With "One Dark Window", Rachel Gillig introduced us to a dark fantastical world with gothic vibes and a unique card-based magic system. I really enjoyed her debut last year, and while there were some things keeping me from praising it completely, I was very excited to see where Gillig would take the story given the explosive finale of the first book. Because our protagonist, Elspeth Spindle, has now been fully taken over by the monster inside of her, the enigmatic Nightmare. Which changes the entire perspective of the sequel.

Elspeth still appears, but her pov chapters are far and inbetween because, well, she is trapped inside the little pocket of her mind the Nightmare allows her to inhabit while he controls her body. It's a fascinating premise, and I really enjoyed it. To be honest, I was expecting a cop-out, an easy convenient way out for Elspeth when I started this book, but no. Gillig really let us feel the consequences of Elspeth's decisions in book 1.

This also means that the majority of the book is now being told through other people's eyes. The Nightmare, Ravyn and Elm are the ones mainly leading us through the story. As someone who didn't enjoy Ravyn (aka Typical Broody YA Love Interest) in book 1, I was pleasantly surprised by how little he annoyed me this time around. Now don't get me wrong, he's still boring. But he grew on me, and I even started to root for him and Elspeth. Now, Elm is still the superior character and nothing will ever convince me otherwise, and I really enjoyed his storyline. I love how much Ione as a character was expanded, and their love story was alright - even though I would have preferred it didn't exist because I would have loved to see Ione blossom into her true self and strength without a man at her side, but alas. I also really don't think Elm needed a romance, there's enough meat to this story already. Honestly, it did feel a bit forced in a "well we have to pair up our main characters somehow right" kinda way. It was still a good enough romance and much better and interesting than the main romance in book 1.
The Nightmare, and his relationship with Elspeth, is still the most interesting aspect of the entire story and the one thing that just kept me invested all the way through. The Nightmare is such a fascinating character and I loved how Gillig expanded him.

The plot is fast-paced and action-packed, which makes this a quick, fun read. The magic system is still really great, and I loved the world building. The antagonists are properly hateable and get their due and the conclusion of the whole story is a satisfying one, although my evil side was hoping for a bit more of a consequential, bittersweet farewell.
All in all, I'd give this somewhere between 3 and 4 stars but I did enjoy this more than the first book in the series, which I gave 3 stars, so hey, let's give this one 4.

This was much better than the first in my opinion. I loved Elm the most out of all the characters; he was sooo hot. I wish we’d actually got to see more tension and romance in the main couple in book 1 but this book gave me everything I was missing through Elm’s character.

Review posted on Goodreads (english | 10.11.23) and via @booksandbonedust on Instagram (german | 11.11.23)

It's not often that I like the sequel better than the first one, but Rachel Gillig has managed it. One Dark Window was great, but Two Twisted Crowns? I loved everything about it

The story picks up speed and while it gets more and more dramatic, there's still enough room to get to know the secondary characters better. I really liked the different perspectives, although that's not usually my cup of tea

I was shocked when I realized it was only her second published book ever because it's so good?

The story? Amazing
The nightmare? Brilliant
The conversations? Iconic

That being said I don't really feel the romance between Elspeth and Ravyn and actually think the story would have been fine without it. For me, they just didn't have any chemistry and there weren't many occasions when it came to their relationship anyway

Amazing. Couldn’t put it down 🔥this gothic romance ticked all the boxes. I loved the first book but the second book got even better. Oh how I cried at the end.

<I> It happened because, five hundred years ago, a boy wore a crown- had every abundance in the world- and still wanted MORE. </I>

This book was a fantastic conclusion to the duology.
Because of how the first one ended, I was unsure how the story would unfold in this one- and although it was odd to have Elspeth relegated to the background the new POV’s introduced were SO GOOD.
I genuinely enjoyed Elm’s and Ione’s story as much as Ravyn and Elspeth, and I adored getting the history of The Shepard King.
This story was tense and mostly faced paced and I’m think of was fantastically well written.

I will be keeping my eyes open for more by this author.

***thank you to Netgalley for an eArc of this story in exchange for an honest review***

Amazing what a sequal. This book was amazing through and through. I loved learning more about Elm and also finish our main story. The way this was written was a perfect 5 star read! Have already posted a review on good reads.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC I received of this book. This book was a wild ride from start to finish, and its the first sequel I've ever read where I actually craved to learn more of the side character's story. Elm was amazing and what happened with him and Ione kept me hooked and wanting more. An awesome end to the duology and one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year.

I binged one dark window in one day & absolutely loved it. But I didn’t want this world to end. I am so happy that I decided to take my time reading two twisted crowns (over a few weeks) a few chapters at a time. The characters I just grew to love even more. Definitely one of my favourite reads of the year. I just wish we could have more of this world & these characters 😭 I guess a reread of this duology will be in order.

(Thank you to NetGalley & Orbit Books for this Arc)

Two Twisted Crowns was such a great ending to marvelous duology.
I have been raving about One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns since I started the first one. It is such a hauntingly, beautifully woven tale.
The use of Providence Cards as a magic system and the degeneration that comes with using magic was just so cleverly done. I love how no two degenerations were the same and that they could be physical or mental.
I like that you got to see a bit of a softer side of The Nightmare in Two Twisted Crowns, you can see that he does care for Elspeth and her well being.
I also enjoyed getting to know Elm and Ioni better. This book made me love the story even more than I did after reading One Dark Window.
I was not disappointed with the ending, I am just sad it's over.
My one complaint would be with Hoth, I think he deserved worse!

