Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)
By Rachel Gillig | ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Two Twisted Crowns picks up immediately where One Dark Window ended, and if you were captivated by the dark, mist-drenched world Rachel Gillig built in the first book, this conclusion delivers more of what made that story distinctive: lush atmosphere, a morally complicated magic system, and the deeply unsettling relationship between Elspeth and the Nightmare who lives inside her head.
The stakes here are effectively raised. Elspeth and Ravyn must venture beyond the mist-locked kingdom to find the final Providence Card before the Solstice, and the Nightmare's growing influence over Elspeth is handled with real unease. Gillig's writing remains one of the most atmospheric I've encountered in recent fantasy, she builds dread slowly, in layers, and the world consistently feels like it has weight and consequence.
My reservations are primarily structural. The middle portion of this book asked me to sit with a significant amount of tension without enough forward movement, and some of the emotional beats between Elspeth and Ravyn felt like they were working against the momentum rather than building it. The resolution, while satisfying in its emotional logic, arrived more quietly than I expected given everything that came before.
For readers who fell for the first book: this is a worthy conclusion. For readers who found the first book merely interesting rather than gripping, I'm not sure this one will shift that. Personally this duo was just not my favorite, though I do think overall it was executed well, unique, and just because it wasn't 'for me' does not mean it's bad. I hear absolutely rave reviews about this duology.
🫖 Tea Pairing: Blackberry sage herbal; dark and slightly wild.
🎵 Soundtrack: "Dream a Little Dream of Me" — the Nightmare version
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