Two Twisted Crowns - Rachel Gillig

 

 “Here we are, my darling girl, he whispered to me. The end of all things. The last page of our story.” 

Ya'll I hope you are ready for me to sing multiple praises for this book. After reading it, this is probably my #1 fantasy series that I have EVER read. It has everything that I want in a fantasy book and I can't believe that I won't be able to read this for the first time ever again. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Started: January 2nd, 2024

Finished: January 19th, 2024

Synopsis: This story starts off where One Dark Window ends. Elspeth's body has been taken over by the Nightmare a.k.a. The Shepherd King. She now lives within the Nightmare's mind, just as the Nightmare has been a part of her mind since she absorbed the Nightmare's power.  But in order to lift the mist and heal the infected, Ravyn, Elm, the Nightmare, and Ione must bring the Deck together and spill infected blood. 

My Review: First off, I will be quite frank. Ione and Elm stole the show in this book. While Elspeth is stuck within the Nightmare's mind and Ravyn is wallowing in his love-sick stage, Ione and Elm are...getting stuff done. The development of these two were so fascinating to watch and I couldn't help but feel more attached to them than I did Ravyn and Elspeth. I mentioned in my previous review that Ravyn fell a bit flat for me, and it still continues here in this story, at least until the end when all is revealed. But Ione and Elm's relationship was so dynamic and both of their own stories were so flawed and developed, I couldn't help but fall in love with these two. 

Elm's whole deal is that he was constantly terrorized by his older brother, Hauth, while living in Stone. The Red Scythe was used against him so much that Elm grew to associate anything with the Rowan family with pain. This led to him switching sides and working with his Yew cousins in healing Emory. When Hauth is left for dead by the Nightmare in the previous book, Elm thought he had rid himself of his brother forever, or so he thought. 

Ione, on the other hand, is trying to find her Maiden card, the card that was traded in exchange for her father's Nightmare card. She has been living with this card's magic for too long and she is becoming colder and colder, not being able to feel anything. However, it is revealed that while Hauth was still mobile, he abused Ione and even threw her off Hawthorne Tower to have her killed. While she lay dying, she realized that the Maiden card was the only thing keeping her physical body alive. She is miraculously healed without a single scratch.

While trying to locate the hidden Maiden card (Hauth hid it from Ione to keep in control), the Rowan King decides to have Elm take the throne as the next heir. He must find a bride to be his Queen and Elm, though disgusted with the role of Prince, is elated to make Ione his Queen, if she so accepts. 

The banter between these two was so intense and full of longing and regret and it physically ached when they weren't around each other. Elm's mind was constantly on Ione's well-being. A true "touch her and you will die" moment that any book lover will adore. When Elm and Ione finally find the Maiden card and make love in an open field, I was rejoicing because both of them were happy and I was happy for them. 

Meanwhile, Ravyn, Jespyr, and the Nightmare are trying to find the lost Twin Alders card, which only the Spirit of the Wood has. They have to travel through the woods and mist in order to find her with the Nightmare leading the way. They go through trials and encounter a village of Blunder outcasts. Ravyn's mettle is put the test here because he has been living double identities throughout this entire duology. That of the Captain of the Destriers and the other as a highwayman, ready to overthrow his uncle. 

I liked how this book took a more introspective look at the characters. Not only were we able to see more of Elm and Ione's backstory, but also that of Ravyn and the Shepherd King as well. We learned about what truly happened to make Brutus Rowan turn on his king, and we learned that Ravyn and his family are actually descendants of the Shepherd King himself. It is why Ravyn's powers are similar to that of Bennett Taxus, where he cannot use the magic of the Providence Cards, save for a few. 

Towards the end of the story, where the entire cast of characters are readying for their final fight against Hauth ( Hauth has poisoned his father at this point and usurped the Kingdom of Blunder) is where the stakes rapidly rise. Hauth is trapped by his own brother and bride-to-be and when they let the mist in to consume him, Hauth becomes infected. His blood then spills onto the completed deck and the mist and infection are taken away. In its place, is a new Providence card, the Shepherd. 

Ravyn is mortally wounded in the battle and healed by Jespyr (who was also infected while in the woods) who shares the same magic powers as the Shepherd's daughter, Tilly. After being healed, Ravyn demands that the Nightmare let Elspeth go. The only way to release her is to destroy the Nightmare card, thus releasing the Shepherd King's soul and returning Elspeth to her own body. In those final moments where Ravyn rips the card, there is a beautiful moment with Elspeth and the Nightmare. They are both next to each other, having been a part of each other's lives for so long, and they recite their line from The Book of Alders..."There once was a girl, clever and good, who tarried in shadow in the depths of the wood. There also was a King--a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book. The two were together, so the two were the same...The girl, the King...and the monster they became." 

I will be honest with you all. This is where I cried. I'm not saying I am a crybaby with most books, but for this moment, it really came back full circle. Elspeth was like the Shepherd King's daughter, keeping her safe and putting her on the path to right his wrongs. It truly felt like a full circle moment and a beautiful ending for the book.

Final Thoughts: I encourage anyone who has a love for fantasy novels to read this duology. It is succinct, its full of character and I truly felt so invested in the world and its laws. I plan on getting a tattoo of "Be wary, be clever, be good" somewhere in the near future because of this book. It took me so long to read because I didn't want this book to ever end. Now, I want to reread the series and see if I missed anything the first time around!