This book has been getting lots of raving reviews across booksta and booktok and i can see the appeal, I wasn’t able to connect to
the book as much as i would hope. I wanted more. It was very slow moving and too anti climactic for me to be in love. But the writing, the atmospheric vibe, the magic system, and the complex world were all things that give this book so much potential and saved the book for me. I can’t wait to start book two!

One Dark Window takes us on a gothic adventure to a world where magic isn't allowed in its wildest forms. Venturing into the mists unprotected can infect children, gifting them unprecedented power at a steep cost. Elspeth was afflicted in her youth, but where most are carted off by the Physicians to await execution, Elspeth's aunt hid her away until the infection ran its course. Most never knew she was sick, and for the family members who did, they were mollified with the lie that Elspeth miraculously escaped the infection's great curse with a full recovery.

Some magic is allowed, though it has its own cost. The legendary Shepherd King once bargained for a set of magical cards, each type with a specific boon. Aristocratic families horde and trade them for influence and power, while the royal family keeps some of the most dangerous in reserve for their own use. To stop the mists from taking more children and prevent the degenerative magical malady that already stalks Elspeth, the King must put a complete deck back together, but a particular card hasn't been seen since the Shepherd King took it into the woods centuries ago.

Elspeth is a cynical protagonist borne of the truths her life's misfortunes taught her at a young age. She was cast off by her father, lost her mother, and became host to a Nightmare that once existed within a magical card. Her mental companion speaks in riddles and once saved her life. Their connection is possible because of the infection, so no one can know what goes on in Elspeth's head.

This is a romantasy, so we have a romantic plot alongside Elspeth's adventure to protect her secrets and save herself. And you know you're a dark, moody fantasy boy love interest with a name like Ravyn Yew. He's the Captain of the Destriers, who are tasked with rounding up all infected magic users, the nephew of the king, and a man with a secret agenda. He pulls Elspeth into a scheme to help construct a complete deck using a skill granted to her by the Nightmare-- the ability to recognize cards by a telltale glow, no matter where they are hidden. She needs a faster fix than what the royal family can offer, and she's tired of seeing others punished for the infection. The romance between Elspeth and Ravyn is based on a strong foundation of shared trauma (not joking). I didn't find it objectionable or anything dramatic like that. It just wasn't my vibe. They both play hard to get because they're too used to hiding to find vulnerability with each other easily. Despite the surface-level reticence, the romance unfolds at a high intensity level, which can put me off.

It's the double-edged sword of a fast pace that the book's definitely engaging, but I think it prevented me from forming a deeper connection with the story and characters. The world-building is at times compelling (eerie rhymes with magic lore start each chapter), but the plot's pretty run-of-the-mill romantasy fare. I need an emotional crescendo, some tension, or a unique spark of wit or perspective to make that not bother me. As it is, I enjoyed myself reading this one, but even a dramatic cliffhanger ending couldn't make me desperate to return for more. I wish the characters well without finding myself particularly attached to them.

For romantasy lovers who like a bit of spooky ambiance and a high-stakes adventure, pick this one up for a love story with a side of doom and gloom. Thanks to Orbit for my copy to read and review!

That was very fresh. Make no mistake, though—it's not without faults, but that's the nature of a good book: it's a package that eventually either catches your attention or not, and this one definitely did. I liked the gothic setting, the magic, and the idea itself (monster!). Those were enough for me to keep reading. I do agree with others that the characters are cardboard—very bland voices that evaporate immediately after your read their thoughts. But then again, overall, this was good!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window. This is an entrancing fantasy novel, and well worth the hype it is receiving on social media! The storytelling is dark and beautifully done and the characters are engaging and believable.

I'm about halfway through, and not feeling particuarly compelled to finish. I will at some point, I think there are some interesting ideas in here and I can see why people would like aspects of it (the romance, the unassuming fmc with secret magic), but it's not working for me right now.

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this dark fantasy! Gilig's writing is sharp yet beautiful, just like her female protagonist Elspeth. The magic system is really unique and I loved the medieval setting if kings, knights and damsels. And of course, monsters is all different forms! I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel!

