From the very start, this book had a chokehold on me that never let go! Nothing about this sequel to One Dark Window disappointed. If anything, it is better. This is everything a gothic monster story should be; dark, moody, poetic, and creepy. My only complaint is that it's over.

I received an advanced complimentary copy of this book from Orbit books and Netgalley. All the opinions of this story are my own.

Oh my god. OH MY GOD!!

⭐️ INFINITE STARS ⭐️

this boooooooookkkkkkkkkk

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for sending me an ARC of this book!! I have literally been ITCHING to read this one and the fact that I was able to read it early has revived my cold, dead heart.

Back to the book.
I HAVE NO WORDS

Actually, I have words. So many of them. SO MANY.
THIS GAHDAMN BOOK.
I knew, I KNEW I was going to love this book, because One Dark Window was one of my top reads of the year. And somehow, SOMEHOW, this sequel SURPASSED my expectations.

The Nightmare!!!
HE ATE.
AND HE LEFT
ZERO.
FUCKING.
CRUMBS.

I loved him and book one— but in book TWO?!
The sass. The banter. The energy. The BDE.
The Nightmare is THAT. BITCH.

And Elm?! MY SWEET BABY ELM?!?!
The way he SLAYED?! Pleaseeeeee.
And the fact that he’s secretly FILTHY?!
The amount of times this man made my heart FLUTTER?!

And IONE?!?! what a bad bitch. Truly, I was indifferent towards her in book one but she SHINED in this book.

The romance. The tension. The little hint of spice. The PASSION?!?!

And Ravyn. UGH my broody man, Ravyn.

This review is so unhinged and I do not apologize. I’m still running on adrenaline and emotions after finishing it. But when I tell you this is the best book I’ve read all year, I truly mean it.

I cried at the end. CRIED.
I’ve never felt so simultaneously happy and dead inside. I am ruined. RUINED.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book went above and beyond my expectations and I’m so sad it’s over. The Shepherd King duology has quickly become one of my favorite reads of the year! It’s unique magic system, characters that grip you by the heart and the world of Blunder that sucks you in.

I loved everything about these books. It’s bittersweet that it’s the end but I honestly couldn’t have pictured a better ending. If you love all things fantasy and magic, be prepared to dive into this world and fall under its spell!

A story that will stay with you forever…
Let me just start off by saying WOW, I was absolutely blown away in this gritty, breathtaking sequel to One Dark Window.
Two Twisted crowns seamlessly picks up from the first one and thrusts you back into the magical and violent world of Blunder.
I was hesitant initially going into this with Elspeth’s involvement in the story being obviously diminished compared for the first book, but Rachel Gillig knocked it out of the park alternating POV’s from our favorite band of misfits. She explores the trauma and weight of each character’s experiences throughout the book that never has you wanting to rush to another characters POV. You feel Ravyn’s anguish and hurt. You empathize with Elm’s struggle with guilt and anger. You immerse yourself in the nightmare’s frustration and rage. This for me, was the highlight of this book. I’ve read so many other novels where some character’s POV’s, were much stronger than others and that was never an issue.
The one thing I didn’t anticipate enjoying as much as I did was the new and budding romance. Initially I found myself in tepid waters, not overly enjoying the interactions between the two characters. But as the story develops and their bond strengths, I found myself routing for nothing but the best. Angst, tension, longing, this romance has it all.
The way this series comes to its close was so incredible and moving. The journey to it is riddled with Easter eggs, heart pounding battles, secrets and riddles. Nothing is left unturned, and nothing is a coincidence. Rachel Gillig truly wrote one the most original stories with the most unique magic system I’ve had the luck to experience. It will be a long while before I find another book series as engrossing and immersive as One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns has been.

I’m so grateful to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an E-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

A proper review will be coming once we get closer to the release date

I love this book and everyone should read this series so they can love it as well. Gillig’s writing style fits the gothic fantasy romance genre so well. I wish I could describe how perfect, but that is just something you will have to see (and read) for yourself.

I LOVE ELM!!!!! I also love the dynamic between elspeth and the nightmare so much and it’s so bittersweet saying goodbye to them.
.

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig is the sequel to the much loved One Dark Window. Because it’s a sequel, I won’t get too much into the actual plot but it picks up right where the first one ended.

I feel like I did enjoy the overall story on this one a bit more than the first one. I found the first one pretty boring and predictable. I didn’t like the decision to have one POV be first person and the other POVs be third person. This is a writing style that just irks me in general as it pulls me out of the story. I always feel more connected to the first person POV and it has a disjointed feel. Speaking of disjointed, while this overall story felt a lot more fast paced, some of it wasn’t very smooth. I felt like some parts were skimmed over while others were gone over several times.

I think the romance that happens in both of these books took away from the story. There was such an interesting magic system and the atmosphere was great but they were bogged down by cliche romances.

I’m really sad that I didn’t enjoy these books more. I do enjoy young adult books but this one felt more geared towards teenagers specifically than other YA I have enjoyed recently. I think teen audiences will absolutely adore this series but it just had a lot of issues as far as things I enjoy.

The wait for this book was long and torturous, but it was so worth it. The story is told from multiple POV’s (3) and had a good pace with very few lags. I was engaged the entire time and loved, loved, loved the story. The author did a wonderful job conveying emotion for these characters – love, pain, fear, rage and grief. This is truly an adventure in which a group of family, friends, and enemies take a journey into a dangerous, bleak world touched with magic to not only save individual loved ones, but also the kingdom they live in. Their lives are blown apart, then stitched back together in very different ways. The story does have romance with one "spicy," scene (it is mild and brief). There are several scenes with descriptions of wounds, such as cuts, stab wounds, etc. and a few fight scenes. There are a few curse words scattered throughout the book, but not enough that I noticed it as a large portion of the narrative. If I could give this book more than five stars, I would in heartbeat. This, and the previous book in the dualology (One Dark Window), are now some of my favorites that I will be recommending to others.

I did get to read this as an arc through NetGalley so thank you for that!

After reading One Dark Window, I couldn’t wait for the next book to come out. Lucky for me, I was given an ARC from NetGalley!

This book exceeded all expectations. Like the first book, Two Twisted Crowns was excellently written, full of detailed imagery that made me feel like I was truly in the story. I loved the further growth of the main characters and especially enjoyed Elm’s storyline. What I appreciated most about this book is that it wasn’t rushed at all. So often in a book series or duology, the last hundred or so pages of the book are rushed as the author tries to tie up loose ends. Rachel Gillig did an excellent job at wrapping up the story without racing through every little detail. I can’t wait to read more by this author and will surely go back to reread this series again!

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Orbit Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”

Two Twisted Crowns is able to take the momentum and pacing of One Dark Window and run with it to create the perfect ending to this duology. This book adds the POV of Ravyn and Elm, and both really are integral to the plot and pacing in this book. TCC begins just where ODW left off - with Elspeth gone and the Shepherd King in charge.

I loved the inverse of the dynamic Elspeth and the Nightmare/Shepherd King have in this book as compared to the last book - with the Nightmare in charge and Elspeth the voice in the head. It’s cleverly done, and it works as a great parallel to the first book and Elspeth’s degeneration as she works to heal herself and no longer be lost and alone in the second book.

We also learn more about the Nightmare/Shepherd King and who he is and how he became the monster we knew in ODW. I was a little wary of him being a more forefront character in this book as I wasn’t sure if he would work becoming more than the voice in Elspeth’s head - but he does. His characterization has changed a bit in TCC as he’s able to be more of his own person with his own motivations, but he doesn’t lose any of his speech patterns or mannerisms that he had in the first book

We also get to see more of Elm in this book as he has his own POV and multiple chapters where he’s separated from the rest of the characters. I liked him in the first book, but I absolutely LOVED him in this one. His character growth and actions are much more focused on in this book, and even in chapters where Elspeth and the Nightmare never appear I was fully invested in what was going on. He also gets his own romance storyline in this book that you can see the hints of in One Dark Window - and so when it develops in this book you can connect the strings and see the plot threads all the way back to the beginning.

It seems that everyone and their neighbor has said this, but I’ll also say it - the magic system in this duology is so unique I’ve never read anything like it. Rachel Gillig is able to take what we learned and understood about the Providence Cards from ODW and turn it on its head with the fuller understanding we get from the creator of them - the Shepherd King - while also staying within the rules she created in the first book. There’s a few draw-drop reveals about the power and magic of certain cards, as well as the true magic a certain character possesses - and his connection to the Shepherd King. Everything we learn makes sense - but I never saw a few of them coming .

This is the perfect bookend finale to the worldbuilding and plot that was created in One Dark Window, and while sometimes the sequel to a duology falls flat and doesn’t deliver, Two Twisted Crowns absolutely DOES. I cannot recommend this duology enough, and a part of me wishes I could wipe my memory of both these books so I could enjoy them completely new and be blown away again.

“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.”

(For the publisher: Review to be posted on Instagram and Tumblr the week of September 25.)

