Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The second and final novel in Rachel Gillig's Shepherd King duology, Two Twisted Crowns was published in 2023. It is a New York Times Bestseller and an Amazon Editors' Pick for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy. It was also my book club's pick for March of 2026, which is an unprecedented honor probably. Two Twisted Crowns deals with bullying, references of child abuse and torture, death, physical abuse, general violence, abandonment, blood, and murder. There will be spoilers below for the first Shepherd King book, One Dark Window. For a full summary of the Shepherd King series, check out our summary page here.
Now that Elspeth has fully succumbed to her degeneration, the Nightmare is fully in control of her body. Ravyn, Elm, and Jespyr - on a mission to save Emory before the night of solstice - have gathered all of the Providence Cards needed to unite the deck except for the famed but never seen Twin Alders Card. Luckily for them, the Nightmare knows where it can be found. The path will not be easy and it will require them to pay in ways they can't imagine, but they will need the Card to free Blunder from both the mist and the King. If they can manage to find the Twin Alders, they can unite the deck and save Emory's life, and save Elspeth from the Nightmare. Ravyn will do anything to make that happen. He will give anything to make that happen.
Well, I think Two Twisted Crowns is better than its predecessor One Dark Window. Personally, I still love the gothic feel of the novel, it feels spooky without being too dark. We switch up points of view in this one. While the first novel focused exclusively on Elspeth, we get to hear directly from Ravyn, Elm, and the Nightmare in this one. I really enjoyed the way the story switched not only POVs but also what I would consider the main character. Elspeth is gone, the Nightmare is in charge, and as such we focus on other characters for this one. We see more of Elm's story and learn a bit more about his background. I liked his arc quite a bit and enjoyed seeing him accept himself and branch out a little. Some have said that his new relationship in this book is completely unfounded but I disagree - I saw the start of it in One Dark Window and honestly, I think you may need glasses if you didn't. I wasn't looking hard. I really loved the Nightmare in this. He becomes a much more rounded character with a back story of his own. His snarky comments (in particular towards Ravyn) made me chuckle. The only problem I really have is Ravyn's character. In One Dark Window, he felt flat to me. I would have loved for him to gain more depth in this book but I was pretty disappointed with his character development. There's a small amount, but I would've loved to have seen more.
I'm giving Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig 4.5 stars out of 5. All in all, I really enjoyed Two Twisted Crowns and the Shepherd King duology as a series. I will definitely be reading Rachel Gillig's newer series, Stonewater Kingdom, when I get a chance.
For more from Rachel Gillig, check out her website at https://rachelgillig.com/
Pairs well with olive bread (literally the only thing the eat in the book) and having a favorite tree.
My favorite quote:
"I am the shepherd of shadow. The phantom of the fright. The demon in the daydream... the nightmare in the night."
"For nothing is safe and nothing is free, debt follows all men no matter their plea. When the shepherd returns, a new day shall ring. Death to the Rowans, long live the King."
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