The layout of the book has changed a bit, I kinda missed the as chapter headers.
Altough I really did enjoy the story, I thought it was rather slow. The story really picks up in the end and I couldn't stop reading.
The way she ended the story, I absolutely loved it!

After the 1st one I was expecting this so much! It was not the greatest as I wanted but it was very good! Thank you the publisher for the E-ARC!

I have a full detailed review here: https://youtu.be/lFPXYLxkvZA

“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.”

It is such a nice conclusion! A fantastic spooky read! I could not put it down. This book focuses more on Elm and Ione's relationship as well as Nightmare's backstory. The world-building was brilliant and the plot was well-written. And the ending made me cry! It made me feel so many emotions. Despite the fact that this is an excellent read, I still crave more about Elspeth and Ravyn's moments. We only got so little of their interactions. Still, I will absolutely read more of Rachel Gilig's work!

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for providing this ARC.

My review of: Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig (4.5 Star rounded up)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Gothic, Magic

Quote: “Above rowan and yew, the elm tree stands tall. It waits along borders, a sentry at call.” ― Rachel Gillig, Two Twisted Crowns

Format: E-Book Arc

What's it about:
The story continues and we follow Elsbeth or should I say the Shepherds King on the quest to find the last card The Twin Addles to finally unite the deck. This will not be an easy task and Ravyn, Elsbeth and the others will have to venture out into the treacherous mist. They will have to face the hardest trials they have ever gone through and learn more about their lives and the paths they are meant to walk. The cards need to be united before Solstice or all their hard work up until now will have been for nothing, so time is of the essence.

My thoughts:
So I will start off with, it was not as good as One Dark Window and I guess that is a lot because of the fact that I really like Elsbeth and she has a smaller role through most parts of the book. But that said I still loved it, I feel the writing even got a bit better but it was still a bit clumsy and sometimes repetitive. The magic system with the cards and the Spirit of the Woods is just so good I really love how Gillig concluded it all in the end. I am also so in love with the setting, the world and the characters. Gillig has a very good way of making me care for the characters and Ravyn is absolutely a new favorite of mine. All of those things just trump the writing and it will still get a high score from me. I would absolutely recommend this and I do love a good duology and this is absolutely one!

Two Twisted Crowns was amazing! I loved seeing more of all our favourite characters and learning more about the nightmare. Obsessed!

Book Review 📚
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig - 4.5/5 ⭐

I requested to read this book based solely off the title and cover - I didn't read the blurb, but it sounded like something I would enjoy reading. That was naughty of me because I didn't know it was book 2! So, obviously, I had to go buy One Dark Window and read that first.

When I tell you this book is extraordinary, I'm not being dramatic. I devoured the first book, it had everything I love in. Gothic vibes, fantasy, and romance! Two Twisted Crowns was no different. I had my doubts thinking it would not be as good as book 1 but it was. It's not often you find a duology where both books are incredible.

Elspeth is an incredible character and I enjoyed following her through both books. She has depth and is really easy to read about continuously! The description throughout was phenomenal Gillig really uses a broad range of vocabulary to set the scene and guide you though.

I highly recommend both books and enjoy the wild and incredible ride it takes you on. Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the sequel to One Dark Window and is geared around Elspeth who has to face the consequences to what she has done.

Omg this book!! Could not put it down, was so excited as the first book was epic and this one was of equal proportions. Absolutely masterfully woven, full of suspense and adventure that had me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages so fast time stood still. Still managing to create beautiful depth to each of the characters whilst keeping to the plot and tying up loose ends - fantastic duology BUT I WANT MORE!

My expectations for this book were SO HIGH after book one, especially after that ending! Like where was Gillig going to take the story next after what happened in One Dark Window??

Well, my expectations were completely smashed. This book is hands down one of the best books I've read this year and this duology as a whole now has a place amongst my all time favourites.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up a bit after the first book finishes but Gillig is quick to catch you up on everything that happened. I didn't reread the first one before starting this one but I never felt out of my depth, or confused about anything. I was right there in the action, desperate to find out how our beloved characters were going to get themselves out of the trouble they found themselves in.

This book had everything I adored about One Dark Window - and then somehow made it even better? There was more Elm, more backstory, more Nightmare, more romance (!), more world building. Just everything was explained perfectly. There were no loose threads, nothing was left dangling. The ending had me in tears it was so good.

I am almost sad my journey with Elspeth and Nightmare is over but I'm comforted by the fact Gillig is working on a new novel and you can bet I'll be preordering it when I can. She's become an autobuy for me and I am so excited to see what she'll write next.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for an ARC.

When book one was amazing beyond words, I always get nervous about how book two is going to compare (particularly if it’s concluding a story) BUT THIS!

It was everything and more!
The plot twists & turns, the character development. . . It was perfect. So much history was given to us but it wasn’t overwhelming & kept pace with the story as it unfolded.

The story telling of Elspeth & Nightmare was consuming. I’ve never known a POV be able to pull you in the way this one does.
I’m sad it’s over but SO happy with the ending how it was wrapped up.

I can’t wait to read more from Rachel Gillig, she’ll be an autobuy author for me now

I definitely preferred book 1 to book 2. I felt there wasn't much going on in this one that held my interests untill the last 20% of the book. The end was a good conclusion to the story and I'm glad I read it but it wasn't my favourite.

This was incredible, an amazing sequel. I will 100% recommend this series to everyone!!! A perfect spooky read.