I was so thrilled to get an arc for One Dark Window thanks to NetGalley. I first heard about it on Instagram and immediately knew it was going to be the perfect Autumn read!

The author did an excellent job creating characters and a world that came alive and really transported the reader. I absolutely adore the lyrical writing style, pleasantly repetitive, like reading a powerful poem. After a bit of a slow start I couldn’t put it down!

The magic surrounding the Providence Cards was clever and original, the cast of characters intriguing and relatable.
One Dark Window is the perfect blend of romance, mystery, magic, and the just the right amount of humor.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the kind of book that sucks you in and won’t let you put it down. One Dark Window is a dark-ish, atmospheric fantasy. You follow Elspeth, who received magical powers from a sickness as a child, and now there is a secret soul, that she calls Nightmare, living in her head. She has been keeping Nightmare and the associated magic a secret her whole life, as those who have gotten magic from the sickness are heavily persecuted by the royal family. Through Nightmare, Elspeth can see these cards that give the user magic (each chapter starts with a bit about these cards, and these details really sell the dark atmosphere of the book). Elspeth meets Ravyn, head of the Kings Guard, and Elm, the Prince, and the three of them and their allies plot unite the deck of cards and heal their world from the magic.

The setting of this book is really good – like keep you wondering about all’s its secrets good, but for me, that characters in this book were my favorite part. I found them all to be really well written, with even the bit side characters sketched in enough that I had a good sense of them. They seem like real people who were making real decisions, good or bad, but in a way where you know why they are doing the things they are doing (this is a big stickler for me in books).

The relationships in this book really make it. The sisterly bond with her cousin Ione really had me rooting for their relationship to make it out of the story unscathed. And the contrast between the protective relationship with her Aunt and the cold relationship Elspeth has with her father. The whole partners-in-crime thing that Elspeth, Ravyn, and Elm have going just keeps you on the edge of your seat – I just love good team dynamics. While I found her romantic relationship with Ravyn a little tepid, there was enough of a slow-burn there that I was invested in their relationship, and this did not take away from the book at all. Elpeth’s new friendship with Ravyn’s sister Jespyr and Emory, the magic-addled brother Ravyn is trying to save just add to this even more.

Probably Elspeth’s most important relationship is with Nightmare, and I ate up every single bit of it and wanted more. He lives in her head, and as you read though you get more and more of a sense of him, and the mystery of it all is just top-notch.

I would highly recommend this book, especially to fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Brigid Kemmerer, or to anyone who likes fantasy, especially if you are looking for fantasy with a little bit of an edge.

Great retelling of an already classic story, with more magic that was a nice touch.

Sadly, it just wasn't my thing. But please do not be discouraged and read if it seems your thing.

Thanks for the chance to read and review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me this eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book's release is timed perfectly, this is a great spooky/fall/gothic feeling world that you are dropped into. The world that Gillig creates has original elements, with its form of magic being cards, with the Nightmare that speaks only to Elspeth.

Though this book is marketed as an Adult book, because the MC is 20, it still feels very YA. If you are interested in dipping your toe into more Older YA/Younger Adult Fantasy, this is a great option.

Pros -
Spooky Vibes
Interesting Magic system which included repercussions for using magic with the feel of "nothing is free"
Enemies to Lovers(ish) Trope
Fake Dating Trope

Cons -
Reads very YA
Elspeth is a bit dense in figuring out some obvious mysteries
Fringe characters not well developed
Cliffhanger Ending, not stated it is part of a series

I really loved this it was so good I couldn't put down I really enjoyed all the characters and the story I definitely need more asap though

Thank you Orbit and NetGalley for the eARC! I’d first heard about One Dark Window on TikTok and was already intrigued, but then I saw it was being comped to For the Wolf and Uprooted and knew I had to get my hands on it!

It was such a gorgeously, dark atmospheric read. I am always up for a magic system with consequences, and I love how the consequences were so deliberately chosen to make the most sense for each type of magic. Plus the magic system was really neat! I loved how all of the cards worked and the chapter openers with parables about them really set the mood.

I would die for Elm and Jespyr, while I loved all of the characters (Elspeth and Ravyn and the Nightmare were so well written) these two often stole the show with their banter and teasing of Elspeth and Ravyn. Okay, more Jesper’s teasing and Elm’s understandable mistrust.

My only complaint is that it was a bit of a slow start, but it absolutely picks up after Elspeth’s attacked by highwaymen.