I loved this book. I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed it because I tried reading this book several times last year and kept DNFing it. It just goes to show that your reading mood can affect enjoyment.

This book is a gothic fantasy with romance that is perfect for the fall season. I think I loved it so much because I read it at the perfect time. The descriptions of autumn, mist, and magic were perfection. The romance was perfectly paced for my taste. Elspeth and Ravyn’s relationship started mistrustful and slowly built to more. I adored them. It wasn’t hard to guess the main reveal, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. I’m eagerly anticipating the conclusion to this duology.

OH, THIS WAS GOOD!

I know this is late, but the reading/vibe slump really hit me hard, but this book kept me going. The sparks in this story just pulled me back in every time!

Listen, I love stories about people becoming monsters, whether willing or unwilling, and the rush to save them against the clock and One Dark Window is about that - a kingdom inflicted with that. This world is benefitting and failing due to their magical ways: cards from a deck that a king bartered for with a spirit; they were meant to help his people but ruined them & him. Now, a mist is taking back the magic by stealing people & inflicting children with powers that, if allowed to grow, will corrupt their bodies, minds & souls.

This book indeed shows the double-edged sword of magic and how everything has a cost, whether good or bad. That ending was good, but left me SCREAMING! Please read this for the magic system, the curse/gifts, a romance between two people suffering from afflictions and the cost someone is willing to pay for hope!

I really enjoyed this book!! It was such a good and intriguing read. Definitely a perfect read for fall and I cannot wait to see where the story goes in the sequel. I actually really adore almost all of our characters and always love a "sentient forest" trope in a book.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to Orbit for providing me with an arc of this book.

I don’t particularly have a reason for not having read this book for almost a year and I truly am mad that I didn’t read this sooner because it was really good. The fantasy elements were spectacularly fleshed out and complex without feeling like it took all of my brain power to understand which is exactly what I want in my fantasy books. It has just a dash of romance which I did wish there was a bit more but I am excited to see more of it in book 2. I will say I am a bit happy that I waited because I have an arc of book 2 so I can dive into that very soon.

Normally I would give a summary but unlike romance there is not a graceful way for me to do that so here's a single line summary :
Elspeth is just trying to survive in a world that would kill her in an instant but when she meets a mysterious highwayman she is thrust into an even more dangerous path.

I love Elspeth and the “internal” conflict she is dealing with throughout the book is so well done and kept me hooked the entire book. I also loved Elspeth’s relationship with Ravyn and I need more now. Her family relationships were also interesting especially with Ione and I’m curious how that will be handled in book 2.

I highly recommend this book especially for spooky season.

Thank you to Orbit for my arc!

I adore the heck out of this book. The magic system based of tarot cards?! The writing is so beautiful and I love every single character. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this book.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I requested this ages ago but never got around to reading it until I ended up with a physical copy and boy was I missing out! So well written, it drew me in completely and I loved it! Cannot wait to read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

🖤 One Dark Window 🃏🥀🖤

"Nothing is free. Nothing is safe. Magic always comes at a cost."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶️

Tropes:
🖤 Fake courtship
🖤 Political/court intrigue
🖤 Found family
🖤 Fascinating magic system/world building
🖤 Gothic vibes
🖤 Fairytale vibes

One Dark Window is set in the dark and gothic town of Blunder that is cut off from the rest of the world because of a mist that keeps the townspeople trapped and threatened with dark magic. Anyone infected with magic is believed to be evil. If you are infected and caught, you are killed.

Elspeth has hidden her infection since childhood, never able to trust anyone with her darkest secret until she has to work together with a mysterious group of rebels led by the King's nephew, Ravyn.

The writing is beautiful. There were no slow parts. I was hooked from the beginning. Elspeth was a fantastic main character, who's strong, witty and her banter with other characters was really funny. Ravyn was elusive and interesting from the first moment we met him. I loved him so much. He is a new book boyfriend for sure. Seeing his walls come down for Elspeth was amazing and made me smile constantly.

