The Shepherd King series by Rachel Gillig
“Be wary. Be clever. Be good.”
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Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.
But nothing comes for free, especially magic.
When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers…and guilty of high treason.
He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.
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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.
I finished One Dark Window in the middle of Fourth of July 2024 in my parents’ backyard. I took a quick break to ply my cousin and her boyfriend with my homemade Dubai chocolate. (It was a hit.) After that snack intermission, immediately loaded up Two Twisted Crowns on my Kindle, racing to finish before the fireworks that night. Rachel Gillig’s writing has that irresistible command of gothic atmosphere that sucks you in. Like The Knight and the Moth, her books are steeped in shadow: gloomy forests, ancient curses, creeping dread, and prose that feels mist-soaked and spellbound.
What makes the series shine is how Gillig balances gothic horror with character-driven fantasy. In One Dark Window, Elspeth’s bond with the Nightmare (that eerie, whispering presence inside her) creates a constant push-and-pull between fear and power. By Two Twisted Crowns, the story expands into a full-blown epic—family legacies, political betrayals, and the weight of prophecy colliding in a way that feels both intimate and mythic. It’s amazing how much story she packs in this duology.
Personally, I think The Shepherd King duology is dark romantasy done right: beautifully written, hauntingly atmospheric, and threaded with the right amount of tension. Rachel Gillig captures the essence of gothic fantasy so well that I felt both unsettled and enchanted—the perfect emotional cocktail for a summer weekend that ended with literal fireworks in the sky. (Although one could also argue that this series would make a perfect winter read.)
Content Warnings
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of content and trigger warnings.
violence • blood • death of parent • injury