Wow I reread this again with them first book again , what a great start of her career now I’ve preordered her other new book!

The whole premise of the book is the having all
The cards but poor Elspeth is sleeping behind the monster ( nightmare)

Swoon worthy mmc , slightly unhinged parenting and cousins who you can but shouldn’t trust.

Learned new names for trees Rowan being the more beautiful and connected to witchcraft .

Power, fear, sickness and gripping anxiety!

Excellent gothic romance and fantasy horrorish!

I really want more set in this realm !

4 out of 5 stars

Great sequel to the first book, just didn't top the first book for me unfortunately. There are still a fair amount of plotholes which is just a shame.

One of the best duologies I've ever read! I loved how everything came together in this one, and we weren't sold short with the ending. Everything was wrapped up neatly.

🥀Book review: Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig 🥀

Now this is definitely how you write a sequel 👏

I adored One Dark Window, and boy was Two Twisted Crowns even better!

The world is dark and hauntingly eerie and filled with monsters, vengeance, romance and mystery. It has everything a gothic fantasy needs and while I really enjoyed the plot of book one I was even more immersed in the plot of this sequel.

The characters of this world have completely gotten their claws into my soul and the blend of the dark romance and a unique magic system had me hooked. I especially loved finding out more about the cards like The Maiden and The Providence cards.

The relationship between Elspeth, Ravyn and the Nightmare was beautifully developed with such depth and emotion. The banter was top tier and I found myself both emotional and laughing at times. Elspeth remains one of my favourite fictional characters!

I must admit however, I was more surprised by how much I was infatuated with the POVs from Elm and Ione. The sense of rage, desperation, yearning and desire for power and survival was captivating. Their relationship caught me by surprise of how much I loved it but I am here for it!

The pacing was slow in places as we went back through the memories but the eerie gothic atmosphere of this world lured me in and this finale became more enthralling with the twists and turns as the history of the cards and The Nightmare was further revealed.

I was so blooming emotional reading the ending of this book and Rachel has cemented her self as an auto-buy author. I highly recommend this duology!

5 stars for me!

I enjoyed this, but it was a little disappointing in comparison to One Dark Window. The fast pacing is lost with the change in narrator.

The first book already had me hooked from the start, but the second? WOW!

Two Twisted Crowns took everything I loved about the first book and elevated it even further. Both books captured my attention, but the second one was even more intense and had me completely hooked from the very first page.

The blend of dark romance, fantasy, and unique magic was absolutely perfect for me. The world the author created feels so alive and special, and the unexpected twists kept surprising me. I honestly never knew what was coming next, which made the book all the more thrilling.

The love story between the two main characters was beautifully developed, with so much depth and real emotion. I could really feel what they were going through, and it made their connection all the more captivating. And the Nightmare! I never imagined he’d become one of my absolute favorite characters, but his development really surprised me.

Now that the book is over, I find myself missing the story and the characters. It was an incredible journey, and I wish I could spend more time in this world. Two Twisted Crowns isn’t just an amazing sequel—it’s a true masterpiece that will stay with me for a long time. 💜

Cover:
All. The. Vibes! I think it fits the tone of the book so well. It draws you in, almost entices you to get to that blurb to find out what its going to be about.

Writing:
Gillig has a way of just nailing it! I loved this duology and the way it had me yearning for the next chapter. I think its such a rare quality in a book and Gillig just knows what the reader wants.

Plot:
There was no disruption as we transition from book one to book two, the flow was there! We pace right and fall straight back in, the tension is back, the world-building thickens and Hello?! POVs!!

Characters:
So, I loved book one and how Elspeth and Ravyn grew, but what I loved more was how our secondary characters Elm and Ione are literally now our main characters in this book! I loved how we are fed more and more about the nightmare and the banter in this book is by the bucket load.

Romance:
Its there isn't it, its the very story of men that will go to the ends of nothing for their ladies. *sigh*

Audio & Narration:
Well paced, full of sass and I felt the emotions, Lisa Cordileone did a great job defining between the POVs.

I adored this book and was so blessed to have been chosen. It was the perfect ending of this duology

I absolutely adored this duology, the first left me wanting more and this sequel was just the living on the cake! Would definitely read again.

