#elm and Ione
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I WOULD NOT ONLY LIKE TO THANK GOD BUT ALSO RACHEL GILLIG FOR THESE MASTERPIECES
#if you havent read these what the fuck are you waiting for#and if you dont want to read them ur a fucking idiot!!#one dark window#two twisted crowns#elspeth spindle#ravyn yew#elm rowan#ione hawthorn#the nightmare#the shepherd king#elspeth x ravyn#elm x ione#rachel gillig
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Elm thinking about Ione like:
#one dark window#two twisted crowns#the shepherd king#rachel gillig#Renelm rowan#elm rowan#Ione Hawthorne
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Casually dropping by to announce to the whole world that I am hopelessly, hopelessly in love with Renelm Rowan.
If you haven’t read One Dark Window and its sequel, Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig (fucking masterpieces), then you must. I beg you. And I beg you to love Elm too—such a precious, precious, grumpy, abso-fucking-lutely whipped (and horny) prince i love him so much
#One Dark Window#Two Twisted Crowns#Rachel Gillig#Elm Rowan#Elm x Ione#Ione Hawthorne#Elspeth Spindel#Rayvn Yew#The Shepherd King series
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Nothing more than a relic (The Shepherd King Missing Scene)
There isn't nearly enough content for this fandom, so here's my humble offering. Hope you enjoy this brief missing scene set at the end of Two Twisted Crowns (spoilers ahead!).
(Ao3 link above, but it's so short I thought I'd put it here as well)
Summary: Elm and Ravyn destroy the final Scythe card.
Words: 640
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Elm tried to ignore the way the stairs to the palace vault felt all too like the confines of the dungeons. The same cold stone and stale, underground air pressed in on him. The cold tore at him, though it was hardly frigid here with torches casting a warm light along the walls. Elm fixed his gaze straight ahead, the way he always did in the throne room. He focused on the sound of Ravyn’s steps behind him.
At the vault doors, he pulled out the keyring he had begun carrying and opened the locks. The box where the king had held his Providence Cards was exactly as Elm had left it, untouched since his last visit, but for one addition.
His father’s Scythe sat on the top of the stack. Drops of dried blood marred one edge, barely discernable against the red velvet, and Elm knew it was his own. He picked up the card and for a moment, its familiar feel was almost comforting. He twirled it between his fingers.
"You destroyed Hauth's Scythe," he said to Ravyn without looking up. "And mine was used to unite the deck. If Brutus Rowan's was destroyed-"
"This is the last one." Ravyn finished his train of thought.
Elm wavered for a moment, then held out the card.
"I want you to destroy it," he said.
Ravyn didn't move to take the card. His brow creased.
"Are you sure?" he asked, and Elm hesitated.
For so long, the Scythe had been his shield, his crutch. His protection from Hauth and from the world. It had been his armor, but also his prison: the fear of what Hauth could do to him- could make him do.
The reason for an education in pain.
Elm remembered lying in the road, in agony, praying he had held on long enough as the card took its toll.
The far greater pain of standing immobilized, utterly helpless, as Hauth drove a dagger into Ione's heart.
"I'm sure," he said firmly. “I refuse to be another Rowan to rule Blunder with fear.”
Ravyn took the card and, as easily as if it were a simple piece of parchment, tore it in two. He handed the pieces back to Elm.
Elm thought for a moment of putting the halves back in the box, or even of burning them. Instead he tucked them into his pocket; nothing more, now, than a relic- a reminder of a life past.
He closed the box, leaving the remaining cards, and turned towards the door.
Ravyn was looking at him thoughtfully.
"You're a different man than you were when I left, Elm," he said. "Confidence suits you."
"And happiness suits you," Elm replied. "It's nice to see the way you smile when you look at her. Who would have guessed that Ravyn Yew, fearsome Captain of the Destriers, was a romantic."
Color rose in Ravyn's cheeks, but his lips twitched into a sheepish smile, and Elm laughed.
