I loved Gillig's first book in this series and this was a great follow up! The characters are well flushed out in this follow up and I was so excited to read it!

My goodness, what a book. This one made me a little queasy and it was more violent than the first. I was invested in these characters and couldn't put the book down. I just wanted to know what would happen and hope everything would be okay. The twists and turns were unexpected and it sucked me into the story.

Two Twisted Crowns was everything a sequel should be. The story begins almost directly after the end of One Dark Window, immediately drawing the reader back into the gothic fantasy atmosphere and the delectably angsty, high-tension plot. I read the entire book in one day because I honestly did not want to put it down. Everything the reader was left wondering about at the end of book one is explored further in this installment—from the magic system and history of the world to side characters and budding romances. Two Twisted Crowns is easily one of my favorite reads of 2023.

This new installment brings new POVs to the story (for obvious reasons if you have finished One Dark Window). I was so excited to get Ravyn’s POV and it was everything I hoped it would be. The angsty sad boy levels were at an all-time high and Ravyn’s interactions with the Nightmare were honestly hilarious. Elm’s POV was an incredible addition to the series. He and Ione were two of the most intriguing characters in One Dark Window and I am so glad that they became main characters in the sequel.

The romance plots are easily one of the highlights of this duology. Elspeth and Ravyn’s relationship remains a favorite. I don't want to say too much to avoid spoilers, but the angst and drama created by Elspeth’s possession were absolutely perfect. There is also a new romance introduced in Two Twisted Crowns that is equally amazing.

The Shepherd King duology has an incredibly well-crafted atmosphere and magic system. The advantages and limitations of the providence cards are incredibly well-defined and in Two Twisted Crowns we get to push these boundaries a bit. Additional details about the history of the kingdom, the Shepherd King, and the origin of the cards add depth and weight to this isolated kingdom. I particularly loved learning more about the Nightmare. Two Twisted Crowns explores what history remembers and what it means to be the villain in a story.

I absolutely devoured Two Twisted Crowns. It was everything I wanted it to be and it has secured The Shepherd King duology as a favorite fantasy series.

Following the events of One Dark Window, Two Twisted Crowns delves even deeper into the magic and lore of the Kingdom of Blunder. This book has three POVs: Ravyn, Elm, and Elspeth, and each character has their own mission as they all work to rid the kingdom of the mist and take down the evil Rowans. With even more horror and fantasy, Two Twisted Crowns poses the question "How far are you willing to go to do what is right?"

Unfortunately, this book was a major letdown for me. After the ending of One Dark Window, I was psyched to see what Ravyn would do to help Elspeth. However, it took FOREVER for Ravyn to actually leave and start searching for the Twin Alders card. (I think he didn't leave the castle until we hit the 1/3 mark of the book!) I felt like I was just waiting and waiting for the story to begin. Also, with the Nightmare taking over Elspeth's body, we barely got any scenes between Ravyn and Elspeth. Of course, I understand why that was, but it was disappointing considering I loved the first book so much because of their romance subplot.

With the Nightmare invading Elspeth's body and consciousness, her chapters were very lacking in terms of the plot. Basically, we just saw her trapped in Nightmare's mind and reliving his memories. If you like flashbacks/lore, you'll probably love her chapters, but to me, they were very boring. It was also difficult to keep up with the large amount of information we were getting from these chapters, so I was confused for a large portion of the book.

I was shocked that we received Elm's POV in this book, as the synopsis didn't market that we would be following him. I loved Elm in One Dark Window, but this book made me indifferent to him for some reason :( The best part of the book, however, was his romance with another character. I kind of guessed that he had feelings for this character in the first book, so this occurrence made me very happy. Their scenes together were very sweet and swoony. I love how protective they were of each other.

Overall, I can appreciate Gillig's masterful craft and genius for creating this story and all its plot twists, but I didn't really like Two Twisted Crowns. Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books, for the digital ARC.

