One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)

by Rachel Gillig

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.

He and Elspeth have until Solstice to 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, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

• ISBN13: 9780356520179
• Publish Date: 27 September 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Orbit
• Edition: FairyLoot Exclusive
• Format: Hardcover (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• Special: Exclusive Design Sprayed Edges Collector's Edition

Reviews

[pamela]

How was this book that good!?! Honestly, One Dark Window was exactly the kind of lighthearted girly romance fantasy I crave. It was full of magic, wonder, and utterly brilliant world-building.

While One Dark Window is marketed as adult fantasy, it reads very much like YA, but with some adult spicy romance and violence thrown in. It was the perfect blend of what I love about YA, and what I crave from my fantasy novels.

The cast of characters were all unique and quite well-developed, and the magic system was well thought-out and logical. While Elspeth, the protagonist, is a bit beige, and she makes some questionable choices, it didn't detract from the overall story.

The plot is nothing new, and it's pretty clear where the story will go in the next book (show spoiler)[(I'm calling it now: Elspeth will need to absorb all the cards to complete the deck, and the only thing that can save her is the fact that Ravyn's powers counteract the magic of the cards - but not before there's the obligatory love triangle with Elm)] (hide spoiler) , but it doesn't detract, because it's just fun to go along for the ride.

If you want a well-written YA fantasy romance with deep lore, and a compelling plot, then you can't do much better than One Dark Window. I'm counting down the days until I can get my hands on the next book in the series!