"Trees, even thinking about her makes you blush," he teased. Ravyn gave him a playful shove.
"I could say the same about you," he said, and it was Elm's turn to grin.
"I suppose we're both love-struck fools," he conceded.
“Fools who have a banquet to attend,” Ravyn nodded gravely, throwing his arm around Elm’s shoulders. “I’m sure people are waiting to speak with their king.”
Elm groaned.
“Perhaps I could stay down here, say I lost track of time…”
Once, he would have done it without hesitation- to spite his father or simply because he wanted to- but they both knew that that Elm was gone. He was king now, and he had every intention of doing the job well. And of course, Elm thought as he followed Ravyn up the narrow stairs, the pageantry was infinitely more bearable with his family at his side.
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->Everything belongs to Rachel Gillig, this is just for fun! :)
#one dark window#two twisted crowns#the shepherd king#elm rowan#ravyn yew#ione hawthorn#elspeth spindle#renelm rowan#ao3#fanfiction
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Reading two twisted crowns and idk these two are just so much more interesting to me!!!
#two twisted crowns#one dark window#rachel gillig#ravyn yew#elspeth spindle#renelm rowan#elm#ione hawthorne#the Sheperd king#the sheperd king series
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Ok, if you, like me, were in the minority of people who didn’t immediately fall in love with One Dark Window… like, the consistent rave reviews popping up on various algorithms have been simultaneously confusing and making you feel very left out? Well, I’ve got news!
In my humble opinion, Two Twisted Crowns (book 2) is mostly a total knock out. I obvi gotta sit with it longer (I just finished at 3am)… revisit some exceptional quotes that left ya girl blushing (dresses were almost ripped).
Duologies can feel like such a mercy in the fantasy space and looking at the series as a whole, i’d now happily recommend it to anyone not looking to tackle a new 3-6 book series/investment at this time. Also a good one for newbies to the genre. It also isn’t just another copy-paste SJM variant and that almost feels like a rarity with the big new releases.
Book one, I really struggled with the messy (albeit cool on the surface) magic system, the constant rhyme thing felt really hokey and made me struggle to get into the writing (which is mostly very good), the MCs were outshined by the side characters and just weren’t really my type, and the pacing is so odd like - sometimes so slow and sometimes so fast - it’s like, “Wait hi, I need more info please.”
25% into book 2 I genuinely thought, “I think more has already happened in this book than in all of book 1.” And that’s when I realized I was hooked and in for a late night.
Book two is action-packed and the plot is operating on so many levels - thanks in part to more povs. Ironically, part of me was like so grateful I had read book one, even if I didn’t like it, so I “knew the rules,” and could run along this faster-paced, more ambitious book 2.
Obviously I think the magic system, and general world building, was infinitely more successful in TTC. Gillig just used the framework and the lore with a higher level of craft and focus. We scaled back on the goofy rhymes - tho not entirely lol. But I credit the attention paid to the world/magic as a big part to why I read this whole thing in an evening! It felt like a really unsatisfying missing piece from ODW and, clearly, with that amended I more than liked it! I got that unmistakable all-consuming euphoric rush that only binging a great fantasy can give you.
*spoilers ahead*
I would also be fully lying if I said that what made this book work for me wasn’t just… the big focus on Elm and Ione. Yes, I had to google that name pronunciation for my own sanity at a certain point. But within their plot, in particular, I was like “ok, now this is what I call a magic system.” I have no idea why this same concept was just utilized and pulled off so much more successfully in their narrative arc… but it was. I still liked the odyssey into the woods with Ravyn and the Nightmare, but I fully credit Elm and Ione for making me love this book. Did I miss Elspeth a lot… I plead the fifth.
The Elm-Ione romance had everything I was missing in ODW! Like hot, hot tension. Sexy build up. And idk their growth and stories and strength genuinely made THIS tender little reader shed a tear. Their dynamic felt really honest and fresh and different. I’ve been getting a little burnt out by copy and paste romantic plots, in fantasy in particular, so these two took me by surprise. Yeah, I was just kind of floored by their romantic journey.
