Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, 2)

Two Twisted Crowns is a stunning and deeply satisfying finale to The Shepherd King duology. Rachel Gillig’s writing is lyrical, atmospheric, and completely immersive. The gothic setting, mist-covered forests, and eerie magic create a haunting backdrop that pulls you fully into the story. I especially loved the dual POV storyline in this book. Following both Elspeth and Ravyn’s journey alongside Elm and Ione’s added so much emotional depth and character growth. Elm’s arc was particularly rewarding to witness. The Nightmare remains one of the most unique and compelling characters I’ve ever read, and seeing more of his emotional complexity in Two Twisted Crowns made the story even more powerful. The romance is emotional and meaningful, but the story remains plot-forward, with the magic system and character arcs taking center stage. And the ending was absolutely perfect: emotional, satisfying, and beautifully concluded. This duology is atmospheric, haunting, and unforgettable. I will absolutely read anything Rachel Gillig writes next.

Two Twisted Crowns is a beautifully written continuation of the series and a strong fantasy novel overall. The writing remains atmospheric and immersive, and the world still feels rich, dark, and thoughtfully constructed. This installment leans much more heavily into Elm and Ione’s story, which was a bit of a downside for me personally. For some reason, I didn’t connect as strongly with their characters, so that shift in focus made the book feel less engaging than the first one. Because of that, it didn’t captivate me in quite the same way One Dark Window did. That said, I still genuinely enjoyed the storyline. The adventure, the unfolding events, and the romantic elements were all well done and kept me invested. Even if this book wasn’t my favorite of the two, it’s still a great conclusion to the series and absolutely worth reading—especially for fans who appreciate lyrical writing, dark fantasy, and a well-developed magical world.

Perfect journey and ending, it picks right up where the other book left off and carried you to a beautiful perfect ending. What a unique and fascinating and fun book to read. I couldn’t put it down, I love it so much. The magic is just so different than anything else I’ve read and the writing style is perfect for me. The pace was great, the romance was great, the riddles and twists and turns in the journey were perfect. I just love this book. Only good things to say. If you haven’t read this yet- you should do so soon! It’s sooo good and you’ll be glad you did.

This series was amazing to read. The characters were well connected. The plot was extremely well written. The connection to the 1st book was well done. Didn’t even feel like a pause. Definitely pick this one up if you are into fantasy.

Two Twisted Crowns picks up right after One Dark Window as we follow Elspeth's journey and provides a great conclusion. Overall, This duology is fantastic and Rachel Gillig did an amazing job with a unique magic system, descriptive and engaging world building, political plots, and romance. We get the added bonus in this book of additional POV's that add a new few and depth to the story. I was so excited to be approved for the ARC. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley!

Trigger Warnings : sexual content, violence, murder, suicidal ideation, self harm, abuse, torture I did really enjoy this book. I think it was definitely an improvement on the first book. I didn’t really connect with Elspeth, mostly because she couldn’t seem to make a decision by herself she always had to have someone tell her what to do. I really love Ione and Elm. I think Ione’s motivations are more relatable, and I really enjoyed getting to know her more in this book. Ione and Elm definitely held this book together for me. Completely losing the Elspeth/Ravyn story line for 75% of the book really took some of the heart out of it. I was speeding through Ravyn’s perspective to get back to Ione/Elm. I just felt like overall this book dragged on. It could’ve definitely been shorter, and I would’ve enjoyed it more. Once again, I think the author is being overly descriptive. I do not need to know every minute detail of every room the characters see. It just felt like there was a lot that could’ve been cut out without ruining the integrity of the overall story. The pacing was definitely off, for me. It never really picked in the way most books do. I do appreciate that this book has a very satisfying ending. I like how she wrapped everything up while leaving certain things a little ambiguous. It felt very appropriate for the overall story. Tropes : magical quest, found family, forbidden love, tyrant king, gothic fantasy

This story was beautiful and unique (which you don’t find often). It is a masterpiece. It’s the best series I’ve read for quite a few years, and I wish I could read it again for the first time.

What happened?! How did the story from the first book (which I deeply loved) morph into this epic conclusion where character development blew up the pages? How did the most annoying character become so utterly swoon worthy? I knew that I was absolutely invested in Elspeth and Ravyn's romance but the second one was like the best unexpected gift ever. These characters flourished as the plot thickened and consumed me. The different points of views were brilliantly breathtaking. I am not well and at the very same time, my heart has never felt more whole. That ending was spectacular, and poignant, and truly makes this a god tier duology. The monster more hero than villain... who knew... Brilliant, swoony, and oh so unputdownable! This is what gothic romance should be!