Two Twisted Crowns: A Book Review

Well, I've been forced to eat my words. When I finished book one of this duology, I was extremely skeptical that there could be enough plot material for a second book; I was wrong. Two Twisted Crowns was a super engaging and fast-paced read, with less issues in terms of revelations to mysteries that seemed very obvious, and deeper character building (specifically, with the Nightmare, one of the more intriguing characters). Elspeth takes a back seat for most of this book, which is an interesting (but, I think, good) choice as she was the MC for book one.

We get multiple perspectives in book two, which is fun because I loved seeing the other characters', specifically Elm's, point of view. Ione's storyline made me forgive and understand her character arc in book one (yay!) and the history of Blunder and the cards was delicious.

My criticisms are that Blunder is still a stupid name for a kingdom (and if it's a symbol of all its historical tragedy, than it's far too on the nose), Ravyn's name still makes me cringe. The secondary romance arc was a little instantaneous, but I can forgive it the same way I can forgive it in book 1: there's a decent foundation for their love, and I'm unsurprised that a YA novel has a fast burn romance. The Nightmare's snark, especially towards Ravyn, got wearying and didn't really make sense, character-wise, given the givens. The resolution was, in part, needlessly convoluted.

Ultimately, this series would have been better as one long book, or as two volumes (à la Lord of the Rings) rather than a duology. They need to be read consecutively. Book one is weaker but necessary for book two, with its set-up. But overall, Two Twisted Crowns ​was a really good read, and I feel reassured for having bought a physical copy of both.