This book was almost like reading a nightmare - dark, strangely satisfying and twisted. The characters were all really interesting and have so much potential for the future books! I liked how they were all quite familiar stereotypes you typically see in older YA but each with a little twist. The prose reads very fairy-tale esque and I would say if you are a fan of for the wolf by hannah witton you would really like this one! I also really enjoyed the magic system in this one,

I would not recommend picking this first in this duology up if you do not have the next in your sights. This is almost one big adventure split into two books and additional viewpoints from one story to the next.
The world that we venture into is like a medieval European one with an additional complexity. Magic and mist are intertwined. A king made a deal years ago, the details of which are sparingly provided in the first installment. This deal has marked generations of people living in the area and trapped the magic that once existed freer into cards that are held by a precious few.
In the first book, we spend time with two people, one more than the other. The girl/young woman, Elspeth, had the fever early on, and this had left a version of magic running in her veins. This magic meant she absorbed an old trapped creature (for the lack of a better word), and this voice now resides in her head and lends her powers.
The card and the powers send her into the sights of a small rebel group operating under the current tyrannical king's very nose. This book is solely to build up the world, lay the foundation and show us the stakes for everyone involved.
Every character is well-developed and distinct, making their interactions a treat to follow.
The writing is dark and twisted while maintaining a character-based approach for the full experience. I highly enjoyed every minute of it, and my rating of this is only because I read the next right at its heels, and I had to do something to distinguish my experience between the two.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

It was okay. It's a good thing I like forest settings or I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did.

I was drawn in initially by the somewhat spooky atsmosphere and the Nightmare, who was creepily lovely, and the endings had some fast moving plot developments that kept me interested, but the middle of the book lagged quite a bit. There was just hardly anything happening.

The characters were fine. The Nightmare was the only really interesting one.

It was just good enough to make me read the second one.

Incredible. Just incredible. I read it in one seating and was craving more as soon as I finished it.
The magic system in this romantasy book is new, at least to me. Tarot cards, mist, ancient powers. A little bit of spice, but nothing a new adult cannot read

There is a blight of infection in Blunder, where a child who is infected either dies by the Kings orders, or wastes away due to the effect of the magic within the infection.

Elspeth is different, saved from the infection by the Nightmare card and hidden by her family, she thinks she can go without the punishment, until she is happened upon by some Highwaymen looking for the other Providence cards. To unite a full set of the 12 cards means to end the blight and save the town but the stakes are high.

The Nightmare in Elspeths mind came from one of the 12 cards, and can she bring them together not only saving the town, but herself. Or will the Nightmare claim her in the process.

Elspeth is also thrown into the quest for this with Ravyn and the rest of his family, but can she trust them with her biggest secret. Hiding it becomes so much harder as the dangers increase.

This is one of those books I am sad to say I waited so long to read... the only plus point of waiting is I can go straight into book two! I am excited and a little scared for what is going to happen next but diving straight in!

A beautifully written story following Elspeth our main character. A beautiful fantasy romance and I can't wait until the second book

*3.5 stars rounded up*

One Dark Window pleasantly surprised me with its unique magic system and immaculate gothic vibes. The Nightmare provided some deliciously dark commentary but it also got sassy at times which was very comedic. I found the story to be both interesting and compelling, and the writing kept up my intrigue. Overall, a solid debut that I enjoyed my time reading.

That said, I think this book would have benefitted from some more editing. There was A LOT of unnecessary repetition, e.g. "magic has a price" was practically drilled into us every chapter. When something is mentioned so many times, it personally takes me out of the story and causes disbelief. I would have loved to be shown the consequences of magic use rather than for us to be told so many times. I also found the story themes to be a little 'on the nose' and thought they could have been blended more seamlessly.

Looking forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable fantasy read. It’s world building is rooted in the sort of set up you see in fairytales so it might not be defined enough for some readers, however since it carries a fair few fairy tale tropes. For example, the characters live in a country where the mist cuts them off from the rest of the world and gets worse every year – to the point where it’s affecting crops – but everyone knows it’s because of a previous magical blunder and they accept it. Magic is outlawed except for the magic held within providence cards. So it’s a lot more about theme than rich detail. That said, as a magical adventure this is fun. Elspeth is an engaging character with a decent supporting cast. Overall, this was a good read.