What can I say, I’m weak for an emotionally intelligent boy who can communicate his need to be topped (and like traumas and other things). Some of their build up tension scenes had me blushing the hardest any book has made me blush in 2023. RIP OFF THAT DRESS BABY!!!
Anyway, if you felt gaslit by the hype around ODW, but you already read it, I’m hear to say that TTC is more than worth it. You’ve already made it that far, what do you have to lose?
Unless your me who is going to be feeling that decision to not go tf to bed!
#book review#two twisted crowns#one dark window#rachel gillig#some spoilers#fantasy romance#gothic fantasy#duology#elm Rowan#elspeth spindle#Ione hawthorn#Ravyn yew
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Elm & Ione (art by Rachel Gillig)
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More people should be talking about one dark window.
12/10, 10/10. That’s it. Thank you Rachel Gillig
#one dark window#two twisted crowns#rachel gillig#elspeth spindle#ravyn yew#ione hawthorne#elm rowan#the nightmare#the shepherd king
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Very slow and tbh I am a bit tired of fmc’s who are all oh I’m different and im the only different on and I don’t like anyone and no one should like me (except the one sunshine character friend) They're also super distrusting of all strangers, particularly the mmc (who i liked from the off hehe) and doesn’t like the mmc to begin with. But saying that the world, the magic system, the mmc and other characters are amazing and the last few chapters were amazing and can’t wait to find out what happens in the next one.
A big thank you to @mika-no-sekai-blog for the recommendation💖
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just finished two twisted crowns (yes yes I have a compounding final on monday) and honestly the Nightmare was the best part of the whole duology. the only part that moved me to tears was the bit where he and Elsepth bid each other goodbye. I was not ready to see him go either
#did I love Elm and Ione together? yes#was I more than ready to be done with them about half way through the series? also yes#also Emory. why did we not have more scenes of Emory#I wanted to see Elsepth and her father reunite I WANTED TO SEE ELSEPTH AND RAVYN REUNITE DAMMIT#all in all a fun and interesting read. a solid 4 stars#one dark window#two twisted crowns#rachel gillig#two twisted crowns spoilers#rue talks books
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I loved #OneDark Window , but #TwoTwistedCrowns had me on a chokehold. If it was up to me, Elm and Ione would have their own duology lol
The Shepherd King Duology by @rmgillig
#ElmRowan #IoneHawthorn #lilithART #bookART
#ElmRowan#IoneHawthorn#lilithART#bookART#OneDark Window#one dark window#two twisted crowns#the shepherd king
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ione and elm really stole the show huh
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Only a Dream
Summary: Elm suffers from nightmares. Ione is there for him.
Words: 585
Only a Dream
Several weeks pass before the nightmares start.
At first, his days are so busy that exhaustion lulls him into dreamless sleep. It isn’t until his life settles into something of a routine that the shadows at the edges of his mind push to the forefront. They circle, waiting, and Elm begins to dread the night because he knows what he will see when he closes his eyes.
***
Cold stone walls press in on him. His breath fogs the air, and black decay burns up his arms, his legs.
Any moment, Elm knows, the Destriers will come for him.
His body aches. His heart pounds a sluggish beat.
He wakes shivering violently. He rubs the echo of icy pain out of his arms, flexing his fingers to assure himself that they are smooth and unblemished.
Hours pass before he is calm enough to fall back into sleep.
***
Bound and paraded through the square, Hauth's voice echoes in his ears. His father's laugh.
Shouts reach him from the watching crowd, the streets lined with people he has known his whole life.
"Traitor!" They yell.
"Murderer!"
The worst are the voices he knows as well as his own.
Ravyn. Emory. Jespyr.
He knows it's a dream- he knows- but it feels terrifyingly real. He tries to call to them, to tell them the truth, but he finds himself gagged, his bonds tightening until he chokes… can hardly breathe.
