Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for sending me a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Two Twisted Crowns follows the suspenseful narrative set by its prequel, One Dark Window, leaving readers eagerly anticipating what comes next. The stakes are higher, the mysteries deeper, and the characters more enthralling in this sequel.

Ravyn Yew and his friend remain on their quest to find all 12 Providence cards, the key to dispelling the ominous mist and curing the fever plaguing their world. Yet, the enigmatic Twin Alders card, seen only by the elusive Shepherd King who made it, proves to be their most formidable challenge.
But things are not the same as they were. Ravyn has a lot more on to loose now other than his brother.

The story revisits the history of Blunder, shedding new light on its past, particularly the fascinating life of the Shepherd King. Racheal Gillig's choice of naming the first Rowan King Brutus, which may be a reminiscent of the famous betrayer from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, adds depth and intrigue to the narrative.

As the plot unfolds, the dots connect seamlessly, drawing readers deeper into the story. The multiple points of view provide an engaging and multifaceted perspective. If you found One Dark Window captivating, Two Twisted Crowns elevates the narrative to impressive heights. It's a tale that leaves you yearning for more, yet the ending is perfectly satisfying.

Rachael Gillig's storytelling prowess shines in this installment, delivering a conclusion that feels just right. I can't help but wish I could experience the story afresh to relive those moments of pure literary bliss.

In the end, Two Twisted Crowns brilliantly weaves together the story of a girl, a king from the past and two kings each by their right in the present.

"The girl, the king and the monster they became."
And this monster saved the day

I really enjoyed this series, this book an excellent conclusion, perfect pacing with small reveals along the way to keep you enthralled and intrigued. Think I loved ione and elms story more than ravyn and Elspeth. The way that they had quietly noticed each other for years.
Such a unique magic system which I thought was really clever.

I loved the first book and the sequel; Two Twisted Crowns didn’t disappoint!

It has two captivating romance storylines, intricate family ties that add depth to the story, political intrigue that keeps you guessing. This book has multiple POVs to enhance the narrative, which also helps to add more depth to the characters.

The pacing of the story is great, it blends heart-pounding acting with introspective moments that delve into characters’ emotions and motivations. The character development of Elspeth is a true highlight, which also mirrors the complexities of her world.

The sequel seamlessly picks up where ‘One Dark Window’ left off, and continues to explores the magic system, world history, side characters and budding romances. With the new POVs, there’s an added depth to the characters, especially Ravyn’s and Elm’s.

Rachel Gillig has created an amazing fantasy romance duology with ‘Two Twisted Crowns’ as a fitting conclusion.

Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Two Twisted Crowns' by Rachel Gillig.

I’m so happy that I was able to read the history of Elsbeth and Ravyn so fast after finishing the first book.
Rachel Gillig’s writing style is exceptional. I was a little bit disappointed that Elsbeth POV wasn’t the main one, but chapters from Elm’s perspective was valuable and perfectly completed the plot from the 1st book.
It’s always sad to finish the series that you love so much, but I’m really satisfied with book ending and the way our characters changed during this journey. Thank you, Rachel Gillig, for this amazing and heart touching story.

Elspeth has finally succumbed to her degeneration. The price she paid for the help from the Nightmare. While she remains trapped in her own body. The rest of conspirators against the Rowan crown must search out the Twin Alder Card. The last card that is needed to unite the deck and lift the mist from the Kingdom of Blunder.
Unlike One Dark Window, this book follows three POVs between Raelm, Rayven and Elspeth. Each has their own part to play in locating the Twin Alders, all while playing into court politics to cover their treachery. Now that the Shepherd King has control, the story of what truly happened 500 hundred years ago slowly falls into place.
This book completely matches the dark, misty mood, slow-burn romance and mysterious magic that we all loved from One Dark Window. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the different points of view, the more that we learn about the providence cards and their story.

Rachel Gillig has SECURED her spot in my favourite authors list! When I got approved for Two Twisted Crowns I literally screamed - it was my most anticipated book of the year and let me just say that it did NOT disappoint!!

I reaply enjoyed the new POV's, with Elm's chapters stealing the show for me. The tension, the growth, the romance! *Chefs kiss*

This duology deserves all the hype, and I am so happy that Rachel is receiving all the praise because she absolutely deserves it!

