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Rebecca (life's chaotic catching up)'s Reviews > Two Twisted Crowns
Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)
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"For even dead, I will not die. I am the shepherd of shadow. The phantom of the fright. The demon in the daydream. The nightmare in the night."
Well, this book had a lot of ups and downs for me, unfortunately I think the downs won out. Maybe it was a combination of really high expectations bc I loved ODW so much and I had built this sequel up so much in my head, but I was left really disappointed with how the story played out.
What worked for me.
-The writing was beautiful. It was still atmospheric like ODW and probably even more dark and eerie and I really enjoyed that part.
-The Nightmare. He has always been the star for me, and I loved getting into his backstory and his more human side.
-The Banter. It's so funny and smart. The Nightmare and Ravyn, Elm's interactions with pretty much anyone. It's just really funny.
-Getting answers. We get all the history of what happened, and it was satisfying.
What didn't work for me
-The way Elspeth was completely ignored in her own book. She is the main character, yet she is barely a whisper in this entire story and honestly non-essential. You could erase her entire part until the epilogue, and it wouldn't have changed any outcome. I have never seen this done before and I didn't love it.
-Elm and Ione become the new main characters of the book and the romantic center piece of the story. Again, I wasn't a fan of this. I love Elm but it felt very insta-love and the investment in them as a couple wasn't there for me bc it felt a bit forced and I really wanted more Ravyn and Elspeth which we never actually get in any substantial way.
-The pacing. Every time, something exciting was happening in the woods with Ravyn and the Nightmare the next chapter (or few chapters) would cut back to Elm in another place, and it would slow down the momentum. Also, bc what was happening with Elm and Ione, I didn't find very exciting.
ODW is still one of my favorite reads of this year and I still think Rachel Gillig is an amazingly talented writer and I will continue to read her books, this one just fell short for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Publishers and Rachel Gillig for the gifted arc.
Well, this book had a lot of ups and downs for me, unfortunately I think the downs won out. Maybe it was a combination of really high expectations bc I loved ODW so much and I had built this sequel up so much in my head, but I was left really disappointed with how the story played out.
What worked for me.
-The writing was beautiful. It was still atmospheric like ODW and probably even more dark and eerie and I really enjoyed that part.
-The Nightmare. He has always been the star for me, and I loved getting into his backstory and his more human side.
-The Banter. It's so funny and smart. The Nightmare and Ravyn, Elm's interactions with pretty much anyone. It's just really funny.
-Getting answers. We get all the history of what happened, and it was satisfying.
What didn't work for me
-The way Elspeth was completely ignored in her own book. She is the main character, yet she is barely a whisper in this entire story and honestly non-essential. You could erase her entire part until the epilogue, and it wouldn't have changed any outcome. I have never seen this done before and I didn't love it.
-Elm and Ione become the new main characters of the book and the romantic center piece of the story. Again, I wasn't a fan of this. I love Elm but it felt very insta-love and the investment in them as a couple wasn't there for me bc it felt a bit forced and I really wanted more Ravyn and Elspeth which we never actually get in any substantial way.
-The pacing. Every time, something exciting was happening in the woods with Ravyn and the Nightmare the next chapter (or few chapters) would cut back to Elm in another place, and it would slow down the momentum. Also, bc what was happening with Elm and Ione, I didn't find very exciting.
ODW is still one of my favorite reads of this year and I still think Rachel Gillig is an amazingly talented writer and I will continue to read her books, this one just fell short for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Publishers and Rachel Gillig for the gifted arc.
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Reading Progress
February 19, 2023
– Shelved
February 19, 2023
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 19, 2023
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Started Reading
September 27, 2023
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Finished Reading
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Sep 19, 2023 06:47PM
Hope you enjoy! Happy reading, Rebecca!
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omg omg you got it😍😍 happy reading babes pls i need your updates later
Nora wrote: "Hope you enjoy! Happy reading, Rebecca!"Thanks Nora! 💙
Rae✿ wrote: "omg omg you got it😍😍 happy reading babes pls i need your updates later"YES! I got it! I am so excited to read it, Deema and I both got it and we are reading it together! I can't wait for your review tho!!!
Helen 2.0 wrote: "Enjoy!!"Thx Helen! 💙
Oh no I remember you lovingg the first book so much and you're the reason it got in my tbr!!! Aw i hate when this happens when you love the first one and the second one doesn't deliver, maybe it's the expectations? ig we never know. Hope your next read is so much better <3
I feel the same! My only complaint was we were given such a trivial amount of Ravyn and Elspeth time.
I had the exact same thoughts. I came here for Elspeth and Ravyn and I got this? So disappointing
okay I’m so glad it wasn’t just me who thought this!
Completely agree! I was so disappointed we didn’t see Elspeth and Raven as the main characters, that is the whole reason I pre-ordered this!! Still loved the book but it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be
I agree so much!!! Elm and Ione are also the reason why it took me so long to read the book.
I completely agree with this review. Also, the amount of typos in this book was absolutely egregious for a book published by a subsidiary of the third largest publishing house in the world. I didn't notice typos at all in the first book. The second book feels like it was rushed.
Superb review Rebecca 💖
This review perfectly captured everything I felt about this book.
I feel exactly the same!!! Not enough Rayvn and Elspeth… I wanted their reunion… I wanted the reunion with her father, I wanted to feel those EMOTIONS… this book did not deliver on that.. it was a good book and it ended well, but missed some key elements for me to give it 5⭐️a
i agree with a lot of these points. the middle section felt pretty bland/drawn out with not much happening and i was thrown off by elspeth not really being the MC. there were certainly great points tho, i loved the nightmare too and ione’s personal journey with the maiden card
I agree wholeheartedly. For me the gothic mood dropped a lot without many interactions between Ravyn and Elspeth.
