One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig Series: The Shepherd King #1
Published by Orbit on September 27, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Fiction / Gothic
Pages: 432
Format: eBook
A dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom—but the monster in her head isn't the only threat lurking.
Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.
But nothing comes for free, especially magic.
When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers…and guilty of high treason.
He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.
Wow! Why did I not read this sooner because this book is so good?! I absolutely loved this first book in The Shepherd King series and have already started the second one.
The world-building and magic system is probably my favorite part. The whole idea of Providence Cards that give the person magic, but each card makes the user pay a price. Each card has specific magic, like the Maiden that gives the person unbelievable beauty but takes away their humanity. The Scythe card that allows a person to control others but will eventually make the person feel immeasurable pain (Elm describes it like glass going through his brain). I don’t know why but a magic system that has limits or something the person has to give to utilize it, just makes the story more interesting.
As for the characters, they were all fascinating and complicated. Although Elspeth could be annoying at times with her whole fight with the Nightmare. The other half of the romance is Raveyn Rowan, who ultimately cares for those he’s closest too, his family. Other than that, he doesn’t give a damn, and I’m here for it.
There is an aspect of the book that made me uncomfortable at the end, and I’m being vague so as not to spoil anything. But I wish it was written slightly differently or that the situation involving the villain was a woman instead. I support women’s rights and wrongs!
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