Two Twisted Crowns (Book Review)

 

~Book Review~

 The kingdom is in danger because it is under the control of black magic and is ruled by an autocrat. Elspeth and Ravyn have successfully collected the majority of the twelve Providence Cards; however, the final and most crucial card, the Twin Alders, is still missing. They must travel through the perilous mist-covered woodland if they are to locate the card before Solstice and rescue the kingdom. The Nightmare, the master who shares Elspeth's head, is the only one who can guide them through. 

I did not walk, I ran to the bookstore to get the second book in the Shepherd King duology. After One Dark Window ended on such an excellent cliffhanger, I went to the bookstore the next day to purchase it. I read this book in one day (which should be enough to tell you what I thought of it), and I am obsessed with Rachel Gillig. I was more interested in this book than Thanksgiving. She introduced new plot lines excellently and she does a fantastic job with character development.

I can tell you I was not expecting the Elm and Ione plot line. I did suspect that the both of them were going to play crucial roles in the ending of the book. I didn’t really suspect it because for the entirety of One Dark Window, we are following Elspeth’s point of view. However, in Two Twisted Crowns we are introduced to Rayvn’s and Elm’s points of view. It is never suspected in book one that Elm had feelings for Ione. Elm’s defining personality trait was that he was distrustful of Elspeth. Ione, on the other hand, again there is no reveal of her true feelings. We only ever saw a girl who wanted to be a princess in order to change the status quo in the first book. However, her sights were set on Elm’s brother, Hauth, and not Elm. It isn’t until the second book that we are introduced to a second romance. I think it was necessary for a second romance to appear. After Elspeth was taken over, we were not going to see any romance between her and Ravyn like we did in the first book. In order to keep the duology in the romance genre, Gillig needed to introduce a new romance.

The reveal to Rayvn’s true heritage was not too shocking to me. There were so many hints in the first book that I wasn’t able to ignore. However, I like that Gillig did not put him in the position of becoming king. Rayvn never wanted to be king; he wanted Elm to be. Instead, Gillig used him as a vessel to show that the kingdom needed a new type of ruler: not like the Shepherd King and not like King Rowan. Instead, she used him to open up the door for a new type of king. It was an expected but unexpected ending. I enjoyed it.

I don’t have a lot to write on this book. However, don’t take that as something bad. It was a phenomenal book and it was just as good, if not a bit better, than the first one. I highly recommend reading it! I hope you enjoy just like I did!

Please remember and respect this is my personal opinion and take on the book.

One Dark Window (Book Review)

 

~Book Review~

Elspeth Spindle harbors a great secret. A secret that, if revealed, could get her and her family killed by the king. The reason: she was infected with a disease that gives her wild, dangerous magic. Accompanied by a monster in her head, aptly named the Nightmare, Elspeth tries to keep a low profile. However, when her path crosses with Ravyn Yew, the king’s nephew and captain of the country’s designated infected hunters, Elspeth’s life becomes uprooted. But, Ravyn is not what he seems. He also has a secret-- one of high treason. Together, alongside other influential figures, they hunt down the Providence Cards to heal the magical disease. She is racing against time, and her own mind, to collect all twelve cards

I don't really have much to say on Elspeth. Normally, I like to focus on the main characters. I like to pinpoint what worked in the character’s favor and what didn’t. So much so that I could spend pages upon pages analyzing character development. However, there are so many other aspects of One Dark Window that draw my attention beyond the protagonist. Now, that is not to say Elspeth is a boring, Mary-Sue, static character. She is anything but. Elspeth’s character developed in a way that is realistic for a twenty year old in the span of a month or two. Her central personality traits are still present throughout the entire novel. There is no fantastical and dramatic switch of character. Instead, Elspeth’s character undergoes a realistic growth in confidence, physical ability, and attraction. She keeps your interest with her shortcomings, her quick wit, and dynamic relationships with the cast of characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from Elspeth’s point of view and undergoing this intense, desperate, frustrating, and emotional experience with her. 

Now, to what I’ve really been wanting to discuss: the magic system. The magic system that Gillig has developed for this world is phenomenal. I have not, personally, read a magic system this unique in a long time. I will do my best to describe the system in a way that is correct, does it justice, and does not spoil too much of the book. Firstly, the magics can be sorted into two overall groups: an imposed, uncontrollable magic that is given by means of disease which eats away at the user, and a controllable magic given through the use of special cards (Providence Cards) that do not have side effects unless used too ambitiously and carelessly. The magic that is given to people via the disease is different from one person to the other. No two people can have the same disease-given magic. At least, as described in the book. However, since it is a powerful magic, it slowly eats away at the host causing them to degenerate. This expands on a major theme of the book: what you take is what you have to give. Each person, thus, degenerates in different ways because of their different magics. This magic is not earned, it is given when someone contracts the disease. The person has no choice in the matter.

The Providence Card magic is a lot different. There are twelve different types of Providence Cards, each with a different number of copies. The cards, once the holder has tapped on the surface of the cards three times, gives the holder different abilities. For example, the Maiden card will make the holder extraordinarily beautiful and the Scythe card can bend other people’s will to match your own. That being said, there is a downside to the cards. If the holder uses the cards for an extended period of time or overexerts the magic, there are consequences. The Maiden card will make the holder cruel and the Scythe card can inflict pain. In order to deactivate the cards, one must tap the card three times again. Once again, the magic system revolves around balance. A person cannot take more magic than what they can give. They cannot be too greedy. This magic toes the line between being an earned magic versus a given magic. I would say more along the lines of an earned magic. Someone can earn a Providence Card, as seen through Ione. However, someone can be given a Providence Card willingly by another person. The holder has the choice of using the magic of whatever card they have, or they can choose not to. 

Having both an earned and unwillingly given magic system work together is so fascinating to me. However, Gillig does a fantastic job balancing the two of them together. I also loved the fact that the consequences to magic usage are abundantly clear. So clear in fact that it is pretty much the entire plot. One thing a lot of fantasy books fall short in is the consequences to using magic or really establishing any set rules for a magic system. Magic, to our mere mortal eyes, is something that is fantastical and awesome. However, if we were to treat magic realistically, there would be a toll. It is energy, in theory. Where one absorbs energy, one must expend it and vice versa. That is the natural rules of the universe. I know in fantasy books it is a fictional world, more often than not, but that does not mean that the world is lawless. A strong writer is able to acknowledge that even fantastical fictional works have to have rules to abide by. Otherwise, there is no substance, and there certainly are no stakes. I commend Gillig on setting such realistic tones within her fantasy book; it enabled me to view the book as a real world or a real alternate verse. I was able to settle into the book quickly and absorb information that was laid out exceptionally well.

I spoke about one of the themes that shows up within One Dark Window very briefly when I discussed the magic system: giving and taking. However, the magic system is not the only time where we see the consequences of taking more than you are giving. We see this in Elspeth’s dynamics with other people, especially Elm and Ravyn. When Elspeth is put into the secret conspiracy to collect twelve of the Providence Cards against the king’s knowledge, she is immediately questioned based on her loyalty and knowledge. However, she is able to skirt her way around the truth. She does this as often as she possibly can. Elm calls her out on this several times. He doesn’t know what secrets she keeps, however, he knows they are there. Ravyn, on the other hand, may have these feelings but he never voices them against Elspeth. He respects her wishes of privacy. Elspeth is quite a hypocrite about this. She is constantly pushing Ravyn and Elm on the secrets they keep. Eventually, they end up sharing, willingly, what they were hiding. Elspeth keeps her own. But, and this is a big but, there are consequences of her keeping the Nightmare in her head a secret. They may not be the biggest consequences, however, it starts to snowball into the very intense cliffhanger that Gillig left for us at the end of the book. If Elspeth spilled the bean earlier, would she be in the situation she is currently in? I give it a strong maybe, borderline weak yes. Thus, we lean into this theme of the consequences of taking more than you give in other aspects than magic usage.

The second prominent theme that I was able to pick out was hubris. The story would not be happening, Elspeth would not be going through all this trouble, if one man chose to not be on the same level as the god in this story, the Spirit of the Wood. Simply put, that’s all I have for that. Albeit, I have not read the second book yet, and I do suspect there is something more beyond the concept of hubris, but I’m not quite sure what that is yet. For now, I am going to stick with this idea until the second book does or does not prove me wrong.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone 18+ years of age. If someone under the age of 18 were interested in the book, I would err on the side of caution because there is a sex scene and some other mildly mature descriptions. It is nothing raunchy and wild, however, it is descriptive enough that it isn’t readily a pg to pg-13 book. Going onto Goodreads, it classified this book at Young Adult and I have to disagree. Young Adult books are supposed to be targeted towards children from the ages 13-18 years old. I would not recommend this book to a 13 year old simply put. I am not going to expand too much on this topic because I can and will go into lengthy detail on my opinions on the over sex-ification of teenage media. I would put this book in the New Adult section. It has Young Adult vibes, however, there are adult themes and content. I do not think this is on Gillig or her publishing company. When you go to Gillig’s site for the book, she does bring up the sexual content as well as other more mature themes. I think this false labeling has to do with other reviewers. 

I have two criticisms and they are so incredibly superficial I’m almost embarrassed of myself for being the way that I am. I would call these more along the lines of peeves of mine and not really criticisms. (I am not going to take stars away for this reason.) However, I do want to share them. I am a huge etymology nerd, especially when it comes to names. I love names, especially names that I find pleasing to hear and say. I did love what Gillig did with the family names and all of that, however, I do not like the name Elspeth. To me, it looks like the sound someone makes when they spit out something gross. I know it's a variant of Elizabeth and the meaning of the name is very fitting to the book, but I just got irritated every time I saw her name. My other complaint was the Nightmare’s rhyming. I know it was foreshadowing a major plot point, however, he either needed to rhyme the whole time or not at all. I couldn’t find a pattern to why he suddenly started rhyming when he was talking normally only moments before and it bothered me.

Overall, this book was fantastic. I enjoyed the themes, characters (even the villains), plot, magic system, and dynamic of the book. Gillig does a great job relaying a beautifully tragic fantasy-romance in a way that is clear and heartfelt. I cannot wait to read the second book in this duology and any books from Gillig in the future.

Bittersweet in the Hollow (Review)

 

~Book Review~

We follow our protagonist, Linden, as she wrestles with amnesia. A year ago she entered the National Forest and was missing for 24 hours before she was found in the same spot she disappeared. However, she does not remember anything from that night. The town treats Linden and her family apprehensively, not only because of what happened a year ago, but because of the strange secrets they keep. Now, another girl has gone missing from town and is discovered murdered. Linden, with the help of her sisters and a former flame, is bent on figuring out what happened to her friend, and her a year prior. She must also figure out how the town’s local bogeyman, the Moth-Winged Man, fits in.

We first meet Linden as what seems like a typically angsty teenager; her age is never explicitly said but I believe she is somewhere between 17 and 18 years old. However, we find out the angst is for a reason-- well, a couple of reasons: 1. she has lost her memory 2. she can taste the emotions of others and 3. she has had a falling out with an old childhood friend and love interest. I would be bitter too. We follow her as she struggles with the trauma of what happened to her and with the trauma of losing one of her friends to the same fate that she once thought was going to be hers. She holds on to the bitterness, guilt, and empathy she feels for others and she shapes it as a motivator. Linden has to solve Dahlia’s murder; not necessarily for Dahlia's sake, but for Linden’s. As clues start to connect, we watch young Linden start to harness her trauma and her abilities to her advantage and learn to accept (I use accept loosely here) everything that comes with it. As secrets and misunderstandings unravel, Linden grows into a better version of herself. I am interested to see what the second installment of this book series has to offer Linden (if she is indeed the central character) and how she will continue to grow and accept herself.

We get some diverse representation within the novel. There is slight LGBTQ+ representation through Linden’s aunt and her aunt’s past lover. There is trauma representation through Linden, and really through some other family members. I will not linger on that point to prevent spoilers. We encounter rather unconventional (by this I mean non-nuclear) families. Pearsall includes multigenerational living, a split household, conflicting family dynamics, parentship, and guardianship families all throughout the novel. I would like to note it did not feel like a diversity pandering novel. All representation was organic and natural, and it did not feel forced. 

There are strong themes of family and cultural ties. Linden’s family tree is expansive and Pearsall makes a good effort in Linden’s complicated feelings and relationships with the community she lives in as well as within her own family. There is a strong theme of acceptance-- acceptance not only of others but of yourself. There is also a minor subplot of romance.

This book gave me anxiety. You may be asking why I gave a book a 4.5 out of 5 rating if it created such a negative emotion in me. Because that is the point. At its core, Bittersweet in the Hollow is a mystery and thriller. It is supposed to create feelings of anxiety and the unknown. I am not typically a thriller type of person. I prefer the comforts of fantasy fiction and getting lost in the intricacies of world building. But, the anxiety I was feeling was good anxiety. Pearsall develops the book slowly. It was not a long book, but there seemed to be so much going on that the pacing seemed to be slow. In my opinion, I think a great thriller novel should develop slowly with a more seemingly rushed ending. I like to figure out the mystery myself. It’s the rebellious younger sibling in me. So, when authors drag out the ending of a mystery novel after I’ve already figured it out… I’m bored. I’m over it. So, I have great appreciation that Pearsall did not drag the ending on and on. 

I’m also keeping in mind the target age range of the book. I am an adult and this book is meant for teens. What I would expect from an adult book is not what I would expect in a book for ages 13 to 18. There are going to be events, emotions, “logical” thinking that I can no longer relate to even if I did, once upon a time. The book is also not going to be too detailed in topics that can be seen as mature. It’s a thriller so there is going to be gore. However, Pearsall keeps it PG-13. I do not believe Bittersweet in the Hollow should be held to the expectations of a book targeted towards adults. Do I think Pearsall is capable of writing an adult book? Absolutely. However, I am going to appreciate the respect and censorship Pearsall is giving the Young Adult genre. Nowadays, Young Adult books are getting confused with New Adult books. Mature content is being added to the genre. Pearsall does not do this. She shows great respect to the genre and to her readers.

Now what I am about to write will probably come off as controversial. I do not think this book is fantasy. It is Gothic fiction. Before you disagree, please let me explain. I will admit there are some fantasy elements. The fictional world within the semi-realistic world that Pearsall creates has elements of fantasy. However, and I cannot express that however strongly enough, just because a book has witches and magic does not make it fantasy. Witches have become more romanticized in current years. We have J.K. Rowling and Alice Hoffman to thank for that. However, before they became the heroines of modern texts, witches were the villains of Gothic fiction. For example, ​​Ayesha from She by H. Rider Haggard. She was a sorceress-- witch-- and the monster of the book. Alongside having witches, Bittersweet in the Hollow also has other Gothic staples. The James family lives in a large manor that is haunted. It's giving a mix between Castle Dracula and the house from Practical Magic. It is also isolated from the rest of the community. That’s a big one in Gothic fiction. Another staple is the bad weather. It is the hottest summer on record for Linden’s community. On top of the sweltering heat, there are random flashes of lightning even though it is not storming. Now, storming is typically the bad weather that appears in Gothic fiction. However, it isn’t the only bad weather-- just the norm. Now, usually Gothic fiction has a damsel in distress-- I’m looking at you Lucy and Mina from Dracula-- who has to be rescued by the brave men. However, Pearsall has flipped the gender roles in this book. There is a monster (I would like to stress the difference between monster and villain). If a man-sized, man-shaped moth doesn’t give you monster vibes, please reevaluate. Finally, the ending is totally Gothic. I won’t expand to avoid spoilers, but if you know, you know.

My only criticism, which took away half a star, was even though Pearsall did a marvelous job building the mythos and folklore in the text, I did not always understand it. I understand the sisters’ gifts pretty well and the mythos to the ending. However, I do not understand what the adults’ special gifts were. I did not feel like there was enough information provided; or, if it was provided, clear enough for me to pick up on it. My final complaint was I could never tell how old Linden was. Sometimes I felt she was 18, sometimes 17, and sometimes 16. If her age was explicitly stated and I didn’t have to do math, I wouldn’t have been confused. I will always dock if I have to do math. I’m an English major for a reason.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I read it in one sitting all the way through the night. The sleep I sacrificed was worth it. I would recommend this book to lovers of thrillers, mystery, and the Gothic. I would even go far to say it would be a good novel to study in a high school class dedicated to one of those genres.