xo__dahlia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
mhkeating's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ⭐️ An amazing conclusion to this duology! The story is excellent. The plot itself is simple and fairly predictable (especially coming from the the red rising series) but I still very much enjoyed reading this. My other complaint would be a more fleshed out romance between the main characters. Highly recommend this series, especially as a fall/winter read.
ohliviaanne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.25
nselavka's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hcreader23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jolietjane's review against another edition
5.0
Rachel Gillig has a cinematic writing style that makes you feel like you are sitting around watching your favorite CW show at 15. She will captivate you in a way that is nostalgic as fuck. Brings you back to a time when characters had big personalities, epic character relationships, and when you could follow a slightly immature, messy story packed full of adventure. The Shepard King series may not be winning any awards, but it's pure excitement to experience.
Much like book 1, All of the characters are provided with an excellent amount of story to follow to make them meaningful. Ravyn, Elm, and Nightmare take center stage here; but Ione and Elspeth get a ton of love too, and Ione in particular gets a radical expansion of her character. What has been great about this series from the first book is that while there is a romance, each character gets a ton of attention and an interesting backstory that gives them genuine stakes outside of their relationship to the main characters. Two Twisted Crowns far more than One Dark Window, because this is actually a book that puts those side characters center stage.
Elm's story is as compelling as I was hoping it would be, he was such a charming breakout character in the first book despite no POV, and his POV absolutely helped develop the characters in his view as well. Ravyn is still kind of boring, but his connection with a certain character made me a lot more sympathetic to him in the end. No, not his snoozy romance with Elspeth. It's still boring, still sucks. He is by far the least compelling of the bunch, but since Elspeth was taken out of the story physically, he is a necessary POV to move the plot forward.
Elspeth and Nightmare's relationship remain the crown jewel of the story, and it will not disappoint fans of them here. Nightmare is given a very key role in the story that did not go as I expected. I don't think Rachel Gillig expected that he would become the fan favorite, but she did a great job justifying that opinion in the book. Elspeth is present, but she does take a backseat to everyone else in this story. Her presence is moreso so act as a bridge of humanity to Nightmare and the other cast of characters.
The plot breaks into 3 different storylines: the otherworldly dream state of Elspeth and Nightmare, The hunt for the final Providence card, and the battle to keep Hauth from the throne. All three plotlines moved at a nice speedy pace and were a ton of fun to check in with. Once again, the magic system shines in this series, with so many interesting ways for the characters to interact with the cards. I rarely give two shits about magic in a book, and I got really invested in how the cards worked and how they related to their user.
This duology is just such a treat, and Gillig is now an insta buy author for me. I am convinced she cant write something boring. The duology could have easily gone downhill after the major events of book 1, but Gillig kept the story fresh and full of heart by making the right narrative choices and moving the focus to the side characters for the second book.
Much like book 1, All of the characters are provided with an excellent amount of story to follow to make them meaningful. Ravyn, Elm, and Nightmare take center stage here; but Ione and Elspeth get a ton of love too, and Ione in particular gets a radical expansion of her character. What has been great about this series from the first book is that while there is a romance, each character gets a ton of attention and an interesting backstory that gives them genuine stakes outside of their relationship to the main characters. Two Twisted Crowns far more than One Dark Window, because this is actually a book that puts those side characters center stage.
Elm's story is as compelling as I was hoping it would be, he was such a charming breakout character in the first book despite no POV, and his POV absolutely helped develop the characters in his view as well. Ravyn is still kind of boring, but his connection with a certain character made me a lot more sympathetic to him in the end. No, not his snoozy romance with Elspeth. It's still boring, still sucks. He is by far the least compelling of the bunch, but since Elspeth was taken out of the story physically, he is a necessary POV to move the plot forward.
Elspeth and Nightmare's relationship remain the crown jewel of the story, and it will not disappoint fans of them here. Nightmare is given a very key role in the story that did not go as I expected. I don't think Rachel Gillig expected that he would become the fan favorite, but she did a great job justifying that opinion in the book. Elspeth is present, but she does take a backseat to everyone else in this story. Her presence is moreso so act as a bridge of humanity to Nightmare and the other cast of characters.
The plot breaks into 3 different storylines: the otherworldly dream state of Elspeth and Nightmare, The hunt for the final Providence card, and the battle to keep Hauth from the throne. All three plotlines moved at a nice speedy pace and were a ton of fun to check in with. Once again, the magic system shines in this series, with so many interesting ways for the characters to interact with the cards. I rarely give two shits about magic in a book, and I got really invested in how the cards worked and how they related to their user.
This duology is just such a treat, and Gillig is now an insta buy author for me. I am convinced she cant write something boring. The duology could have easily gone downhill after the major events of book 1, but Gillig kept the story fresh and full of heart by making the right narrative choices and moving the focus to the side characters for the second book.
mae18's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
azolman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.25