This story threw me into a book hangover that I’m still not quite over…I loved this spooky, atmospheric tale and didn’t want it to end!

🖤 According to the author, this story was inspired by the beloved poem “The Highwayman” (which I was completely <i>obsessed</i> with in middle school). I think this book has more in common with the overall vibe and cadence of the poem, more so than the actual plot (besides a few key points). I LOVED the lines of poetry from <i>The Old Book of Alders</i> at the beginning of each chapter, and how the Nightmare that lives in Elspeth’s head is always speaking in rhyme.
🖤 Magic being outlawed is nothing new in fantasy, but the Providence Cards were a GREAT opportunity for unique worldbuilding to shine - and to showcase the political corruption, scheming and secrets afoot in the kingdom. (And on the flip side re: the Nightmare, I’m always a sucker for the Venom-but-make-it-fantasy trope 🙂)
🖤 The story featured a great cast of varied characters - including a tight-knit found family, and quite a few characters that you love to hate (looking at you, Hauth 😒)
🖤 The romance was sweet (and even a little bit steamy!), with slightly older protagonists which I always appreciate. Elspeth did read a little young to me because she was sheltered/in hiding for so long, but she had no problem taking the reins of her own life once the opportunity arose.
🖤 The adventure, life and death secrets, and tension you can cut with a knife (that truth or dare scene, anyone??) kept me on the edge of my seat! The ending was wild and left me with so many questions…how are we going to fix this??? I can’t WAIT for book 2 to release!

Major thanks to Netgalley, Orbit Books and the author for the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for my thoughts!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Orbit publishing, and Rachel Gilling for the advanced readers copy of One Dark Window.

My review of this is occurring after the publishing date, but I am so glad I read this stunning dark fantasy!

Do you like enemies to lovers? Found family? Forced proximity? A very cool magic system?

Congrats! This book is for you.

This book has it all, an excellent plot, compelling characters, romance that didn’t completely overtake the plot, interesting side characters, and interesting twist and turns.

The pace for me was a little slow at times and with any powers / magic / abilities books it took me a moment to get the magic system and how it worked. But once you get about a third of the way into the book everything just seems to click.

I’ll be reading the next book in this series as well as buying a paperback when it comes out.

Loved.

This is one of those books that I am really glad that I went into knowing nothing other than "fantasy" and "tarot" because I get the impression many readers were let down by the marketing buzzwords used around this book that weren't quite accurate. I can see their points, and I also agree that this book does toe the adult/YA line.

Anyway- I went into this with no particular expectations, and I was very pleasantly surprised! I am admittedly a sucker for anything that involves tarot, and I love how Gillig worked those elements into this novel. I really enjoyed the little poems and illustrations, and I totally dug Elspeth's special connection with the cards. The whole magic system in this book was fun, even the "disease affliction" aspect isn't totally original.

I will definitely continue with this series- I found it very compelling and binge-worthy and it definitely scratched whatever reading itch I was feeling at the moment.

(Also, I really love the cover- so great job to the designer!)

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!

Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window was a great novel to end the month and usher in the spooky season. A countryside filled with a menacing mist. Monsters that talk to the main character. Political machinations. Family drama. It is quite the story, and Elspeth is quite the character. Between the Nightmare, her partnership with the highwaymen, and her complicated relationship with her father, Elspeth has to deal with more than your average female. She does so with courage, passion, and compassion. The ever-growing presence of the Nightmare adds its complications and fascination to the point where I tore through the novel too fast and finished it too quickly. Now I have to wait until the sequel, and that's just too long.

A compelling, lush fantasy with world-building that dominates and a romance that will delight fans of Hannah Whitten and Sarah J, Maas. I will definitely be reading more from Rachel Gillig in the future.

This book is incredible. I love the relationship between the magic and users in this book. I need the next book in this series ASAP!

This book took a minute to get into and was a little confusing at first in regards to the magic system. Once I got into it however, it was almost impossible to out down. Gillig wrote a very interesting world and very interesting characters (that I can't wait to read more of). It started out kind of in a YA vein, but takes some dark and violent turns that make it more of an adult fantasy.