He wakes with tears on his cheeks and a cry on his lips. Sleep does not find him again that night.
***
He stands helpless, his body out of his control. Ione lies before him, blood soaking her dress, her yellow hair turned red with it. Desperately, he wills his frozen muscles to move, his jaw to open to let out the scream building in his chest, but his body will not obey. Blood bubbles on Ione's lips as she tries to speak. Her words are garbled, but he understands.
"Elm. Help me. Please."
He can't.
If his bonds were physical, he would tear flesh and bone to reach her, but they aren't. He can't. Hauth is there, nudging Ione's dying body with his foot, and Elm fights, impossibly, harder.
"You're weak, Renelm. Too weak to save her."
He feels himself shattering. Breaking.
He can't. Move.
He wakes screaming. His body thrashes, drenched in cold sweat. His voice breaks.
And then she is there.
One hand on his sweat-slicked chest, the other tangled in his damp hair.
"Calm yourself, Elm," she says softly. "It was only a dream."
Only a dream.
Only a dream.
Her voice is clear and steady and alive. Her hair yellow, not red. Her eyes bright.
Alive.
A sob escapes him. He grasps her arm- real, solid.
Alive.
Elm buries his face in her chest, feels her heart beating, strong and steady.
Alive.
She holds him as sobs wrack his body. He curls in on himself and she traces her hand along his back, his arm… presses a kiss to his forehead and speaks softly.
"Only a dream."
Elm lets his tears dampen the bodice of her nightgown. He holds her- lets himself be held- as, slowly, his breathing steadies.
His father would call him a disgrace. Hauth would mock him, call it weakness, but Elm knows that it is strength.
To feel and to love.
To be loved.
Ione is his strength, and he, hers.
"Only a dream," he whispers.
She holds him through the night, their bodies entwined as dawn paints the room in yellow.
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Well, anyways, I was bored and made a list with book characters that I like from A to Z (couldn't come up with something for Q)
Book Characters List
A
Aemmory Percyval Taxus
Aelin Galathynius
Andarna
Amara Maroni
Alpha Villanova
Abraxos
Annaleigh Thaumas
Aedion Ashryver
Alexis
Asterin Blackbeak
Aaron Warner
Apollion
Aidas
Ansel of Briarcliff
Ash
Addie LaRue
Avery Kylie Grambs
Ash Maddox
Alex Volkov
Ava Chen
Alessandra Davenport
B
Bryce Quinlan
Bryaxis
Bone Carver
Brie
Barney Fitz-Amobi
Bel Price
Bridget Van Ascheberg
C
Corvina Clemm
Cassius
Cardan Greenbriar
Chloe Green
Camila Dunne
Cinnamon Hotpepper
Cormac Donnall
Catherine Pinkerton
Cara Ward
Cal
Carter Price
Chrstian Harper
D
Danika Fendyr
Dante Maroni
Donatella Dragna
Declan Emmett
Dorian Havilliard
Dante Russo
Dominic Davenport
E
Elide Lochan
Evangeline Fox
Emilia DiCarlo
Envy
Evelyn Hugo
Ember Quinlan
Elspeth Spindle
Evangelina Sage
Elm Rowan
F
Feyre Archeron
Fenrys Moonbeam
Fallon
Felix
Fleetfoot
G
Gavriel
H
Hunt Athalar
Helion
Hannah Rooney
I
Imogen
Iris Winnow
Ione Hawthorne
Isabella Valencia
J
Jacks
Juliette Ferrars
Jude Duarte
Jesiba Roga
Jurian
Jest
Jack Brunswick
Jespyr Yew
Josh Chen
Jules Ambrose
K
Kenji Kishimoto
Kaltain Rompier
Kai Young
L
Lilith
Lyla
Lorcan Salvaterre
Lidia Cervos
Legend
Lysandra
Lehabah
Liam Mairi
Luc
Luna Caine
Libby
M
Manon Blackbeak
Morrigan
Morana Vitalio
Meghan Chase
N
Nesryn Faliq
Nazeera Ibrahim
Nash Hawthorne
Naomi Ward
Nightmare
O
Oraya
Oak Greenbriar
P
Pippa Fitz-Amobi
Purrcival
Q
R
Rhysand
Raihn
Ruhn Danaan
Rogan
Rowan Whitethorn
Randall Silago
Rhiannon Matthias
Razor
Ravi Singh
Ravyn Yew
Renelm Yew
Roman Kitt
Rachel Price
Rhys Larsen
S
Shara Wheeler
Scarlett Dragna
Stryga
Suriel
Sartaq
Syrinx
Sgaeyl