While I enjoyed elements of this overall, I felt that there was some repetitive tropes present and it felt quite YA to me. The romance was a little too focused on for my liking and the magic system felt a little under-utilised to me. I feel like the magic system had a lot of potential but didn't have a lot of depth to it. I love the idea of a creepy forests and a mist covering everything, but it felt like there are too many plot points and not enough time to explore them in any depth.

Preliminary 5-star review. Will post a full review and adjust the rating accordingly after I finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Absolute perfection, I do not say this lightly but I can’t say any less. I absolutely adored was the magic, the idea that people were badly effected by magic, which is never considered in most books or that there would be fear. I could not put this down, in fact only the need to sleep so I could work for pay tore me from this. The plot, the mystery, the town’s history and the romance , all of it was fantastic I could not ask for more or better. I am eagerly awaiting the next book and I’m ecstatic I got a special edition of this one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Five stars. No notes.

I jokes, of course there are notes! I went into this pretty blind because I just went off the gorgeous cover alone - who could blame me?! I was not disappointed!

What I loved:
- Elspeth Spindle is the kind of name that exudes gothic, fantasy heroine. And Elspeth lives up to her name. She is a thoroughly well developed character. Gillig perfectly portrays a main character who is struggling to figure out who she is whilst battling a literal inner demon.
- The supporting cast of characters are also well fleshed out; personally, I think Elm is my favourite side character, probably for the fact I cannot resist witty, sardonic characters!
- The worldbuilding is sublime. The concept of Providence Cards (magic system!) and the lore of The Shepherd King weaves through the narrative effortlessly. Each new card mentioned, each new tidbit of lore fed to us is delicious!
- A sprinkling of fake courting (feels a bit weird to say 'fake dating' for a fantasy!) was very much welcome and whilst not the main focus, the romance element of the novel was wonderfully written.
- The concluding chapters literally had me furiously thumbing through pages, unable to contain my excitement and trepidation.

I cannot WAIT for the sequel!

Read if you love:
- Found Family
- Fantasy Heists!
- Fake Courting(dating!) / Forced proximity
- Reading: A Far Wilder Magic, Legendborn, An Enchantment of Ravens, The Drowned Woods, Sorcery of Thorns

This book was really good. When I started it, it started off a little slow and had some elements that made me think I wouldn't like it in the long run but boi was I wrong about that. I really really liked it and I can't wait to see what comes next.

I have to admit, this was totally a book that I judged by its cover. In the sense that it had all the vibes I was looking for, a serious gothic feel, and then, combined with the words "maiden, monster, martyr"—I was very much looking forward to reading this.

In truth, I originally DNF'ed this. I got to a point, just after the Providence Cards were introduced, that I couldn't keep going through with reading it. I don't know how to explain it, maybe it was my mood, I'm not entirely sure, but I had to stop, But then, it showed up everywhere on my social media, and I thought, okay, let me give it another go.

Looks like second time was the charm. It worked for me! I loved Elspeth a really interesting character. The worldbuilding was really, really good—the Providence Cards really worked for me, Elspeth's connection to them, the Nightmare slowly poisoning her mind, and her romance with Ravyn. I'm excited for the next book!

This book truly surpassed all my expectations! My only regret is that I couldn't read it when it was originally published, this would make the perfect autumn read. It has this wonderful creepy, dark atmosphere that would pair well with dark, colder nights, and has just enough spine chilling moments to make for a really good Halloween read.

Elspeth shares her mind with a monster - he is the Nightmare in the dark, but he protects her when she needs him, and he keeps her secrets. But one day she knows she will pay for his help.

In the world where Elspeth lives there exists magic, but all magic has a price that must be paid for its usage. Dark magic has infected the town of Blunder, a mist that is ever growing and takes the people who wander within it. When Elspeth meets a highwayman on the road, it leads her on a journey that might just save the people of Blunder...but only if she gives into the monster within her...

To say I was absorbed by this story is a understatement. I could not stop reading once I started and stayed up all night to finish it. The plot is so engaging, the mystery and darkness surrounding the town of Blunder and it's history, the background and origin of the magic and the romance between Elspeth and her love interest, I greatly enjoyed all of it.