Everyone needs to pick up Two Twisted Crowns as soon as it comes out - its the perfect fall read with the spooky gothic vibes. Loved it!

The day I got approved for the NetGalley proof, I speed read through the rest of my book so I could start this as soon as possible. The first book has been on my mind constantly since I finished it and thankfully, this sequel was exactly what I was hoping for and more.
Watching the characters develop from where we left off in the first book and seeing them try to find their places in this whole messed up story was so fun (and a little heart breaking). Especially at the beginning with all the characters still coming to grips with their whole Nightmare/Shepherd King/Elspeth situation.
I really enjoy the magic system in this world and was very happy to see more about the providence cards, how they work and where they came from, and from other sides of the story.
This duology has definitely shot up to be one of my favourite series of this year and I already suspect I’ll be going back to reread them at some point in the future. The only problem is I got so attached to the characters and want to see more of them. Especially Elspeth and the Taxus’ relationship. Their interactions and the ones between Taxus and Ravyn were always so fun and sarcastic.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Two Twisted Crowns' by Rachel Gillig.

'Two Twisted Crowns' by Rachel Gillig is the final book in the duology and I will say, it is must better than book 1. The writing style and the way the characters interact with eachother is just stunning and although this story is done and closed, I am excited to see where Gillig goes next.

As soon as I started this book I remembered how much I loved the first one.
Just such a dark and real feeling world. I love the magic system and the law. The imperfect characters.
I look forward to reading more by this author!

Having ADORED One Dark Window I was so excited when I got approved for an arc of this book from netgalley!

This didn’t disappoint. I thought it would annoy me more than it did not to actually have Elspeth as one of the main characters, but I really love how we got her and how she was able to discover things about the Shepherd King while she was trapped. And then when he was able to let her out a bit she actually got to interact with her loved ones. One thing I would’ve liked is to have a longer ending after Taxus was gone and to see her reunion with Ravyn as they both deserve all the happiness in the world 😭🥰.

One thing I didn’t see coming was how much I grew to like the Nightmare/Taxus. He did bring on everything he did with his own greed but he knew that and all of this was to make amends to the world and to his family. I loved finding out how and why he bartered for the different Providence Cards. He’s very much the anti hero and doesn’t do things to gain favour, but you can see in his own way he does truly care for Elspeth and when they said their goodbyes to each other it did choke me up a bit.

I adored getting different POV’s from both Ravyn & Elm who brought so much to the story. I loved them both in the first one and so finding out more about them and how things were in their heads was so interesting. Ravyn’s unrelenting love for Elspeth, Elms love for his family and then growing romance with Ione - it all just brought together such an amazing story.

The ending was so intense and just not what I expected but I loved it all the same. Hauth got what he deserved and everyone got their happy ending which was needed after having so much happen to each one of them.

Like the first one, this book was creepy, kept you on your toes, never knew what was going to happen and the things these cards could do was so surprising. I adore this duology and do kind of wish it could’ve been longer just purely because I love these characters, but it was perfect as a duology. Rachel Gillig is very much on my radar and I would read anything else by her now!

Thank you NetGalley for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved One Dark Window when I read it last year, I expected the same when I reading Two Twisted Crowns! The atmosphere, the writing was amazing.

I loved that we got POV’s from Ravyn and Elm, their perspectives really immersed you more into the story.

I would’ve liked if there was more of Elspeth and Ravyn together because their chemistry in the last book was just so good

Such a banger I loved it. The Gothic fantasy vibes, tinged with the mysterious elements and romantic allure had me enthralled through and through! Undoubtedly, a big 5 stars read

“The Girl. The King. And The Monster They Became. “

Second book in the series and another 8 or so splendid hours spent in a misty and exquisite R. Gillig written world - she has a brilliant way to trap you in there and I really did not want to put the book down and must admit that I quietly sobbed happy tears reading the last pages in the late hours of the night.

“Quiet. Gentle. Full of wonder. “

The writing style is phenomenal, world building - I was already speechless reading One Dark Window, but this book - I could clearly visualise the scene settings and characters and what were they up to - and oh dear a LOT happened there! I felt like I was in the movie directed by Tim Burton.

Magical system is unique and vast. Loved the details and oh my I would LOVE and would do pretty much ANYTHING to get my hands on that deck!


“Alone in the castle, Prince of the Dark.”

