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The Shepherd Kind books have quickly become some my new favorite dark fantasy books. They have forbidden love, dark magic, a kingdom under control of a power-hungry royal family, and a magic system tied to legend, feuds, and powerful cards. There is always a price to pay for wielding magic that you do not truly understand. 

Elspeth Spindle may be one of my new favorite fantasy heroines. In One Dark Window, she is just trying to survive, to avoid suspicion in a kingdom where magic – outside of that controlled by the very few – is forbidden. She is also trying to survive living in the same mind as the dark nightmare that is trying to take over her being to reach his own dark ends. Due to family entanglements, Elspeth soon finds herself at the castle, under the watchful eye of Ravyn, and trying desperately to save herself in a kingdom at odds with history and curses and grabs for power. 

In Two Twisted Crowns, we see Elspeth lost in her own mind, the Nightmare in full control and on a mission of his own. Ravyn is still by her side, trying desperately to save the woman he loves from being lost forever to the darkness. He is also trying to save his own family. Elspeth’s cousin is also fighting for her own survival in a castle full of people bent on her demise. But she does have one prince on her side… You can feel the hurt and the hope so deeply among our intrepid crew. Ravyn would do anything for Elspeth, their connection deep and sometimes our only tether in a world gone mad. 

The tension is high, the stakes life-altering, and the love aching. Dark magic and a history of barters has never been so compelling.