🍂Two Twisted Crowns 🍂
By, Rachel Gillig
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️💫

She’s done it again. I’ve been sitting with this one for a few days now, it honestly, put me in a deep reading slump. I needed some recovery time! It’s been a while since my jaw dropped while reading a book. I cried, I was frightened, and several times I unintentionally gasped and drew stares 😂. This one felt pretty special.

In this sequel we pick up moments after the events of One Dark Window - and no time is wasted! We dive straight into the search for the Twin Alders card as Ravyn, Jesper, the Nightmare, Elm, and Elspeth continue their journey to put an end to magical degeneration.

Not only is there an intense and dangerous physical journey through the forest and mist but the fatal threats of the court is at a new level and our characters are dealt many blows to outmaneuver and manage - and this time the risk for everyone is death. The plot will not leave you wanting and Rachel does a masterful job of balancing both the tangible and psychological struggles. My heart had a hard time with it, but it sure did have me tearing through the pages!

Rachel’s writing does not disappoint. Her prose and riddles are like poetry - she captures the lyrical nature of grief and darkness in such clever ways. I’ll be doing a quote post closes to release date… there are many I needed to read multiple times, she had me thinking and feeling.

There’s a very dynamic theme that centers feminism and the conversation around “what is strength?” - and what do people expect from the feminine “appearance” vs “character” that I absolutely adored. Ione is such a fascinating character, and both she and Elm go on a psychological journey that had me weeping and gasping - I was not expecting to love them as much as I did. There was some trauma in this one - it’s a gothic after all - but the tender care that also existed was so moving.

Ravyn Yew… I think he made his way onto the list as one of my favorite MMCs. Not only does he experience so much growth through a literally perilous and thorny journey must his integrity and loyalty is beautiful. Also, he becomes a little feral and unhinged as he track the Nightmare and desperately strives to keep his family and Elspeth safe - and I’m here for it.

If you are a fan of One Dark Window you can expect the same unique world and beautiful writing - but you can also expect a new level of intensity, passion, heart, pain, and tenderness. I highly recommend this book and if you haven’t yet taken the dive into this world this duology is a perfect fall read!

I can’t wait to read what’s next from @rmgillig . She’s such an intentional and clear writer who has a mastery of the lyrical nature of the gothic style. I’m a big fan!

Thank you so much to @orbitbooks_us and @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

#twinalders

I don’t want to reveal the plot to avoid spoilers. This series was phenomenal and here are some of the reasons why: the unique magic system, two very captivating romances, familial ties, politics, multiple POVs and underneath it all a deep revenge that fuels the entire story line.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up where One Dark Window left off and the author does this seamlessly. You’re immediately transported back into this world that Rachel Gillig has created which includes masterful storytelling and interweaving of different characters. You are on the edge of your seat the entire time following this amazing journey and masterful end,

The pacing is done incredibly well, the character development in the second book is everything you could want as a lover of this series.

You finally get the back story that we’ve been waiting for involving the Shepherd King and a new romance that is done very well. Even though the main character Elspeth takes a backseat in this book it is still just as intriguing and adds more layers to the storyline,

Rachel Gillig has immediately become an auto buy author for me after this incredible duo-logy and I would whole-heartedly recommend this series to any fantasy reader.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

A great second novel. Nicely wrapped everything up as I hoped, but there were definitely huge surprises I did not see coming . I would loved a little more of closure of all the characters because I am just not ready to let them go!!

“So the two were the same. The girl, he whispered, honey and oil and silk. The King... We said the final words together, our voices echoing, listless, through the dark. A final note. An eternal farewell. And the monster they became.”

Rachel Gillig, my gothic icon, this story was mesmerizing and eerie. These characters are engrained in my soul, the Shepherd King and his family tree.

As soon as I finished, I wanted to return to the start of this duology and reread both books to immerse myself in the characters' complexity and their journeys. I wanted to search book one for signs of what grew in book two. While I enjoyed so many aspects, the one that will stay with me longest is the brilliant way the author uses dangerous magic that impacts her characters to parallel actual mental health challenges. This gives the fantasy so much more depth.

I have once again neglected all my adult responsibilities thanks to Ravyn Yew.