The relationship between Ellspeth and the Nightmare was very engaging. Sometimes it seemed like it wanted nothing more than to be in control, but at the same time, it seems to have at least some caring towards her. Ellspeth's relationship with Ravyn was also rocky at the start, and their journey towards each other was quite good. Almost no one else seemed to accept her the way he did... even when he was suspicious about what she was hiding.

I am quite excited to read the conclusion of this adventure in the next book and I hope to see a good ending for Ellspeth.

This book was a breath of fresh air in a vast sea of dark fantasy novels. I sincerely can’t think of one thing I didn’t like about it.

Oh! I know! It’s that I don’t have the second book in my hands right this second.

“One Dark Window'', and Gillig’s writing in general, remind me of Hannah Whitten, Ava Reid, and even a bit of Margaret Rogerson. I’m loving these fantasy writers who aren’t afraid to shy away from the dark side of fantasy, especially when it comes to instilling that dark side in their female protagonists. Shying away from toxic masculinity where they can, giving their females power and agency to make their decisions about what to do with that power–for ill or for good–and not insulting their readers by beating it into our heads that balance is the key, because we all know that by now.

At the same time, Gillig also reminds me of those same writers because of the evocative imagery, the lush prose, the thought and care put into her very intriguing magic system (and can I just say I’m loving it?), and the care she puts into her characterizations.

What does seem to set Gillig apart here is her imagination. Nothing in fantasy is original, but Gillig has found new and unique ways to spin just about every trope, trick, and “way of doing things” to her own tune. I’d give you some examples, but there be spoilers. Let’s stay away from those shoals.

If you’re looking for a great dark fantasy read, I definitely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for granting me access to this title.

Please note this review is being written as part of a series of backdated ARC reviews that were due earlier in the year but, for one reason or another, I wasn’t able to get to them by the publication date.

File Under: 5 Star Books/Fantasy Series/Dark Fantasy/Fairy Tale/Fantasy Romance

This book surprised me! I loved the world building and the relationships. I need the second book asap! If you love enemies to lovers and romance fantasy, this is definitely the book to read!

I was Super excited to see another Gothic fantasy novel as I love Gothic stories, especially ones that can lean a little bit dark or a little bit more spooky. I can definitely see why it was recommended for fans of the wolves or uprooted as it definitely had similar vibes at parts. The nightmare was fantastic and I was really excited once the plot started ramping up. The romance was wonderful and I cannot wait for the next book to know more about what happened!

My bad that I didn't check it was only Book One! Grrrr. It was like Caraval/Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale, with bits and pieces of each type of story interwoven here. It was actually interesting and engaging and I like the premise and the characters. Hopefully book 2 will take us in a new direction, bc there's alot unanswered while still feeling like there was already a full story.

Dark, suspenseful, lushly gothic, and achingly romantic, ‘One Dark Window’ is everything I hoped it would be and then some!

Gillig crafts an incredible story, rife with twists and dark edges. This dark fantasy debut has incredibly detailed and delivered lore entangled with one of the most intricate and unique magic systems I’ve read in a long, long time. The characters are all so well defined and engaging, each with their own secrets and motivations; Gillig makes it impossible not to want to know everything about every single one of them. And with a cliffhanger ending that will leave you wrestling with whether to applaud or throw your book across the room, you will be dying for the sequel.

It’s difficult to sing too many praises about ‘One Dark Window’ without getting into spoilers because, truly, I loved it that much, but suffice to say that if dark fantasy, medieval gothic, and/or cottagegore are your vibe, this is an absolute must!

Is it crazy to say that the best part of this book was the villain?Well for me it was. I really really loved this book. I read each chapter of the arc before reading the one from the published book and let me tell you that I loved the experience. I loved the world building and the idea of a virus affecting people in a magical way.
I loved the slow burn between our MC, and although it is not a healthy one, the relationship between Elspeth and the nightmare. I really enjoyed the writing style, the story was so easy to read that at moments I forgot that I was reading.

I really loved the changes that were made and how the published book turned out but it was really fun to read the arc.
Something I really enjoyed was the begging of the chapters with the cards. It was giving a sense of mystery that I didn’t know I needed.
I hope the next book is already in process ‘cause I need more of this story.

