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A review by swolds
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
‼️ Spoiler heavy review!
Two Twisted Crowns
Two Twisted Crowns has twisted me as well, in the very best way possible. I thought One Dark Window was a five star read, but this book has elevated this duology so much by how it resolves arcs and deepens the worldbuilding. After part two I was convinced: This book will both heal me and break me at the same time.
We know Elspeth as the protagonist – the one whom the story is primarily told – the 1st person point of view. Her internal and external journey defines the narrative arc, her choices shape the fate of the world. She is an unforgettable protagonist.
Often we are used to the fact that secondary characters are just that, there to support the protagonist, maybe with a role like a love interest or something to add some flare and further the plot – but they usually do not have big roles like the protagonist.
The Nightmare – our Shepherd King – is more than a secondary character, I would say he is a co-lead or an internal antagonist/ally. He has a rare, but powerful narrative role. His and Elspeth’s dynamic is central to the duology. And ... after having read Two Twisted Crowns and learning about his bargains, his kids, his past – everything – you get a good understanding of his soul. As we read, he opened up more and more. His story was a tragedy from the very beginning. But instead of ending in vengeance and ruin, it ends in release. He roams the Yew fields with his family now. All those years locked in bartered pieces of himself, and now ... now he is whole again. Not feared. Not cursed. Simply free. His ending was so beautifully, poetically written – and deserving. So, so deserving.
Everyone else - Ravyn, Elm, Ione, Filick, even the King are important, fully fleshed-out. Emotionally resonant. Still, they are secondary characters in the sense that the story is ultimately not about them, their arcs support or challenge Elspeth’s and they do not have POV dominance or a central narrative agency. STILL, Rachel Gillig has written these characters in a way – given them their own chapters – and let us know them in a whole different way. Sequels often bungle the primary relationships by recycling conflict. Once one conflict has ended, another one begins. Rachel Gillig however, dodges that with immensely powerful writing, by letting Elspeth and Ravyn remain stable (whilse still giving them stakes) and shifts the romance to others – Elm and Ione – so we still get yearning, tension, swoon and the occasional inappropriate dog lick without undoing growth. Structurally, these are secondary characters, but emotionally and narratively they’ve grown to the extent that they have begun feeling like co-leads, which is a signal to me of skillful writing. Gillig threads their growth into larger themes like agency, memories, identity and sacrifice.
The siblingbond between Ravyn and Jespyr is tightknit. They care for each other, all the whilst trying to protect each other, argue and go in each others way or doing the opposite of what the other one wants. There is sacrifice in their relationship. Sacrifice you won’t take easy. Jespyr was the kind of character that was not dramatic but decisive and selfless. She was a true hero. She never demanded the spotlight, but would rather walk straight into danger because it would be the right thing to do. Sharp-tounged, fiercely loyal and someone we could always count on. <b>For light to rise, something beloved must be given</b>.
Let’s talk about what really dragged me in (I am a romance girly, okay?) – Ione and Elm. From the very start of Elm finding Ione in the Hawthorne manor, I could feel something stir within Elm – something unspoken, but impossible to fully ignore. Through his chapters, this was more and more confirmed. He feels for Ione, and their arc together gave me the squiggly wiggly tippy tappy toes with the occasional squealing. His golden retriever-y approach to her, and her almost sarcastical tone towards him was delicious. Their bond was built on trauma, trust, restraint and genuine healing. It gets A+ for tension relief in a series packed with dread and doom. Elm’s story carried one of the book’s most volatile, high-stakes elements. I didn’t just read about Elm, I felt him.
When he rode out – Elm, who has spent his entire life being contained, controlled and cut down – finally let’s go, not in violence, but in an almost feral search for air. We all have feelings that will eventually need an outage, Elm’s way of releasing them was felt deep in my bones. In this book, we meet the Elm that is real – fractured, scared, loyal and aching for someone to tell him that he matters.
In the end, maybe I should have seen it coming, him becoming king – after all ... his name is a big clue, is it not? However, getting the revelation, realising it after was such a great feeling. His arc was always about growth, but also about rooting himself in love. Ione isn’t just his Queen, she is the mirror to his pain, the light that met his darkness and the choice he made to live. Together they will rebuild Blunder in their image, one of restoration instead of fear.
