A review by just_one_more_paige
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 
Perhaps it's because I went in with low expectations - all the major marketed romantasy recently has been chronically under-edited (to put it nicely) - but I was blown away by this duology. I said it with the first book. And it maintained *strong* through this second/finale novel. 


The story continues is classic sequel style, picking up directly where the first leaves off, but with the addition of a new narrator (Elm) added in, to counterbalance Elspeth/the Nightmare becoming more limited. We also shift to get a second romance, which I was not expecting at all, but was totally here for. I love that Elem and Ione get a more central stage in this novel, both for the individual and joint character development. And it allows for a new/expanding story, while at the same time letting the reader be happy and secure in Ravyn and Elspeth's feelings for each other, without trying to throw unnecessary wrenches at them. Tangentially related, ooooohhhhhh this is steamier than the slow burn we got with Ravyn and Elspeth and I was all about it! Elm and Ione's dialogue and connection, and then emotionallllll growth together: it was all great.


Along with that, the deepening of other desires and card magic (the truth of the Maiden Card, Ione’s internal wants, Elm’s wishes/goals to be different) is great development of the characters and story in a larger sense. And we get into it almost immediately; no drawn out "easing back in" which, along with the incredibly well written and paced action and intensity (so much drama, many twisty bits, two parallel stories playing out as our heros diverge) kept me all the way invested from start to finish. I also continued to be a fan of the Nightmare’s poetry/rhythmic/riddle way of speaking. And WHOA I was weirdly emotional about the ending with the Nightmare (no spoilers) and Elspeth. I mean I loved the way the entire story wrapped, to be quite honest, but by reaction to their connection/finale was so unexpected! I'm impressed with Gillig's writing to spark those feelings. 


Y'all, this was honestly spectacular. What a fantasy (romantasy) duology! With a romance that shines but doesn’t overshine, and fantastic writing and pacing and world building and character development, the whole thing gets a big YES from me. I never wanted to put this book down and that's pretty high praise for any book.


“I think about how easy it would be to do horrible things if I felt I had a good reason.”


‘Magic sways, like salt water on a tide. I believe the Spirit is the moon, commanding the tide. She pulls us in, but also sets us free. She is neither good nor evil. She is magic—balance. Eternal.’”


“For even dead, I will not die. I am the shepherd of shadow. The phantom of the fright. The demon in the daydream. The nightmare in the night.”


"He has looked pain in the eye—and refused to let it make a monster of him.”


"Clever men died on their own terms. And if they were wary, clever, and good, they perhaps died in peace. He, apparently, was none of the three."


"I know what I know, my secrets are deep, but long have I kept them, and long will they keep."


"It was as if all of our lives, drawn in long, separate lines, had curved together. Curved so much that all of us had become interlocking circles. As if we had been destined together. Shepherded together."


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