Title: One Dark Window (The Shepherd King #1)
Author: Rachel Gillig
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: September 2022
Format: Paperback
Length:  399 pages

Read if you like: gothic atmosphere, themes of power and identity, literal monsters in your head, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, sacrifice

Rating: 

Through no fault of its own, One Dark Window actually took me two unique tries to get through. The first time I picked this one up, I was deeply pregnant and tried to listen to it on audio. Unfortunately, between my exhaustion and anxiety both being at level 1000, I couldn’t keep up and my hold from the library lapsed.

Flash forward to my maternity leave when I picked up a physical copy from my library, and this time it stuck. I knew from my early listening that the story had the potential to be incredibly gripping, but I could not have predicted just how obsessed I’d become.

One Dark Window is one of those rare page-turners that gets more addictive the deeper you dive into it. It had a thoroughly enjoyable magic system that felt unique and sometimes surprising, and I loved the almost-dual perspective of seeing everything through Elspeth’s eyes, with the monster lurking just behind the scenes. 

I loved every second of my second try through this one, and I can’t wait to pick up the sequel.

The Book Synopsis: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

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.

The Review

My goodness, the way this book completely consumed me!

There was so much to love here, starting with magic that felt wholly unique. The concept of the Providence cards was so interesting and unlike anything I’ve read lately. I loved seeing their unique qualities unfold and watching the hunt for them among the characters. I also loved how connected they were to the lore of Blunder and how they helped in the unfolding of the history as time went on.

As a reader that prefers my books plot heavy, I really enjoyed how plot-forward the story was, with the romance serving as a subplot. This by no means took away from the romance either, which was an exceptionally beautiful slow-burn, but I am personally a huge fan of a meaty sequence of events before all else and I felt like this delivered nicely in that respect.

The characters were woven together perfectly and I loved seeing Elspeth meld into the Yew crew so seamlessly. Also, The Nightmare as a character unto himself was fascinating. By the end I still wasn’t sure whether or not he’s meant to be a villain, but I feel like that’ll unfold in the second book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the world building, which was seamless and very understandable. The book was perfectly paced, and the ending had me turning pages so fast I was barely taking it in.

I absolutely loved this one and I can’t wait to read the second book in the series. I’m so curious about where things will go from here.