Sal Singh
Stanley Forbes
Stella Alonso
Sloane Kensington
T
Tristan Caine
Tristan Flynn
Thea Delion
Tairn
Thimble
Tandri
Trystan Maverine
U
Usha
V
Violet Sorrengail
Vale
Vincent
Vittoria di Carlo
Viv
Vivian Lau-Russo
W
Wrath
Wren
X
Xaden Riorson
Y
Yrene Towers
Z
Zephyr Villanova
#acotar#a court of thorns and roses#throne of glass#crescent city#fourth wing#house of salt and sorrows#House of Salt and sorrow#Shatter me#The Cruel Prince#the folk of the air#The lost heir#dark verse series#Dark verse#The predator#The reaper#The emperor#the finisher#the annihilator#caraval#Once Upon A Broken Heart#i kissed shara wheeler#Darkest of thrones#crowns of nyaxia#iron fey#mead mishaps#six scorched roses#the seven husbands of evelyn hugo#daisy jones and the six#gothikana#the invisible life of addie larue
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Review: Two Twisted Crowns (Rachel Gillig, The Shepherd King #2)
Rating: ★★★★★/5
"There once was a girl, 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 -
I couldn't go on.
Elspeth.
No. I'm not ready. Not yet.
Finish the story, dear one.
My voice shook. The two were together -
Together.
So the two were the same.
The girl, he whispered, honey and oil and silk.
The King...
We said the final words together, our voices echoing, listless, through the dark. A final note. An eternal farewell.And the monster they became."
This was such an incredible first physical read of 2024. Starting off on the right foot in pretty much every way; this is a magical, misty, angsty Gothic story full of twists and turns and intrigue and the highest of stakes. I fucking loved it.
The Twin Alders. The final Providence card, the last step to uniting the deck and lifting the mist that envelops Blunder. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered the other cards, though at a steep cost. The Nightmare is in control, and only he can lead them to their salvation - or their doom.
This one took things in a direction I didn't expect after the ending of ODW. I assumed we'd still be focused on Elspeth, still mostly in her head, and instead, I was SO pleasantly surprised and delighted to refocus on Ione and Elm and get to know them.
I fucking love Elm. He is the perfect dark prince with a past full of hurt who only wants to be loved, but only by one person: his yellow girl. Ione's journey with the Maiden and how she breaks free of Hauth and her past are so satisfying and emotional, and I just lived for the chapters focused on these two. The romance is ON. POINT. And just spicy enough.
And continuing to unravel the mystery of the Shepherd King and get glimpses into his past through Elspeth's eyes was SO intriguing and well-done. Talk about getting us to root for this villain character despite the fact that he literally took over our MC's body. I was so interested in how our main group was related to him, and I was not disappointed with the answer.
What I love most about this series, though, is the vibe. This is the perfect Gothic fantasy. There's mist and darkness and monsters lurking in the dark. There's swoony romances to die for. There's characters who have experienced such hurt in their past opening themselves up to the potential for more, but having to go through hell first. There are villains that turn out to be characters you root for and villains that you absolutely loathe.
What more could a person ask for?
#booklr#book photography#book picture#book review#two twisted crowns#rachel gillig#the shepherd king#one dark window#bookworm#bibliophile#book lover#book nerd#book community#book aesthetic#fiction#fantasy#my photos#my reviews#mine
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