3.5/5

I really enjoyed this sequel and had fun watching Ione and Elm's relationship develop! I was a bit disappointed in the ending and wish there was more time spent with Elspeth, but overall I liked it. (I would say I enjoyed One Dark Window more than this sequel, however)

I had been eagerly awaiting this sequel and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. There is no gap between the books, and you definitely need to have read 'oneDark window' to read Twoo Twisted Crowns. I really liked how this book was written and all the characters were cleveroped beautifully in it. The magic system is a little confusing but it is fresh and this dualogy is definitely one I recommend to all fantasy Fans.

I loved ONE DARK WINDOW very much and squealed with joy when I was approved for the ARC of TWO TWISTED CROWNS! Thank you kindly to NetGalley and Orbit for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

TWO TWISTED CROWNS changes things up a bit from ONE DARK WINDOW in that Elspeth isn't as prominently featured. We get snippets of her POV sprinkled throughout, but the story is mostly told from Elm and Ravyn's perspective. On the bright side, it was lovely to get to know Elm more as a character and see his relationship with HmHmHmHm (spoiler) develop, but on the other, I missed Elspeth's voice and could honestly read a whole book that consisted of nothing but conversations between Elspeth and her Nightmare! He's probably my favorite character in this duology and I LOVED TWO TWISTED CROWNS because we got to learn far more about him and his backstory.

I'm surprised this is only Gillig's second published book because she seems to have created this beautiful, macabre world with such ease and confidence. I know writing this wasn't easy (because writing rarely is!), but she makes it look that way thanks to her detailed imagination and world-building. I love the way magic is used in these stories and how everyone can wield it in some way.

I can't wait to add TWO TWISTED CROWNS to my library ASAP because I know my students are going to love it as much as ONE DARK WINDOW.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc! Two Twisted Crowns was such a good conclusion to the shepherd king series. It was just as good, if not better than One Dark Window. I can’t remember the last time I read a book where I cared about the characters and what happens to them like I did reading this. Everything wrapped up super nicely in this book. Even though we didn’t get a lot from Elspeth’s perspective, I really enjoyed reading about Ione, Elm and Rayvn. This duology is the perfect series for me and has everything I look for when choosing what to read. So if you are into gothic fantasy, romance and a sprinkle of horror, I highly recommend this duology!

I have been looking forward to this book for half a year. Unfortunately, it's not grabbing me. I'm finding myself bored, and I'm just not wanting to pick it up. I'm giving up at 17%, but I think I will try picking up the paperback when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved this sequel! The story and characters develop so much more in this second book. I was completely hooked from the first chapter, I needed to know more and see how this story was going to end up. There were twists and turns I wasn't expecting, character growth I was so exciting to see, and a beautiful ending. Rachel Gillig completely captured me with first One Dark Window and now Two Twisted Crowns. If you enjoy reading about a world full of its own magic and a group of people trying their best to save the people they love, this book is for you!

What a finale to this amazing duology! I fell in love with One Dark Window last year, and I could NOT stop thinking about Ravyn and Elspeth. The Highway Man retelling twist was so unique, along with the use of Tarot cards and rhymes. It was atmospheric and mysterious and gothic. So appetizing in ways you can't even imagine.

We get a lot more of The Nightmare in this. And I'm all for it. The romance does veer off R and E, which I minded, because I wasn't really into Elm as much. That would be my only gripe. All in all, a wonderful duology, one I'm going to recommend for a long time!

A truly satisfying conclusion!

I mentioned this in my review of the first book, but the magic system in this duology is so interesting. While a lot of the backstory and reveals weren't much of a surprise, it didn't take away from how entertaining the story was to me. Action packed and epic!

A sparkling sequel and ending for the Shepherd King series. I was surprised by how much I liked the first book of this series, One Dark Window, and was impatiently waiting for the sequel. This is one of those books that plays like a movie in my mind as I read. The characters are fantastically written and the world building is so well done. The Nightmare continued to be a star in my opinion, his banter with everyone is the best. The POVs of the quest and the POVs at the castle really kept the story going. I thought everything was tied together nicely and I finished the series satisfied.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up immediately after the end of One Dark Window. The Nightmare has agreed to lead Ravyn to the Twin Alders Card, the last card needed to complete the deck of Providence Cards. This won’t be an easy journey though– they’ll have to go through the forest shrouded in mist.