Now, the characters…
Oh my poor heart.
Nightmare is my top top TOP favourite written characters ever. I love the concept, his importance to the story and his mannerisms.(“Stupid Bird”)
Was really exciting to see quite a lot of Ravyn’s POV and get to know him. I warmed up to him big time.
And then - the sunshine of the story that my heart was torn apart, and then fluttering for - Elm.
Ione - I’ll just leave this here “Be angry, Ione. It looks well on you.”

"You'd like me to tell you all the things we might have done?"
"Yes."
"In sordid detail?"
"Absolutely."
"Beg me to.”

The relationships between the characters - oh sweet heavens. Family, friends, enemies and lovers - I FELT it all.

“DONT. Fucking. Yield.”

So much brilliant work put into this duology, and I bow before Rachel Gillig and will support her writings in all the possible ways.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

“Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders. If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom. And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.

Elspeth is stuck within herself, her Nightmare controlling her body and locking her away. Distraught at being unable to do anything, she starts unlocking her Nightmare’s past. I must say that getting to read from her point of view was very interesting because it was such a unique blend of her and the Shepherd King. I loved how unexpected it was and was utterly surprised when I found how emotional it was too. Gillig did a wonderful job finding a balance between the two entities in one body.
Ravyn seems to play more of a smaller part in the sequel but he still makes a big impact! He’s desperate to reach Elspeth, to pull her out from the Shepherd King’s clutches. I really liked that we got to see him warring with himself, wondering if he should allow himself to be more vulnerable if it meant saving the woman he has fallen for, or if he should be colder to achieve the same result. Towards the end, we see his fears at never seeing Elspeth again and I really liked seeing that uncertainty. It really added to his character and the overall story.
Elm is too precious for this world and all I want to do is just give him a massive hug. He goes through a lot in this book and I really liked that we got to see a lot more of his point of view, and what happens to him when the others go off to play hero and do the bidding of multiple kings in this world. I don’t think there is anything I would change about Elm at all. What a character!
Ione features more heavily in this book as well which was really nice to see. Her point of view is an interesting one because she’s found herself thrust into this world through no fault of her own and finds herself irrevocably changed in many ways. She really goes on a journey here and it was one that I certainly enjoyed reading. Her point of view was engaging - and at times heart wrenching! Bravo Gillig for bringing her into the forefront.

After reading One Dark Window earlier this year, I knew I needed this sequel as soon as possible. My gut feeling was right, this was a whopper! The plot was fantastic, moving perfectly from the ending of the first book and flowing into an epic adventure of distrust, desperation and magic. The characters were engaging and I loved getting to read from multiple points of view. It helped keep the story flowing but also added more context to events occurring. There’s a lot of angst in this story for different reasons but I was rather in love with it. I do love some good angsty moments! I also really enjoyed the romance in this story - and it’s not from characters you expect which makes it even better! It was sweet and fluffy and came with the right amount of punch, pining and frustration. Ah, I just love it! The ending utterly blew me away. I never expected the ending of this duology to hit me so hard and make me so emotional. Gillig has spun an amazing tale and gave it the ending it so deserved. Bravo!

Overall, Two Twisted Crowns is a stunning sequel that had me absolutely hooked!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day

I think this might be a case of very solid YA fantasy that isn't quite the one for me, and as such I think any less than 4 stars would be unfair as despite my issues with it I still read it relatively quickly.

Fans of book one should see a lot of the things that they liked about book one...but a separation of two main characters probably isn't one of them ...while this makes total sense in the story I can imagine people won't be impressed.

I actually really enjoyed the new pairing in this one (much more than book one's main romantic pair, actually). The mythology was all really solid here and I actually felt almost sad at one of the inevitable events. I do think the mythology in this one was much deeper and less just vibes than the first one.

I would definitely check out whatever this author does next as I can see another project of hers winning me over. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️

I was utterly captivated by Two Twisted Crowns. Did not want to put this down for a second! I was so drawn in to every aspect of this story right from the go.
This is everything and more than I expected for the sequel to One Dark Window, I didn’t think I could love the characters anymore than I already did but I was truly obsessed with this. I don’t want to spoilt any part of this for anyone🤐 I absolutely loved it! Such a fast paced, exciting read.. easily a favourite of 2023.

