One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

“There once was a girl,” he murmured, “clever and good, who tarried in shadow in the depths of the wood. There also was a King—a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book. The two were together, so the two were the same: “The girl, the King… and the monster they became.”

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

One Dark Window is a dark fantasy novel layered with romance and found family. It has a unique fairy tale quality to it while remaining something all its own. I absolutely adored it.

Elspeth Spindle lives with her father, stepmother and twin stepsisters. She also lives with the Nightmare creature that lives in her head. As a child, she became infected with a disease that renders the person infected with magic. Those who are infected are immediately sent to the Stone, and if the King determines their magic useless, they are killed. Hiding an infected person can cost one their life, and living as someone who is infected is dangerous. Despite the risks, Elspeth’s father hid her when she was infected and now she lives as an outcast within her own family.

But in the kingdom of Blunder, there’s a mist scouring the land, and those who enter it will die. The only way to fight back the mist is by collecting a full deck of Providence cards. Each card varies in the abilities a user can gain and also the cost at which they pay. Scythe cards control a person but cause the user great pain. Maiden cards give a person great beauty but turn them cold-hearted.

When Ravyn Yew, the Captain of the King’s Destriers discovers that Elspeth has a gift that can help him collect a deck of Providence Cards for his own reasons, he quickly gathers her into his plan.

This book was really awesome! It’s got a dark feel to it. Blunder does not seem like a nice place to live, the world seems like it’s falling apart at the seams and people like Ravyn and Elspeth are trying to figure out a way to save it. The magic of the Providence Cards was so fascinating; the cards were both powerful and terrifying. There is great cost to the magic in this world which makes you question if it’s worth it or not.

The ending of this book was fantastic, too. I’m so excited to read the next book! I want to thank Orbit Books for sending me a copy of books one and two of this series!