I highly recommend this book

I want to thank NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

I finished this book in one sitting, so I obviously enjoyed it. This gothic fantasy has an intriguing magical system, and the The world building was beautifully atmospheric and left me wanting more. Elspeth was an interesting, badass, and intriguing MC. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her character growth throughout the book. My only complaint is that there's is an absolutely brutal cliff hanger ending in this book. I need the sequel in my hands immediately.

4 stars
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC

WOW, what a spooky, gothic read! It was definitely a good one to pick up for the Halloween season. The cover is gorgeous and I cannot wait for my special edition to come!

I really enjoyed the writing in this book. It flowed easily and I found myself deeply immersed in the story. I also like the enemies-to lovers trope. I am a sucker for those.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you enjoy YA Gothic stories.

!No spoiler!
5 stars! The moment I finished this book, I wished I could read it all over again for the first time. The story telling was phenomenal, and had so many secrets, twists, and so much excitement. I finished this book in a day because I could not put it down.

Usually while reading a book, you can start to predict some events that will happen by the end… The ending was so unpredictable that I could have never even imagined it. I feel so blind sided in the best way possible.

The world that Rachel Gillig created was just indescribable. She created magic that I have never seen in any other book, and it was such a nice breath of fresh air.

This is a dark and captivating fantasy that I will be recommending to everyone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was atmospheric, and dark. A perfect gothic fantasy to read during fall.

I loved so much of this. The magic system is so unique and I loved that there were consequences for using too much magic too often, which is something that isn’t really discussed or explored in other fantasy books. Each card has a negative effect that is the opposite of its power. The characters have to be intentional with their use of the powers afforded them, and I think that adds a layer to the book that I find missing in some fantasy.

There is a light enemies-to-lovers romance, but it is balanced so well with the overarching plot and doesn’t overshadow the central conflict. I am very excited for the sequel and cannot wait to continue on with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and Rachel Gillig for an e-arc of One Dark Window in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at not even a whole chapter in
I dont think this book is BAD. I just wasn't into the tone or the emotional feel. I've heard good things about it, its gothic, its creepy, its intriguing... But! Its not for me!

I devoured this story. Gothic atmosphere, strong female character, enemies to lovers romance, fantasy, mystery, and a fast-paced plot are a recipe for a five star read from me, and not only did this novel contain these, but it did it extraordinarily well. I was so impressed to discover this is the author's debut novel. The writing style was easy to get captured in when no words were wasted either propelling the plot, delving into characterization, or providing unique description that helped set the dark atmosphere. I appreciated the unique plot of monsters, murderous fables, and a creative magic system based on tarot-like cards. The only negative was that there was a bit of a cliffhanger, but it was a fantastic ending that also tells me there will be another book to look forward to, so I'll forgive the author:) I can rave about this book for a long time and highly recommend for any gothic literature/dark fantasy romance fans.

**Link to goodreads review posted below**

I loved this book! A morally grey love interest? Fantasy with some horror sprinkled in? Fake dating turned into touch her and you die tropes? Hell 👏🏼 yes 👏🏼 please👏🏼!

Rachel Gillig’s magic system was simple to follow, yet deep and intricate in the ways she was able to weave it throughout this book. I have a ton of shits about Elspeth’s character and that had a LOT to do with the way Gillig built her character through the warring of who she was as a person and who she was with the Nightmare inside of her. I loved her and Ravyn’s love and the slow burn was beautifully written.

Speaking of writing - I normally hate poetry, but I loved it here. The way Gillig used it was simplistic but also pretty haunting at times. The ending, while it left me on a cliffhanger was stunning and heartbreaking all at once (Ravyn, I love you. You can call out to me on the void anytime.).

My only gripe was that scenes with the Nightmare were getting darker, and I think Gillig could have amped up the gore in her writing in the later scenes to match the brutality and protectiveness the Nightmare was clearly escalating to when it came to Elspeth.

Thank you so much, Orbit for the ARC! I am doubly sorry that life got in the way of me reading this prior to its official publication date.