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The Shepherd King Duology by Rachel Gillig
Are you in the mood for something spooky? Something new, refreshing, and captivating, packed with deep lore, complex characters, romance, and unexpected twists? Then the fantastic Shepard King duology by Rachel Gillig is what you’re looking for.
The Story So Far
The Shepherd King is a complete duology consisting of two books: Book One, One Dark Window, and Book Two, Two Twisted Crowns.
And here is how it goes…
In the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder, people are suffering from a strange magical disease. Once affected by the fever, a person is granted a magical ability, but everything has a price. The price for magic is often fatal, causing the bearer to pay with mind, body, and soul. But most people never reach that point. People affected by the fever are hunted and sent in the deadly Mist or slaughtered by the order of the king.
Elspeth Spindle has been hiding her her whole life. She was infected with a fever as a child and as a result, ended up with an ancient monster trapped in her mind. She knows her degeneration will come soon, but the king’s men might get her before that.
Even if they come, getting her won’t be that easy. The monster, Nightmare, is in her mind, and her bane is also her protector.
“Nothing is free. Nothing is safe. Magic is love, but also it’s hate. It comes at a cost. You’re found, and you’re lost. Magic is love, but also, it’s hate.”
Worldbuilding
This book is marketed as a fantasy romance (romantasy), but many people will argue that it borders on high fantasy.
The mist-locked kingdom of Blunder must be one of the most exciting places I’ve ever read about.
In this world, magic comes from the Spirit of the Forest. To honor her and thank her for the gift of magic, people have been taking the names of the trees as their family names. But there is always a price. The price for magic was the degeneration of a mind, body, or soul. Nothing is free.
People have been living in harmony with the Spirit of the Forest, but the king got greedy one day. He made a deal with the Spirit to create Provenance cards that let the user cast magic without degeneration. More cards he made, the more power he craved, and he kept paying the Spirit, failing to notice how steep the price was becoming until it was too late. He had nothing left, not even a soul to bargain. But at least he gave safe magic to his people, right?
Unfortunately, he also failed in that. Once people started using cards, they stopped praying to the Spirit of the Forest. They did not need her favor anymore and thus they neglected her.
In her rage, she shrouded the kingdom in a magical mist, blocking it from the world and cursing everyone, with the fever, who entered it unprotected.
Nightmare
“I am the shepherd of shadow. The phantom of the fright. The demon in the daydream.” Her yellow eyes flickered to Ravyn. “The nightmare in the night.”
Some of my favorite books have mysterious father figures, a guide for the character, and someone, who is subtly looking after them. Page by page, you suspect a great love, shown by their actions. You slowly get to know the mysterious character and find out how deep the emotion is that they feel towards their ward.
Kip was a ward of Andross Guile, and his grandson in the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks, Vincent, was a father to Oraya in the Crowns of Nyaxia series by Carissa Broadbent. In this duology, we have the Nightmare.
The Nightmare is the main force driving the plot in this duology. This book’s most enjoyable and heartwarming things were exploring his character and his past, uncovering his secrets, and observing his and Elspeth’s relationship.
“I know what I know, my secrets are deep, but long have I kept them, and long will they keep. “
The Romance
We wouldn’t be discussing this book without romance, of course. After all, it’s the hopeless romanticism that unites us all here.
The main love story that drives the plot is between Elspeth and Ravin. It starts as enemies to lovers, with Ravin being Elspeth’s natural enemy by being one of the King’s guards and Elspeth being affected by the Fever. Their relationship slowly develops into tentative trust and friendship before blossoming into romance. There is also a part where they are fake-dating, or fake courting would be more appropriate in this situation.
“What creature is he with a mask made of stone? Captain? Highwayman? Or a beast yet unknown.”
Ravin and Elspeth have one of the healthiest relationships I’ve ever seen. Ravin is forced to make some hard choices but honestly, he’s just a really nice guy.
