This was such a fantastic story! From beginning to end, it had me on the edge of my seat, just waiting for the next bomb to drop! So much happened, so many twists and revelations that I did not see coming.

I loved that this book split into two tales, one following Rayvn, Elspeth and the Shepherd King, and the other Elm and his story. It was just so well done, so satisfying.

I was very lucky to receive this book as an ARC and I don't have words for how grateful I am. This book was everything I could have asked for and more! I don't know how to put into words just how much I cared for this book. I try to do completely spoiler free reviews and it is so hard right now because I just want to talk about all of these special moments with the characters. I don't know about others reading this but the Nightmare is one of my favorites with his complexities. I was so glad with how this story went. I could come back to this world all the time, and hope to frequently, even if there is never another book set in Blunder. I almost cried in the final chapter before being lifted right up in the epilogue.

I can't wait for everyone else to experience this. I personally can't wait to add it to my physical collection. A very well done sequal.

Thank you to @orbitbooks_us @netgalley for the ARC copy of Two Twisted Crowns in exchange for a review!

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year so finding out I was selected to read the ARC early was such a fun surprise!

Initially I had a hard time getting into it, but that could be accounted to things in my personal life, as well as it being new POVs so it took some getting used to. (Although they are great POVs, just had to get used to mainly men and not as much of our resident badass Elspeth, but don’t worry, she’s there too!)

Despite it taking some time to get moving, I truly could never have anticipated all of the twists and turns that were to come within the story! I could not put the final 200 pages down, had to finish it that day!

I love that we got insight into new romance, and boy oh boy was it fun to read the spicy parts, but that we also got to know each character so much better.

Whether we grew to hate them, understand them, or root for them in new ways, each character developed significantly in this book and the end was wrapped up so nicely.

I got emotional during the final chapter and the final line makes me so sad that this is the end of our time with the characters in the duology, I’m going to miss them dearly.

Rachel is able to bring together such a poetic dark world of flawed characters and write them in a manner that feels imaginative yet relatable. I am forever in awe of @rmgillig work and so excited for this to officially release on 10/17/23 (less than a month)!

I truly think that this book should be at the top of your list upon its release! It weaves together ancient motives, magic with a cost, facing your truth, love and loss in such tragic and beautiful ways. A must read for fall! If you haven’t yet, check out book 1, One Dark Window or reread it to be prepared!

Aw man, I wanted this to be at least a 4 star book for me, but it wasn't in the cards (pun intended) for me. It didn't help that all I saw from early reviewers was an overwhelming wave of 5 star reviews. I liked this fine, but didn't love it. It ended up being a solid 3 stars for me.

My biggest problem with this book is that the nature of the story/plot meant one thing: a noticeable lack of Elspeth. With the way the first book ended, there was simply no way around it, and the author had to just push forward with the story somehow. In order to deliver a satisfying conclusion, a good chunk of this book is spent with Elm and Ione, and to me their story felt like a consolation prize for getting no Elspeth/Ravyn scenes. Don't get me wrong, I like them as characters, but they aren't why I liked One Dark Window and they weren't what I was looking for in this book. And regarding the romance: it felt a bit forced. I'm sure I'm in the minority with this opinion, but it seemed like the author knew that her readers wanted and expected romance, and she had to deliver it somehow. With Ravyn and Elspeth not being an option, that left her with putting all her effort into Elm/Ione. So yeah, it didn't feel organic and natural to me.

My lack of real connection to Ione and Elm meant that I never found myself wanting to continue reading. I wasn't drawn to it like I was with the first book, and it also felt like the story took a while to get going. By the end I was looking forward to being finished.

Despite my problems with the books, I still think it wrapped up very nicely and in a satisfying way. No complaints there at all. And I still love the magic system in this series! The concept of Providence cards and how they use magic is so unique. I need a book box to make a set of cards already, please and thank you. Oh, and I'm glad we got different POVs in this one. It was necessary and it worked well.

Overall: A satisfying conclusion to a strong debut, despite missing some key elements I loved in the first book. I am very much looking forward to reading Rachel's next series!

I absolutely loved book 1: One Dark Window, and could not wait to get my hands on book 2.

From the very start of Two Twisted Crowns I was hooked. The pacing was incredible and the new POVs added so much to the story! The world building and imagery used in this story made it feel like I was watching everything happen on a TV screen.