Now, why did Elm’s POV resonate so much with me? There was a vulnerability in Elm’s chapters that Elspeth and Ravyn – for all their stakes and drama – didn’t offer in the same way. Where Elspeth and Ravyn were locked in fate and worldsaving, Elm was locked in his own self. His chapters felt more intimate, more internal and more achingly human. I felt like I was tapping into the heart Rachel quietly buried beneath all the shadows, kings and cards. All hail the King of Elms.
Then we have Hauth. Not all monsters stay asleep. Not all peace comes without a price. The final monster always rises at the climax. Before healing wins, corruption will make one last grab. I had a hope he would not make it. When I first read he was awake, my first thoughts were «Shit. Shit. Shit!». I had a feeling that Rachel’s use of deathbed wasn’t referring to Hauth’s death, rather the hope lost that he’d make it. She didn’t use it in term of literall death, but rather transformation. The consequences of his awakening – stitched into Elm. Into Ione. After he saw her, it was only a matter of time before the Nightmare card would help Hauth reveal the truth of the Maiden. After the look into Ione’s head I went from him being awful, to him being monstrous – and he kept proving that. Was the true enemy really the spirit – the mist? The Shepherd King? Or the Rowan king and his preferred son? Well, in my mind it is the latter. Entitled men always, always, want what they have already lost. But most importantly; They meet the fate they deserve.
If you got through my long paragraph here - let me give you an ending as well:
Two Twisted Crowns doesn’t just continue Elspeth’s story, it expands it into something that is larger, deeper and evem more emotionally ambitious. Gillig didn’t just write a sequel – she wote a second heart in this duology.
Lastly, I want to thank Rachel for her skillful writing and for allowing us to join her in Elspeth’s journey as well as Elm’s, Ravyn’s and Ione’s. This duology was my most anticipated read of the year, and it more than lived up to my expectations. The duology is timeless. Ageless. And a thousand times re-worthy. It gave all the feels. It hit every check point in my book. Everything I want out of a book. Compared to all my reads this year, this one wears the crown on first place.
Devastatingly beautiful. Thank you for taking me on this journey.
Two Twisted Crowns has twisted me as well, in the very best way possible. I thought One Dark Window was a five star read, but this book has elevated this duology so much by how it resolves arcs and deepens the worldbuilding. After part two I was convinced: This book will both heal me and break me at the same time.
We know Elspeth as the protagonist – the one whom the story is primarily told – the 1st person point of view. Her internal and external journey defines the narrative arc, her choices shape the fate of the world. She is an unforgettable protagonist.
Often we are used to the fact that secondary characters are just that, there to support the protagonist, maybe with a role like a love interest or something to add some flare and further the plot – but they usually do not have big roles like the protagonist.
The Nightmare – our Shepherd King – is more than a secondary character, I would say he is a co-lead or an internal antagonist/ally. He has a rare, but powerful narrative role. His and Elspeth’s dynamic is central to the duology. And ... after having read Two Twisted Crowns and learning about his bargains, his kids, his past – everything – you get a good understanding of his soul. As we read, he opened up more and more. His story was a tragedy from the very beginning. But instead of ending in vengeance and ruin, it ends in release. He roams the Yew fields with his family now. All those years locked in bartered pieces of himself, and now ... now he is whole again. Not feared. Not cursed. Simply free. His ending was so beautifully, poetically written – and deserving. So, so deserving.
Everyone else - Ravyn, Elm, Ione, Filick, even the King are important, fully fleshed-out. Emotionally resonant. Still, they are secondary characters in the sense that the story is ultimately not about them, their arcs support or challenge Elspeth’s and they do not have POV dominance or a central narrative agency. STILL, Rachel Gillig has written these characters in a way – given them their own chapters – and let us know them in a whole different way. Sequels often bungle the primary relationships by recycling conflict. Once one conflict has ended, another one begins. Rachel Gillig however, dodges that with immensely powerful writing, by letting Elspeth and Ravyn remain stable (whilse still giving them stakes) and shifts the romance to others – Elm and Ione – so we still get yearning, tension, swoon and the occasional inappropriate dog lick without undoing growth. Structurally, these are secondary characters, but emotionally and narratively they’ve grown to the extent that they have begun feeling like co-leads, which is a signal to me of skillful writing. Gillig threads their growth into larger themes like agency, memories, identity and sacrifice.
