Book Review: The Shepherd King Duology by Rachel Gillig
Metadata
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Author | Rachel Gillig |
| Fic/Non Fic | Fiction |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Format | Paperback |
| Rating | 4/5 |
Review
Above all, I want to emphasize that this series is very well done and enjoyable. As a debut, it is extremely impressive and I am looking forward to whatever Gillig writes next. But so much of my feelings on these books are caught up in the expectations One Dark Window set for the series, and how Two Twisted Crowns failed to live up to those expectations.
The Shepherd King duology is a good series that was poised to be a great one. Gillig was on fire with the hundred pages of One Dark Window, which masterfully established the Gothic setting, the unique magic system, and the character relationships with incredible, confident prose. The storybook nature of the magic, particularly the Shepherd King’s bargains contained within the beautifully titled Old Book of Alders, evokes fairy tales and Gothic verse. All of this combines to pull you into the world, into the main character’s mind and the nightmare it contains.
Light Spoiler Warning
From here on, I will be discussing the shape of the story for both One Dark Window and the sequel, Two Twisted Crowns. These books are very much worth your time, and if you are at all interested in them, stop reading this review and give them a chance.
I can’t be sure where exactly it happened, but after the fabulous introduction in One Dark Window, things start to take a turn. The elements that made the beginning of the book so evocative start to slip away. The fairy tale nature slowly erodes until the events of the novel feel a bit more generic, the storybook vibe replaced by something that is closer to standard new adult romantasy than the enchanting introduction. The romance between the main characters, while executed well on its own merits, was not tinged by the nature of the book. It really felt like the overarching plot and the magic of the world took a backseat, so the romance could hit a few well worn tropes before the book wormed its way back into the storybook space. Luckily, One Dark Window manages to come together in the end. It draws on the romantic elements to make the conclusion exciting, heartbreaking, and resonant, leaving the series on a cliffhanger that demands the reader dive into the sequel.
Light Spoiler Warning
In an abundance of caution, I am going to warn once again about spoilers for the shape of Two Twisted Crowns. If you liked One Dark Window, I don’t know what you are doing here. Go read the sequel and form your own opinion!
Where One Dark Window struggled to maintain its magical nature for a whole book, Two Twisted Crowns fails to maintain it at all. Again, heavy caveat here, the book is still enjoyable and does a passable job finishing the duology. But, it really loses the elements that drew me into One Dark Window, namely the magic and sense of wonder. In addition, while the main characters from One Dark Window are present throughout, the real focus is on two side characters from the first book. They carry their sections well enough and their romance is a highlight of the series, but I definitely struggled to buy into their chapters for the first half of the book. They were so separate from the plot of the first novel, it made much of the story feel like any other fantasy novel, instead of a sequel to One Dark Window. Regardless, the book holds its own and manages to provide a decent end to the series.
Overall, this series wonderfully captures a world twisted by its own magic. The gothic vibes color the plot into a delightful romantasy duology that should not be missed by fans of the genre. That said, I think there was still some meat left on the bone and despite the promise in this debut, it never managed to live up to the high bar it set for itself. Regardless, I am so excited for whatever Gillig is cooking up next.
So far, I have not said much about what specifically did not live up to its potential. I’m going to touch on that below. I haven’t really seen anyone else express similar opinions and am very curious if I’m the only one who feels this way.
Heavy Spoiler Warning
Here I am just going to spend a short paragraph on the things in particular that did not fit for me. Avoid this for huge spoilers on the series.
I’m going to keep this short and focused on my biggest disappointments in the series. From the beginning of the series, you just knew the characters were going to follow in the Shepherd King’s footsteps, tracing the history of providence cards, and eventually lifting the mist that had ravaged the kingdom. I loved this setup. The myth of the providence cards and the beautiful writing had me expecting something akin to David Lowery’s The Green Knight. Unfortunately, the quest completely failed in this regard. Each challenge was less interesting than I hoped, following standard fantasy logic instead of stretching into the realms of myth or fairy tale. While nothing proved implausible, neither did it feel thematically resonant. All of this is exacerbated by how the main characters from the first book are pushed to the background. The female main character loses almost all of her agency in the second book, which is doubled down on in an epilogue that took away from the beautiful conclusion in the final paragraph of the last chapter.
Conclusions
These books are very special, particularly for a debut. It speaks to the quality of the storytelling, that even though it didn’t live up to its potential, it still lands at a 4/5 for me. If you are someone that felt similarly disappointed by the conclusion to this series, I can’t recommend Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik enough. To me, it had similar storybook vibes, but managed to nail the them throughout the book while feeling magical and emotionally resonant.