I loved how it ended and thought that the endings for all the characters was very fitting for their individual story lines. There was so much foreshadowing that leads up to the final revelations that I cant wait to go back and reread to find all the little hints that I missed both in book 1 and this one. Not to mentions the romances!!!(all of them!)

Elm, Rayvn and Elspeth have quickly become some of my favorite literary characters.

Also THAT ENDING LINE!! I already want to get a tattoo of it!

Thank you Rachel Gillig for writing these books!

"Be Wary, Be clever, Be good"

The story of Elspeth and the Shepherd King continues in this perfect fall read. Two Twisted Crowns takes the reader on a journey into the mysterious mist-covered forest, with numerous twists and turns. My favorite subplot in this tale was learning the history behind this unique magic system, and seeing how everything pieces together in the end. The reader also gets to experience multiple POVs from different characters, including Elm. Rachel Gillig sucks you right back into the world of Elspeth and Rayvn from the very first page. Thank you to NetGalley for selecting me to be an ARC reader for this amazing sequel to One Dark Window!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC. This is my honest review.
Two Twisted Crowns was a fantastic read. Dare I say, even better than One Dark Window, which was amazing.
I think that duologys may be my new favorite thing. There is no dreaded second installment to sink or swim a series.
What talent it takes to create an entire, vivid world and birth perfectly thought out characters in which we become unbelievably invested - all in just two books. To me that is outstanding achievement.
Some still call this duology YA, not me. Especially this installment. It isn’t quite full-on adult fantasy, but it definitely comes close. Do not let the YA tag deter you if that is not your genre of choice.
Two Twisted Crowns picks up exactly where One Dark Window ends, and the twist at the end of book one (which I was so excited to see play out) was beautifully done. Elspeth takes a bit of a back seat in TTC, but that simply allows us to delve deeper into Nightmare and his past. It also allows the reader to enjoy several other POVs, all done beautifully, and all extremely satisfying.
A real achievement and simply a joy to read. Highly recommended.
Be wary. Be clever. Be good.

“There once was a girl, clever and good, who tarried in shadow in the depths of the wood. There also was a King—a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book. The two were together, so the two were the same: The girl, The King, and the monster they became.”

Two Twisted Crowns picks up directly where One Dark Window ended. The fate of Elspeth Spindle is in the hands of The Nightmare and the fate of the Nightmare in the hands of Ravyn Yew. The endgame is the same—find the Twin Alders, unite the deck of Providence Cards and liberate Blunder from the mist that holds the kingdom hostage.

It is easy to forget that The Shepherd King Duology is not only Rachel Gillig’s first foray into Fantasy, but also her debut as an author. This series was so enchanting and unique with one of the best magic systems I’ve encountered. Gillig captures the twisted fairytale vibe perfectly and it makes for an excellent spooky season read.

I do believe this duology would be most impactful reading the books back to back—something I did not have the chance to do because when I was approved for an ARC, I dove in to TTC immediately.

I was very appreciative of the added POVs—I enjoyed spending time in Ravyn’s broody, tortured little mind. Though the real stand out for me was Elm’s POV. I was very intrigued by him during ODW and loved spending time in his head exploring the depth of his character, his trauma / tragic backstory and his budding romance with Ione.

‘World Building’ can be a bit of a trigger term for some fantasy fans, but I was a big fan of the way in which Gillig sprinkled additional history of the cards / Blunder / The Shepherd King throughout this book, seamlessly working it into the ‘present day’ pov.

The Nightmare was funny as fuck and even funnier when you remember that he is parading around in Elspeth’s body, tormenting her romantic interest. I was also ecstatic that The Nightmare did more unhinged rhyming in this book as the rhymes were part of what made ODW so enchanting to me.

The North Star of this Duology and a large part of what makes it so good is how deeply special and weird the relationship is between Elspeth and The Nightmare. Two Twisted Crowns does a beautiful job of wrapping up their story--and the story of the Providence Cards and Blunder. I was personally deeply satisfied by the ending and I cried like a baby (in a good way).

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own!

Amazing! I loved these books! Two Twisted Crowns took everything I loved about One Dark Window and intensified it. This was much more of an adventure tale and so much more dramatic than the first. A super satisfying ending, but I am so sad it’s over! I want to live with these characters a little longer.

This was a very satisfying conclusion to the duology and had me surprisingly invested in characters that didn't feature as heavily in the fist book.

