ARC Review: The Shepherd King #2

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

Summary from NetGalley:

Gripped by a tyrant king and in the thrall of dark magic, the kingdom is in peril. 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’re going to find the card before Solstice and set free the kingdom, they will need to journey through the dangerous mist-cloaked forest. The only one who can lead them through is the monster that shares Elspeth’s head: the Nightmare.

And he’s not eager to share any longer.

ARC provided by Orbit Books via NetGalley for an honest review.

Confession:

This sequel to One Dark Window was just as deliciously dark and twisted as the first book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down! I loved the gothic vibes and the romance, as well as the magic and the writing is just beautiful.

We get multiple points of view in this book, which I really enjoyed. I got a much better understanding of Ravyn this time around. He is such an angsty and sad young man that has held a burden for so long that you just want to wrap him up in a huge hug and tell him everything is ok. His concern and love for Elspeth really shines through as well. We also get to hear and learn more from the Nightmare, who possesses Elspeth. We learn a lot more about who he is and how he came to be. The third point of view is Elm, who I was very intrigued by in the first book, but we didn’t know that much about. He is another very broken character, but who triumphs over his torturers in the end.

It is through the Nightmares chapters that we learn more about the cards and their original purposes. I loved how the maiden card went from a simple magic that enhanced beauty to one that provided health and vitality as well as healing to whoever wields it. This is a complex magical system that is very unique. The mist that hangs over the land and infects those that are not protected was an interesting concept as well. The infected that survive are often given powers that could be seen as a gift or a curse.

There are two parts to this story as well as a second romance. Ravyn, Elspeth, and Jaspyr go on a quest to find the missing Twin Alders card. It is a perilous journey filled with adventure and heartbreak. Elm stays behind and he ends up helping Ione to find her Maiden card, which has been hidden in the castle. The romance that develops between these two is quite steamy and spicy, but I really enjoyed it and liked these two together. Ravyn’s and Elspeth’s romance took a bit of a break because of what happened at the end of book one, but they are constantly in each other’s thoughts, and their love for each other shines through regardless of their issues.

The writing and world building continues to be superb in this second book. There are times when I was totally immersed in this world and worried for the characters lives at times. The pacing was just fast enough with some good action sequences and twists that kept you on your toes. I loved how the themes of balance and fate as well as love was seamlessly woven throughout the story. This duology has a very dark fairy tale feel to it with it moody, mystical setting.

If you enjoyed the first book I am pretty confident that you will enjoy this one two. This is an amazing start to what I hope will be a long career for this author. I can’t wait to read her next book.