I loved this book so much and cannot wait for the sequel (especially after that ending 👀)

I loved everything about One Dark Window! It is dark and mysterious, and full of action. I found myself invested in Elspeth's story right from the first chapter.
It was refreshing to me that it was the usual "chosen one" trope, or about war. It was a new idea that I'd never encountered before, and that's what I'm always looking for when it comes to fantasy. I can't wait for book two!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of ONE DARK WINDOW. by Rachel Gillig. I really enjoyed this. I will admit that it took me a minute to get into it in the beginning, but the second half in particular pulled me right through. I especially enjoyed the brooding romance and the dark, atmospheric, tense writing of the whole thing. The characters were all so real and multi-faceted and there was so much great psychological stuff going on with the MC. My only real complaint is it ended in a cliffhanger and I now I have to wait forever for the next book! How cruel! I really am excited for the next one though.

4.5⭐️

I can’t believe I have to wait a year for the next book 😭 the world building was incredible, and the magic system was so cool. It involved cards that had special abilities associated with each type, and those who were infected have their own powers. The theme of power having a cost was interwoven with the magic system and added additional depth to the story. I am so excited to learn more about what happened in the past and how it shapes our characters lives.

BUT Elspeth and Ravyn?! I need more of them right now, I absolutely loved seeing their relationship develop and ugh my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the e-book in exchange for my recipe. Orbit has been absolutely killing it with there releases! My poor wallet.

One Dark Window is that book that makes you remember why you love gothic storytelling in the first place, it's dark and sinister at times, beautifully written with elements of life, death and everything in between. With a world that is beautiful, lush, and so full of potential and possibilities absolutely anything could happen.

A virus that affected and caused the deaths of too many to count, Elspeth only survived because of who her father was and the choices he made in not turning her in, had she been anyone she would have found herself in the dreaded dungeon and we all know the dungeon is not where you want to be.

Elspeth has not had an easy life, with her father shipping her off to live with relatives after she's recovered from the virus, she also has to live with the monster that now seems to share her mind, granted he comes in handy at times but still, the mind sharing is a tad bit terrifying to me.

The only way for Elspeth to gain her freedom from the monster is to collect 12 providence cards that only she seems to be able to see let alone find.

There is no shortage of obstacles for Elspeth to overcome, from trying to save her cousin (who doesn't always want to be saved) to falling for her almost enemy, to trying to find those cards, she has her hands full and following along as she tries to figure it all out and not loose herself (literally) to the monster in her mind is a rollercoaster of emotions that had more twists and turns than I can count.

The sheer beauty of the writing in this book will draw you in and keep you there the characters begin to feel like people you know and care for, wanting the best for them while having to let them make their own mistakes. I loved every moment of this book and can't wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing a copy of this eBook. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lush and wonderful fantasy novel. I loved it and it pulled me right in.

I had such a good time reading this! Sometimes books just feel like they are made for you. And I was that weird creepy kid reading the Highwayman in my illustrated poetry collection and mainlining the Brontës so I spent most of this just absolutely ecstatic. I loved the way the characters were difficult in ways that matched how they'd been raised and survived, rather than just to evoke tension and I loved that secrets actually became a point of trust and safety, rather than simply betrayals. And then there was the mood. The setting. Magic cards and masks and highway robbing. The lushness and so many of the set pieces were just so classically gorgeous. You could feel the shadows in ways that felt like old romantic paintings and the colors seemed to jump of the page. It was misty and moody and grey and I luxuriated in every second I spent reading it.

Also, I don't think I've ever encountered a love interest in a book like this who was described as having a hooked nose, even when they're given more middle-eastern or caucasian coded features and I was so excited to see Ravyn's nose being described as explicitly large and hooked that I immediately texted a picture of the page to my sister.

Wow. Okay? Wow. I really enjoyed this book. Gillig did a fantastic job weaving a deep, rich, eerie world: one that lived and breathed autumnal vibes and practically smelled of petrichor, such was its lush prose. That said, I had a couple reservations about this novel, and thus it's earned a four-star review from me.

First, the positives.

ONE DARK WINDOW embraced what I most love about folkloric fantasy: deeper, older histories from times that feel almost mythical in their own right. Rachel Gillig's use of poetry as a crux of the worldbuilding and the magic system alike really made this world feel like it was founded on an older, more mysterious time, and our characters (not speaking in poetry, save for the Nightmare) were truly inheritors of the legacy of the decisions made back then. This really solidified the whole 'two eras' tone of the novel, and I really, TRULY enjoyed this book for the tone established with that.

Pacing, also really well done. I can't get into it without spoiling it, but as a knower of the three-act structure, I was anticipating the book to rise as it rose and fall as it fell, and the attention to detail with the level of tension throughout left me feeling satisfied for the entire time I read.

That said? I felt like the main character and LI could have used some more of this tension. I loved their beginning and the tension presented, but I feel like the book didn't follow through with the tension. It felt as if Ravyn was presented as mysterious and a possible enemy, but the moment he began seeming attractive (and the reader therefore assumed he'd be the LI), the MC, Elspeth, seemed to just fall into the trope. Ravyn lost his threatening edge for this reason, where I feel like the tension and the romantic suspense could have been improved if he were carried through as this potentially lethal character. Instead, while I really enjoyed how each Elspeth and Ravyn were dangerous in their own right, I didn't feel the danger -between- them. When the time came for the actualization of their romance, it didn't feel inevitable ("how haven't they KISSED yet?!") or suspenseful ("oh my god WILL they?") but just that they were kissing because this was the part of the book where they were supposed to.