The siblingbond between Ravyn and Jespyr is tightknit. They care for each other, all the whilst trying to protect each other, argue and go in each others way or doing the opposite of what the other one wants. There is sacrifice in their relationship. Sacrifice you won’t take easy. Jespyr was the kind of character that was not dramatic but decisive and selfless. She was a true hero. She never demanded the spotlight, but would rather walk straight into danger because it would be the right thing to do. Sharp-tounged, fiercely loyal and someone we could always count on. <b>For light to rise, something beloved must be given</b>.
Let’s talk about what really dragged me in (I am a romance girly, okay?) – Ione and Elm. From the very start of Elm finding Ione in the Hawthorne manor, I could feel something stir within Elm – something unspoken, but impossible to fully ignore. Through his chapters, this was more and more confirmed. He feels for Ione, and their arc together gave me the squiggly wiggly tippy tappy toes with the occasional squealing. His golden retriever-y approach to her, and her almost sarcastical tone towards him was delicious. Their bond was built on trauma, trust, restraint and genuine healing. It gets A+ for tension relief in a series packed with dread and doom. Elm’s story carried one of the book’s most volatile, high-stakes elements. I didn’t just read about Elm, I felt him.
When he rode out – Elm, who has spent his entire life being contained, controlled and cut down – finally let’s go, not in violence, but in an almost feral search for air. We all have feelings that will eventually need an outage, Elm’s way of releasing them was felt deep in my bones. In this book, we meet the Elm that is real – fractured, scared, loyal and aching for someone to tell him that he matters.
In the end, maybe I should have seen it coming, him becoming king – after all ... his name is a big clue, is it not? However, getting the revelation, realising it after was such a great feeling. His arc was always about growth, but also about rooting himself in love. Ione isn’t just his Queen, she is the mirror to his pain, the light that met his darkness and the choice he made to live. Together they will rebuild Blunder in their image, one of restoration instead of fear.
Now, why did Elm’s POV resonate so much with me? There was a vulnerability in Elm’s chapters that Elspeth and Ravyn – for all their stakes and drama – didn’t offer in the same way. Where Elspeth and Ravyn were locked in fate and worldsaving, Elm was locked in his own self. His chapters felt more intimate, more internal and more achingly human. I felt like I was tapping into the heart Rachel quietly buried beneath all the shadows, kings and cards. All hail the King of Elms.
Then we have Hauth. Not all monsters stay asleep. Not all peace comes without a price. The final monster always rises at the climax. Before healing wins, corruption will make one last grab. I had a hope he would not make it. When I first read he was awake, my first thoughts were «Shit. Shit. Shit!». I had a feeling that Rachel’s use of deathbed wasn’t referring to Hauth’s death, rather the hope lost that he’d make it. She didn’t use it in term of literall death, but rather transformation. The consequences of his awakening – stitched into Elm. Into Ione. After he saw her, it was only a matter of time before the Nightmare card would help Hauth reveal the truth of the Maiden. After the look into Ione’s head I went from him being awful, to him being monstrous – and he kept proving that. Was the true enemy really the spirit – the mist? The Shepherd King? Or the Rowan king and his preferred son? Well, in my mind it is the latter. Entitled men always, always, want what they have already lost. But most importantly; They meet the fate they deserve.
If you got through my long paragraph here - let me give you an ending as well:
Two Twisted Crowns doesn’t just continue Elspeth’s story, it expands it into something that is larger, deeper and evem more emotionally ambitious. Gillig didn’t just write a sequel – she wote a second heart in this duology.
Lastly, I want to thank Rachel for her skillful writing and for allowing us to join her in Elspeth’s journey as well as Elm’s, Ravyn’s and Ione’s. This duology was my most anticipated read of the year, and it more than lived up to my expectations. The duology is timeless. Ageless. And a thousand times re-worthy. It gave all the feels. It hit every check point in my book. Everything I want out of a book. Compared to all my reads this year, this one wears the crown on first place.
Devastatingly beautiful. Thank you for taking me on this journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent