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chanlo1994's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
Again, the prose in this book is stunning. So much lovely poetry and creative writing. Rachel Gillig is a beautiful writer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death, Infidelity, and Vomit
alrsto's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The author made an interesting choice with this second book in her duology: the narrator and protagonist from book 1, Elspeth, plays a much lesser role in this second half of the story.
Elspeth is there but much less present, and because there's little action she can take, she's not one of the characters moving the story forward.
Instead, it's her love interest (Ravyn) and three secondary characters from book 1 who take center stage. We readers follow the story mainly through two of those characters' (Ravyn and Elm) third-person points of view.
Along the way, those secondary characters—Elm, Ione, and the Shepherd King (a.k.a., the Nightmare)—become much more fully fleshed out.
In the first book (One Dark Window), I had mixed feelings about Elspeth, but I liked the ensemble of fairly well-rounded other characters she was surrounded by. Those characters, plus the story's distinctive system of magic, are what kept me reading.
In one way, I actually enjoyed this second book more than that the first because Elspeth faded back, and the characters I found more interesting—and whose fates I found myself caring a lot about—came to the fore.
The action throughout the story is strong and well paced, and it builds to a satisfying denouement, which is no small storytelling feat. For that reason, as well as the characters, I'd recommend the book.
But I'd add a caveat: some of the writing was distractingly awkward. For example:
"[H]er eyes crashed into Elm's."
"Elm's hand crashed into his pocket."
"[His] gaze collided with Ravyn's."
"the only noise between them was the clenching and unclenching of his jaw."
Then there are descriptors of little physical actions that I'm guessing are intended to convey a character's mood or emotions in a subtle way, but just get distracting because of how often they're used.
Characters are frequently said to bite the insides of their cheeks. Their mouths become thin, fine, or tight lines. Or the corners of their mouths or lips are twitching or curling.
There are also a couple plot points that, to me, aren't cleared up sufficiently at the end.
When does Ione finally get free of the Maiden card when Hauth used it on her again, for example? And does she ever use it again?
What exactly happens to the extra Providence Cards that weren't used as part of "uniting the deck"—like the ones in the Rowan family's vault? The story implies that they still exist, are in circulation among the Blunder populace, and still work magically, but it seems like that fact should be a bigger deal in the kingdom, given what the characters have learned about them?
What did Elspeth's relationship with her father look like after the all that had happened? What about her relationship with her stepmother and twin stepsisters? The latter three are fairly prominent in book 1, so I expected them to be at least mentioned in book 2. But they aren't.
I do think it's a tribute to the rich storytelling and immersive world-building that I could even wonder about such details and care about how the characters' lives went on after all the drama concluded.
Overall, this book is a satisfying romantasy. Just be prepared to overlook some of the writing quirks and loose plot ends.
Elspeth is there but much less present, and because there's little action she can take, she's not one of the characters moving the story forward.
Instead, it's her love interest (Ravyn) and three secondary characters from book 1 who take center stage. We readers follow the story mainly through two of those characters' (Ravyn and Elm) third-person points of view.
Along the way, those secondary characters—Elm, Ione, and the Shepherd King (a.k.a., the Nightmare)—become much more fully fleshed out.
In the first book (One Dark Window), I had mixed feelings about Elspeth, but I liked the ensemble of fairly well-rounded other characters she was surrounded by. Those characters, plus the story's distinctive system of magic, are what kept me reading.
In one way, I actually enjoyed this second book more than that the first because Elspeth faded back, and the characters I found more interesting—and whose fates I found myself caring a lot about—came to the fore.
The action throughout the story is strong and well paced, and it builds to a satisfying denouement, which is no small storytelling feat. For that reason, as well as the characters, I'd recommend the book.
But I'd add a caveat: some of the writing was distractingly awkward. For example:
"[H]er eyes crashed into Elm's."
"Elm's hand crashed into his pocket."
"[His] gaze collided with Ravyn's."
"the only noise between them was the clenching and unclenching of his jaw."
Then there are descriptors of little physical actions that I'm guessing are intended to convey a character's mood or emotions in a subtle way, but just get distracting because of how often they're used.
Characters are frequently said to bite the insides of their cheeks. Their mouths become thin, fine, or tight lines. Or the corners of their mouths or lips are twitching or curling.
There are also a couple plot points that, to me, aren't cleared up sufficiently at the end.
I do think it's a tribute to the rich storytelling and immersive world-building that I could even wonder about such details and care about how the characters' lives went on after all the drama concluded.
Overall, this book is a satisfying romantasy. Just be prepared to overlook some of the writing quirks and loose plot ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying and Murder
bethann_coleates's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
I love a duology because it moves the story along but gives you enough time to delve into the important aspects of the plot. This book was a satisfying conclusion to the story of Elspeth, Ravyn, the Nightmare and the whole cast of characters working to try to unite the deck of Providence cards and save Blunder from the encroaching fog. I really liked that we got to dive more into Ione and Elm's stories and their unique motivations alongside the stories of Elspeth and Ravyn. Tying all these storylines together gave us a better insight into the history of the Providence Cards and makes for a very rewarding outcome. The last 100 pages were tense - I blew through the back half of this book because I needed to know what would happen as time was running short. A truly enjoyable series and would recommend it to folks looking for a dark/gothic fantasy that you can tackle in a short amount of time with a romance sub-plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
barbarianmissy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Well wasn’t that just great?!
