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 (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), 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!
Reviewed by pamela on
Reading updates
- 23 January, 2023: Started reading
- 23 January, 2023: on page 0 out of 432
- 25 January, 2023: Finished reading
- 25 January, 2023: Reviewed