One of the things I absolutely adored was the magic, the idea of the Providence cards and the effects of magic on the town. Magic having a cost was made clear right from the beginning of the book. The idea that people were very badly effected by magic, and in vastly different ways, was so well handled. There was a thread of fear that ran through the book, Elspeth was always aware of the degeneration that could be caused by her using the monster in her head, and this really kept up the tension.

The world building was sublime, the way the history of the cards and the royal family was dealt with, even things like the characters names were not just an afterthought but a cleverly thought out idea. It truly felt like the perfect gothic read and I loved the romance that grew within the story. It never took over which I appreciated but was just enough to make me swoon, a lovely enemies-to reluctant allies-to lovers romance.

Lastly I would be remiss if I didn't mention the poetry within. The rhymes and rhythm were all amazing, every time Nightmare spoke, or parts of the book were written down, I was so impressed by Gillig's talent. They were quite possibly my favourite part and really pulled me into the story.

Also THAT ENDING!! Oh my gosh! I cannot wait for the sequel to see what Rachel Gillig has for us next! My only wish is that there is more Elm and Ione because I couldn't get enough of them in this one!

Many, many thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for the ARC.

You know when you go into a book with no expectations and you end up really enjoying it? That's what happened to me with One Dark Window. It's a gothic and atmospheric adult fantasy with YA crossover appeal. The perfect read for autumn/winter read, paired with your favourite hot beverage. I found Elspeth to be a compelling and layered main character, and the romance between her and Raven was perfectly paced and developed. The plot had me glued to my kindle from start to finish, there was never a dull moment. The ending had me both worried and eager to read the sequel to see what happens next.

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) (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!

This is the first instalment in The Shepherd King series.

"ELSPETH NEEDS A MONSTER. THE MONSTER MIGHT BE HER."

This sentence was all I read to become invested in this story and, upon beginning the actual book, I knew I had made the correct call. This statement, combined with the gloomy cover design, gave a good indication of the mysterious and atmospheric contents this book contained.

Elspeth Spindle's body houses two voices inside of it. One is her own. The other came as a result of an infection that swept across her kingdom, leaving magical beings and, for her, mysterious voices in its wake. She keeps her abilities hidden, for fear of death, but soon finds she must learn to trust in order to heal and to share in order to find answers.

I loved how the magic system worked. It was intricate and detailed but never overwhelmingly confusing. Different cards provided the user with different abilities and many of them were used throughout the course of the novel so that, by the close of it, the reader got to see these differences in action. Elspeth's own abilities were another kind entirely and these were just as interesting to explore. Both were unique and added to the foreboding atmosphere and uneasiness that permeated the story.

The major reveal in this novel was one that I had long anticipated but the narrative was peppered with such an abundance of mysteries that this did not impact my enjoyment in any way. There was so much to unpack and so many puzzles featured that my mind was consistently whirring and trying to work through the information imparted. If anything, I felt joy at having been proved correct concerning the reveal and it had me even more excited for the next series instalment, which is sure to be just as emotional and exciting a read.

3.75 stars

This book took me a heck of a long time to get through. It's not that I found it boring but there wasn't much sense of urgency, even during the tense moments. I put that down to the writing style, which reminded me a lot of Maas tbh. Its that sort of typical YA-ish storytelling where even though shit is going down, it just lacks interesting form / change of pace or style/ there's some well written lines but a lot of 'then they went down that corridor to another one and there was a door and they went through the door blah blah.'

THAT BEING SAID, the main thing I liked about this book was the interesting magic system revolving around the Providence Cards and the high stakes. Its refreshing to read about characters who have magical shit going on, not because they are born magical themselves, but because they have been 'infected', and through the use of magical cards. I didn't mind the characters, they were all OK, nothing much to say about them. The Nightmare was probably the coolest because of the unreliability of his actions and because he is a bad and spooky entity. There was about as much smut as i was expecting, which wasn't a lot, and I wasn't very impressed about how immature everyone acted afterwards like a bunch of school kids.

So basically, i liked it and it had moments of being exciting, but I'm not going to read the next one. I do highly recommend to people who enjoy Maas books though- if you can deal with cringey names like Ravyn.

oh, this book. i fell in love with it. the dark atmosphere, the gothic vibes and the story, they captured me. the whole story and the role the cars play in it, the way the characters are using this card and the the particular magic that they can draw from them, and the protagonist. her relationship with the nightmare was probably my favorite part of the book, i need more!