Nightmare, Twisted Crowns differs by being multi-POV. In fact, while we do read about Elspeth and The Nightmare, this book is focused heavily on Elm and Ione.

It’s a well written follow up that ends in a satisfying way for One Dark Window fans. The characters are well developed and the world building is strong. But I do feel the magic of One Dark Window was not found in Two Twisted Crowns. I found it to be rather slow, a little tedious, and I did at time feel confused in the storyline. However. I do think One Dark Window fans will overall enjoy this conclusion to The Shepard King Duology.

I don't even know where to begin with writing how much I loved this book. The characters, the plot, the feels - everything was perfect. First, I just want to say that I absolutely love that the author gave us multiple perspectives. It was everything I could have asked for and more. The character development was done so incredibly well because we see how Elspeth and the Nightmare, Ravyn, and Elm handle their own journeys; there was so much individual growth. Much like One Dark Window, the author does a very good job with the characterization of the Nightmare and I love the sort of in between that Elspeth and the Nightmare communicate in. It was really interesting to read how shared and experienced things together.

Elm and Ione definitely play a significantly larger role in this story and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well their characters fit in to the plot; the addition of Elm's perspective also helped with building more of the world and how they balance being Destriers and highwaymen. I personally felt like Ravyn was much more important in this book and his perspective really helped understand his character. I was really rooting for him to be able to save Emory and his experiences in this book definitely made me sympathize with him more. As much as I adore Ravyn, my focus was mainly focused on the Nightmare. I LOVED being in his mind. Rachel Gillig is so good at creating such mysterious and compelling images and I was completely immersed in his character. This book really shows how the Nightmare and Elspeth truly understand one another and their relationship goes far beyond just a monster and a girl. Using Elspeth's perspective to reveal more of the Nightmare's past was such a clever way to unravel the story and I couldn't have been more happy with this series as a whole.

The magic system has such dark and gothic elements to it. There are both humorous and bittersweet moments that added an emotional layer to the story. They all had incredible character arcs. This was truly such an amazing conclusion to the duology!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

When I found out One Dark Window had a sequel coming out (after reading it recently this year) I knew I had to read the sequel asap. I love the whole idea of the different character cards and both in book one and the sequel the way they were used and their history was so creative to me and i loved reading more about their history and creation in book 2. I love secondary characters and their romances, to me as a reader they are always so epic and help move the story along in a way you weren't previously expecting. Ione and Elm were such a compelling couple and I loved reading about how they were helping each other and watching the growth of the individual characters in relation to themselves as a couple. Elspeth not knowing how to live finally without the Nightmare in her head was such a good topic of exploration and I'm happy that as a reader I was able to see a bit of that aftermath and how she was coping with it, usually I feel like those kinds of plot lines get over looked or wrapped up too quickly.

i have had to sit with this book before writing a review because i loved it so much, i wanted to wrap my arms right around it and protect it from the world and their thoughts for just a little longer, butttttt also this story deserves to be told and i think it’s an important one to read!

rachel blows we away with her writing! she has such a lyrical style about her writing that it makes the story that much more immersive! each character has a distinct voice and i feel like i could pick out their quotes if they were all lined up next to each other without any identity! i feel like this is really hard to do! the fact that this duology is her debut is astonishing to me!

but okay, let’s get past the fangirling and beautiful writing and get into the heart; the story. i think i actually enjoyed two twisted crowns MORE than one dark window, which is crazy because i ADORED one dark window and i was honestly nervous if the sequel would live up to that love! but it so did! i think i enjoyed this more because i already understood the world so i didn’t feel like i was wrapping my head around anything new! even tho there were new elements the bones were the same!

i loved getting 3/4 POVs!! and i actually enjoyed every POV and felt it really brought necessary parts of the story, nothing felt like filler! also i LOVE elm and his relationship that forms! he was my fav in the first book so i was so excited to see more of him in the second and even get his POV!

lastly, the underlying themes of this are truly beautiful. the story is dipped in wayyyy deeper themes that have truly altered the way i think and will definitely impact my behaviors moving forward! i think ultimately this is a story of letting go. letting go of the things that a crippling you, but that you also use as a crutch and are scary to live without. you don’t know who you are without the crutch. it’s also a story of overcoming fear and allowing people to see who you truly are, masked off and stripped bare!

it is truly just one of the most beautiful duologies i’ve ever read and will at this point read anything rachel gillig writes!

An absolutely fantastic sequel and conclusion to the story. The Shepard King series is easily one of the best fantasy series I have read in a long long time. The dark gothic elements to this book make it eerie and magical in the best way. I was flying through the pages because I had to know what happened to each and every character and where their story would end up. Cannot recommend this enough. Rachel Gillig is definitely an auto-buy author for me.

This is such a nice fall read <3
4.5 STARS

I definitely liked it more than the first book - Absolutely love the world-building and the atmospheric vibes. The plot, the world, the magic system were all exceptional, so were the characters mostly. It's a blow when you find the main characters to be the dullest in the book.

I loved Ione and Elm's story - every bit of it but I was very bored of the same with Elspeth and Ravyn - Would have rather had the Shepherd King himself - Speaking of which, his story was so sad and so relatable. Why wouldn't anyone seek power?

Anyway, I'm so glad Elm ends up being the king and I really hope we get another story in this universe

4⭐
2🌶️

"For even dead, I will not die. I am the shepherd of shadow. The phantom of the fright. The demon in the daydream. The nightmare in the night."

I adore the writing of Rachel Gillig. She creates such brilliant and fun characters which I think is a huge challenge in it's own considering how many there are! I really enjoyed learned about the nightmares past and it really helped make him more likeable as a character.

Two Twisted crowns picks right where One Dark Window leave off and I LOVE that. I don't enjoy the time jumps that can happen between books in a series so that was super refreshing. The ending was the perfection conclusion to the story.

"I can't f**king breathe when you look at me, Ione."

Now I LOVE me some Elm chapters and I thoroughly enjoyed them, however, it was really disheartening having so little of actual Elspeth. It's understandable because of how the first book ended but this is a duo-logy with Elspeth and Ravyn as our mains but it started to feel more like Elm's and Ione's story for a hot minute. (Again I don't mind because Elm is literally my favorite character in the whole duo-logy but like with the blurb it just really doesn't bode well for the story because you're expecting more Elspeth and Ravyn.)

I'll post a full review once released but my final thoughts are WOW. Book 1 was so good that I was worried I would be let down. However, it kept the same pace.

Wow. What can I say about this book?

Honestly, One Dark Window blew me away last year and I consider that one of my favorite reads of 2022. I actually was a little concerned as to whether or not the second book could really measure up to the first but it did. It was actually better than the first it took everything about the first book and just grew it into something even better.

If you haven’t read One Dark Window, stop whatever you’re doing go buy yourself a copy you do not want to miss this to duology. Its Gothic setting, its realistic characters, and Gillig’s powerful writing make this series one you don’t want to miss.

I think Gillig did a beautiful job of drawing out this hauntingly soulful and gothic plot in a way that didn’t feel contrived are forced. It really brought out this sinister underbelly of the kingdom in which these character lived in and they’re struggle to make it a better place, and I really enjoyed the world that she created. As a reader, I was completely drawn into the world that she was building throughout the entire book.

Let’s talk part of POVs. So I’ll admit it I’m more of a fan of a single or dual POV rather than multi- POV. But actually, I but I actually like how this book was set up. I loves getting Ravyn’s perspective. I loved getting the monster’s perspective and more of his backstory. It was heart wrenching to get snippets of Elspeth’s perspective as she grappled with her new circumstances. But I think my favorite was the introduction of Elm’s perspective. His story line just added a little, something extra to the book. I also really appreciated his story line with Ione. Those two broken cells found each other at just the right moment, and it made for such a passionate romance in the middle of a very dark story. This story coupled with Ravyn’s and Elspeth’s story to find their way back to each other (the pining) just made for a heartfelt read.

I loved everything about this book. I can’t wait to read more more from Rachel get like because I know that whatever comes next will another beautiful story.

I read One Dark Window at the beginning of last month and absolutely LOVED it so when I got this eARC for the sequel I was SO excited.

This sequel was everything I could have hoped for in this story. Rachel’s writing is exquisite, the dark atmospheric setting making this book unputdownable.

The story picked up where the first one ends and the multiple POVs in this one made me so happy. I love the characters in this book and especially loved getting Elm’s POV.

It has 2 main storylines and it’s full of action, along with romance. The ending was so perfect, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending for these characters whom I adore.

One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns are a must read. Add them to your Autumn tbr if you haven’t yet!

Two Twisted Crowns releases Oct 19. Thank you to the author & publisher for the early copy 🖤

I continue to be immensely impressed that this is Rachel Gillig's debut series. It is absolutely incredible, poetic, and thought-provoking.

Often, the second book is not as incredible as the first, but that's definitely not the case here. I believe the author's confidence really rose after her debut novel, One Dark Window, and her expertise in poetic prose really shines in Two Twisted Crowns.

I loved the varying perspectives in Two Twisted Crowns, and focusing on Elm's story rather than only Ravyn and Elsepth's was the perfect way to bring everything full circle. As for the Shepherd King... well, I do love a good morally grey character. (Can we also talk about how many tree-related names she was able to come up with? :P)

Two Twisted Crowns is incredibly atmospheric. I even found myself a bit unsettled during some scenes due to the spooky, gothic imagery. I mean, the characters literally walk on the bones of the dead at one point. Ew.

While I'm incredibly sad that this duology is over, it was wrapped up with the perfect little black bow. Also, I definitely cried at the end, which was unexpected.

If you like...
Found family
Witty banter
Spooky vibes
A sprinkle of spice
Unique magic systems

You'll love this one. Please go read it as soon as it comes out. I will read anything this woman writes.

This book. Ahhhh this book! It’s been a long time since I liked a sequel more than the first book. This was perfection; morally grey characters, humor, twists, romance, there’s a little bit of everything. This duology is my favorite and I will be raving about it for years to come.

I received an advance copy of this book for an honest review not knowing that it was the 2nd book of the series. So, I read the first book and then jumped into this one right away.

The plot and how the story was delivered in each Chapter was really good. It is very different from other fantasy books I’ve read.

Full of magic, some romance, betrayal, love, family and lots of quotes & poems! I love it!!!

“Does that make me wicked?” “If it does, you and I are the same kind of wicked.”


Jaw drop. This sequel does not disappoint. I was so impressed how Rachel was able to seamlessly weave characters together and characters that I thought I didn’t care for by the end I was rooting for. This duology is one that I will continue to highly recommend.

If you have read Throne of Glass series Ione was giving me Kaltain vibes in the best possible way.

The last chapter had me in tears. I was not ready.

Here’s to many more nightmares as sweet as this one.