Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rachel Gillig for gifting me with an ARC! This was 100% a worthy sequel to One Dark Window. I had a great time reading the conclusion to Blunder’s story. Overall rating: 4/5.

Plot, prose, pacing, etc were all 5/5. I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and felt as though I was immersed in Blunder. The writing style was beautiful, and I felt extremely satisfied with the conclusion of Elspeth's and Bunder's story. The reasoning for 4/5 stars instead of 5/5 lies with the characterization and character development. While I deeply enjoyed the story, I found myself not super invested in the individual characters and their journeys. There was a sort of disconnect between the characterization and my view of the characters, which led to me feeling as though the moments of character development were rather slow. All that being said, I still enjoyed the story deeply and would 100% recommend it, but I feel like there was something missing with the chemistry between characters and between the page and the reader.

Overall, I still highly recommend this book and despite some of the characters falling flat, the plot and prose greatly made up for any shortcomings and I was still hooked start to finish! I will write a more extensive review closer to release date!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advanced readers copy of this book, for my honest review.

This book was beautiful and well written like the first book. Rachel tells a dark dreary story so well.

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Pros:
- Dark Creepy Vibes
- Solid ending
- Answers to questions from first book
- Romance
- The entire section of the woods. I cried, I chuckled, I tensed. Perfection.

Cons:
- Elspeth takes to the back burner this book, focusing more on Elm and Ione
- The side plot of Ione’s card dragged a bit.

Overall, it was a strong sequel to the first book. I don’t think it was quite as enthralling as the first book, but I loved it nonetheless.

The conclusion to this duology was every bit as good as I expected it to be! While we sadly don’t get as much Ravyn and Elspeth this time around, I loved seeing the Nightmare interact with everyone and he’s earned a special place in my heart. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about all of the focus on Elm and Ione, but I grew to really love them as well. The story got more and more exciting as it went on and the ending made me happy and emotional and all of the things. Will definitely read whatever this author writes in the future.

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for the ARC!

The Shepherd King has easily become one of my favorite duologies of all time. I was worried that Two Twisted Crowns wouldn’t live up to the expectations that One Dark Window had set but wow did it ever! I loved getting to dive deeper in the Providence Cards, a magic system that I think is so unique and fun. In this world magic doesn’t come without a price and seeing the price play out when characters use certain Providence Cards is so interesting. The two characters I was invested in the most were Ravyn and Nightmare. I’ve always enjoyed Ravyn’s character and this book did nothing but make me like him even more. Nightmare might be my favorite character in this series simply because of the banter and honestly, I find Nightmare to be kind of adorable. Rachel Gillig does a wonderful job at creating such a dark and haunting atmosphere and I was happy with how she developed the characters. The plot is well paced, and the different POVs kept me intrigued. I didn’t find myself dreading having to switch to any POV. Which is rare for me because in multiple POV stories there’s typically one perspective that I end up not looking forward to. If you loved the first book you must read this one. It’s amazing. This duology is an incredible fantasy romance and perfect for anyone looking for a moody gothic story. I cannot wait to see what this author has in store for us next!

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for providing this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is everything a sequel should be, you won’t be disappointed! Rachel Gillig was able to continue the story without missing a beat. You are rewarded with a fast paced and action thrilled plot.

This story is from Ravyn’s and Elm’s POV, I found myself truly impressed and excited to see the world through their eyes. It was emotional, dark, and beautiful. The world itself was built with such care that I was able to picture it clearing.

The story was wrapped up nicely without any cliffhangers. Extremely thankful I was able to read it prior!!

The perfect conclusion to book 1. I do wish we'd seen more of Ravyn + Elspeth at the end but I did love the new love story in this one 🥹 and getting more povs was really fun. Loved the whole experience!

This is the best duology I've ever read! This book has such a unique and imaginative magic system that is so exciting to read. I did not want to put this book down nor did I want it to end!