There's a character called the Nightmare and I won't say much about his character besides that I loved that scary psycho-like monster so much. His constant side comments added a lot to scenes.

I'm so thankful that Orbit sent me a physical ARC copy of book 2 because I need to know what happens next!

okay THIS was a cool book. The magic system? Excuse me but this was such a cool original idea that at first my brain didn't really get it until I picked up the audiobook haha

One Dark Window is the perfect mix of gothic/fall vibes mixed in with political intrigue, vengeful spirits, and an unwilling heroine thrown right in the middle of all of it. The slow burn romance/fake dating in this is *chefs kiss* it had me texting my friends who aren't even reading this to giggle and kick my feet with them.

At first I wasn't too sure about the audio something about the narrator at first just made it all feel a bit flat but then it gradually started to pick up and feel better - not sure if that's because of the story itself or the narrator bettered her tone but overall by the end I was definitely hooked.

I've already requested the next book so hopefully I get to read it soon!

I wanted to like this book so badly. I had heard amazing things about it. It just wasn't my style. I couldn't really get into the story. Might give it another chance at a later date.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early copy.
I loved this one! As soon as I started reading it, I just had that feeling that it was going to be a great book, and it was!
I just really enjoyed the vibes of it. The atmosphere of the story was a kingdom cut off from everyone else by this dangerous, magical mist. If you get lost in it, you lose your mind. The magic of the book was really neat too. Most of it was a cards-based system, where different cards would give you different powers. The cards are very rare and only the wealthy families seem to have them. There is also a prophecy that if anyone can get the full deck of cards, then they can save the kingdom and banish the mist.
Magic also can occur in another way, but it's infinitely more dangerous. Some people catch the sickness. If they don't die, but recover, they can gain a mystery magical ability. Unfortunately, these children are usually hunted down and killed before that occurs. Elspeth did catch the sickness. Her family protected her, she recovered, and now she has to continue to hide her abilities. Magic isn't all good though. The more you use it, the more you degenerate.
Elspeth shares her mind with a creature called The Nightmare. A creature that came from one of the cards. The Nightmare talks in riddles. He helps her out, granting her strength and speed when she needs it, but she can tell he hides things from her.
Then Elspeth meets Ravyn, the Captain of the King's elite soldiers. Is he a danger to her or not?
Yeah, I just really enjoyed this. The writing sucked me in. I was captivated by the story. It had a fake dating situation, which I'm always a sucker for. I couldn't stop reading it.
It ended on such a cliffhanger, so I NEED the sequel to see what happens next.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig is a great gothic fantasy novel that had me intrigued from start to finish. I liked Elspeth and the Nightmare. This is great start to the series and thr first book ends on a cliffhanger. I look forward to the next installment and reading more about Elspeth.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
⭐️⭐️⭐️

There is a fever that affects the town of Blunder. If you are unfortunate enough to catch it and survive, dark magic will now be in your blood. However, the collection and destruction of the 12 prophecy cards will cure all.

The magic system in this book differs from any others I have read. How Rachel Gillig incorporated the prophecy cards into this story is very well done. The writing is phenomenal. One Dark Window is a bit slower-paced, and at times, my intrigue would wane, but overall, this is a very well-written, character-driven story. I recommend it to those of magical fantasy.

***4.5 ⭐️***

In a land where it’s considered treason to harbour an infected person, all the while trying to collect a full deck of magical cards to heal the sickness, can one girl fight the nightmare raging in her mind?

While I haven’t had the pleasure of reading too many fantasy books, I have to say that this story was rather addicting, and I didn’t want to put it down. Aside from the other worldly names and places, I found the storyline quite easy to follow. The character development and plot were executed in a clever way as to make a convert of anyone to the fantasy genre. It’s a shame that the sequel isn’t due to be published for another 5 months…

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an excellent book I am chomping at the bit for the sequel. The setting was immersive and I read it in one sitting- this is the kind of book you get lost in. I cannot wait to read the follow up.