A review by kaylaswhitmore
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Surprisingly, I may have liked this sequel even more than the first book. Gillig really hit a thrilling stride with the pace and plot of this series, and while it had some flaws in my own opinion, I never once found myself bored of the world she painted. If anything, I think that her expansion of the magic in this world in this book really sold me on a few things that I had previously been contemplating in the first book, and I loved learning more about the Shepherd King through Elspeth’s eyes. Personally, I even found myself enjoying Elm and Ione’s blooming relationship leagues more than Elspeth and Ravyn’s! They had a truly beautiful dynamic that tugged on my heart strings in an unexpected way. In terms of critiques, I mostly just had small nitpicks based on personal preferences that I won’t go into, and one larger, character-arc issue regarding Elspeth. I didn’t love how Elspeth’s autonomy was so thoroughly scrubbed in the second book, especially after having spent so much time rooting for her in the first. I understand it was crucial to the plot that she took a more backseat role in the story, but I definitely was expecting her to still have a big moment for the climax where she was able to affect real change despite her position, and was thoroughly disappointed when that did not happen. However, I can totally own that this is less a critique and more a consumer complaint lol. Mostly, I was hoping for a bit more of a female-led adventure, and while Ione was a beacon of light in this book, I still was left a bit wanting in terms of female POVs and choices. But all in all, I would definitely recommend this series to others and think Gillig’s writing is well-deserving of praise! Looking forward to her future works!
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