I appreciated that we got a lot more POVs from two of the male characters, and I was honestly probably more invested in the ElmxIone storyline than in the main one about collecting Providence Cards. Though, admittedly, I did feel that slight disappointment every time we changed chapters because I was invested in each storyline I was reading. So bravo, Rachel Gillig!

If you enjoyed the first book, I think you'll like this one too. And it's got a great atmosphere for spooky season.

"And the monster they became."

Two Twisted Crowns is everything a sequel should be. It's a seamless continuation of the first book, and wraps everything up in a neat little bow at the end.

In this second installment we follow the characters on their journeys as they work to finish reuniting the deck to save Blunder from the mist and infection, while simultaneously keeping Hauth from the throne. As with any quest, there are trials, tribulations, and personal growth in abundance.

Just like with the first book, One Dark Window, the atmosphere, magic, romance, and characters arcs are fantastic. This book does switch it up a bit from the first, and the story unfolds from multiple points of view. I really enjoyed getting to know Elm's character more, and think the Nightmare might be my new favorite character. This part of the story coming from multiple POVs really added to how satisfying the ending was.

Rachel Gillig writes gothic romantasy perfectly, and this duet is one of my favorites in the genre.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for sharing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

All I can say is WOW. The journey through this book was an incredible roller coaster of emotions and twists and turns that wrecked me in the best way possible. This book is truly magical.

“The two were together. So the two were the same. The girl, the King, and the monster they became.”

Will be posting a more in-depth review after the book officially comes out.

Special shout-out to NetGalley and Orbit Books for allowing me to read the ARC before it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity for this ARC reading. I don’t have words to describe the slump I was left in after finishing the One Dark Window, waiting for answers to the cliff hanger that left me speechless. I was pulled in my the dark and mysterious world that Rachel Gillig created and couldn’t wait for conclusion.

Two Twisted Crowns gave me everything that I wanted in a conclusion to this epic story. I don’t want to give away much of the plot, but I fell even more in love with the characters and the world as this finale took us even deeper into their personal battles and stories. I loved the multiple POVs and was so excited to get more of Elm and Ione. It helped build the over all suspense of the story, trying to guess how each of these characters would fall into place and play a role in the end.

I also loved the focus on Elspeth and the nightmare. After the first book all I wanted was more of the nightmare and the story of how he came to be, and I was not disappointed at all! At first I was worried the shift of the focus on the characters would leave me wanting more for Elspeth and Ravyn’s relationship, but I found as I learned more about each character apart from each other it made me appreciate the relationship that they were able to cultivate even in adversary.

If you were spellbound by the first book like I was, Two Twisted Crowns will not disappoint in any way! In the end this book was the perfect ending to this incredible series and it will be one that I know I will be reading over and over!

This had me even more on edge than the first book! I thoroughly enjoyed both books! What a great story and concept of magic! I fully get what people mean they say it’s on line with Fourth Wing. Not that the stories are anywhere close to each other but that the stories grip you by something low in your stomach and lead you on a roller coaster of an adventure until the story is finished. I highly recommend this series!

As soon as I got approved for this ARC, I downloaded the 1st book, One Dark Window. I devoured that book. It was so good!! Then I started this one, and while it was good, I don’t think it was as good. I mean instead of 5 stars I’m giving it 4. Only because I felt the last part (around 80%) was a little dragging then the ending was so good! I liked how this one was from the point of view of multiple people. We got to see through them what was going on. I also enjoyed the other “love story” in this one as well as the main one from the 1st book. The little twist was good and was the missing piece of the puzzle. I enjoyed that this fantasy was easy to read and understand.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for letting me have an ARC copy. This is my voluntary and honest opinion.

How do I even begin to start this?!?!

This story has captured such a special part of me. It felt like book of my dreams. It truly had everything I want in a story, from the fantasy world to the gothic atmosphere and the dark characters and the romance and suspense and how twisted it was and and and and I loved it so much. While I think the duology captured the story perfectly, I feel so sad to be letting these characters and this universe go!!

So onto the review! I think this definitely added layers to the first story. The fantasy world and the underlying tale felt much more complete and it all made sense in the end. It felt like the story got tied up well without feeling like tooo much of a perfect story, if that makes sense. However, I do think that in the execution of this, it ended up losing a little bit of the relationship I loved the most. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'm going to be vague about it until after the release date and then I'll post a more in depth review on what I mean by this.