This was a very entertaining and satisfying conclusion to a really fun duology. I thought the stakes felt higher here and the threats more tangible. It was great to spend more time with other characters, like Elm and Ione and overall, the story just felt more expansive and enthralling in this second book. I really enjoyed it and will definitely read from the author again.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

i read one dark window and gave it a 3! when i got to read this early i was super excited to see what would happen, however it just didnt do it for me. i know why people like it so much however it was just not for me! :(

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.
Rating: ★★★★☆

Have you ever felt the magnetic pull of a story that refuses to let go of your heart and mind, even long after you’ve turned the last page? "Two Twisted Crowns," the dark and enchanting sequel to "One Dark Window," is precisely that kind of spellbinding tale. It’s a narrative that wraps you in its misty embrace and never relents, pulling you into a world where every shadow holds a secret, and every whispered word could alter destinies.

I found myself captivated by the story’s dark allure, rating it 4 out of 5 stars. While the pacing occasionally felt hurried, the rich expansion of the world and the deepening of the story more than compensated for this minor flaw. This book is a must-read for anyone who revels in dark, magical adventures—a journey you’ll be reluctant to leave, even as you yearn for the light.

This series is such an interesting read. I loved the atmosphere so much and the characters have your heart in a grasp so tight it feels like you can’t breathe. I can’t really say much plot wise since it’s hard not to get into spoiler territory, but i will say it was really well done, wrapped up in a way that is satisfying but also not too satisfying if you know what I mean. I also loved the choice of the added perspective from Elm, his voice really added so much, and made me love this book so much more! Gillig’s writing is a new favourite of mine and I can’t wait to read whatever she puts out next.

4 ⭐️

The magic system here truly is unique. I love both the cards and the "infection." I really enjoyed learning more about how certain cards worked, especially the maiden.

The switch from having elspeth and ravyn as the main characters to having ravyn, Elm, and elspeth was a good choice. Elspeth still has a POV but takes a backseat following the events at the end of book 1, and it is shared with the nightmare. I would have liked an Ione POV. It would have been interesting to see what it was like in her head under the maidens' influence

Elm. Sweet Elm, my new favourite character in the series. We definitely needed his POV to get to know him better, and you can't help but love him once you do. Plus, his romance is so sweet. I love them together, and their individual storylines coming together was well done.

To have a character called the nightmare make me emotional, is a testament to the writing and plot choices. The moment where he refuses to let history repeat itself in the woods and then the scenes at the end of the book were very well done.

It did get a little slow at some points and the parts where elspeth is in the memories got confusing but that may be due to the formatting in the ARC making it difficult to tell when the memory started.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Rachel Gillig, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for this review.

Apologies for my delay, I’ve had a very hectic few months.

Rachel Gillig has some of the best prose I’ve read to date. I loved the first book, wasn’t surprised that I loved this as well given the plot and the characters intrigued me already. But I feel like not enough people talk about how good her prose is.

This was a disappointing sequel, I loves the first book so much, and really wanted this one to be as good. It was slower, and didn't keep me grippesd in the storyline and I found myself not wanting to pick it up at points. It was a good read, I just wish I had loved it.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but honestly didn’t overly love it. I think this duology has been hyped up so much, that it has swayed my opinion a little bit.

As the second book in the duology I found I enjoyed finding out more about the nightmare and his past. The banter between elm & ione was great, as well as all the other characters. I think the ending wrapped up quite well, leaving no questions.

However, I was a little confused by Elspeth not being overly present in this book & elm & ione became the main characters (or that’s what it felt like) although I did enjoy there banter just seemed out of place. Because of this I think the pacing was a little bit off, any time something exciting happened with ravyn or the nightmare it bounced back to elm in a different place and it would slow down the excitement.

Overall, this was an incredibly written book & I can see why this duology is so well liked. But unfortunately wasn’t for me!

Thank you NetGalley & Little, Brown Book Group UK for this arc 💖

the world building here is amazing. The magic system intertwined throughout it made for a nice read. I enjoyed the gothic vibes I got from the book. It was a nice easy read. 3 stars.

"Be wary, be clever be good"

This picked up right where book 1 left off, and it just got right down to business. This was an amazing sequel I could not out it down!

I loved that this book focused on the side characters blooming romance aswell as Elspeth and Raven, the characters development was pure perfection. I've never been so invested in a side character before.

Nightmare was his perfect sparky self, and I loved learning more about his background and the lore behind the cards.

Enchantmenting atmosphere, a unique magic system and swoon worthy romance, this book was perfection.

I liked the idea of this series, but I just didn’t connect with it. I think I’m going to try again in October ish, and have bought copies, but right now, I didn’t love it.