Introduction
I’m quite a voracious reader, so I’m always looking for new and freshly written fantasy romance books.
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I stumbled upon One Dark Window and I got utterly enchanted by the beautiful cover.Ā
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I must admit that I’m guilty of judging books by their covers š Ā and this one was just awesome? The colors and gothic vibe just captivated me.
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Without further ado, let’s get into the review!
Table of Contents
One Dark Window review:
Genre: Gothic Fantasy romance
Published: 2022
Pages: 432
Spice level: 2.5/5
Synopsis
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 Blunderāshe 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 Kingās nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunderā¦and guilty of high treason.
Together they must gather twelve Providence Cardsāthe 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.
Summary: What is it about?
Elspeth Swindle contracted a rare disease in her childhood, and her father kept her hidden at Hawthorn House, her uncle’s place, to avoid detection by the Kingdom guards.
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Fast forward eleven years, and everyone believes Elspeth has come through the illness unscathed. However, she guards a dark secret within her.Ā Within her consciousness resides a monstrous, ancient being who occasionally aids her by borrowing his power.
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At the yearly Equinox ball, she crosses paths with Ravyn Yew, the dashing Captain of the Destriers. Ravyn is aware that Elspeth’s disease hasn’t completely vanished and is ready to risk his career, even facing accusations of treason, to assist in curing the Kingdom of a mysterious mist enveloping the Blunder Kingdom.
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This fog appears to be connected to the ailment that afflicted Elspeth eleven years prior.
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To achieve this task, he requires Elspeth’s assistance in retrieving the 12 Providence cards, which hold the key to obtaining the cure and saving the Kingdom.
Is One Dark Window a series?
One Dark Window is the first instalment in ā The Shepherd Kingā series. The first book was published in September 2022. The series is a duology.
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The second book in the series is called āTwo Twisted Crowsā and is expected to be released on October 17, 2023. Preorders are already open and you can order it here!
"The Sheperd King"Series
What's the š„ factor? Is One Dark Window spicy?
One Dark Window has a romance plot central to the main story. Is a slow burn with a reluctant allies trope vibe.Ā
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There is one scene in the book that goes into spicy territory andĀ A LOT of tension between the two characters throughout the book.
The scene is very descriptive and is not a Fade To Black.Ā
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Some memorable moments include some banter and flirting that adds to the romance part and is lovely written
Unique magic system and dark fantasy setting
One of the things that makes One Dark Window unique is his Magic System.
A magic system refers to a series of rules the author creates for his book.
āA magic system is magic with a clear set of rules. In any scenario, the reader should understand what magic can and canāt do in the fictional world.ā Source
With an evident influence from Tarot cards, One Dark WindowĀ uses of Magic āalways comes at a cost ā
The Rules and āHow to useā these cards are written in an ancient Book called ā The Book of EldersāĀ
Each chapter has an extra piece of info about the cards and their uses.
I couldn’t forget how this reminded me of a popular manga ā Death Noteā about a malefic Notebook and how at the beginning of each chapter you could read some facts about the use of this Death Note, dangers, etc.Ā
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Magic always come at a cost
The Cards have rules and the magic here is performed at a cost.
āIt does not matter how and why the Cards are used. Nothing is free, nothing is safe. Magic always comes at a costā
So each character is aware of the cost to their bodies and minds when they use the Providence Cards.
There is another side of magic in this book, the dark magic that possesses Elspeth. There is something called the āinfectionā that affects children and makes them capable of performing magic. This kind of power is considered illegal and corrupted, so children are murdered when they get infected.
Like the legal use of magic, this corrupted magic comes at a cost too, and every infected gets into what the author calls ādegenerationā after years of using it.
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Narrative structure and overall plot
The story follows a 3 arc structure. The exposition and presentation begin with a flashback and deeps into the plot from the first moment. The first inciting incident( def ) happens rather soon, hence keeping readers hooked.
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However, the story gets a little flat in the second part of the book, when the characters reunite to confront the challenge ( the so-called calls to the adventure, after the protagonist accepts the challenge )
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I’m not very fond of the found family trope, this plot device should be used with caution because you can fall into having too many characters interacting with each other, at the risk of not being able to deepen their personalities and interactions, making them vanish and not distinguishable.Ā
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In fact, I’ve noticed this was the case in One Dark Window. In the second part of the Arc structure ( Part II: The Mist ) the pace becomes a little slow, therefore taking a toll on the romance arc between the main characters.
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Finally, when the story gets to the second plot point and near the climax ( third arc ), the book makes a comeback, and the main character’s interactions become a central part of the plot again.Ā
One Dark Window Tropes and tags
Favorite quotes
These are some of my favorite quotes ( no spoilers!!).Ā
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When I’m looking for books to read, I love reading quotes to inspire me.Ā
āStill, it was the first time I stopped fearing the Nightmareā the voice in my head, the creature with strange yellow eyesā
āClear your mind, hold a Card in your hand, tap it three times, and the Card was yours to wield. Pocket the Card or place it elsewhere, the magic would still hold. Three more taps, or the touch of another person, and the flow of magic would halt.ā
āWhat about you, Captain? Are you too nice for your own good?ā He watched me, something I could not read flashing in his gray eyes. āNo, Miss Spindle,ā he said. āIām not nice at all.ā
About the author
Rache Gillig lives in California and One Dark Window is her debut novel.
She is very active on social media, especially on her InstagramĀ where she made a Q&A about her book and writing methods.
ā A monster callsā by Patrick Ness was an inspiration for her in writing this book and she considers herself an āautumn girlā translating this in her book landscapes, with woods, fog, rainy settings, and a Jaine Eyre vibe.Ā
Her favorite chapter of the book is chapter 31 and I can totally agree with her on this š
Books similar to One Dark Window
These are some books that I consider are quite similar to One Dark Window. This list may help you consider picking this book if you have already read one of these or add them all together to your TBR ( To be read list) for future consideration.
Frequently asked Questions:
One Dark Window is the first instalment in ā The Shepherd Kingā series.
The second book in the series is called āTwo Twisted Crowsā, This is a complete duology
One Dark Window has a romance plot central to the main story.
There is one scene in the book that goes into spicy territory andĀ A LOT of tension between the two characters throughout the book.
The scene is very descriptive and is not a Fade To Black.Ā
Final thoughts
One Dark Window surprised me by its originality. It really nailed the dark atmosphere. Especially the monster’s interaction with Elspeth.
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The first 30% of the book was wonderful, the magic system was presented clearly and, the key trigger and first plot point were interesting enough to keep me hooked to the story.
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For the second book, I hope the story focuses more on the principal characters, to deepen the relationships between them. The found family trope is a tricky resource and I wouldn’t want to ruin the romance parts despite that trope.
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The book ends with a well-done and slightly foreshadowed cliff, with a lot to look forward to in the second book.
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I will definitely read the last book in this duology when is released and I strongly encourage you to reads this one
