Book Review of One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

 

Name of Book: One Dark Window

Author: Rachel Gillig 

ISBN: 9780316312486

Publisher: Orbit 

Part of a Series: The Shepherd King 

Type of book: Fantasy, gothic, darkness, mist, mysterious illness, death, kingdom of blunder, mysteries, monsters, cards, magic, breaking laws, secrets 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him

Characters:

Main character is Elspeth Spindle, the oldest daughter of a former King's guard who became sick with an illness and was forced to live in the forest with an aunt an uncle and a cousin. She has absorbed a spirit from Nightmare Card and this spirit grants her peculiar powers. Ravyn Yew is Captain's guard who is very taciturn, serious and dutiful, but at the same time he is wrestling between family and duty, and he also has secrets that he'd rather not reveal. Renelm (Elm) Yew is the King's second son, an interesting character who is both loyal and tries to do what is right while at the same time he is best described as a wild card. 

Theme:

Nothing comes for free

Plot:

Its perhaps fair to say that at least 98 percent of the story is told in first person narrative from Elspeth's point of view. While the broader world isn't really explored, the immediate world is, and not once have I felt lost or needed to go back to figure out what's going on. While the story seems simple, the writing, prose, characters and the atmosphere are definitely the shooting stars, giving the novel unimaginable strength and addiction. A lot about the world is explained, either through the narrative or through the cards at beginning of each chapter that give out information and tie the narrative to it. Elspeth survived a mysterious illness seemingly without magical side effects, although there is a strange creature in her head that protects her, for she absorbed the spirit of a coveted Providence Card, the Nightmare card. Soon, Elspeth's quiet life changes and she has to face the growing horror in her mind. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Rachel Gillig was born and raised on the California coast. She is a writer, with a B.A. in Literary Theory and Criticism from UC Davis. If she is not ensconced in blankets dreaming up her next novel, Rachel is in her garden or walking with her husband, son, and their poodle, Wally.

Opinion:

When it takes me a very short time to finish a book because I was deeply immersed in the world, and when I seriously can't think of any faults and can't wait until next year (October of 2023? Why?! Please make it early 2023) then this book definitely deserves five stars. The story is the perfect length of gothic, romance and adventure where monsters are closer than they appear. I also couldn't believe I waited so long to dive into its pages. My favorite parts definitely have to be the world building as well as the idea of cards granting magical powers. I also loved the beginnings of chapter headings where at least 8 out of 12 cards are explained and where more information is given about this world. There is definitely a vibe of Wilderwood duology by Hannah Whitten, but One Dark Window is all its own and one where I will be anxiously counting down until book 2, Twisted Crowns will come out. 

This was given for review

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)