⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

Exciting book two in the series.
I really enjoyed the magic system which is so unique and we found out more about it in this book.

I did miss Elspeth but the other main characters really can’t through, especially Elm side of the story.

It’s a must read for sure.

⭐️ 4.5 | “Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”

I absolutely loved this duology. It’s dark, filled with magic, and the story is very captivating.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up where it left off in book one. It dives into the lives of other characters, ties everything together and brings us to the great end of the story. I immensely enjoyed following this tale, and it’s one of my favourite reads this year.

The only thing holding me from giving this 5 stars is that certain plot twists in the book were apparent from the beginning. For instance, in One Dark Window, to me, it was evident on page 35 that The Nightmare was Shepherd King. The same happened in Two Twisted Crowns about Ravyn’s real name. Instead of being surprised and shocked by a big revelation, I had “wasn't this obvious?” moments. Nevertheless, it didn't ruin my experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book for sharing and eArc with me in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a beautiful ending this book had!
I love Rachel’s writing, it flows beautifully and really feels like a fairytale. I liked the addition of Elm and Rayvn’s POVs, they both provided a fresh perspective to the story.
I’m super pleased we got to get more of the Nightmare’s story and personality in this book, I immediately liked him when he was introduced in book one so I’m glad we got his history.
Ione came out of her shell to show us all her own character and I loved her romance with a certain Prince.

The only thing keeping it from a 5 star, is that I found the pacing slow at times in the beginning. That being said, I still really enjoyed it and the ending was perfect!

Thankyou to Netgalley and little brown for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for accepting me for the E-arc of this amazing book! But also to Rachel Gillig for creating such an amazing world.
Two twisted crowns was everything I wanted the sequel to be and more!

This book was so fast paced and gripping that I could not put it down. I was so hooked on the story and lives of these characters. I’m sad it’s come to an end.
I loved how in one dark window we learned all about the magic system, the providence cards and how they work so that in this book we could go deeper into characters backstories and the history of the cards and how they came to be.
I really enjoyed the pov’s from other characters and getting to know them a lot better and how all their storylines weave together.
The last 100 pages literally had my stressing so much, all the twists and turns you don’t see coming. But it was all concluded perfectly and I couldn’t think of a more perfect ending.
Another easy 5⭐️ read for me. Well done Rachel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!

I absolutely adored this book. I find a lot of books have sequel syndrome and don't live up to the first book but that was not the case with Two Twisted Crowns. It was everything I wanted and more. The plot was addictive and the characters developed even more in this story. I got something from every single page. This duology will become a traditional reread for me every year from now on.

A stunning conclusion to this dilogy!

I appreciated everything about this latest volume, from the splendid atmospheres, to the different povs that allow us to follow the story from different angles.

One of the best books of 2023 without a doubt!

I think it was September that we had for our Violence Book Club, Rachel Gilig’s One Dark Window as our book of the month. I know a really good book when I get hooked after just reading a couple of pages. I’m also a sucker for good poetry to begin chapters and on top of all that, the magic in this world come from what are called Providence cards. You tap a card and get unique magical abilities because of it and tap it again to stop access to it.

I love that it highlighted that nothing is free least of all magic + an enemies to lovers trope, and my only issue with this first book is that I wish there was more of this romance between Elspeth and Ravyn, which was why I immediately applied for an ARC soon as I finished the first book and I was so glad that I did.

TWO TWISTED CROWNS has the richness of story that the ever-present poetry sprinkled all throughout the duet can ever have. It reads like prose but has the depth and magic that poetry has.

It’s a beautiful book. My only issue is feeling cheated of the Elspeth-Ravyn romance (and for obvious reason, it really couldn’t play out anyway else so I get it) which Gillig replaced with a spicier unlikely romance between Elm and a certain yellow-haired girl which was an even better story than the first pairing.

The story and world-building is very beautiful and so refreshing to be honest. After being a romantasy reader for a while, a lot of things kind of become repetitive but this is a breath of fresh air.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

“I know as well as you that magic is the oldest paradox. The more power it gives you, the weaker you become.”

“Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”

—Rachel Gillig, Two Twisted Crowns

[4.25]

One of my most anticipates releases for this year finally came out and I am so glad to say it absolutely delivers!

Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window was one of my favourite books of 2022, it had an amazing ending which left you wanting more. Finally, the time has come when we can read the sequel to find out what happens to our main characters and boy, was the wait worth it.

Two Twisted Crowns is as well-written as the first book with beautiful prose. It has stakes, eerie atmosphere, a lot of magic, and a lot of great character development/writing. I am happy so say that more characters get fleshed out in this book and you truly start to get to know them beyond just Elspeth and Ravyn. The bond between The Nightmare and Elspeth continues to be the best thing in the story, I can NOT get enough of them! I love them and they're easily my favourite thing about these books. I also really like the way the romance between the main leads was handled, as well. It felt more mature than what I usually experience in books that read a bit younger than adult.

I loved the revelations and the ideas Rachel Gillig had for this story and its' ending, and I am heart-broken that this is the end. I will miss those characters and the world -- especially Nightmare who is the best character (objectively, ofc!). However, I can also appreciate the story was not stretched out just to make it a trilogy. It really feels so complete and there's not much filler, which just adds to the quality of the books in my opinion.

I do have one complaint though, which is the reason I can't in good conscience give this entry 5 stars. I absolutely couldn't stand the new POV for most of the book. I don't know what happened, but it reads very different from the rest of the book to me. It felt less mature in its' romance and not serious enough to match the rest of the story/atmosphere. Most of the chapters just read like your typical YA romance which just isn't my thing. In my opinion, the writing just wasn't on the same level and it was painful going through them. It felt the other chapters had stakes, and here we just followed a sad prince and his attempts at romance. The romance also started off-page so it was really hard for me to feel invested and root for them to end up together. I like seeing the journey the character take before they fall for each other, so it's definitely a personal preference.

I might sound too harsh, and i probably am, but trust me when I say I truly struggled to get through this POV. The only thing keeping me going was the fact I liked the female character in those chapters, and also faith in Rachel Gillig. As you can tell, it was so worth pulling through but I feel like this is something I ought to mention since it really made me struggle with reading the book at times. They get better closer to the end of the book though. I will say that I know I can be very nit-picky and there is a high chance it will not affect your enjoyment.

The duology was more than worth going through and the ending made me feel geniuely happy that I gave this series a try. This one is definitely staying on my shelves!

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Netgalley, Orbit and Rachel Gillig for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed One Dark Window, so when I saw I'd been accepted for the sequel, I was really excited.

I was expecting more of Ravyn and Elspeth, but honestly, I wasn't mad about the Elm and Ione storyline. It was a little bit confusing at first, because it felt like it came out of nowhere, but I actually think I prefer them to Ravyn and Elspeth!

The magic system was so interesting to me, and the understanding of how providence cards came to being was explained, which helped solidify it as one of my favourite magic systems.

Overall, I really loved the duology, and I can't wait to get my hands on the Fairyloot edition!

This duology was like nothing I’ve ever read and I loved it so much. After how One Dark Window ended I couldn’t wait to jump into this one. The twists and turns, the magic system, the characters were all so amazing. I was left guessing with every chapter and I couldn’t stop reading. I loved it so freaking much I don’t really have any other words. I will say I would of loved more with Ravyn and Elspeth BUT Elm and Ione more than made up for it. Love love love!

Happy UK Release Day. This was a highly anticipated release for me so I would like to say a massive thank you to Orbit Books UK for sending me a finished copy to review and an earc via Netgalley This is my unbiased and honest revIew.
Two Twisted Crowns is a wonderful YA Romantasy book that builds on the darkly gothic plot and card based magic system from One Dark Window to conclude the duology in a way that felt satisfying and complete- I didn't feel like it was rushed and crammed into two books rather than three and I didn't feel like it was unnecessary- infact, with good pacing and an interesting plot that leaves no loose threads, Rachel Gillig has shown how to do a duology right!
I also feel like I need to mention that I actually enjoved this even more than Book 1, giving it a 4.25 ⭐️ I especially loved that we got to see more of lone which I hadn't expected going into this but her and Elm being more central to the plot was
This is definitely a duology worth a read if you like a fantasy that is dark and gothic with a unique magic system

📖 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎 📖
Title: Two Twisted Crowns
Author: Rachel Gillig
Genre: Fantasy/Gothic
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤:
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.

📖 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨:
I am not okay. I repeat I am not okay. The chokehold this book had on me. I have neglected all responsibilities and I’m lucky to have finished it at a reasonable time or I’d have forsaken sleep.

It’s well written, you get invested in the characters and we spend more time with the people around Elspeth this book. Elm oh glorious Elm. I wanted more, I got more. There’s a unique magic system, there’s witchy vibes and romance. What more could you want. I kind of don’t believe this is her debut series/duology. I am shook.

If you’re going to read one duology set this year. Make it this. It’s still October so fits with #spooktober. It’s now a completed duology as this one was released today. Do it, do it, do it.

