From the Bookshelf of Addicted to YA…

Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)

Rachel Gillig

Start date: November 1, 2025

Finish date: November 30, 2025

Why we're reading this: Won the poll for November's continuing series.…more
[close] Won the poll for November's continuing series.

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Nov 07, 2023 Brandy {The Review Booth} rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: publisher-physical, 2023-goodreads-challenge

I think my reading funk has seeped into every book lately – it took me too long to fully get into this book through no fault of its own. I did feel like I was playing catch-up with the characters & plot through the first quarter. The new viewpoints helped with my feeling of not quite remembering details of One Dark Window and I longed for Gillig to add Ione’s view instead of getting it second-hand through Elm. Her story was something else & had heart-wrenching details that I definitely didn’t se I think my reading funk has seeped into every book lately – it took me too long to fully get into this book through no fault of its own. I did feel like I was playing catch-up with the characters & plot through the first quarter. The new viewpoints helped with my feeling of not quite remembering details of One Dark Window and I longed for Gillig to add Ione’s view instead of getting it second-hand through Elm. Her story was something else & had heart-wrenching details that I definitely didn’t see coming. The same can be said for Elm.

After about the first quarter of the book, I finally felt at home in this story and the new character viewpoints. I LOVED Elm and Ione’s part of this story. Their romance felt far more natural than how Ravyn and Elspeth’s came about in book one. I only wish we had a true Nightmare POV instead of the combo. The combination worked though and I enjoyed the banter between Nightmare, Elspeth & all the other characters when he would tell them what Elspeth said or wished him to do.

Finally getting more history – for Blunder, the Shepherd King, and the Providence Cards was very satisfying. The conclusion of this duology was also satisfying – just desserts served and the balance restored, even though it might not be what everyone was hoping. If you enjoyed One Dark Window, I highly recommend finishing this duology. A really big thank you to Orbit Books for the opportunity to read the conclusion to The Shepherd King duology – I wholeheartedly enjoyed my time in Blunder. As a parting gift – one of my favorite scenes of Ione below – all opinions are my own.

“‘Ione sat next to him on the bed. She didn’t look tired, but her shoulders slumped, and her voice was dull. “Men have no use for the Maiden. What is beauty to real power? My father never let me touch his Providence Cards. But the Maiden — the Maiden I was gifted freely, like a horse a lump of sugar. Something sweet to distract me from the bit they shoved in my mouth.’”

Rounded from 4.5 stars. ...more

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