Trying not to make this my entire personality for the next while…

This duology will always have a special place in my heart. I’m so excited for this book to be released, I will absolutely be getting the matching paperback to the first one to add to my collection.

Massive thank you to Net Galley for this arc, I was so so thrilled for this one🖤

I went into Two Twisted Crowns with high hopes! I wasn’t entirely disappointed at all.

The world building that Rachel has managed is brilliant, her writing style keeps you interested and engrossed.

My only critique is how little you see of Elspeth/Ravyn together however I can’t say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy Elm/Ione.

All in all a very enjoyable read.

I read an eARC of this so thank you to Net Galley, the author and the publisher.

While I was reading book one in this series I was completely engrossed, I loved it, the magic system, the atmosphere! Then we got to the end and it was left on such a cliffhanger that I was so frustrated! I felt like a huge chunk of the book was missing.

I have bad luck with duologies sometimes where the first book is amazing but it ends on a cliffhanger and then the second book just falls flat and feels unnecessary. Often like one book has been stretched to two. I’m pleased to say that did not feel like the case here. I wanted to read book two because I like this author’s writing style and I was hoping she had an over-arching vision that made the second book necessary. Having finished the second book, I can see what she was trying to (and did) achieve.

Across this duology the atmosphere has just been exceptional. You can so clearly picture the oppressive mist in the woods where the infected are banished to, the haunting trees and the melancholy stone castles and the insistent malaise throughout the realm. The other star feature is the magic system, it’s just wonderful, such a clever and fascinating system based in specific cards with characteristics and powers granted to those who wield them. Their scarcity adding to their allure and how influential they are in determining who has power.

Book two was a winner for me because of the exploration of the nightmare. We learn so much about his backstory and how the cards were created. Also the knock on effect this had on power in the realm and how the characters are still feeling this today. All the content around the Nightmare, Elspeth and Ravyn I was thoroughly enjoying. I was less interested in the Elm chapters and I wasn’t completely engaged by the romance in that storyline. However I did see why it was necessary for the story when we see how things wrap up.

I’m so glad book two ended this story well! I really wanted this to help resolve some of the frustration at the cliffhanger in book one and it did manage this. It also restored my faith in duologies somewhat. I loved the atmosphere and magic system so I really wanted the narrative to end strong and it did. I’m very glad I read the second book and didn’t just leave it after book one.

I have just finished this and it is a 5 star read for me.

It picks up directly where the first book finishes so I would highly recommend reading them back to back if you can. I was so emotionally invested in the characters by the end of the first book that I couldn’t wait to see what happens next.

I adored this book, it gave me absolutely everything I wanted and tied everything up so well, I was left with the biggest smile on my face, the ending was just perfect. I loved the extra POV’s in this book, Elm and Ione are such great characters that get fleshed out more in this one. Elspeth and Raven are complex characters and we get to see more of their development in this book, although Elspeth doesn’t get such a big role in this as the first book, she still plays her part in the story. The writing is so beautiful and detailed that I felt like I was there with them. I did guess where the story was going, not that there is a twist as such more a reveal but I feel like that was intentional, the reader knows before the character does even though so many clues are laid out for them along the way. Even though a lot happens in this book I didn’t feel it was as dark as the first book, it was definitely much more fast paced, I struggled to put it down.

This duology is one I know I will read again and again and the author is now an auto buy for me. I honestly haven’t felt so attached to a group of characters since Throne of glass!

I was so, so excited for this book. One Dark Window was one of my strongest reads this year, and I was thrilled the sequel would be out only a few months after I picked up the first book.

However, while the writing and worldbuilding is as strong as ever, I liked the first book because of the romance between Elspeth and Ravyn. I'm not a fan of sequels where the two love interests are kept apart and barely able to interact, because it takes away the reason I enjoyed the book in the first place. Sure, they were together at the end but they'd had such little interaction that by that point I didn't really care.

The author tried to make up for the lack of interaction between Elspeth and Ravyn by giving us Elm and Ione, but I wasn't there for them so it didn't really help.

The writing is so strong and I can't take away any of the technical ability here. The world was great, everything was atmospheric.... but I'm here for the interactions between characters - specifically E&R for this book - and by taking away their interactions, you've taken away the very thing I want to read!

So: a strong book that didn't live up to what I wanted it to be, but it nevertheless could be excellent for people not here for the romance or who love Elm and Ione.