“𝙱𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚋𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍”

Where to begin? Where? From my undying love for this story and these characters? From how I’ve finally found a book that’s so captivating and enchanting? From the writing style that I love and worship with all my being?
Really, it’s so difficult to put into words what I feel about this duology: it feels too little, for words truly cannot describe it, and no matter how much I profess my love for it, nothing I say can come close to what I feel.
Damn, I even shed a few tears at the end, and I (almost) never cry.
The first thing I want to address, because I really just want it out of the way, is that, even if I know this is the way the story goes, the way it needed to go, I’d hoped to get more Ravyn and Elspeth than we did Ione and Elm. I know Two Twisted Crowns was meant to be more about them than Elspeth, but it almost felt like they were robbing me of the “main” characters. What can I say, I love my priorities, although I did like reading about Ione and Elm, a lot, actually. I just wanted more of Ravyn and Elspeth, that’s all.
And about them, all I can say is that they have my undying love. I admit I had sort of called the plot twist the moment there was a nudge in the right direction, but only had a general idea, the final result, so to speak, not how the twist would play along, which was fine by me! I wish they had much more attention, especially toward the end which, in any case, I loved.
Then there’s the Nightmare and god, he must be one of the best, flawed characters I’ve ever read. I think his conversations with Elspeth will be one of the things I’ll miss the most now that the story is over, and goodness, the banter between him and Ravyn? So. Good!
Elm and Ione were a discovery: I knew I liked Elm, and my mind did change about Ione, finding her “condition” more actual than one could believe. Again, this is an “if you know, you know” scenario, but do me a favour and read it, then come back and tell me your opinions on the matter.
As much as I could complain about them “stealing” the show, there’s also an undeniable truth: this duet had more than just three key characters, and the story wouldn’t have been the same without them. So, as bittersweet as it is, I can’t really blame them for having so much screentime.
Once again, the writing was poetry, and I’m so ready for Rachel’s next adventure to rope me into its web and not let me go. If she’s gonna write anything as close to perfection as The Shepherd King duet was, I’ll be there, front of the line, and nobody will be able to move me.

Just like One Dark Window, Two Twisted Crowns was incredible. Dark, atmospheric, a fantastic magic system and now one of my favourite fantasy duologies. Rachel Gillig has done an amazing job and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Well, ermm, that was everything I was hoping for and a little more! Eerie, fantastical and a beautiful emotional ride.

Lets be honest, sequels are hard to deliver on specially when the first is something so unique but Two Twisted Crowns was the perfect (yes perfect) conclusion. Focusing on the POVs of both Ravyn and Elm, with Elspeth woven in, this book delves a little deeper into the origin of the Providence Cards and how their conception may just be the answer to the riddle of their future.

There are so many touching moments in this book. Gillig balances the idea of profound joy, that can be found in the quiet and simple moments of life with the pain that can come from within ourselves or those who choose to wield it.

“The two were together, so the two were the same, the girl, the King, and the monster they became.”
I think this quote will forever be stuck in my mind, Elspeth and the Nightmares journey is twisted but so very beautiful.

Thank you to netgalley and littlebrownbookgroup for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Two Twisted Crowns is the sequel to One Dark Window and kicks off after that cliffhanger ending! The quest to find the Alder Twin Card continues!

“I was more than the girl, the King, adn the monster of Blunder’s dark, twisted tale. I was its author”

Beware of spoilers for the first book

I have loved loved loved the first book in the series and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sequel! I was so happy to be approved to read it early and loved loved loved every second of reading this book!

This book starts off with the same haunting and creepy vibe that the first has! The alternating POV’s really made it so good and I was immediately invested in the events happening and wanting the best for each character.

The writing is just so beautifully done! The style is wonderful and really helps me get lost in the pages and losing all sense of time hahaha. It is whimsical and beautiful all in one. The pacing also really helps balancing the feeling I got from the reading itself and the vibe this book has. This book is emotional in the best ways!

The magic system, I already believed it was so cleverly done and intriguing and while we don’t really learn more about the magic itself, we do learn a lot about its origin. That was something I personally really liked and it helped me better understand the magic and cards at play!

I loved how the focus of this book was on the Shepherd King and the province cards he created! While bits of romance were present, it wasn’t the main theme in this book. I love how purely fantasy this book felt.

The characters evolved so much in my eyes this book! We dive deeper into their motivations and thinking and I loved it. I especially loved Elm’s character arc! Diving into his head was a blast! I did think Elspeth wasn’t as much a main character such as the Shepherd King, Ravyn and Elm, but I didn’t actually mind that all that much. I still loved seeing her! The Shepherd King is also a prominent character in this book and he truly became a star in my eyes. I learned so much about him and it honestly was such an emotional journey to learn all about him!

The chemistry still is just as noticeable between the characters and I loved seeing that. Same with the friendships and the family bonds! I also was all for the romance arc Elm had!! I loved that relationship, its progression and how real it felt. It felt like a sweet and refreshing breeze throughout all the horrors and hardship happening!