This was an extremely satisfying conclusion to a set of books that will go on my annual re-enjoy list.

I would have liked more time with Ravyn and Elspeth after the action but that was purely my own selfish needs versus something the book actually needed.

“We are monsters, the pair of us.”

I felt the same way about this one that I did for book one: the beginning was slow, enjoyed the middle, but the ending was very rushed. Due to what happened at the end of book one, there is a main character missing from about 80% of the book. Because of this, a new side plot had to take place of the romance that had flourished in book one. I feel like the romance in book two was just thrown in to make readers happy, although I did enjoy it. It was hard for me to focus on said romance though when I was missing the couple from the first book.

I did enjoy seeing the different POVs from the characters, specifically because it helped me get to know them more. I continued to be immersed in this dark, almost gothic setting & still have major appreciation for the craft of the magic system the author created.

I was fortunate enough to get pre-release copy before the October release date. This book did not disappoint. The book starts right where One Dark Window ended so there aren’t any time jumps. The Shepherd King has taken control of Elspeth and he has one goal to complete, correct his wrongs by uniting the Providence deck (with a side of revenge on House Rowan). Together with Ravyn and crew, they set out through the mist to seek the Twin Alders card. Charms will not protect you, as great sacrifice and self realization is required. As they make their trek through the woods, Elm and Ione find themselves fighting their own battles and seeking their own freedom inside Castle Rowan. Love is found, betrayal is imminent and cruelty is in abundance. Elm must face the man he wishes to be while reconciling with his trauma, while Ione must step into her own and find solace in being herself. All while under the watchful eye of the King, Physicians and Destriers.

The writing and storyline is so fluid. No storyline is left incomplete. Every character gets a time in the spotlight. Not your traditional happy ending but a happy ending nonetheless. Rachel did a wonderful job intertwining past with present, the struggles of self realization and bringing to light that redemption is indeed possible.

This a book was excellent. It's rare that a sequel is just as good as the first, and this absolutely was. I found myself unable to put it down, and I really liked the different perspectives in the book. I think it added more to the world and helped to flesh it out. If I had a critique, Hauth felt a bit like a super villain instead of a sinister person, but that didn't detract from the book overall. 5/5

Two Twisted Crowns was an epic conclusion to this duology. I am honestly so sad to see the end of this story and world but also so satisfied with the ending. It was honestly perfect. Fans of One Dark Window will be happy with this ending, I think. I will now read anything Rachel Gillig writes.

I absolutely LOVED the multi POVs! The difference in each character voice was done so well. I loved seeing so much of Elm. He’s definitely one of my favorites. The Nightmare is such a complex and hard-to-love character, but I still felt for him. The romance with Elspeth and Rayven wasn’t a main focus in this book, for obvious reasons, but my GOD do I adore them both. The tension and the villain, oh my goodness! I was so stressed out (in the best way) and had to take breaks! I felt like I was experiencing all the emotions along with our characters! The second romantic story was fantastic and ahhh! I really didn’t expect that at ALL. I honestly loved this story and see a reread of the duology in my future. The atmosphere and the world and unique magic was fantastic. A perfect read for fall, especially.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the eARC! This gets five stars from me. 🖤

Thank you NetGalley and the publishing company for giving me an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you loved the One Dark Window then you will not be disappointed! I honestly couldn’t believe I received the ARC for this book and I informed my husband not to interrupt my reading of this book! Just get it the book! You will not be disappointed.

This book was amazing. Everything I was expecting and more. Two Twisted Crowns was such an epic fantasy read. Starting from one dark window I had such a bad book hangover so I'm so glad I was able to get my hands on this early.
Rachel Gillig is such a talented writer. The characters in this book are so easy to love. The world building is fantastic. The only thing I wished for that I didnt quite get was more time for the reunion of elspeth and ravyn. They waited so long I wanted to know more about them coming back together after the nightmare was released from elspeths body.
Overall this is a 5 star read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for a eARC of Two Twisted Crowns in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

This might just be the best book I read this year?? I don't know where to begin with my thoughts...other than that was one of the most heartfelt, heart wrenching, beautiful, lyrical, stunning pieces of writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up right where One Dark Window left us...and takes no time throwing us right into the action. I will preface that I was about 75% through ODW when I received TTC, so was able to keep the story rolling seamlessly, which I can easily say enhanced the overall experience; the journey into Blunder was such prodigious experience and I highly recommend reading back to back.

