Elspeth meets a Highwayman and his companions on her way with her family to join the King's Equinox ball at the castle. Secrets and dangerous schemes begin to unravel, and Elspeth is at risk of being exposed as the child who had survived the fever and was kept hidden until adulthood, and that equals to treason to the King. The new "Touch her and die" book boyfriend who would protect his girl no matter what. He was dangerously beautiful and interesting from the very beginning. Like his namesake, Ravyn had a dark aura, and he was sharp and intelligent. But he was also kind and selfless for his loved ones. Captain by the day and highwayman by the night? Ravyn had me swooning everytime with his words and actions. It was so sweet to see way he cared for Elspeth and earned her trust. A heart of gold can still turn to rot. What he wrote, what he did, was all done for naught. His Cards are but weapons, his kingdom now cruel. Shephard of folly, King of the fools."

Elspeth’s father was the head of the Destriers when she caught the fever but he couldn’t bring himself to turn her in. So he sent her to her Aunt’s with the hope that she would avoid detection. And it worked. Helpfully, everyone thinks that she escaped the fever with no magical gift. The truth is a bit different though. One Dark Window is set in the wonderfully dark and gothic town of Blunder that is cut off from the rest of the world bc of a mist that keeps the townspeople trapped and threatened with dark magic. Anyone infected with the magic is believed to be evil or dangerous and is sentenced to death. Elspeth has hidden her infection since childhood not letting anyone know that she lives with another inside her own mind but when she meets a mysterious highwayman who holds his own secrets, she must risk her own safety to work together to possibly find a cure to the dark magic and save herself and everyone else. The characters were boring and I didn't like anyone. I would have liked to know more about Nightmare but I stopped caring about it. Blessed with the ability to see the cards of power, Elspeth is pulled into a treasonous plot against the king to gather all the cards to undo a blight on her kingdom. A creepy mist-plagued village and woods, a 500-year-old mercurial mind monster who talks in rhymes, a book within a book, and beautiful poetic writing without being too flowery. Rachel Gillig’s darkish fantasy, and slightly gothic fairytale, was an atmospheric read with elements of slow-burn romance and a small touch of spice.

Read One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

His laughter dripped like water down the walls of a cavern, echoing, then fading into hollow silence. Because that, my dear, is MY nature.” the weak world-building : there's a Village and a Forest and two Castles and all of it is so vague that I couldn't describe it for the life of me ; the magic system ("system" sounds like a stretch tbh) is very simple despite its undeniable potential ; The writing had no emotion. It is written in a very bland way and comes across as if facts are being presented but all jumbled up, rather than a story being written. I was bored. I started to skim. It does have goth YA vibes to it but nothing too impressive. Yeah am let down by it and do believe it is overhyped. But instead of forcing myself, I decided to stop and move on. It had the potential to put me in a reading slump. IMO, if you like Caraval, you'll like this book.

The ending hurt—this cliffhanger almost made me cry. I’ll forgive it, because it’s meant to lead us into the next book, but I won't be able to forget it. There was something so mysterious about her. One minute she was Elspeth's best friend, her best cousin and the next she was the brute Hauth Rowan's fiancé. I know she is upto something and maybe its bad or maybe its good? Maybe both? Primo libro di una dilogia, chiamata the “Shepherd King”, ha due cose che mi hanno conquistato sin da subito: Although the main characters are in their early twenties, this book felt very YA (except one kind of steamy-ish scene?), which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But for me, it made for a confusing reading experience because my expectations for YA vs Adult books are vastly different. Because I went in thinking this was an Adult book, I was expecting darker and spookier themes (this doesn't affect my rating - I have since adjusted my expectations). but something in my chest, small, delicate, resisted the yes haunting the tip of my tongue. “Do you?”His words moved something in me. The same calling from before--the same ache. I wanted him to run his hand over my mouth again--to feel the texture of his rough, hardened skin. My body was screaming, a mindless, impatient call for touch. BY THE END, I really enjoyed the magic system, with the Mist and the Providence Cards. I will admit that it was a bit difficult to follow at the beginning because it was different from most magic systems. But the fact that it was unique made me like it even more as I became more familiar with it! This book is mesmerising; the writing is so magical and magnificent that I just love everything about it. I love the dark, magical, gothic vibe that makes me shiver. And this book is so hot to be a YA and I love it so much. The ending is making me crazy because what's with that cliffhanger? But it's okay. It's okay. With 4 months to go until book 2, it's okay…. Second, the magic system is unparalleled. So so so incredibly good. I love the whole card system. I love that there is a price to pay for the magic as well. Honestly, the magic system in this book is pure perfection. When Elspeth sees the man from her dream, she runs from Ravyn. She soon realises it’s not the Nightmare inhabiting her mind at all, but the Shepherd King himself. Part of her degeneration is that whatever the entity she absorbed is, it’s slowly taking over her. When she asks for his help, he becomes stronger and she’s losing control.