The ending, or well starting from Part III, the story really picked up! Like damn, it felt like twist after twist after twist and I loved every second of it! It had the highest stakes and my heart was beating in my throat from excitement, anxiety and anticipation! I just love the way this duology was concluded in the end! It felt like the perfect ending in my eyes! Just all around satisfying to read and see!

Overall, Two Twisted Crowns is an amazing closure to The Shepherd King duology! It is even better than One Dark Window with a continuation of amazing characters, an engaging plot and beautiful writing.

One Dark Window was a very interesting book and I fell in love with the characters. I was super excited for the sequel and gladly I did not have to wait too long.

This duet is not romantasy, it focuses on the Shepard King and the magical cards. It was always captivating and I loved that the plot focused on the magic and court instead of the love story. Nonetheless we got a beautiful love story between Ravyn and Elspeth as well as Elm and Ione in this book. I was surprised because Ione seemed like such a cold character in One Dark Window. It was definitely interesting to see more of her.

Again I have to mention the wonderful magical system of using these providence cards. They allow the wielder powers beyond their dreams, yet they also have side-effects which are very hurtful.

The author has a wonderful writing style with is so melodic and whimsical. I can’t believe that this was her second book! I can’t wait to read more of her works.

This is a sequel, so I don’t want to dive too much into the actual story to avoid spoilers. I just loved the road the author took. It was captivating, emotional, angsty and much more. A wild ride with a wonderful dark atmosphere. The pacing was very good and I could hardly put this book aside. A lot of sequels oftentimes disappoint me but this wasn’t the case with Two twisted crowns. It was the perfect sequel and ending of this duet. While I only gave One dark window 4 stars, this book deserves 5. The balance between plot and love story was outstanding.

My only issue with this book is that our heroine Elspeth felt like a side character in this book. She was the MC in the first book and even though this duet is mostly about the Shepherd King, she still deserved to be more focused on. However, I also liked to get Elm’s POV in this book and him finding love. It was very surprising, I never expected this outcome.

I am happy to say, that I will look out for the next book of Rachel Gillig!

I loved this book from start to finish, it was such a great conclusion to the biology, I’ve never read a book so fast.
It was really great being in the mind of the Nightmare and finding out who he is and why he is the way he is!

Elspeth and a character is great but my favourite person in this book has to be Elm, the character growth and development he goes through is amazing.

The romance in this book is so sweet and it was nice to read.

Trying to review this with no spoilers but honestly it was such an amazing book and 5stars for this book and this whole duology.

All that to say, read this book!!

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig.
Released 19th October.

I’m not sure how to do this review without giving away any spoilers 😫 so I’ll highlight all the reasons you should pick this up.

This sequel is just as good as the first. It’s charged, it’s emotional and it’s immersive. It has two romances running through it, characters that have depth, a plot that is unlike anything else I’ve read, a unique magic system and revenge drives the storyline.

This book starts where One Dark Window ended and like with the first book the star of the show for me is Nightmare/The Shepherd King. His story is heart wrenching and emotional. I loved how everything came together, and by the end I was left quite sad because I could’ve read another 50 chapters in this duology. It was Amazing!

Don’t walk to the bookshop to grab this book… RUN!

Thank you to @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for providing me with an ARC in retiring for my honest review.

4.5.

This was one of the best endings I’ve ever read! I loved it from start to finish. I haven’t gave it 5 stars because in some places I felt it was a little bit dragged, too much information for that moment in book.

This one picks up right after the ending from “One dark window”. I’ll try to make a proper review without spoiling it.

This book was extremely enchanting and fast paced. I have no idea when the pages flipped, how I was suddenly in the middle of the book and then, done, it’s finished. “Two twisted crowns” has multiple POVs, which I loved. You have Elspeth as well, and you still find things about her and The Nightmare throughout the story, but she’s not the main narrator anymore. I loved the other two POVs, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much these two characters grew. Great character development. They became more likeable, I loved to see their emotions and fears and their relationships with other characters.

I love how the lore continues from “One dark window”. The Shepard King is still the best character in this duology and his story pained me so much. We find who he actually is, why he did what he did, and he tells us more about The Providence Cards. I was saddened by his story and his past, and his rhymes were still on point and amazing. I felt his love for Elspeth in the end.

The romance was definitely spicier and there’s a little bit of smut, but not so much that you loose focus on the story. It was a great combination of tension and flirty, and I loved how they both grew for each other and that it wasn’t a forced interaction between them.

The ending was perfect! I felt the gothic vibes, with the enchanted forest and the Spirit Wood and the short, but well done fight. It has its dark and atmospheric elements, and i enjoyed the fact that it was not easy for them to get there. They lost things and people.

It was a great story and a great ending. I ever cried a little when it was finished. I recommend the duology to be read without a break between the books, it’s worth it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I deeply appreciate it.