Some slight spoilers ahead...I will do my best to be as vague as possible, but take this as your warning to turn back while you can.

Every decision that was made in mapping this book was utter perfection. Taking the reins from Elspeth, who's POV we see solely in One Dark Window, and providing new POVs from a wider cast of characters brought a complex dynamic and allowed for simultaneous storylines, each proving pivotal to the overall conclusion. Further, the Shepard King-Elpseth-Nightmare interwoven persona was delicate and could have been a very confusing aspect, but instead they were like 3 strands in a plait; despite being woven together, you can see their individual trajectories. I thought it might be odd, or honestly disconcerting, for Elspeth to play such a little (literal) role, but that was not the case. Her role, while separate from the others, was essential in providing additional backstory and depth.

The pacing throughout the book was simply sublime. There was a game of tension and harmony that Rachel balanced perfectly taking this book from great to exceptional. We get the adventure and anticipation interjected with tender, almost poignant moments, that remind us of the character's humanity. There are a lot of complex relationships, from family dynamics and generational pain to political drama – this duology is more than just a high-fantasy with action and adventure. The push and pull element providing an amazing pace that raised the stakes, and kept the tension high.

And I can't go this far without bringing up the romance element, and, specifically, Renelm. Look, the romance in ODW hit me harder that I was expecting, but with the way that book ended and how TTC began, I wasn't sure what the romance was going to look like, let alone thinking we were going to get a second one. But when I say we get the slowest of slow burns, I mean toe-curling, embers cracking, slow. burn. It was will-they-won’t-they, touch-her-and-d*e, all consuming, yet never took away from the overarching plot. Going into TTC I did not expect the semi-likable side character from the first book, to not only get an equally important and compelling plot line (and twist?), but to also surpass every character I had grown to love and become my favorite character in the universe of Blunder? But Elm..tthis man...this! man! left me gasping, screaming, blushing, choking, sweating, and I think, at one point, altogether not breathing. The romantic plot was it wasn’t the primary focus of the plot, but it was drenched in palpable tension that still made it real and believable.

In short, the follow up and conclusion to The Shepard King series was everything a sequel should be. The high tension, budding romance(s), and deeper dive into the already particular and elusive world of Blunder earned this series a spot as one of my favorite fantasy series and definitely one of my top reads of the year.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This title releases Oct 17, 2023.

I think I enjoyed this more than One Dark Window, it was on the darker side of ya which I love. There were some harder topics in this book and I think Gillig handled them very well.

I felt this book focused more on Elm and Lone which I found interesting since so much focus of the first book had been on Elspeth and Ravyn. Elspeth almost felt like she was put on the back burner. Overall all of the characters had further development and growth in this book, and the story felt complete and wrapped up.

I enjoyed the pace of this book, the second half was where things really picked up. I think coming out of this Elm is my favourite character. But runner up was The Shepard King, because in this book we learn so much more about him and his story. His ending felt right.

There was a big surprise in this book, and it was well played out even if you could kind of see it coming from the foreshadowing moments.

I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t one of my top books of the year like I was hoping it would be.

I was not emotionally prepared for the finale of the duology. Two Twisted Crowns truly took you on the journey that everyone who had a hand in uniting the deck and saving Blunder. I don’t typically like books that rotate between more than 2 characters POV with each chapter so if you’re like me, PLEASE hold on and it’ll all come together and make it worthwhile. Crowns weren’t the only thing that is twisted in the second and final installment but the plot twists and turns and had my jaw on the floor and heart in my stomach more times than I can recall and a bit of steam and spice from a couple I did not see coming. I was hesitant to give this the full five stars because of the rotating POVs any book that can make me a blubbering mess of tears definitely deserves every single star. Rachel Gillig outdid herself and I’m so thankful to have gotten a chance to read this.