I loved the shift of perspectives from the first book. One Dark Window had a stronger focus on Elspeth and Ravyn where as the focus in Two Twisted Crowns is more evenly placed on the characters that were introduced in the first book. I was itching to know more about Ione in One Dark Window and her story in TTC is so amazing and gripping. In TTC, we also learn more of the secrets the cards hold and more about their compelling history. The writing is so clear and descriptive that following the characters along their expeditions is so easy to visualize and understand what is going on in this world. I think this book answers any questions you may have had in One Dark Window in the most spectacular way and leaves you completely satisfied and more than content with the duology.

If you are looking for a cozy, magical read for fall, this is it!

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an ARC of Two Twisted Crowns!

This Duology was AMAZING.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of Two Twisted Crowns and now I am suffering withdrawals.

Rachel Gillig is a beautiful writer who has the ability to suck the reader into the world she’s built. The plot was unique, the magic system was fun, and the characters, whether they be prominent protagonists, antagonists, or supporting characters were so well thought out.

I will definitely come back to this duo for a reread because I am already missing this world. Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC.

I highly recommend Rachel Gillig to fans of Stephanie Garber, Katherine Arden, Rebecca Yarros, and Rebecca Ross.

When I found out I got accepted for this arc, I was super excited. I’ve been waiting for the sequel to “ This Dark Window ” and truthfully this book was the sequel that was needed.
This book takes where we left off in the first one, and it doesn’t disappoint with the turns of events. Whether its the political drama, the hunt to find the cards or even just the romance every part of this book is absolutely gripping. There was a huge plot twist that I didn’t even guess which shocked me!
We have the same characters in this book and they’re just as amazing as before ( and I didn’t think they could get any better ). I loved the dynamic between Elspeth / Ravyn and the Nightmare. And oh my god, Ione and Elm??? YESSS! They were my favorite. Each character had their ups and downs but at the end it all came together perfectly.
Overall, I’m a bit disappointed this is just a duology but I’m glad this is the way it ended. Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Book Name: Two Twisted Crowns

Author: Rachel Gillig

ARC

Thank you to Orbit Books, Orbit and NetGalley ****for the MUCH anticipated ARC of Rachel Gillig’s Two Twisted Crowns

Stars: 5

Spice: 2

Final Book in the The Shepherd King duology

Fast Paced

Multi-POV

High Fantasy Adventure Romance

- Tropes
- Found Family
- 3rd Act Twist
- Hidden Secrets
- MAGIC
- Riddles
- Thoughts.
- I cried SO much
- I love how real the characters feel
- Ending was PERFECT
- There is not as much romance within this book
- SO high stakes
- I couldn't put it down
- PERFECTION
- I won't add too many details cause this book deserves to be spoiler free

I have been looking forward to this book since I read One Dark Window last year, and let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint. This story was done so well and beautifully tied everything together. I particularly loved the additional POV's in this book. They added so much to an already well conceived world. I truly adore this series and this world, and while I'm sad it's over, I know I will come back to these books again and again. Gillig is an extremely talented writer, and I am a forever fan.

There’s something so magical (both literally and figuratively) about a well written duology.

Over the course of two books Rachel Gillig creates these incredible characters, with depth and motive while creating an incredibly magical mystery that had me hanging to the edge of my book until the last chapter.

While I did find the start of this book slow as I re-entered the world once I got the lay of the land and back into it I honestly couldn’t put it down.

The ending and final goodbyes had me sobbing as I watched these characters find their ends and I honestly don’t think I could have asked for anything else!

I’m going to admit that I was skeptical that everything was going to wrap up nicely in the span of just one more book.
I was wrong to ever doubt Rachel Gillig.
I wasn’t sure what to expect after the ending of book one, but oh man the author blew it out of the park.
With Elspeth sort of in the backseat for this book, I was worried I wouldn’t be as interested. We get to read from other POV’s and I loved every single one.

