Two Twisted Crowns: the instant NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestseller (The Shepherd King) Paperback – 19 Oct. 2023

I only read One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig a few weeks ago, and I’ve been counting down the days to the sequel and conclusion to the duology, Two Twisted Crowns. And it definitely meets my high expectations from the first book. Gillig manages to wrap up this deliciously dark fairytale in a way that had me biting my fingernails til the bitter end. So it’s five stars from me.Elspeth Spindle has degenerated – the Nightmare that shared her mind has now taken over completely, and she is lost somewhere in the recesses of their shared mind. And that Nightmare, also known as the Shepherd King, knows where the Two Alders card is that can break the curse… but nothing is as it seems when it comes to magic, and there is always a cost.Where One Dark Window was a gothic, atmospheric, creepy fairy tale vibe, Two Twisted Crowns has a feeling of desperation and dark inevitability to it – more fate than fairy tale, although something about repeating the past has echoes of a dark fairytale to it as well which I love. Every character seems backed against the wall, and where Elspeth in the first book constantly had choices and agency, what feels like a lack of choices and helplessness of the other characters in the first two thirds of this novel is quite a contrast. But it works. The contrast ups the stakes and despite our main character being essentially absent we never feel like we’re simply waiting for her return.Elspeth is what I properly consider a strong female lead. She’s not a stereotypical romantasy stubborn, contrary, snarky woman with crazy fighting skills and hyped up powers – instead, she has real agency, makes decisions for herself, has a little bit of sass to her but it’s not her whole personality, and is mentally and emotionally strong, facing and overcoming huge challenges. In the first novel, Elspeth’s foil was Ione, who chooses to lose her emotions and become a beautiful puppet for powerful men – but in this novel we see a different side to Ione, and a different kind of strength, and I’m genuinely living for the female characterisation and character development here.Also, can we talk about Elm? I liked him as a character in the first book, the idea of the prince that hated his family so much he’d betray them, arrogant and mistrusting but good at playing the part he needed to play. I couldn’t decide if I trusted him or not – so no wonder Elspeth couldn’t! He was the ‘petulant, reticent Elm’ he describes himself as in Two Twisted Crowns.But now Elm has become a character I want to put in my pocket and take home with me: we see more what he has to deal with with his father (the moment he heard about the feasts I had a genuine visceral response to) and brother, and through him we see get to know Ione too. He makes an excellent romantic lead and a very different one to Ravyn. I really love what Gillig has done developing Elm and Ione and I’ve definitely developed another book crush on Elm here.And the ending. Endings in fantasy are tricky things – they can’t be too predictable, or there’s no feeling of anxiety or worry over how the story will resolve, but equally there has to be some hints at what is coming, and it has to make sense in-universe so that readers are left going ‘of course!’. It’s a hard balance to strike and endings in fantasy often are either rushed or fall flat and anti-climactic. But Gillig nailed it. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s not what I predicted, and yet it’s absolutely perfect as a dark fairytale ending. It felt very bittersweet.Gillig’s writing I have to comment on. Like the first book, her writing is easy to follow and simple to understand, and more direct than meandering (which isn’t common with a fairytale vibe). However, she somehow creates this really lush atmosphere and has such a knack for a turn of phrase or word choice builds this magical setting despite her writing be easy to digest. I actually don’t quite know how she does it, but I love it. I never find myself skimming paragraphs of description to find out what happens next, the way can sometimes be the case for fantasy writers. It’s brilliant.All in all, I just massively rate this duology, which are up there as some of the best books I’ve read this year. This series is for you if you like gothic light-horror-meets-fairytale-fantasy vibes like Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, Rosamund Hodge’s Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound, or Erin A. Craig’s House of Salt and Sorrows.

Well this one was even better than the first book. The characters seem more complex and fleshed out, the plot has even higher stakes, and the ending is very satisfying. Elm & Ione forever

I wanted to do a review for both of these books in one because most of the points l'm going to make is a reflection of the series as opposed to individual books.The story follows Elspeth and The Nightmare, a power inside her, as they try to save the kingdom from a dark power that is destroying their people.This series is unlike anything l've ever read. The story, the lore and the world building is so unique and well thought out. The magic in the duology comes through the power of a deck of cards and the lore behind their origin is so brilliant and so well delivered. You don't just get thrown all the information at the start of book 1, it is slowly explained and therefore easy to follow, with more of the origins and details being revealed as the books go on.The story itself is simple but it's all of the additional aspects that make these books so wonderful. The characters have so much depth, and those who you think you will dislike, you may end up changing your mind as the series goes on.Elspeth and Ravyn, the main characters for the majority of the series, have amazing character development.And the secondary characters who take more of a spotlight in the second book also grow so much stronger as the books go on.Although the romance is a subplot in both books, the slow burn and way the relationships are written is just wonderful. There's two main couples in this duology and both are so different from each other. There's enough sexual tension, protective 'touch her and die’ that you will still feel fed if you want the romance.I truly believe this series is something that every single fantasy lover should read. You will not be disappointed.

Trees! I was excited to read this book immediately after finishing one Dark Window. I was completely invested in what would happen to Elspeth, Ravyn, Elm and Ione as well as their friends and family members and the Nightmare himself.I really enjoyed the journeys , both physical and emotional, that the characters went on throughout this book. Ione and Elm really became two of my favourite characters ever and their stories made me ache.I thought the way the interaction between the nightmare and Elspeth was described was so unique and so detailed that I could imagine it all clearly.This is a wonderfully dark, mysterious gothic fantasy and Rachel Gillig writes it all in such a captivating way.I flew through the second half of the book as I was just desperate to know the ending and how it would play out for the characters I had come to love.I very much enjoyed my time spent in Blunder with its inhabitants, both the heroes and villains and I am positive I will revisit these books in the future

This is definitely one of the best fantasy series I've read in a long time. With a unique magical system and a diverse and complex cast of characters, this story keeps you guessing right until the final pages. If you enjoy edge of your seat, holding your breath reads, then this is the book and series for you. I was a little concerned when book two came with a shifting point of view across various cast members, but it plus the shorter chapter format pulls it off perfectly and you are left in just the right amount of suspense for just the right amount of time between shifts. This was particularly impressive as I honestly can't usually stand point of view shifts in books. The author is definitely very talented, and I look forward to reading more from them in the very near future.

3.5⭐️ loved the ending but the first book had me way more hooked. A bit slow for the first 3/4 part.