The Shepherd’s King Series by Rachel Gillig is the latest in a long line of romantasy sensations that had the world of romance readers excited. Recommended all over BookTok, this series departs from the genre in a fascinating way.
The duet begins with One Dark Window, and it’s immediately clear that this book does not follow the same formula as other super popular romantasies out right now, and it takes a very different tone for the genre. This series reads more like a YA fantasy, with a focus on world-building, magic, and plot over spice and banter.
A super clever premise is the main highlight of this series. In this fantasy kingdom, magic is viewed as an infection that always comes with a price. The infected are hunted and sent out into the mist, a magical boundary that consumes all who enter and drives them mad. The only legal use of magic comes from Providence Cards, Tarot card-esque items that the user can tap and harness different powers depending on the card they are using. These too come with a steep price.
With a tyrannical king, an evil prince, and all kinds of drama and betrayal, this unique and creative magical system gives a very new feel and tone to books.
The one thing that The Shepherd’s King shares with its romantasy peers is a take on the enemies-to-lovers trope, one of the most popular in the romance space for good reason. It’s a very slow burn, and once the enemies do finally become lovers, it’s a classy kind of spice, the kind you might expect to find in a historical romance.
Two Twisted Crowns, the second book in the duology, added new character perspectives in a way that was unexpected and turned out to be a great choice. We meet these characters in the first book but this expansion of their stories and the new romance that arises was a strong point in the series. This story comes into itself in the second book, and by the end it leaves the reader fully enmeshed in this fantasy world and invested in these wonderful characters.
For readers looking to dip a toe into the romantasy realm without fully diving off the deep end into dragons and fae, The Shepherd’s King duet is a perfect option. For seasoned romantasy readers, this series is a refreshing change of pace and a great way to stay firmly rooted outside of reality while still reading something new and entirely original.
Spice: 2
Writing: 4
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