Book Review: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

One Dark Window

Rachel Gillig

The Shepherd King, #1

Publisher: Orbit Books

Published Date: September 27, 2022

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Gothic, Fiction

432 Pages / 12 Hours 45 Minutes

Date Read: October 9 - November 5, 2025

Format: 🎧📖

Source: Audible + Book Haul

As always, if you prefer a spoiler free review please read my quick review instead of the in depth review below.

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About the Book

The kingdom of Blunder is trapped within a cursed mist and the only way to save the kingdom is to gather twelve Providence Cards. Elspeth Spindle lives with a monster in her head, the Nightmare. After a wild turn of events, Elspeth is thrust into helping cure the kingdom, keeping her secrets, and keeping the Nightmare from taking over her mind.

Quick Review (Spoiler Free)

This was such a unique read for me. I have always loved fantasy books because of the world building and variation of characters. My favorite thing to read is something that I can get lost within the world the author creates. Rachel Gillig did just that. She clearly paints a picture with her characters, the entire magic system, the environment, the monster called The Nightmare... It truly was amazing. I started out listening to the book but impatiently finished reading the physical copy because I can read faster than I can listen.

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Now, let's get into the details!!

This was such a unique read for me. I have always loved fantasy books because of the world building and variation of characters. My favorite thing to read is something that I can get lost in the picture of what it appears to be and focus on getting lost within the world the author creates. Rachel Gillig did just that. She clearly paints a picture with her characters, the entire magic system, the environment, the monster called The Nightmare… It truly was amazing.

The Nightmare that has taken up home in Elspeth’s mind made me a little hesitant to read this at first, but oh boy, was I wrong in that thought. I really enjoyed the narrative that we get and all of the cryptic rhymes from The Book of Alders. The relationship that develops over time with these two is definitely interesting.

The magic system in this book is honestly my favorite part of it. I love that the Providence Cards are sought after items but that there are some that are more common than others. Then, the author adds on to the cards appeal by giving each one a magical ability. And we still aren’t done! There is so much to the workings of legal vs. illegal magic. I was truly impressed at the complexity of this aspect of the book.

I started out listening to the book but decided I needed to get a trophy copy. Then I impatiently finished reading the physical copy because I can read faster than I can deal with sped up audio. The narrator was great… I was just too impatient.

I cannot imagine how book 2 is going to go. This is a duology and I went into this book knowing that I would need to read both books. There was just enough suspense to keep you attached at the end.

Ratings