What a great ending. The twists and turns and stress were all SO FUN. I loved how the author kept the running theme of balance and the cyclical nature of history while only revealing the true story of it bit by bit. TWAS COOL AS SHIT.
I very much enjoyed this duology and the world and magic of Blunder!
Elm and Ione were most def my favourite characters, as well as the Nightmare, of course. I was pissy with him for a bit there but loved him again by the end.
OVERALL I LIKED IT A LOT!
What a great ending. The twists and turns and stress were all SO FUN. I loved how the author kept the running theme of balance and the cyclical nature of history while only revealing the true story of it bit by bit. TWAS COOL AS SHIT.
I very much enjoyed this duology and the world and magic of Blunder!
Elm and Ione were most def my favourite characters, as well as the Nightmare, of course. I was pissy with him for a bit there but loved him again by the end.
OVERALL I LIKED IT A LOT!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
scarletrose169's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, and Death of parent
The story alludes to ther trigger warnings more than fully describing them. This is a darkly themed book. The finale to a riveting duology.scarlett_f's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing
kwthor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
wickeddelights's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The first book in this duology was good, but the second book was even better! There is so much growth in the characters, and the pining between two of the romantically involved characters and their banter had me hooked.
Rachel has earned herself a place on my instant buy/read list for whatever she comes out with next!!
From here on out there are going to be spoilers.
The first book ended with the melding of the Nightmare and Elsbeth's mind, the title of the book One Dark Window becoming prophecy to what Elsbeth endures from that point forward.
Two Twisted Crowns is no different in that regard. Like Shepherd King when he wrote the Book of Alders, Rachel Gillig offers her readers a glimpse of the ending once more in her title.
Even with the ending laid at our feet, the journey there is still one that is difficult to turn away from. The relationship forming between Elm and Ione was enough to have me on the edge of my seat, but the hardships Ravyn and the others face on their quest to save Elsbeth and blunder are no less interesting and endearing.
To take a note from Taxus's style of speaking, I'll leave my review with this:
The monster becomes Martyr, Foe becomes friend. The future unwritten, until she holds the pen.
;)
(I had to give a nod to the final line of the book haha.)
Rachel has earned herself a place on my instant buy/read list for whatever she comes out with next!!
From here on out there are going to be spoilers.
The first book ended with the melding of the Nightmare and Elsbeth's mind, the title of the book One Dark Window becoming prophecy to what Elsbeth endures from that point forward.
Two Twisted Crowns is no different in that regard. Like Shepherd King when he wrote the Book of Alders, Rachel Gillig offers her readers a glimpse of the ending once more in her title.
Even with the ending laid at our feet, the journey there is still one that is difficult to turn away from. The relationship forming between Elm and Ione was enough to have me on the edge of my seat, but the hardships Ravyn and the others face on their quest to save Elsbeth and blunder are no less interesting and endearing.
To take a note from Taxus's style of speaking, I'll leave my review with this:
The monster becomes Martyr, Foe becomes friend. The future unwritten, until she holds the pen.
;)
(I had to give a nod to the final line of the book haha.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, and Blood
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
Elspeth's mind is now completely taken over by Nightmare. We follow the group as the continue to search for the Twin Adler card.
I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first. First off, I am so glad that it switched to multiple POVs. It added so much more to the story and character development. Also, I really liked that there was a lot more world building and history of the magic throughout the book. For those who found the first book slow, the pace was a lot faster in this one.
I am so glad we got Nightmare's POV. That was exactly what I was looking for. In the first book, I found it was lacking information about his story and motivation. In book two, we got all that and so much more. We learn about the creation of the cards, his family, and the truth of what happened to him.He was betrayed by his captain, Brutus Rowan. Brutus murdered his entire family and took the crown for himself. He is definitely the most interesting character for me. We see how the magic completely twisted his priorities.
In this book, we also get Rayvn and Elm's POVs. We get to see the development of Elm and Ione's relationship. They are so cute together.I thought it was a smart choice to make Elm king over Rayvn. Though still within the Rowan line, he was so unlike any king before him.
Adding Ravyn's POV added a lot of emotion to the story. We see his story reflecting that ofThe Shepherd King. Yet while Nightmare is willing to sacrifice anything for magic, even his sister, Rayvn is only willing to sacrifice himself. Though I did see this coming, we find out that Rayvn is a descendent of the Shepherd King. The King's eldest son escaped Brutus' slaughter and went on to change his last name to Yew.
I love how they ended up using Hauth's blood to unite the deck. Justice.
Tropes: found family
I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first. First off, I am so glad that it switched to multiple POVs. It added so much more to the story and character development. Also, I really liked that there was a lot more world building and history of the magic throughout the book. For those who found the first book slow, the pace was a lot faster in this one.
I am so glad we got Nightmare's POV. That was exactly what I was looking for. In the first book, I found it was lacking information about his story and motivation. In book two, we got all that and so much more. We learn about the creation of the cards, his family, and the truth of what happened to him.
In this book, we also get Rayvn and Elm's POVs. We get to see the development of Elm and Ione's relationship. They are so cute together.
Adding Ravyn's POV added a lot of emotion to the story. We see his story reflecting that of
Tropes: found family
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity