Ever a victim of BookTok recommendations, the Shepherd King duology by Rachel Gillig had been on my TBR for a long, long time. I’d heard a lot about it and I knew I wanted to read it eventually, but I never gave it too much thought until a random trip to Barnes and Noble with my girlfriend. We were browsing the aisles, as one does, and we came upon One Dark Window (ODW), the duology’s first book.
See, I have a habit of picking up every book I recognize at a book store and telling whomever I’m with that I’ve read it, or that it’s on my TBR, or that I’ve heard about it. So, naturally, I beelined right toward ODW and picked it up.
Another thing about me is that I judge books not by their covers, but by their dedications and how they make me feel. There are levels that factor into my decision of whether I truly want to read a book or not. The first is general interest, reading its description on Storygraph and adding it to my TBR if it sounds good. The second, which, more often than not, happens in the bookshop, relies on the dedication. Is it clever? Is it poetic? Does it make me want to cry? The last question is the most important one, really. Finally, if the book has already been approved on these two levels, the third one comes with reading its first page. I’ve found that good prologues are sometimes hard to find; so when I read a book and the first page pulls me in, I’m immediately sold.
Imagine my excitement when I picked up ODW and read: “To the quiet girls with stories in their heads. To their dreams — and their nightmares.” Rachel Gillig had me in the palm of her hand, and then, when I read the first page of the first chapter, there was no looking back. I immediately decided to read this book as soon as I could. At the time, I was reading something else — a book I can’t even remember right now — and all I wanted to do was finish it just so I could jump into the kingdom of Blunder.
With this novel, Rachel Gillig pushes the reader into a dark and gothic world, filled with mist, infection, and Providence Cards, the kingdom’s magical currency. The magic system in this book is so elaborate and different from anything I’d ever read; it was truly fascinating to discover. The book follows Elspeth Spindle, a girl who was infected by the realm’s poisonous mist at nine years old, and thus afflicted with a magical intruder in her mind. The Nightmare, an ancient, volatile, and ever confounding presence, protected Elspeth — he gave her inhuman strength and speed when she was in danger, but nothing comes without a cost. Whenever Elspeth asked the Nightmare for help, she risked losing herself, because he gained more control over her body each time.
Now, what is a fantasy story without knights? Enter Ravyn Yew, our cold and tortured knight, beholden to his cruel duty, but truly loyal to his own cause. Along with his family, he had a plan to free Blunder from the mist, an oppressive force throughout the land, the cause of its infection. I don’t wish to give unnecessary spoilers, but Ravyn’s relationship with our main character, Elspeth, is truly worth the read. The romance in this book is a subplot, but it’s executed perfectly. “Enemies” to lovers, the slowest burn, delightful banter, and many hilariously odd interactions between Ravyn and the monster in Elspeth’s head.
I’m sure you can tell that I thoroughly enjoyed falling into this world and discovering its story. Though, as much as I liked the first one, the second book, Two Twisted Crowns (TTC), was so much better. It greeted me with its dedication: “To anyone who’s ever felt lost in a wood. There is a strange sort of finding in losing,” and I just knew I was in for an unforgettable journey.
The way this book made me feel is hard to describe. It had so many twists and turns, and the emotional development was perfection. While the first book introduces you to this world, the second makes you truly fall in love with it. I usually prefer a book with just one POV, the way ODW was, but, for the first time ever, I liked the multi-POV much, much more. TTC introduces new romance subplots and allows the reader to delve deeper into the Nightmare’s story — his motives, his purpose, and where he came from. It is truly a beautifully heartbreaking novel.
Between intricate world-building, a dynamic plot, and exceptionally well-developed characters, the Shepherd King duology is one for the books. Truly, I cannot recommend it enough. So, dear reader, if you know what’s good for you, I ask that you give it a chance; I am more than confident that you won’t regret it. If, however, I was unable to persuade you, I’ll just leave you with this, maybe it’ll change your mind: “The two were together, so the two were the same. The girl, the King, and the monster they became.”