I'm not usually a romantasy or fairytalesque book girl, but One Dark Window took me by surprise last year by how much I loved it, and I have been looking forward to the conclusions, Two Twisted Crowns, ever since, especially after the cliffhanger the first book left us on.

If you liked One Dark Window, you'll like Two Twisted Crowns just as much.

Sometimes duologies feel a little disjointed, something being different about the second one that just doesn't click the same as the first. The Shepherd King duology doesn't have that disconnect, and reads as if you are just reading one long book, voice and tone flowing seemlessly together, telling a full and complete tale. I thought that the characters really got a chance to grow in this sequel, specifically Elm, Ione and The Nightmare, and being able to delve deeper into the magic of the cards and the mist made me want to go back and read both books again back to back to find some secret hints scattered throughout.

It gave me the same warm feeling that One Dark Window gave me, and I'm looking forward to more from Gillig in the future.

Wow as if i didnt love the first book enough i might just love this one even more.! Two twisted crowns picks up right where One Dark Window left me at the edge of my seat with eagerness! I loved the different POV’s , the “Nightmares” riddles and backstory and the way it tied in so well at the end. It all just clicked and i love storys that give me that “ i knew it” feeling!. I will definitely be purchasing this on release day. Thank you Netgalley & Orbit books for giving me the opportunity to review and enjoy this story. Rachel Gillig you are my favorite.

<i>First and foremost, thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC for this wonderful story.</i>

This book and duology is everything I’ve ever wanted in a gothic fantasy.
Amazing characters
Intriguing and unique magic system
Spooky riddles
Romance that didn’t overpower the plot
Beautiful writing and story.

I cannot think of anything I would change.
<b>love, love, love</b>


P.s. I would die for a novella or spin off book about the characters and Blunder kingdom in a few years. I just wanna see my babies have room and time to build lives

4.5 (rounded to 5 stars)

Two Twisted Crowns is a wonderful follow-up to One Dark Window and one of my most anticipated reads of the year!

We pick up right off where the events ended in the previous book. Elspeth is now completely taken over by the Nightmare which uses her body as his own. Ravyn now must travel to retrieve the Twin Alders card with his lover turned monster. Elm is within the King's halls as the new heir with his brother still recovering from his wounds, and Ione is still using the Maiden card and trapped with its side effects.

We have more POVs in this book, with Elm and Ravyn taking center stage. I did really like Ravyn's character and how much more smarter and determined he was compared to the first book. I also LOVE the Nightmare's relationship with Elspeth and Ravyn. You can tell he truly cares for Elspeth and then also has a such a bantery relationship with Ravyn. Even though we missed out with Elspeth, I genuinely enjoyed reading about his character. Elm is a complete surprise and we see a completely separate perspective outside the journey for the Twin Alders card, which is important because it moves the plot and we see what's happening to our other characters. However, I do wish more time was spent from Elspeth's POV, she has very small time from her perspective and a lot of it is spent learning about history and the Nightmare's past.

The plot moved very quickly, which kept me engaged in the story and always wanting to read the next chapter. We also FINALLY learn so much more about the creation of the cards and the Nightmare's past as the Sheperd King. It provides so much more needed context and wraps up all the areas I had questions. The author also continued with the dark and gothic atmosphere. I truly really liked how this issn't exactly a retelling, but it has such a unique dark fairy tale setting. The world that this setting has established was truly unique and the magic system was so perfect explained. We do also learn more about the cards, and the true effects of using them.

The romance was amazing, but I really wanted more Elspeth and Ravyn! I will say the pining and just slow attraction between Ione and Elm was great and I'm glad there was that element in this book. Ione's story was very heartfelt and she goes through so so much, so I'm so happy to see them together. I will say the romance definitely stays more YA, despite the book being designated as adult.

The ending was amazing, and I felt like each character really developed and filled into their role. It was a bittersweet ending that I really enjoyed. Definitely pick this up if you want a more YA, dark fantasy duology!

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

We’re back for book 2 in this duology (so spoilers for book 1 ahead). Nightmare continues to try to rhyme us to death and has essentially shoved Elspeth off the stage. Ravyn is torn as this isn’t the Elspeth he fell in love with (she has the general appearance of the girl from The Grudge, likes to sit assembled like a gargoyle and desperately needs a mani). Elspeth, girl, ya can’t catch a break. Enter Elm and Ione POVs. Elm is that guy that thinks he’s playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Really he’s just a snob, but he’s witty, heir to the throne and I’m easy to please (as is Ione). Elm and Ione’s relationship was super satisfying for me (more so than Elspeth/Ravyn) and the plot was action packed enough for me to keep reading. There is an amazing gothic atmosphere, but the magic system in this doesn’t work for me and I really wish there was more world building. There’s magical trees, magical cards, a magical spirit, but they don’t come together in a way that’s fully flushed out and integrated. That being said, I needed a moody autumnal read and I got it, so I’m satisfied.


