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.
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