One Dark Window: the gothic and spellbinding million-copy bestseller (The Shepherd King, #1)

by Rachel Gillig

A special edition hardback of the million-copy bestselling TikTok sensation One Dark Window - the dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom.

'One Dark Window is enthralling from beginning to shocking end' Hannah Whitten, bestselling author of For the Wolf

ELSPETH NEEDS A MONSTER. THE MONSTER MIGHT BE HER.

An ancient, mercurial spirit is trapped inside Elspeth Spindle's head - she calls him the Nightmare. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, she is thrust into a world of shadow and deception. Together, they embark on a dangerous quest to cure the town of Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. 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.

Discover the dark gothic fantasy taking the world by storm, from one of the most exciting voices in romantasy: the million-copy bestselling Rachel Gillig.

Praise for One Dark Window:

'An enchanting tale with sharp claws and teeth - Gillig's prose will pull you in and won't let you sleep. Pulse-pounding, darkly whimsical and aglow with treacherous magic, One Dark Window is everything I love in fantasy and more' Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic

'An evocative tale of romance, mystery and alluring monsters, told in beautifully lush prose' Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge

'The steamy romance that emerges between Elspeth and Ravyn delights' Publishers Weekly

'A beautifully dark fairy tale of blood, rage and bitter choice, that whisked me away to mist-wreathed woods ripe with romance and menace' Davinia Evans, author of Notorious Sorcerer

The Shepherd King duology:
One Dark Window
Two Twisted Crowns

The Stonewater Kingdom
The Knight and the Moth

• ISBN10: 0356528758
• ISBN13: 9780356528755
• Publish Date: 23 September 2025 (first published 27 September 2022)
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

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!