Rating: 3.5
Trigger Warnings: sexual harassment, threats of rape (more detailed, spoiler free TWs at bottom of review), violence, blood, attempted murder
About the Book:
Author: Rachel Gillig
Published: October 19th, 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Description:
In the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.
Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.
If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.
And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.
Review:
The beginning of Two Twisted Crowns was immediately gripping. I had just finished the first book and was anxious to start the sequel. Luckily, I started this duology after both books had been released so there was no wait time. Since I had enjoyed One Dark Window so much, I was especially excited to see how Elspeth’s story would continue after the ending of the first book.
The book goes between three perspectives (Elspeth, Elm, and Ravyn), giving glimpses into each of their plot lines. And though the suspense regarding Elspeth’s condition was building throughout her and Ravyn’s chapters, I found myself getting frustrated at the inclusion of Elm’s perspective. I understand that, due to the two separate locations mentioned in the plot, it was necessary to have at least one perspective in the castle, but it still felt choppy and disjointed to me. This caused my interest in the book to go in and out. At points, I actually found myself getting frustrated with these switches between perspectives. In a way, it felt like there was a cliffhanger every other chapter.
I think the other thing that prevented my full enjoyment of the first two-thirds of the book was the relationship between Elm and Ione. Though I felt their pain and thought their character arcs were well done, I couldn’t get past the speed with which they bonded. It felt too much like the insta-love trope more popular in contemporary romance.
That being said, I was absolutely captured by the final third of this book. I enjoyed Ravyn, Elspeth, and Jesper’s journey through the woods and thought it was interesting as the challenges they faced were really well-written, exploring facets of human emotions and the depth of family bonds. Elm and Ione's story also grew on me by the end. Believe it or not, I even ended up crying while reading the epilogue!
So I'm sure many of you are curious then, "Is Two Twisted Crowns as good as One Dark Window?" and to that, I'd have to say unfortunately not. However, I would not discourage anyone from reading the series overall as combined, I'd rate the duology 4 stars!
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to check me out on my new bookstagram account (@zoes.booknook)!
Trigger Warning Details (SPOILER FREE):
Sexual harassment > a man touches a woman’s leg in a threatening manner + suggests to her male companion that he should “throw her in” as a part of a deal (implying they’ll abuse her further if her companion were to comply),
Threats of rape > a woman tells a man that her fiancé got her drunk but didn’t assault her though he told her he could and would if/whenever he wanted to. This abusive figure is mentioned and discussed throughout the book and it’s implied that after that first night (of their engagement) he may have abused her.
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