Completely agreee, was greatly disappointed when Elspith was completely ignored. Plus at the end we didn’t get a proper scene from Elspith and Ravyen :(
I agree. I loved the book and I loved Elm and Ione but what I didn't love was how Elspeth was completely ignored till the end and also how veryyy little time was given to Ravyn and Elspeth's romance. Like why?
Oh god thank you 😭😭I was feeling so guilty cause it was harder to like elm and ione as chapters went by. I wanted the excitement of Elspeth/Nightmare and Ravyn not the puppy love 🥹😡
Completely agree! I wish we had more of the plot surrounding the original main characters!
So agree! Elspeth getting 2-3 pages in her chapters at first was a joke 😂 The pacing was the main issue for me. It took me a while to get into this one. I liked the Elm and Ione bits actually! But that might’ve also been because the Ravyn chapters for the first half before going into the forest were boring. I loveddddd the nightmare-ravyn-elspeth track in the last act though. Best part of the book, and deserved so much more page space!
Great review, couldn’t agree more with all your comments.
My thoughts exactly!!! I wanted more from Ravyn and Elspeth.
I agree completely in this. Elspeth just dissapeared Even though she was supposed to be the main caracter. Also found that both of the love stories was a bit hasty, and difficult to get fully invested in. The romance aspect wasn’t written as good as i would’ve liked it to.
This. I could write a review but you already did it.
Very well said! I LOVED One Dark Window (my first 5 star read in AGES). However, I actually had to put TTC down after reading 40% of it because of everything you listed in the "What didn't work for me" section, and I was actually set on not finishing it. But after a week of not finding another series to fill the hollowness that ODW left in me, I decided to pick up TTC again and finish it. I am glad I did, because it definitely picked up near the second half. Moreover, I was able to recognize everything you listed in the "What worked for me" section after finishing, which is something I commend Gillig for. I was surprised I didn't completely give up on it after 1) realizing how greatly diminished Elspeth's role as the main character was, and 2) how Gillig did not show much of Elspeth's and Ravyn's romance as I wanted to (those two were my OTPs, so I was deeply upset). But despite those reasons, Gillig compensated for it with the plot. And as much as I don't want to admit it, I understand why Elspeth was not really the main focus. After all, she did rely on the Nightmare a little too much when fighting Hauth, so it makes sense that she could only be present within the Nightmare's mind. And as great as it would have been if she just conveniently and magically took ownership of her own body again very early on in the story (so that I can see her and Ravyn's NORMAL romance again hehe), I am afraid that would not have been reasonable and would not propel the plot forward. With that said, TTC was not as good as ODW, but I was satisfied with the ending and how it played out (I give it 3.9 stars).
Agreed! I was so bummed that we got so little of Elspeth. Felt like she wasn’t even in the book!
Yes to all of this! I still love the duology but felt exactly the same way on the second book
Omg I agree with you. Honestly I couldn’t care less about Ione. Even knowing that the slow pacing was needed to get to the final plot, I still wish Elspeth and Ravyn had more screen time (btw they are like Elide and Lorcan to me 🖤)
Exactly my thoughts!!!
I wish we had more Elspeth and Ravyn. I didn't care much for Elm and Ione. :( This review is spot-on.
I agree with most of this! I wanted more of Elspeth and Raven too. There were hints of Elm and Iones affection for each other in the first book so it didn’t feel too abrupt for me and I thought Elm deserved love, but I wish it hadn’t been such a central focus of the book.
"What didn't work for me-The way Elspeth was completely ignored in her own book. She is the main character, yet she is barely a whisper in this entire story and honestly non-essential. You could erase her entire part until the epilogue, and it wouldn't have changed any outcome. I have never seen this done before and I didn't love it.
-Elm and Ione become the new main characters of the book and the romantic center piece of the story. Again, I wasn't a fan of this. I love Elm but it felt very insta-love and the investment in them as a couple wasn't there for me bc it felt a bit forced and I really wanted more Ravyn and Elspeth which we never actually get in any substantial way.
-The pacing. Every time, something exciting was happening in the woods with Ravyn and the Nightmare the next chapter (or few chapters) would cut back to Elm in another place, and it would slow down the momentum. Also, bc what was happening with Elm and Ione, I didn't find very exciting. "
Exactly this. It feels like she ran out of ideas, of how to write a second book and focused elsewhere. I wanted an Elm book but it feels like this book is a companion novel to the first one. We don't even see Elspeth or even the search for the Twin Alders Card. Hauth was bad just for the sake of being bad. In Chapter 20, we could learn Hauth's backstory from Elm. Instead, the insta-love feels forced and a little redundant (same as the last chapters of One Dark Window, with Hauth making them use the Chalice Card.)
Seriously!! I kept forcing myself to like the romance between Elm and Ione but it felt so off. If Ione had liked Elm all this time, why wasn’t it in SOME way hinted in the first book, making us like the idea of them two together from the start? The entire book was also pretty much based in the same two environments: the woods and stone. Limiting the access to create new scenery in our heads - becoming boring. I wish there were more environmental descriptions that weren’t as repetitive as the ones mentioned… Loved the first book and wanted more of it but this was not IT
Thank you for sharing! This is exactly what I need to hear. I'm currently in chapter three and I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed cause it seems disconnected to One Dark Window and I'm even sad that you mentioned Elspeth is ignored in the duology and that she and Ravyn are not the center of the romance part
This!!! This it exactly how I felt too! Still loved it tho
I wish I had been more excited for Ione and Elm as well, but they flat lined for me.
