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.
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My Review Of One Dark Window
I’ll admit, I put this off because it looked like my cup of tea, and I wanted to enjoy it on a gloomy day (and not in a book slump). I was severely disappointed by this one. I was surprised since everyone seemed to love it—and I just didn’t. I had almost as much FOMO when I didn’t like Once Upon A Broken Heart. This was boring for me; the characters felt one-dimensional and flat. There was a plot, but there was no urgency. Elspeth has no motivation until 60% of the book, and her dull personality makes it hard to connect with her. It was okay overall; I feel like it was unforgettable.
What I Enjoyed
The Nightmare: I was more interested in this character than the main character. It had depth, wasn’t on the side of good or evil, and was somewhere in between, which was cool because I was always wondering about its loyalties. I liked Elspeth and its banter—it reminded me of Tairn and Violet’s banter from Fourth Wing. Unfortunately, I guessed who The Nightmare was early on because the author practically spoon-fed it to the readers.
The Magic System: The magic system was original and exciting. I also liked that it had side effects and couldn’t be used without caution. Although we don’t see any of the characters have any side effects from using it other than one character, the negative effects are vague.
What I Didn’t Enjoy
Elspeth: I didn’t enjoy the MC. She had little to no personality other than having a monster in her head. She never asked questions about who The Nightmare could be despite having studied the whole book on the magic cards (so much though that she says she could say it off the top of her head). Her magic is never truly established, and when it is, it doesn’t make much sense.
The Romance: Since both characters weren’t complex, their romance felt boring. There was no tension. There’s supposed to be an aspect of “fake dating” (which is one of my favourite tropes), but we see none of it.
Decisions Felt Unrealistic: This section contains a couple of spoilers, which I’ll hide, but if you intend on reading, don’t read these.
This family is supposed to be so secretive about their identities as traitors but let Elspeth walk around with a black eye and a broken wrist (the one that the prince broke). No one even put any forethought into this, including her. If I got my wrist broken by someone I was trying to evade because he didn’t know my identity, I’d pretend I was sick or something. I felt like it was just there for a shock factor and nothing more. Elspeth also realizes something important about The Nightmare and continues to make decisions that will seal her fate with no internal struggle. It was frustrating to read, to say the least.
Would I Recommend One Dark Window
If you like an easy read in a darker atmosphere, with not a whole lot of plot and an insta-lust romance. This might be your jam, and if so, I’ll leave a link below if you want to get it on Amazon. This wasn’t for me, but it had the makings to be for me. I’ve heard that the second one gets better, and I’ve also heard the second one gets worse. So I’m still determining if I’ll finish this duology – but I might since it’s on Kindle Unlimited.
The Author
Rachel Gillig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Shepherd King series. If she’s not ensconced in blankets, dreaming up her next novel, Rachel is out walking in beautiful coastal California with her husband, son, and their dignified poodle, Wally.