This book gave me the same high I experienced while reading books like Fourth Wing and SJM. I wish I could rate this series 10 stars. Two Twisted Crowns and One Dark Window are my top tier, best gothic fantasy stories I’ve ever read. Dare I say, also has one of the most unique magic systems. When I’m reading a fantasy, I often find that my mind can wander. From the second chapter, I was hooked. I won’t give you a much details of the story and characters. The more blind you are going in into the book, the more magical it is. The writing in the story is absolutely gorgeous. The setting is dark, twisty, almost creepy in the most beautiful way. And not only do you get to fall in love with Elspeth and Ravyn, but also a handful of side characters that you will be equally enamored by. Immediately this author has become a favorite of mine.
For my spicy readers. The series as a whole, while I would not label fade to black, I would say it’s about a 1.5-2 🌶️. And while I absolutely love spicy books and have read many dark romances, Dramione, etc.. In this story I’m glad the author chose the direction she did with the amount of spice. Because truly, the story is so captivating you do not need it.
If you enjoy audiobooks, I cannot express to you enough. The audiobook for One Dark Window is absolutely amazing. And while I did receive Two Twisted Crowns as an arc, I did NOT receive One Dark Window as an arc. I have pre-ordered the audiobook for two twisted crowns, because I know I am going to want to go back into the Shepherd Kings world and relive this story multiple times.

After reading One Dark Window I have been patiently waiting for the sequel and final book of the series. From Rachel's first book I instantly fell in love with her writing style. This book exceeded my expectations and I was not as prepared to be invested like I was with some of the side characters from the first book. This boo made me go through an emotional rollercoaster- that I was not prepared for. Words cannot express how much I love this book and I plan to re-read it when I have time.

TWO TWISTED CROWNS (The Shepherd King #2), is the sequel to ONE DARK WINDOW, by Rachel Gillig. This is a duology, and picked up right where Book One left off. I was utterly captivated by Gillig's style and characters from ODW, and not sure how this book would hold up to it.

Can you GET any better than 5 stars? I honestly wish I could give more than that! The characters, the unique magic system, politics, family ties, romance (two particularly strong ones), and mounting tension completely took over my life as I read this. Not only did Gillig stay true to her characters and storyline, but the expansion in every area was as flawless as you could get. The characters' growth (and we're talking multiple characters and multiple POVs), was so intense I felt as if I were WATCHING this story unfold.

"Be wary, Be clever, Be good."

The atmosphere and pacing were perfect, in my opinion, and the story even shocked me with some unseen revelations--yet everything made sense in the context. I won't go into spoilers, especially as this is book 2, but Elspeth and Ravyn both learn so much more in this journey, and other characters I loved from book one become even more important in their own roles.

Overall, this is an emotionally charged tale, weaving dark fantasy, magic systems, romance, horror, political agendas, human fallacy and revenge all in one fantastic duology. There was never a moment where I wished a scene could have been "skipped over" because it seemed "unnecessary", and the pacing never slowed down enough for me to want to put it down even once. This book had everything I could have asked for, and more. Possibly my favorite duology of the year!

Highly recommended, to be read after ONE DARK WINDOW.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital ARC of this title.**

Some stories let you escape for a bit from the world. Pulling you into the mist of your own imagination. Building on a world written in pages and twisting a tale that ensnares you along the way. The tale of Two Twisted Crowns stole me away into its depts where I became lost in the pages and loved every moment in this world. It picks up right where One Dark Window left off which I am a fan of when reading any kind of duology or series. I enjoyed each and every character, twist and mist, magic and madness. If you want to experience a unique magic system and lose yourself to a great story, I highly recommend reading this duology.

One of my favorite reads *****

Johannah K.

The worst has happened. Degeneration has claimed Elspeth. When Ravyn looks into her eyes a monster looks book. Ravyn must learn to trust the monster. The two team up, planning to go into the wood to find the Twin Alders card, unite the providence cards, end the mist and cure the sick. But will they survive the deadly woods?
Elm is left at Stone, a prisoner in his own palace.. Unable to join Ravyn on his quest for the Twin Alders, Elm must endure his grieving father, his dying brother. Elm distracts himself by delving into the mystery of Ione Hawthorne. The two work together to find her missing Maiden card, and to discover what happened to her the night of the Solstice.
Two Twisted Crowns is a stunning sequel to One Dark Window, a dark fantasy that will sweep you off your feet with its unique magic system, romance and magic. I loved it!