However, while I felt like there were little tidbits that felt like they were placed on the backburner, I did love seeing other relationships explored. I think this felt like more of Elm's story in a lot of ways and seeing as he was one of my favorite characters in ODW, I loved seeing a full side of him here. His POV felt very essential to the story and added to the suspense and execution of the story overall. I'm really, really happy we got to learn more about him. I also think he was a great counterpart next to Ravyn. I liked that he wasn't this tough, hard to read character, but had his own strengths. So much of the time with these darker fantasies, we tend to only get one type of male character (dark, brooding, stone cold) and I loved that Elm was this very easily affected, sensitive, emotional, male figure who didn't try to be anything other than what he was. I will say, I felt like we traded in Elm's relationship ARC for someone else's. I wish we could have had both, but I understand why that wasn't necesarily possible given the way the storyline was moving.

So while I can't give this story a full 5 stars because of my one big problem with it, I still absolutely adored this tale. It was beautiful and suspensful and unique and so many other incredible things. I am a diehard Rachel Gilig fan because of this story. She has such a beautiful way of writing and her characters are some of the most well written I've ever seen. It's poetic and vivid and I felt fully immersed in it. 4.5 stars to this beauty!

Thank you so, so much to Orbit books for the chance to give my honest review! I can't wait for everyone else to read this and I can't wait to read more of Rachel's works in the future!!! So sad to be letting this story and these characters go! It's going to be etched into my heart forever.

Trees!

First off, thank you, Netgalley, and Rachel's team for allowing me to read this ARC. I am truly honored 🙏🏻

That being said, this is phenomenal! I am throughly convinced that Rachel can't write a single bad thing! If I could, I'd give this 100 🌟!! It's that utterly amazing! If she's not on your reading list, I don't know what you are doing, I will devour anything she writes and beg for more!

The chokehold these characters have on me is deadly. This book made me cry and scream in anger in the same chapter. It had ups and downs with twists and turns that you didn't even see coming.

This duology will forever live rent-free in my heart and mind. I will never stop recommending these books.

How does one go on from here? No, that’s an honest question because I don’t know what to do with my life now that this book is over and I am no longer in Blunder. And never to return…real life sucks.

This book, this duology, has given me the greatest escape from my real life and I’m beyond thankful for it. Elm was a much needed character for me. His development was the most fun for me.

As much as I want to tell you all the wonderful things about this story, I feel like if I did, I would ruin it for anyone ready to go right the wrongs that were so cowardly inflicted 500 years ago. This was the closure I so desperately needed. I could not stop turning pages.
“Babe, it’s 3:10 in the morning, are you seriously still reading?”-my husband
So, yeah, in all honesty, this book…this duology, is beautiful. Her ability to write a story within a story is remarkable. I can’t wait to buy all the merch!!

Be Wary. Be Clever. Be Good.

Thank you Orbit Books and Netgalley for this arc. And to Rachel Gillig, you have stolen my heart!

I have to say the first book was a 3 star for me, but I was intrigued to continue the story.

This book picks up after the events of the first one and we go on a far more intense adventure than before.

The dark fairytale comes out more and it is very enjoyable and whimsical. The magic system is something I have never read before and it was very fun to experience something so different.

I enjoyed the way the characters develop in this book more than the first, the relationships and connections are better seen.

It was a very nice and satisfactory ending to a nice duo.

I CANNOT breathe or think because I'm still processing the fact that this duology just ended.

One Dark Window was one of the top books that I read last year, and while ODW was great in painting Blunder, the mist, and establishing the magic system and the Providence Cards, Two Twisted Crowns honed in on the characters, their relationships and Blunder's twisted history.

In addition to the original cast of characters (my gal El, our stone-faced Captain, and my fav - NIGHTMARE), we get to spend more time with supporting characters that find their way into the center of the story. We get a glimpse into Elm's trauma and Ione's new reality under the Maiden, both of which I WAS LIVING FOR.

Lastly, I cannot conclude this review without praising Rachel's writing. She's painted a wonderous and haunting world for us, not just with Blunder but with the way magic is woven and history is layered so cleverly in the plot. Twisted nursery rhymes, anyone?

My only complaint is that the series ended and I want MORE. I miss my Blunder friends already :(.