However, with the way the book ended, I am VERY excited for how their romance develops going forward. I love a good cliffhanger, and this definitely met the mark for me.

Slight touch here, also: Gillig uses 'coppery' to refer to Ravyn's skin quite often, but the book's promo art (all done by Gillig herself, or at least most of it) illustrates the Yew siblings as white - even pale. Is this conventional? I am not a POC, so I cannot speak to whether this classes as a microaggression of any kind, but I thought I would include this detail for any prospective POC readers who might appreciate the heads-up.

Overall, though? Mystifying, dark, luscious. 4/5 stars, would happily read again. :)

4.25 stars.

Big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc!

I was intrigued because of the tarot-cardlike magic and a monster sharing headspace? Say less, I'm all for it. The beginning was interesting, setting everything up and introducing characters. My favorite side character is Elm or Renelm because of his snark. I do like Elspeth and Ravyn, but I don't love love them. There is a bit of spice in this, not much, just a tad. What I love the most is the Nightmare. The Nightmare's got rhymes for days and it's sometimes a bit eerie when you read it. I thought the story was a bit slow at times and was wavering around maybe a 3 star rating, BUT the ending made up for it and I am eagerly anticipating the second book in the series. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. ALSO THE NIGHTMARE IS COOL.

In a world where those who are “infected” are either locked up or killed... those who do survive the infection end up with magical gifts. Elspeth was infected when she was young but her father, despite being Captain of the Guards to the King has hidden her away and kept her illness a secret. In this world, people have the magical ability to use special cards that all belong to a “deck” that enables them with certain gifts, such as Maiden cards giving people beauty, Scythe cards giving people the ability to control others, Chalice cards getting people to tell the truth and so on... but when Elspeth was sick and young she accidentally touched a Nightmare card and in doing so... invited something into her... or rather someone... a monster who protects her but there is always a cost for magic. Elspeth has lived her life ever since carefully hiding away her abilities and the voice inside her, she has tried to stay under the radar but when she runs into highwaymen and fights them off only to discover that one of them was the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers and the man who is her father’s successor, Ravyn, Elspeth know’s she’s in more than she could ever imagine. Soon she finds herself intwined in Ravyn’s quest to gather the twelve Providence Cards- which will be a cure to saving his cousin whom the king is holding captive and will use as a sacrifice. The more Elsepth spends time with Ravyn the more she wants to let him know her secrets... and the more they begin to fall for one another... but how much can she trust him? The more situations that require her to get help from her Nightmare the more she begins to lose herself to it.... and soon she might not even be able to control herself anymore. Romance, secrets, enemies to lovers, magic, and so much more come together in this lush story of survival, monsters, and love. I had a blast reading this book and can’t wait for the second book to come out!!!! (Part 1 of a Duology)

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.25|One Dark Window

If you looked at entering adult fantasy/high fantasy, I would say this book is a good stepping stone. The story follows twenty-year-old Elspeth Spindle, who has fever magic ( anyone infected or harbouring those with fever magic is to be executed by order of the king); Elspeth's infection was before turning a teenager. For her safety, she went away to live with some relatives so she could avoid being identified by those who wanted to kill her kind.

The author did a fantastic job of creating this world and characters; the world of One Dark Window has a fascinating magic system based on tarot cards which I think is very creative. The card grants the user power, but that power comes at a cost which results in degeneration. The story is vibrant with gothic vibes, mystery, a dark, creepy forest and a mist which causes people to go crazy if they don't walk with a charm. I liked all the characters, but The Nightmare is my favourite simply because of his witty comments about everything. I think this story could have concluded with a couple more chapters; this would have made a beautiful standalone fantasy novel.

First off, I am absolutely in love with this cover. This doesn't have anything to do with my review but I just had to say it because THAT COVER! Moving on, though, I'll admit I was a little disappointed with this one. I went in expecting to love it immediately and instead... it was okay for the most part! I'm noticing a trend of authors just dropping readers into a story without explaining certain things going on until the story progresses some and it's always a 50/50 shot with me on whether I like it or not. This wasn't too bad, a little confusing in the beginning, but I enjoyed the writing style enough to continue.

I thought this was going to be a standalone but I'm pleasantly surprised to find out it's going to be a duology. While I didn't love this first installment, I definitely plan to read the sequel.

2.75 rounded up.

