Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book UK for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

One Dark Window was one of my favourite books of 2022 so I’m not going to lie, I had high hopes and expectations for this sequel.

I have to give the author praise for how Elspeth’s character was written and portrayed in this book. The balance between The Nightmare and Elspeth’s inner monologue was so interesting. At no point was I wishing for the conclusion to that element of the plot to hurry up. But when it inevitably did, I had tears in my eyes. It was risky to have the main character be pretty much absent for the majority of the book but it paid off.

The new POV’s really rounded this book out for me. I was a little surprised to see Elm’s appear and was a little hesitant about whether or not I would like it. But as points started clicking into place and his arc progressed, his chapters were some of the most intriguing - as well as providing some unexpectedly romantic scenes.

I’m so sad to say goodbye to this world, but I enjoyed every moment of my time in it. A perfect ending to an excellent duology.

4.5 stars

3.75/5 stars.

I wasn't as in love with this book as the first one. I loved hearing the rhythms and rhymes from the Shepard King in the first book and we just didn't get as much of that in this one. Understandable to a point but at the same time I did miss it.

I do think the story wrapped up well though, things started falling into place and questions started getting answered. I have no issue with the way the plot moved in this book and honestly don't think I would of done much differently in terms of the outcome.

It's just a shame we had to have the vibes (and Elspeth) sacrificed for the plot. If felt like we got a large chunk of things we fell in love with from book one taken away from us in book two. The atmosphere, Elspeth, Elspeth and Ravyn's relationship, the secrecy, the Nightmare's sass.. all felt missing or hidden in this book unfortunately.

I had been waiting for what felt like forever for this sequel and it did not disappoint! I loved Elm and Iones story especially in this book and Elspeths connection with The Nightmare. The concept of the providence cards and their magic was something fresh and exciting and I loved how it was all woven together in the end. The only thing I wish was done different was to have it as a trilogy so that we could explore the characters in even more depth and spread it out. However saying that, the story wouldn’t have felt the same had it been spread out anymore anyway. Overall I loved this duology, it was one of my favourite reads this year by far.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Orbit Books for a gifted eARC of this book! My review is honest, voluntary and has not been influenced in any way.

𝗚𝗨𝗬𝗦, honestly, if you are considering this duology in anyway I beg you to pick it up because it has me in a 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗞𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗. The last page of the first book ruined me and I have been so eagerly anticipating the second book, and let me say - 𝗜𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧!

𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 is how a debut duology is done! 👏🏼👏🏼

𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 picks up right where the first book finished off with some new POV’s and you are quickly thrown back in to the perfectly created atmosphere and the totally unique magic system, with plenty of angst and drama along the way!

I don’t usually enjoy more than two POV’s but Gillig wrote this perfectly as you follow Elspeth, Ravyn, and Elm, each with their own unique story that is perfectly combined to the overall storyline of the book, that makes for a superb ending where 𝗡𝗢 𝗖𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗙𝗧!

I was completely satisfied with Elspeth and Ravyn’s ending, and 𝗜 𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗨𝗣 the new romance between Elm and Ione (𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬!!), the 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 and chemistry between the characters was top notch!! Two very well written romances and I just hold them all in my heart.

The only aspect I struggled with at first, although it didn’t affect my rating, was how Elspeth went from being a dominant character during the first book, to a side character in the sequel. She was no longer a girl with a monster trapped inside her head, she was very much lost to the nightmare. That being said, the inclusion of the other POV’s truly made this book what it was and although it was a contrast to the first, I appreciated the way this one was written and I very much felt immersed in to the story line and was alongside Ravyn as he set out to save Elspeth.

I won’t discuss the plot, all you need to know is that it is just 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧, it was very fast paced, action packed, and I was left on tenter hooks 𝗦𝗢 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗦. The last 30% of this book was intense, and I don’t think I have ever felt as stressed, and it kept me on my toes until the very last page. A perfect read for this time of year.

I love all of the characters in these books but Nightmare just makes it for me. He is very much a love to hate character for me but he is just so cunning, but caring at the same time, he is brutal yet so very charming, you could see he truly cared for Elspeth so I never worried for her in that sense, but my god he loved to keep you guessing. Not sure I’d want him stuck in my head but as far as characters go I loved learning more about him in this book.

𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸｡ 𝗔 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲｡ 𝗔𝗻 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹｡ 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲｡

I love the Shepherd King duology with my whole heart.

Two Twisted Crowns picked up where One Dark Window left off, with The Nightmare taking over our beloved Elspeth's body.

Unlike ODW, Two Twisted Crowns is in multiple POVs and I appreciated that because we got to see the rest of the characters fleshed out, I enjoyed the multiple storylines and how each story contributed to the plot. The pacing was good.

In the second installment, we really dive into The Nightmare's past and his character as a whole and to me, it solidified my love for The Nightmare. I enjoyed the banter between him and the rest of the group but especially with Elspeth.

Not gonna lie, I cried at the end because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to these characters, especially not The Nightmare but I'm happy with the ending and I'm excited to see what other books the author comes out with next.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

I loved One Dark Window, I adored Two Twisted Crowns. First of all, Elm 😍. Yes, I love him. Second, why, oh God why, is it only a duology? I mean NOOOOO. Anyway, I'm okay now. It was an EPIC conclusion to an EPIC book. I loved it. Rachel Gillig if you hear me, can you write an Elm novella? No? Okay, I had to ask. I loved this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

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.