Elm really took me by surprise in becoming one of my favorite characters! We get more of his backstory, and I found myself excited for his chapters more than anyone else’s.
Ione is another character that took me by surprise. I love her so much! The way her actions were explained and how we finally get to know the truth of the things she experienced. My heart ached for her so much.

The conclusion was so incredibly satisfying. Pacing was perfect. I thought I knew how it would end, but I was wrong. Wrong in a good way. This duology is just absolute perfection and will forever be five out of five glowing stars for me.

I am excited to read whatever this author puts out next.

This ending to this beautiful Duo logy was perfection!

It starts off where it left! The nightmare has now taken control of Elspeths body and she now is stuck on an island

Reyvn is trying to figure how he can still take the nightmare to find the twin alders. He then persuades the king that he will come back with the twin Adlers

We get a new pov which is prince elm his plot and love story was amazingly written you immediately fall for his character and everything he stands for.

The twist and turns at every corner was genius! Everyones love story and hardships made you just want more and to never have the story end!

This is the most unique magic duo-logy I have read to date

I got full body chills on the last 2 sentences🥲🤍

TREES.

If I could rate this book a million stars I would. First off, I love that this is a duology- so thank you Rachel

Second- I have never encountered such a captivating story and so many times in a fantasy book, I lose interest by book 2. I can say with absolute certainty this book took over my every waking thought and I needed to finish it. I was beyond compelled and obsessed to a level I rarely get with a book.

For anyone who needs a series that equates to the feeling of reading their all time favorite book- this is the series to pick up.



Thank you so much NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This was book was everything. I fell in love with characters that I never thought I could. I got answers to all the questions! I may or may not have needed a couple of tissues. If you loved One Dark Window, you will not be disappointed. I couldn't put it down, and I'm sad that it's over. Impatiently waiting for more stories from Rachel Gillig! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took a minute to adapt from book one being one point of view to then this second book having three points of view, but it was well worth it. The adventure and direction the story was going had me on the edge of my seat and up wayyyyy past my bedtime. Very plot driven and overall a great read.

The perfect continuation to One dark Window. It was everything I had hoped for and more. Thank you for letting me read the arc.

TTC is an absolutely epic conclusion to The Shepherd King duology. It continues the immersive, atmospheric writing from book one, but gives us so much more in terms of history and character development. There was a point when I thought for sure I knew how the story was going to go, and I honestly thought I might be disappointed. But I could not have been more wrong. The author really composed an incredible tale that kept you guessing but still felt completely natural and true to the story.

The romance component of TTC was also so good. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Ravyn & Elspeth (and come on, I really wanted more of them in the end), but Elm & Ione really stole the show here. Their banter and chemistry were unmatched and I thoroughly enjoyed how their relationship developed.

Other highlights, for me, were seeing different uses for the Providence Cards that were introduced in book one and getting to know more about the Nightmare/Shepherd King. That grumpy-ass old man made me laugh! Ultimately, I highly, highly recommend this duology for anyone who enjoys fantasy or fantasy romance. The writing is exceptional and the story wholly unique.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the arc!

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
Pub date: October 17

5🌟

Two Twisted Crowns did not disappoint! I’m so sad this duology has come to an end but also so satisfied. The writing is vivid and captivating. Everything about it is perfect. The Nightmare definitely grew on me in this book, and I loved getting to know his whole story. One moment he was frustrating me and the next I couldn’t dislike him, which is exactly how he seemed to make all the other characters feel too. There are multiple POV’s as well. I was happy to get Elm’s, and the budding romance in this is so good! It was what I didn’t know I needed. Rachel has officially become an autobuy author for me.

If you haven’t read One Dark Window yet, I highly recommend you do! It’s truly the perfect duology to read this Fall. It gives all the vibes. 🍂

Huge thank you to @netgalley, @orbitbooks_us, and @rmgillig for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review! 🫶🏻