This is being pitched as a gothic adult fantasy. This was neither gothic nor adult. This is a little dark fairytale-esque in the vein of Hannah Whitten and Ava Reid, however, Whitten and Reid’s books have the gothic prose and atmosphere and actually adult characters. For comparison, I didn’t really like Reid’s debut The Wolf and the Woodsman, the poorly written romance ruined the whole thing for me, but I did like Whitten’s duology even though it was a bit too predictable.

Also unlike the blurb, this is written in first person from the main character Elspeth’s POV. Elspeth Spindle is every YA fantasy girl in the recent history of popular YA fantasy girls. Which is to say, she’s hypocritical, boring, whiny, incredibly ignorant, and the complete opposite of smart but being sold as someone who is careful and clever. I did not like her at all, if that wasn’t obvious. She’s among the what feels like the increasingly common trend of 16 year old YA protagonists masquerading as adults in SFF. The only saving grace of being stuck in her head for the novel is being alongside the Nightmare. I honestly felt so bad for him being stuck in her head for 11 years.

I am quite frankly stunned this is being marketed as adult. The characters, the relationships, the plotline, the content, the writing quality, etc. are all par for the course young adult—young adult that I would expect to be incredibly successful with what it’s done and the current market; it hits nearly every popular beat and trope and archetype. Ravyn, Elspeth’s highwayman, alone is textbook Tumblr/TikTok book boyfriend. The only even remotely possibly adult thing about this is the very mild sexual content that still would have passed in a YA novel circa Twilight—Mortal Instruments era. The sex scene was really weird too, the metaphor choice was honestly just really odd to me. The romance was…well, expected and forced.

Although I haven’t seen any marketing that says this, I believe this is to some extent inspired or based on Alfred Noyes’ gothic romantic ballad “The Highwayman”. There are a number of very specific and repeated elements that feel purposeful rather than coincidence. If it was inspired by this poem, I wish it leaned into it way more, at least to bolster the gothic horror aspects I found superficial or limited.

All of the above aside, what’s really disappointing is that the magic system of the cards and the lore and the quest is really interesting! I actually really liked the Nightmare—though I wish he spoke in riddle-y rhyme all the time instead of sounding oddly modern at times like the other characters—the claustrophobic vibe of the mist surrounding the town and creeping in, corrupt people in charge, treason and secret rogues. I even did like a couple characters, Elm and Emory, though I am hoping (in vain, I have a feeling) that the romance that Elm’s being pushed into won’t happen, or if it will, it’s actually developed. But considering the main romance is greatly lacking, my expectations are low.

If this were a YA, I’d be rating this a bit higher, I might even recommend it under certain circumstances. But this is being sold as adult and as an adult novel, there’s much to be desired.

However, the ending saved this for me a bit, enough that I’m curious about the continuation, though I have a feeling I know how it’s going to go and am not into that, but maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

TW/CW: Sex, mind-control, illness, near-death of a child,

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This book takes place in a world where legitimate magic is carried in a collection of cards and illegitimate magic is brought on by infection. Those who become infected are captured and murdered. The main character, Elsbeth, of course is a survivor of the illness and has magic of her own. Of course, she also has the soul of a man trapped in her head, something that she has to deal with every day. Drawn in my a group of palace rebels who say they can fix magic once and for all if she just helps them a little bit, they attempt to collect all the magic cards in order to gain control of the magic again. Sound confusing? Well, it is.

I rarely have problems following books like I did this one. It was confusing, I found the pacing to be incredibly slow (literally almost nothing really happens) the characters boring, the tropes over done and the only thing I really did care about (finding all the cards and saving magic) was foiled when it ended on an incredibly abrupt cliffhanger. It can be okay when books have cliffhangers. Sometimes they’re exciting and make me want to get the next book as soon as possible. But sometimes, like in this book, they just leave me massively confused because this book basically had no ending at all. It was just a ‘to be continued.’ I probably won’t be continuing.

Thank you to Rachel Gillig and her publisher for granting me a free e-ARC via NetGalley. Following is my unbiased review.

I requested this book because I have enjoyed several fantasy books from this publisher (Orbit) and the synopsis intrigued me. One Dark Window is part 1 of a fantasy duology. It has a darkish atmosphere and some romantic elements. It contains some secrets and twists and turns, although the most important revelations were predictable and obvious enough that I could not understand why the main character didn't figure them out much earlier.

I thought the magic system was interesting and I always appreciate when magic has a cost. However, even by the end of the book, I still didn't grasp why the people in the book were so prejudiced about the people who acquired their magic after illness, but had no problems with magic via the cards. I hope that is explored in the sequel.

I enjoyed the book, despite the above issues and I want to know what happens after the cliffhanger ending and what happened to several of the side characters. And I did enjoy the main romance, though I wish the MC and her love interest had been a bit more developed. (And I enjoyed the poetry, especially the ones earlier in the book.)