He loves his family, respects Elspeth, and is one of the most selfless characters in the fantasy world. Power struggles don’t interest him as long as he gets to spend the day with his loved ones.
Like the magic that courses through Blunder, their romance comes at a cost. Trust doesn’t come easy, and vulnerability is a dangerous thing to offer in a world so rife with betrayal. But as the layers peel back, they learn to lean on each other in a world that seems determined to break them.
For BookTok Girlies, the second book will be more enjoyable. A new romance blossoming between Ione and Elm, and boy, is that intense!
If you loved Court of Mist and Fury and are looking for some Dorian Havilliard energy, you will love the romance between these two.
Ione wasn’t dealt a good hand. Alone in court, she has to endure abuse by her fiance, the crown prince. She is trapped by the Maiden card, which is slowly sucking away her soul, and she makes it her mission to find it and stop its magic.
But when the Prince is mortally wounded and his brother, Elm, returns to the court, things take an interesting turn.
Elm’s sweet and kind nature, paired with his royal confidence and sass, will crack Ione’s iced heart, and his bravery will make him fight the world for her.
Power, Sacrifice, and Redemption
Magic is power, but it also demands a sacrifice. It is also very easy to succumb to greed, no matter the cost.
At its core, the Shepherd King duology explores powerful themes of power, sacrifice, and redemption. With its misty landscape and decaying kingdom, Blunder is a perfect backdrop for these themes to unfold. The characters are all grappling with their demons—be they literal or metaphorical—and the question of whether redemption is truly possible looms large.
Elspeth’s uncle was the first one we see who was corrupted by power. His desire to marry his daughter, Ione, off to the royal family and get more influence was the trigger that set the whole story in motion. As a result, Ione was captive in the royal household, stuck in an abusive relationship, and made to use the Maiden card, which gave her ethereal beauty but also took away her emotions and froze her heart.
The provenance cards always demand a sacrifice, but the Shepard King was so blinded by his greed that he didn’t even notice how he sold every single part of himself and brought doom to his family.
Power is a tricky thing, though. It goes to those who least want it.
Aside from the Twin Alders, the Nightmare card is the most powerful card, but Elspeth tries to resist it throughout the book. Elspeth’s journey is not just one of self-discovery. She must confront the power that resides within her, the one she fears and the one she has been taught to hate.
The relationship between Elspeth and Nightmare—the monster in her mind—symbolizes the internal battles we all face. Do we let our demons rage and let out the beast? Sometimes, the monster must be out, but we must not lose ourselves to it.
If we do, the only way we can find our way back is with the help of our loved ones. They need to coax us back out.
The coexistence between Elspeth and Nightmare changes them both. Nightames regains his compassion and finds redemption, while Elspeth grows stronger and sees everything in the new light that the truth brought.
“There once was a girl,” he murmured, “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.”
Helping Elspeth brings Nightmare solace. He sees her as his daughter, and even though he abandoned his real children, he is trying to make up for it by saving this one gir,l who is as lonely as he is.
Through Shepard King, Blunder finds redemption and a second chance.
Conclusion: A Must-Read Duology for Fantasy Lovers
Rachel Gillig’s Shepherd King duology is a gripping, dark, and beautifully crafted fantasy series that will appeal to readers who love complex worldbuilding, morally gray characters, and a love story that builds with intensity and depth. The eerie atmosphere of Blunder, combined with its rich lore and magic system, will immerse you from the first page to the last.
Elspeth’s story is one of survival, sacrifice, and transformation, and while the stakes are high, the emotional payoff is well worth the ride. The romance between Elspeth and Ravin is layered and nuanced, offering a compelling emotional arc that will keep you invested in their journey. The second book, Two Twisted Crowns, offers a new and fresh romance between Elm and Ione with a little more spice.
With the monstrous Nightmare looming in the background, this story isn’t just about love—it’s about confronting the darkness within ourselves and the world around us.
If you’re ready for a tale of magic, monsters, and redemption, then don’t miss out on this duology. One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns are two books you won’t want to put down.