There are plenty of excellent things here, and many readers who enjoyed One Dark Window will be satisfied. Two Twisted Crowns wraps up the duology nicely and has some good twists that build on the magic system detailed in the first volume. The dark, atmospheric elements of the first volume persist here, perhaps even more because of the settings.

On the downside, Elspeth plays a much less active role, which is a shame– I think there could have been opportunities for her to have more impact. Her relationship with Ravyn, one of the standout elements of the first book, also takes a backseat, though Ravyn is one of the main POV characters. Elm also becomes an important PoV character, and his connection to Ione provides the majority of romantic tension. Perhaps some readers might like this change– a new relationship with lots of uncertainty– but I personally dislike when subsequent volumes make new relationships primary (Half a Soul, Witchmark, A Marvellous Light, etc.) when it’s the original one I became attached to and I wanted to see that one develop more.

But I'll get off my soapbox. It's a strong conclusion, and I enjoyed reading it.

This duology was set up so well and the payoff in this second book was SO GOOD.

Some of the twists were what I was anticipating… some were not. It was a perfect balance. I really adored being surprised by the different directions and POVs of the second story, focusing more on Ione and Elm was an unexpected treat. I also just loved what an utterly satisfying conclusion we come to for the long tale of the Shepherd King.

I could go on and on about this story. The prose was wonderfully written and atmospheric, the characters were captivating, the magic system unique. Ect, ect, ect. On and bloody on! Suffice it to say. I’ll be reading Rachel Gillig’s next book no matter what, and I’ll be recommending this duo to anyone who’ll listen!

Similar to One Dark Window, I was thoroughly entertained by Two Twisted Crowns. It was a very solid wrap-up for the story, and I believe fans of One Dark Window will really enjoy this follow-up. Without crossing into spoiler territory- I was left disappointed by the way Ravyn and Elspeth were handled in this book, simply because I wanted MORE of them after the setup and heartbreak of book one. However, that issue is easily overlooked with how the rest of the story came together.

I loved Elm and Ione’s chapters in this book! I will say that I found Rayvn and Elspeth’s chapters to be lacking. I felt like we didn’t get nearly enough time with them in book two.

I loved One Dark Window and was overjoyed to be given the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of Two Twisted Crowns. I can easily say that this is one of my top reads and I will never forget how these books made me feel.
Rachel Gillig has done something wonderful with these books. It has been so long since I've read a fantasy romance that I've loved this dearly. The conclusion to this duology is perfect. There were no loose ends, everything came together in such a satisfying end.
We get to explore more of the characters from One Dark Window, we get to dive into their troubles and their histories and I loved it. This book was utterly perfect in my mind and is one of those that I'd give anything to re-read for the first time again.
I wholeheartedly recommend this duology to anyone looking for a fast-paced fantasy romance unlike anything else. The writing style is also one of the most hauntingly beautiful things I've read. The way Rachel Gillig writes is just amazing.

I thank Orbit for gifting me the opportunity to read an advanced version of the book. Rachel Gillig is definitely someone I will be watching for future book projects.

While I enjoyed One Dark Window and the world of Blunder that the author introduced us to, Two Twisted Crowns really knocked it out of the park for me. Wow. The world building was so much more extensive, as well as the character development. Characters like Elspeth and Ravyn took a back burner, while others like Ione, Elm, and the Shepherd King really shone. I loved the twisted nature of how the providence cards came to be. I loved the romance between Elm and Ione (omg). I loved the star-crossed lovers aspect of Elspeth and Ravyn’s relationship. This book was more complex than the previous and just so good. Overall, if you even somewhat enjoyed the first book, you MUST read its sequel.

One Dark Window was such a surprise hit for me last year and I was so excited for the sequel! I adored a lot of what was added to this one and honestly could have read an entire book just about Ione. I did feel a slight disappointment that we lost so much of Elspeth's agency this time around. It turned into a story much more about Elm and Ravyn's and the Shepherd King's choices than hers or even Ione's. I liked Elm and Ravyn, I just felt that Elspeth had more she could have done and was interested in growth from her that never really had a chance to happen fully on page. I continued to love the cards and the lore, especially the use of the Maiden card and I will absolutely buy the next thing Rachel Gillig writes, whatever it may be!