<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Huge, gigantic thanks to orbit books and NetGalley for the opportunity to arc read this book. One Dark Window was one of my top reads of the year so I have been dying to read Two Twisted Crowns and it did not disappoint! The story was so fantastically paced and thought out. I love a book that has purpose and each page was impactful. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out with Elspeth’s character after the ending of the first book but I truly loved how that story arc was done. I absolutely LOVED Elm in this book. I enjoyed him immensely in book one but he got a lot more page time and development and became a favorite of mine. The Nightmare was just as witty as in book 1 but we got to see his back story and see his humanity and I loved reading those pov’s. I highly highly recommend this duology. Rachel Gillig is now an auto buy author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC in exchange for a review!

One Dark Window was one of my favorite fantasy reads last year and I could not wait to devour Two Twisted Crowns, especially after the first’s ending! The story had me on the edge of my seat, I had to force myself to stop reading at times so I wouldn’t stay up too late. But what I loved most about this book compared to the first, is getting both Ravyn and Elm’s pov. They are both going through it and deserve a big hug and I loved seeing the events unfold from their perspectives. Ravyn and Elspeth just deserve to be happy together without The Nightmare after their stories and they went through it in their search for the Twin Alders. I did like how Elspeth was still there I’m the story even though she’s trapped with The Nightmare. Elm also deserve all the happiness, and his pov brought more depth to his character and let us better know his backstory. One other plus of his pov was seeing his relationship with Ione grow into one of the best. I also loved that with it, we got to see Ione’s complicated relationship with the Maiden card. While the story itself was great and magical, the characters were the best part of this book.

Overall, I loved this book as much as the first and was so sad to say goodbye to these characters!

Read if you like…
•duologies
•magic cards
•corrupt royalty
•multiple pov

Thank you so much to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

I am doing my best to keep this spoiler free!

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it delivered. This was a phenomenal conclusion to this duology, truly this is what a duology should be like - all the questions were answered and all the newly introduced storylines came to a really gratifying conclusion.

Book two kept up the fall, slightly spooky, vibes of the first book to perfection. I love Blunder and loved all the more than we learned in this book. I also love when we expand the knowledge of the places our books are based and this did a great job.

The characters that we learned more about and got more of their story were done so well. Also the additional romantic story was phenomenal, I was skeptical at first but then immediately sold and couldn’t possibly be more all in.

If you’re looking for a super well done duology of books - One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns are a sure bet in my opinion. I’m already planning my reread of this book.

What a fantastic second book! To be honest, I was a bit thrown off at the start with the change in POV and writing style, but wow, this second installment was like diving right back into the juicy cliffhanger—no delays, no time stamps, just pure excitement! The plot was crystal clear, which I totally loved because sometimes fantasy books can get all tangled up in too many plots, and here, we had multiple characters all on the same thrilling mission. And let's not forget the romance bits – they were the perfect sprinkle of sweetness in the midst of all the fantasy and action. I'm totally smitten with this sequel!

-Magic Elements
-Different POV
-Witty Banter
-Found family
-Romance

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for this eARC, loved it!!!

I suspended my entire life for two days so I could absorb this book through my pores. Not a second was wasted!
The sequel is an actual sequel-there will be no third book sneak attacks. Things are nicely wrapped up in my opinion and the focus is never lost on moving the plot for the sake of romance. This magic system still remains one of my favorites and the conclusion is equally satisfying.
This story is less focused on Elspeth but still includes her enough that the feeling of the book doesn't shift. We get Nightmare's POV which I think fleshed out The Shepherd King's story very well. Nightmare's withering one liners to Ravyn even during the most dire of circumstances were great! We also shift to Elm and Ione's story which was very well done and didn't feel like an awkward addition. The tone of the book is less gothic and more adventure/quest. Elspeth and Nightmare's relationship became really touching and I got a little misty eyed towards the end. Also the demise of the villain was lovely. I could have read a whole chapter dedicated to his suffering and been perfectly fine!

If you liked the Bridge Kingdom series then I recommend this fun and very well written duo. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Gillig, and Orbit for this ARC. I will be preordering the physical copy!

Quest/Romance/Magic

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved reading book 1 & 2 back to back. I loved this story and it felt very original. I felt very invested in the characters and they were developed so well. The pace of the book had me turning page after page and every time things seemed like they would workout there was some sort of twist. This book had me stressing to the very end in the best sort of way.