Rachel Gillig
American
Born 1989
Rachel Gillig is an American gothic romantic fantasy author. She is known for her duologies The Shepherd King and Stonewater Kingdom.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Rachel Gillig's books, including Two Twisted Crowns and One Dark Window.
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Books ReviewedAsk LuvemBooks about Rachel Gillig
Rachel Gillig writes American gothic romantic fantasy, and the two books we've reviewed show a consistent interest in dark, atmospheric storytelling where romance is threaded through folklore-inflected danger. Her novel Two Twisted Crowns draws a 4.6/5 reader rating from over 106,000 Amazon ratings, pointing to a readership that responds strongly to her blend of brooding tension and mythic stakes.
- Where should I start?
- Start with One Dark Window, the opening book of The Shepherd King series. It establishes Gillig's gothic tone, the rules of her magical world, and the central relationship that deepens across the duology. Jumping straight to Two Twisted Crowns would mean missing the foundation that makes the second book's payoffs land. One Dark Window holds a 4.5/5 reader rating from over 101,000 Amazon ratings, so it's a well-tested entry point.
- What's their writing style?
- Gillig writes in a gothic register — her prose is atmospheric and leans into shadow, folklore, and a persistent sense of unease. Romance in her books is slow-burn and emotionally charged rather than light or playful, and the world-building draws on myth and dark fairy tale traditions rather than conventional fantasy mechanics. Readers who enjoy authors like Erin Morgenstern or early Robin McKinley tend to respond well to her tone.
- Books we've reviewed
- We've reviewed two books by Rachel Gillig on LuvemBooks. One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, 1) is the gothic series opener, earning a 4.5/5 reader rating from over 101,000 Amazon ratings — a strong foundation for the duology. Two Twisted Crowns is the concluding volume, rated 4.6/5 from over 106,000 Amazon ratings, and delivers on the atmosphere and slow-burn tension established in the first book.
- How do her books compare?
- One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns form a tight duology, so they share the same world, characters, and gothic tone rather than standing as independent reads. The first book does the heavier lifting on world-building and character introduction, while Two Twisted Crowns benefits from that groundwork and tends to feel more propulsive as a result. Both are rated exceptionally highly across large reader samples, with Two Twisted Crowns landing fractionally higher at 4.6/5 versus 4.5/5.
- What genre does Rachel Gillig write?
- Gillig writes gothic romantic fantasy — a subgenre that combines the atmosphere and dread of gothic fiction with the emotional arcs of romance and the world-building of fantasy. Her books are rooted in folklore and fairy tale tradition rather than the political or military structures common in epic fantasy. Readers who gravitate toward dark, mood-driven stories with strong romantic undercurrents tend to find her work a natural fit.
- What should I read after Two Twisted Crowns?
- If you've finished the Shepherd King duology and want something in a similar vein, authors like Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus), Naomi Novik (Uprooted), and Roshani Chokshi (The Star-Touched Queen) write in overlapping territory — atmospheric, folklore-inflected fantasy with strong emotional cores. Within Gillig's own catalogue, it's worth checking her publisher for any forthcoming titles, as our reviews are limited to the two Shepherd King books at this time.
Who is Rachel Gillig?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
How do her books compare?
What genre does Rachel Gillig write?
What should I read after Two Twisted Crowns?
Who is Rachel Gillig?
Rachel Gillig is an American author working in gothic romantic fantasy. She is best known for The Shepherd King series, which includes One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns, books that have built a substantial readership drawn to their dark atmosphere and folklore-rooted world-building. Her work sits at the intersection of romance and fantasy, with a noticeably moody, literary register that sets it apart from more straightforwardly plot-driven fantasy.
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What genre does Rachel Gillig write?
Where should I start with Rachel Gillig?
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Two Twisted Crowns
4.6/5
reader rating · 110,170 ratingsTwo Twisted Crowns is the concluding volume of Rachel Gillig's Shepherd King duology, following Elspeth and Ravyn as they race through a mist-cloaked forest to find the final Providence Card before Solstice — with the Nightmare, the monster sharing Elspeth's mind, as their only guide. An instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller, it delivers a widely praised payoff to one of gothic romantasy's most distinctive recent series.
Reviewed Aug 1, 2026
One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, 1)
4.5/5
reader rating · 101,260 ratingsRachel Gillig's debut gothic romantic fantasy, originally published by Orbit Books in 2022, introduces Elspeth Spindle and a five-hundred-year-old spirit called Nightmare in a mist-locked kingdom where magic is a death sentence — a premise that earned the novel a devoted BookTok following and mixed-but-engaged critical attention, with reviewers praising its evocative prose and magic system while flagging uneven pacing and a predictable romantic subplot.
Reviewed Apr 9, 2026
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